Darren McFadden (All22) Rushing Review

[speedkilz88]

Broaddus has said that he thinks that DMC was the best RB on the team.

 

[JD_KaPow]

DMC had 7 carries in the preseason and 6 carries in the opener. Drawing conclusions at this point is..... pointless.

And 480 awful carries over the last 3 seasons. And a coaching staff that certainly appears to have decided that he shouldn't be the starter or get the majority of the work.

Sure, his failure in Oakland could have had nothing to do with him. The coaches could be wrong about favoring Randle over him. But there's a lot more evidence pointing in the negative direction than the positive direction.

 

[texbumthelife]

DMC is still learning how the line blocks..and the play changes at the line...He has less than 20 carries in live action and you judge him on that....he is the still the best back on the team.....lets see a critical breakdown of Randle now to be far....

I posted one. It's probably on page 2 now. I didn't include pics in that one because it was much longer.

 

[Longboysfan]

Give him some more in game carries and get a reasonable comfort level then come back to this.

 

[xwalker]

I will break down all of Darren McFadden's runs here in the same way I broke down Randle's. I will try to include pics to make a better argument, whether I am right or wrong in my previous assessments of DMac.

Let me also preface by saying, I would love to see McFadden become the guy. His explosion and speed is exciting for me too. If he earns the spot, I will root for him.

Here we go:

2nd Quarter

10:53 McFadden off LT for 8 yards: There is a gaping hole and McFadden is quickly to the second level.

His speed and explosion allow him to the second level before the defense can react. He isn't even touched until he hits the 45.

This is the same play Randle popped off his big gains. This was our best designed running play in the game. McFadden flashes here so well, it's easy to understand excitement.

10:07 McFadden off LG for 3 yards: There is a gaping hole pre-snap. This looks like it was actually an audible by Romo when he saw the hole over the LG.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, McFadden hesitates for a step or two which enables the linebacker to get to the hole before him. This should have been a hitter, but McFadden's hesitation slowed it down.

8:34 McFadden off RT for 3 yards: There is another gaping hole for McFadden to the right side. Again, this should be a big hitter.

Instead, McFadden for some reason pauses and take a few stutter steps, giving the Giants time to converge and close the hole.

7:17 McFadden of RG for 3 yards: This is the same play the Cowboys ran the first snap of the game. McFadden makes a decisive cut this time and, although the backside defender is there, he is able to pick up 3 yards. This is a good, hard and decisive run. This is the dirty work. This is what he needs to do more of.

3rd Quarter

4:53 McFadden off LT pushed out of bounds after 1 yard gain: He does so many things wrong on this run I don't know where to start.

First hole he passes up is a gaping cutback that would have netted atleast 3-4 yards, or hit the burners to the outside, but instead he pauses and stutter steps again

The same moment from another angle shows how indecisive he was. Anything was better than stuttering. Cut and go, or hit the outside with speed.

He finally commits to going outside. Once he does, he has another opportunity to either turn on the jets or cut back, he hesitates again...

At this point, Beasley has been blocking for several second and loses his man. McFadden doesn't lower his shoulder and try to run through the smaller DB, he's pushed out of bounds... This is the run where he lost me.

4th Quarter

9:05 McFadden up the middle for -2 yards: He has no shot here.
Whitehead is beat to the insdie by Collins and pops McFadden in the backfield. As X and I have pointed out in several other threads, the blocking at the next level as well as by the TE/WRs in the game was horrendous. If Whitehead can just chip Colling, McFadden may go the distance.

My analysis:
As I have said in a plethora of threads now, McFadden shows liveliness. He is fluid, quick and fast. He has prototypical size and looks as though he could/should be able to break tackles. The unfortunate truth is, just like in Oakland, he doesn't have the patience, confidence or vision needed to take full advantage of his gifts. The holes he missed were gaping and he literally either ran away from them, or waited for them to close.

I want him to show up on the field. I want to see that home run ability in a feature back. The unfortunate truth is, McFadden doesn't have the most important tools (as Emmitt showed us) to be a feature back: The vision, the confidence and the patience. If you are mad that Randle is leaving yards on the field, McFadden should be maddening for you. Will he hit a big shot here and there? Yes. But he is going to strike out far more often. That's why he's a change of pace guy. That's why I prefer Randle.

Now, a caveat to all of this is, he missed some training camp and is on a new team. Could he gain the confidence and understand the scheme better? Certainly! Could that lead to better decision making and less busted runs? Absolutely. Does history show that will be the case? No.

Good job on the play breakdowns with images. I know that takes time.

I think you're using the wrong wording when you say he lacked patience. The hesitation was being too patient.

In Oakland people said he was too quick to the hole; although if he paused in Oakland he would get tackled in the backfield which often happened even when he didn't pause.

It took Murray time to adjust to this blocking scheme so I expect McFadden to get more comfortable with it. It is hard to simulate the timing in practice.

Six carries is not close to enough for any conclusions. You could pick out 6 consecutive snaps from Murray at times last year where he wouldn't look very good based on those snaps.

 

[texbumthelife]

Exactly. Not sure the point of this thread. There were clearly some missed opportunities for McFadden, but it's not like Randle was perfect either. Continues to try to go low on his blocks, struggled to keep his balance, and couldn't make anyone miss when he was one on one in the open field.

McFadden only had six carries. No chance to really establish a rhythm. This was his first ever real game as a Dallas Cowboy and we know he didn't get much work in the pre-season. There is little to no continuity with the offensive line.

It's really mind boggling. He didn't have a great game with a limited amount of carries in Week 1 of the season. Not all hope is lost. McFadden will get better just as Randle will. These are both solid backs. People always overreact to the first game of the season. Hell you had people saying D-Law hadn't improved at all because he didn't have a sack when the Giants were getting the ball out within two seconds.

It's pretty obvious those of you who didn't even read what I wrote in my breakdown. I specifically said that McFadden could absolutely get better with more carries and confidence. There is no overreaction, just reaction--with still to back them up. I did voice my opinions on McFadden as a feature back, but those are based on his career and not solely on his time in Dallas.

 

[Staubacher]

LOL. Why does that kid need a steering wheel when he's that close to the car? Lazy brat

This was me when ran either the ball

 

[goshan]

It's clear who your favorite RB is, as your analysis is very biased.

From what I have seen so far, I think both DMC and Randle are below average starting RBs.

Both left significant yards on the field last week.

I am rooting for one, or both, to significantly step up.

 

[texbumthelife]

Good job on the play breakdowns with images. I know that takes time.

Thanks

I think you're using the wrong wording when you say he lacked patience. The hesitation was being too patient.

To me, the hesitation looked like indecision. This is completely separate from his patience.

In Oakland people said he was too quick to the hole; although if he paused in Oakland he would get tackled in the backfield which often happened even when he didn't pause.

That was his lack of patience. I agree he didn't have a line like we have while in Oakland, but he was still out rushed by physically inferior runner, largely because of his vision.

It took Murray time to adjust to this blocking scheme so I expect McFadden to get more comfortable with it. It is hard to simulate the timing in practice.

As I have said several times, I haven't counted McFadden out and I think he can and will still contribute. This is what it is, a breakdown of a tiny sample--mostly because people just weren't seeing things.

[/quote]Six carries is not close to enough for any conclusions. You could pick out 6 consecutive snaps from Murray at times last year where he wouldn't look very good based on those snaps.[/quote]

They're not necessarily "conclusions". They're opinions and they're mine. They're also backed up by photos. Once again, it's like you didn't read the full post. I said several times there is very good chance he could and would get better. He could very well prove me wrong, and really light things up if he gets a better grasp of things. In which case, I will give him credit.

Furthermore, I intend to do another breakdown next week and, if he shows improvement, highlight that.

 

[Kaiser]

The coaches could be wrong about favoring Randle over him. But there's a lot more evidence pointing in the negative direction than the positive direction.

Randle has 10 more carries than DMC. I wouldn't call that Same Sex Marriage or anything.

 

[tyke1doe]

In some of those clips, what you considered big holes, I see as the defenders having the angle necessary to limit a big run.
Pictures don't tell the whole story. They can't compensate for NFL speed.
For example, in clip #5, you say McFadden has a gaping hole. But it appears Leary's defender has the angle on both Leary and McFadden. Leary is not in position to seal that hole so McFadden can get in the clear.
Nevertheless, I appreciate the analysis and the perspective you and the clips bring.

 

[Bullet22]

Hoping for failure of a Cowboy player doesn't make for much of a fan.....

 

[texbumthelife]

It's clear who your favorite RB is, as your analysis is very biased.

From what I have seen so far, I think both DMC and Randle are below average starting RBs.

Both left significant yards on the field last week.

I am rooting for one, or both, to significantly step up.

I haven't tried to make my preference for Randle secret in the least. I did, however actually go and do the leg work to legitimize my opinions and views of both. I watched the All-22 for hours.

I don't think there is a feature back on this roster. They all need to do better. I will root for whoever is out there. Maybe McFadden can prove his history wrong. [/broken record]

 

[tyke1doe]

Randle has 10 more carries than DMC. I wouldn't call that Same Sex Marriage or anything.

What?

 

[JD_KaPow]

Randle has 10 more carries than DMC. I wouldn't call that Same Sex Marriage or anything.

Randle started. He played 27 snaps to DMC's 10. Seems pretty clear to me.

 

[Kaiser]

Randle started. He played 27 snaps to DMC's 10. Seems pretty clear to me.

Its a 16 game season, talking about 17 snaps over the course of the year is meaningless.

 

[texbumthelife]

In some of those clips, what you considered big holes, I see as the defenders having the angle necessary to limit a big run.
Pictures don't tell the whole story. They can't compensate for NFL speed.
For example, in clip #5, you say McFadden has a gaping hole. But it appears Leary's defender has the angle on both Leary and McFadden. Leary is not in position to seal that hole so McFadden can get in the clear.
Nevertheless, I appreciate the analysis and the perspective you and the clips bring.

Pictures definitely don't tell the whole story. They're stills from the All-22 video, I didn't post video clips because it takes an exceedingly large amount of time to cut and edit.

In the still you mentioned, the defender on Leary has set his feet to the inside and is leveraging against Leary, he has no shot of getting McFadden, if he hits that hole without hesitation.

In the NFL this:

Is a gaping hole... He is already hesitating in this image.

It's clear from the next still, that if McFadden just hit that hole hard, he's going to get to the next level with one guy to beat:

Mind you, this still is during not before or after the stutter and hat is still a 3 yard gap between the defender on Leary and Free. Without the hesitation, McFadden is already through that hole.

 

[texbumthelife]

Hoping for failure of a Cowboy player doesn't make for much of a fan.....

Agreed. I have never done that.

 

[Staubacher]

Dunbar played the most lol

 

[texbumthelife]

Dunbar played the most lol

And people wanted him cut and said he was worthless.