Darren McFadden played well last night

[Bullflop]

Not a lot of action from DMC to be sure but the staff is working him in slowly for him to get gradually back into the game. Rushing him into the fray after such a long absence would be tantamount to setting him up for failure. It's just realistic to allow his participation to increase very gradually.

 

[Satchel89]

I liked how they used him. Always good to have a running back with fresh legs going down the stretch. Dunbar looked pretty good too. I think McFadden is just a better option to backup Zeke then Morris.

 

[Gaede]

Fresh legs.

Looked very strong in limited play. Feel good about him spelling Zeke

 

[theebs]

First thing that stands out to me seeing him in the stadium again in pads...he is huge.

He is a really large dude. He could really help going forward.

Did I mention he looks huge.

 

[Aven8]

I like his speed and his size. He looks big out there. Just another weapon so I'll take it.

I will say one thing I noticed however is Dak will hardly look the RB'S way on the swing pass on the check down. That play could have gotten 100's of yards this season.

 

[Sage3030]

That's why they talk about the rookie wall. Once you get to week 13+, no rookies have ever played that many games in a season and still have a month to go plus any playoff games.

That's typical, but Zeke isn't a typical rookie. I think his Buckeyes played 15 games last year.

 

[xwalker]

He is a fumbler historically. No likey.

Not really.

He had 3 last season and a career average of 2.5 per season.

Zeke has 5 this season.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

He was more effective than Morris because he can run the ball effectively on inside zone plays and he can line up out wide like a receiver. So we can have him in the personnel package and the defense may come with a run stopping personnel and then we can throw the ball instead. I was encouraged by what I saw, but when he had the one run where he was stuffed, we had blocked pretty well for it and he just didn't have the cutting ability to hit that hole hard.



YR

 

[CATCH17]

I like his speed and his size. He looks big out there. Just another weapon so I'll take it.

I will say one thing I noticed however is Dak will hardly look the RB'S way on the swing pass on the check down. That play could have gotten 100's of yards this season.

It looks like Demarco out there.

He doesn't finish runs like Demarco but he has that size/speed combo and he is a good WR as well as a blitz pickup guy.

 

[mahoneybill]

That first down carry up the middle, popped through that defense, and punishes defenses when he finishes his runs. Gotta respect that

Liked his low right into the line rush......

 

[Temo]

The best thing about McFadden is his ability to split out as a WR. That's an added dimension that he gives that Morris did not.

 

[NEODOG]

He is a fumbler historically. No likey.

I sadly said this EXACT THING on the early 4th qtr carry to my son

"Now don't FUMBLE DMac"

 

[Proof]

biggest thing for me is that occasionally I won't be playing close attention and im not sure who's in @ rb. when it's morris I know as soon as the ball is hiked lol... with dmac last night I had to look twice before realizing it was not zeke.

 

[Macnalty]

Not a lot of action from DMC to be sure but the staff is working him in slowly for him to get gradually back into the game. Rushing him into the fray after such a long absence would be tantamount to setting him up for failure. It's just realistic to allow his participation to increase very gradually.

I think it is his blocking that puts him over the top. Morris is average and DMC is above average. Zeke is the prototype for a blocking RB so we will always have a drop off.

 

[bark]

I'm sure he is hungry after watching from the sidelines all season.
A great veteran to have on the ready.
I think he will make some plays down the stretch

 

[Cowboys22]

That's typical, but Zeke isn't a typical rookie. I think his Buckeyes played 15 games last year.

I didn't realize they played that many.

 

[Bullflop]

I think it is his blocking that puts him over the top. Morris is average and DMC is above average. Zeke is the prototype for a blocking RB so we will always have a drop off.

I'm hoping he'll turn out to be a valuable addition throughout the playoff run and well into the playoffs. His versatility should allow us to exploit the opposition to a greater extent than what Morris did. Alfred was fairly inept as a pass catcher, although a decent runner. DMC should also afford us with a more physical presence than what Dunbar has to offer, as well as being a better blocker. I'm quite pleased with our options on offense.

 

[Sage3030]

I didn't realize they played that many.

I don't think they typically do, but with the new playoff format, it adds a game.

After looking it up it was 13 last year. Though it looks like the big ten division winners played 14 with the bowl game. It was 2014 where they played 15 games(playoff game included). They were 14-1.

 

[TheCount]

He looked alright. I think what he has in his favor is that unlike Dunbar or Morris, he's a more rounded player.

Of course, it helps that we won. If we lose that game, I don't think anyone is creating threads praising a guy that, at the end of the day, got 4 touches.

 

[ShiningStar]

D Mac flashed what we expected and hope to see.