Houston Nutt on 103.3

[DFWJC]

That's the first thing I noticed when I started watching him a couple of years ago... he rarely takes a big hit...

Thanks for the Recap CL...

And that is a great complement, not critique as some here may think. The great backs who are not built like Earl Campbell are smart to limit direct hits but still always go forward....unless of course you are finishing a run for the extra yard.

 

[Cbz40]

Any way you slice it - it's a huge upgrade over Julius...

Dang!!!!! I've had to agree w/you at least 3 times in the past 3 days.....Hell must be freezing over...

 

[Stephen Colboar]

Oh and Felix is a dead ringer for Dave Chappelle as well... I don't know if that's a pro or con though.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I've really warmed up to this pick. Very underrated guy, (if you can say that about a first round player). If he played at LSU or USC this past season and had those kind of numbers they would have been touting him as a Heisman candidate.

Gotta do this...who does he remind you of? I'm not talking about how good he is, but just running the ball does he look like anyone you've seen play?

Going way back he reminds me in body size and build of Clarence Davis, the old Raider. Great player, made the "Sea of Hands" catch in the playoffs and one of the heroes of SB XI.

Recent guy he reminds me of a little bit, (not exactly of course), but going way back to his college days, is Marshall Faulk.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I think Wade nailed it -- he reminds me of Thurman Thomas. He's almost exactly the same height and weight, has the same build with the smaller upper body but big legs, and he's more quick than fast. Felix even kind of looks like him.

Now hopefully Felix won't forget his helmet in the Superbowl. :

 

[DanTanna]

This Dave Chappell?

I really like the Felix pic(k). He will make an impact from day one!

 

[CrazyCowboy]

I am so excited about this pick.......

You doubters,

Can have the other player.

 

[silver]

As a back, he's so explosive and quick. Can make a lateral cut and they get going north again right away. Great quickness. Very good on screens out of the backfield. Sets up his blocks as well as anyone -- will cut right off the heels of his linemen.

Felix can carry the load 25 times a game if you want. He gets stronger as the game goes on, and he's thicker and stronger than you think. Plus he has a feel for how to avoid contact at the last second and not take big hits.

That description reminds me of Tony Dorsett more than any other back we've had in the past. Specially the screens. Dorsett was a master at running screens and setting up blocks.

 

[BulletBob]

I still don't like the pick. I'll warm to him I'm sure. I just don't see him as a full-time back. I fully expect his coach to say that he can be one.

I wouldn't expect his coach to oversell his abilities in this area. Let me explain.

I do expect coaches to talk up their players skill sets and to be very positive about general characteristics (toughness, work ethic, quickness).

However, when it comes to playing a specific role on a team, a college coach (as opposed to an agent) has no vested interest in overselling a former player.

For example, let's say you are coaching at the college level, and one of your receivers is a speed burner who specializes in the deep ball. He is 5' 9", but he can fly.

He gets drafted in the first round by the Cowboys.

Now do you let it be known to the fans and coaching staff in Dallas that this guy is deadly in the red zone? That it doesn't matter how tall the CB is, the QB just has to throw the ball up on a fade route and your boy will go up and get it, and score every time?

No, of course you don't. You don't want to oversell the kid's abilities to a point that he is not put in a position to succeed.

Same deal with Felix. If Nutt truly felt that this kid was not capable of carrying the load 20-25 times, he would not have stated it. He would have stressed his situational talents, receiving skills, etc.

The college coach has no motivation to see his former player used in a way that would limit or prevent him from succeeding.

I'm not saying Felix is capable of carrying the load 20-25 carries a game; only that his college coach probably honestly believes he can.

 

[bags]

Check out this nice run between the tackles by felix.

It's at about 1:54, with a slow mo replay afterwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtISAklqzno

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

I still don't like the pick. I'll warm to him I'm sure. I just don't see him as a full-time back. I fully expect his coach to say that he can be one.

I follow Arkansas football....I really want the guy to succeed. But I think we drafted a KR. I don't think he'll make it as a RB. I guess I shouldn't say I didn't want us to draft him....I just don't think he's first round material.

But this is all opinion. I've certainly been wrong before. This is simply one of those picks that you hope the scouting department get right. After all, it seems most scouts thought highly of him.

I could not agree more. I feel like we did not draft an everydown back.

 

[ilovejerry]

I loved the pick my favorite back in the draft, Good bye Mr Jones---Hello Mr Jones

 

[theogt]

Don't be suprised that by the end of the season, if many are calling for Felix Jones to be the starting back on this team.

Well, there were a few idiots on here calling for Keith Davis to start, so I guess you have a point.

 

[marchetta]

That's the first thing I noticed when I started watching him a couple of years ago... he rarely takes a big hit...

Thanks for the Recap CL...

I was going to mention the same thing, but you beat me to it. JJ also mentioned that Felix knows how to protect himself from the big hit. Also, Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com) mentioned that this was an area of big concern for DMac, since DMac absorbs so many big hits that he needs to avoid. Drew even used Emmitt as an example of a RB's technique of shifting your momentum and body angle the instant before a big hit, in order to absorb the hit with less shock. Drew stated that many college RBs fail in the NFL because the can't learn this technique. He mentioned that it's almost an instinctual technique that's very difficult for pro coaches to teach RBs. If you doubt me, just check out some of your old Emmitt runs, and watch how Emmitt would run between the tackles and absorb hits and not even be phased, because he slowed/redirected his momentum, changed his body angle, absorbed the blow, maintained his balance, and continued to run. Felix has this technique down pat. It's a subtle technique that's rarely mentioned, but it's a crucial technique for RBs to have in order to stay healthy throughout the season. One more thing, Felix can also contort his body to fit a hole. Marshall Faulk called it "making yourself small." Marshall said Felix can run through narrow holes by making himself small in order to squeeze through, which is nice to know considering the lack of big holes our OL was opening last year.

 

[Stephen Colboar]

Check out this nice run between the tackles by felix.

It's at about 1:54, with a slow mo replay afterwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtISAklqzno

That play is exactly what I mean when I say he is better between the tackles than McFadden.

 

[Dallas4ever]

Any way you slice it - it's a huge upgrade over Julius...

I'll second that Sarge. JJ just couldn't seem to find the gap anymore. I wish him the best in Seattle. Maybe a new scene will get him back on track.

 

[Awakened]

I watched almost every Hog game the last three years, and I don't see how anybody can say Felix is better running between the tackles than D-mac. Felix is great, and I'm happy the Cowboys got him. But Darren is considered by most to be the greatest SEC tailback since Bo Jackson. That is covering a lot of great tailbacks. I agree that Felix could be the next Emmitt - man I hope so. But D-mac had two things that were out of this world. First, he had a second gear that blew you away. When he got past the line of scrimmage, chances were pretty good that he was going to EXPLODE past everybody. In this sense, he reminds me of O.J. - freakin blazing football speed. Second, he could knock the crap out of defenders with his hand or his shoulders. He literally blasted guys out of the way. I was at the game in Alabama when D-mac as a freshman stiff-armed their All-SEC safety - slam dunked the guy like he was a junior high kid - and took it 80 yards to the house. Everybody in the building looked at each other like "what the crap just happened?" It was the beginning of one of the all-time great running back careers in SEC history. Felix is great. D-mac dwells among the football gods.

 

[dre1614]

I watched almost every Hog game the last three years, and I don't see how anybody can say Felix is better running between the tackles than D-mac. Felix is great, and I'm happy the Cowboys got him. But Darren is considered by most to be the greatest SEC tailback since Bo Jackson. That is covering a lot of great tailbacks. I agree that Felix could be the next Emmitt - man I hope so. But D-mac had two things that were out of this world. First, he had a second gear that blew you away. When he got past the line of scrimmage, chances were pretty good that he was going to EXPLODE past everybody. In this sense, he reminds me of O.J. - freakin blazing football speed. Second, he could knock the crap out of defenders with his hand or his shoulders. He literally blasted guys out of the way. I was at the game in Alabama when D-mac as a freshman stiff-armed their All-SEC safety - slam dunked the guy like he was a junior high kid - and took it 80 yards to the house. Everybody in the building looked at each other like "what the crap just happened?" It was the beginning of one of the all-time great running back careers in SEC history. Felix is great. D-mac dwells among the football gods.

What impressed you about Felix, and what do you think he struggles/needs to work on to become a successful RB in the NFL?

 

[TheKey]

Don't be suprised that by the end of the season, if many are calling for Felix Jones to be the starting back on this team.

If he is that good and Choice shows up, we wont have to pay Barber 50 Mil.

 

[Ken]

Felix has a MUCH better attitude. And I liked him better as a person. But in watching him I never got the feeling he had what it takes to be a top flight NFL back.

But that being said, I thought the same thing about Westbrook when I saw him for the first time.

Again, I'm gonna put my trust in the scouting department and hope they got this one right. I'm sure they did their homework....I think this was a hard group of backs to evaluate due to the fact that so few played in a conventional system. Arkansas' system was stranger than most.

I've settled down from Saturday after my initial disappointment. Hopefully, Felix gives us an opportunity to cheer him early. I think he'll be a top flight returner.....

Well, then that is where we differ.

The first time I saw Westbrook was at Philly Training Camp in Lehigh his rookie year. During the scrimmage portion of practice, I turned to my freind and told him that Westbrook will be an absolute stud. He thought, at the time, that Buckhalter was the man.

I have also analyzed Jones, and to me, he is better than McFadden. Just based on the film i have watched. It could change when I see him live, but I think he has a ton of talent.

We will see.