Julius' Rookie Year to Now: A Theory

[jimmy40]

If it wasn't you, that take is pretty good.

I just quoted NFL.com's scouting report at the time and was slammed for using it.

 

[Mavs Man]

I remember Barry Sanders was a beast on the squat. Here's a blurb from 1988 when he came out of OSU:

Link

Sanders's favorite hangout is the weightroom. His muscular, 197-pound body is a tell-tale indication of his passion for weight training and explains his capacity to break tackles.

Jerry Schmidt, the Cowboys' strength coach, said Sanders bench presses 360 pounds and his squat is 557 pounds.

''That rates with the linemen,'' Schmidt added. ''I was at Notre Dame and Nebraska before I came here and I never saw a kid in either of those programs who worked as hard as Sanders. I have to watch him carefully or he will lift too much.''

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This was discussed before and I think it certainly has merit. JJ is built top heavy, in a V shape. Add to that his lack of vision and instincts and it's not a good combo.

 

[percyhoward]

Compare the seasonal fluctuations:

E Smith 1990 3.9
E Smith 1991 4.3
E Smith 1992 4.6
E Smith 1993 5.3
Steady improvement.


Jones 2004 4.2
Jones 2005 3.9
Jones 2006 4.1
Jones 2007 3.8
Steady decline? Not really.

 

[theogt]

Whatever theory works. I just wish Wade and Garrett would wisen up and start Barber the entire game.

I'd like to see the results of a poll for who should start. My guess is it'd be 99% to 1% in favor of Barber.

 

[ndanger]

Certainly a thought. I do think that BP messed with his head and schooled him to not go with his instincts- and maybe that is something that once lost you cannot get back. Loss of balance and quickness- hmmm. BUT if that was the case surely someone on the Cowboys training staff, someone would have figured that out and had him do some different training to aleviate the problem. Though I have on occasion wondered if our trainers are all that good.

The best trainer we ever had now resides in New England for the Patriots.

 

[mullet]

you can't just work out and get massive legs....his genetics play the biggest part in how he is built. I will never forget how Mickey Spagnola was always trying to tell people that just because Aveion Cason and Emmit weighed the same...they were built differently, therefore Emmit had the physical makeup to be an every down back and Cason was just someone to give a 1st string RB a breather.

I agree with the genetics angle. If Julius is working hard in the weight room, I feel there is no way he is neglecting his legs. I have worked out with a bunch of dudes who have worked hard to grow their legs, but with no succes.... while their pipes keep getting bigger.

 

[Nors]

The best trainer we ever had now resides in New England for the Patriots.

I believe he has 6 Super Bowl rings, great strength coach.

 

[Grevus]

No - I still go by my theory. ever since Sparano took over the offensive line (which was after Jones' rookie year), we have had problems blocking on the interior. Even Barber's runs are usually off tackle. Jones is an inside runner, and the holes aren't there for either RB. Jones isn't as good a creator as Barber is, and is a between the tackles kind of guy.

I couldn't agree more. As big as this line is, it still can run block. Our RBs never have big running lanes. Barber looks better because he's more physical then Jones. Jones isn't terrible, and Barber can't be the feature RB. If the line played better, Jones would look better. My biggest issue with Jones is he doesn't break many tackles. He has a burst from time to time, but he only seems to have it after Barber made a good run.

IMO

 

[Grevus]

Compare the seasonal fluctuations:

E Smith 1990 3.9
E Smith 1991 4.3
E Smith 1992 4.6
E Smith 1993 5.3
Steady improvement.


Jones 2004 4.2
Jones 2005 3.9
Jones 2006 4.1
Jones 2007 3.8
Steady decline? Not really.

Now how many carries did Smith have vs. Jones per game.

 

[the kid 05]

you can't just work out and get massive legs....his genetics play the biggest part in how he is built. I will never forget how Mickey Spagnola was always trying to tell people that just because Aveion Cason and Emmit weighed the same...they were built differently, therefore Emmit had the physical makeup to be an every down back and Cason was just someone to give a 1st string RB a breather.

T. jones has massive legs bud...you work out anything and it gets bigger...SAVE a few things...pervs...

 

[percyhoward]

Now how many carries did Smith have vs. Jones per game.

Emmitt's carries per game didn't go down gradually, as JJ's have.

But I'm trying to understand your point. Are you suggesting that JJ's ypc would have steadily gone up if his carries hadn't gone down?

 

[superpunk]

Theory #87 - he was NEVER that good. He beat up on some of the worst run defenses in the NFL - run defenses that were surrenering 200+ to other RBs in the weeks surrounding Julius' performances.

Basically, he was Tshimanga Biakabatuka.

 

[percyhoward]

Seems like the problem with having a theory that something went wrong with him, is that you have to come up with another theory to explain why his production has remained about the same.

 

[Mavs Man]

Theory #87 - he was NEVER that good. He beat up on some of the worst run defenses in the NFL - run defenses that were surrenering 200+ to other RBs in the weeks surrounding Julius' performances.

Basically, he was Tshimanga Biakabatuka.

:laugh2: Nice to see someone else remembers that guy. That's the name of our NFL Pick'em League.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I don't think it has anything to do with his whole running style going in the toilet, but I do agree about his legs. It's kind of a clue when he's wearing all the sleeveless t-shirts in camp. Why? His teammates don't give a crap how big his arms are. But I guess he's proud of them.

That's why I hated to see him train in Arizona, because squatting is hard work and most people hate it and won't do it on their own. One thing I loved about Parcells was his insistence on squatting and cleaning. It's old school, but it's the truth.

But while that might have something to do with him not breaking tackles and moving the pile, I still see a change in his running style from his rookie year. He almost never looks to run outside anymore. I'd like to see some stretch plays where he just tries to beat everyone to the corner for a five or six yard gain, just to get that back in him.

And even more than him re-learning to do that, it's a productive play. He does have good speed and he's never going to be a power back, so he should try to get outside more often.

 

[Nav22]

I posted this a few days ago in another thread... thought it would be appropriate to repost now.

------------------------

Since we're all coming up with theories, here's mine...

I blame his brother. Yeah, I said it... his brother. Thomas Jones, Jets starting RB.

Remember that Thanksgiving game in 2004? We saw the Jones brothers go head-to-head, and Julius came out on top.

Julius wasn't big or strong, but he was quick and shifty... Thomas was the big, strong bruiser.

And what has happened since then? Julius has trained with his brother in Arizona. If you've seen any interviews that involve Thomas and Julius together, it's easy to see that Julius still idolizes his big brother. So Thomas' way HAD to be the right way, figured Julius.

And what has been the result? A bigger, stronger Julius. He has lost some of his quickness and shiftiness. He has poor balance due to the increased upper-body weight, which contributes a great deal to his tendency to go down on the first hit.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[CowboyMike]

My Junior year of High School, our Running back ran for 1100 yards and 10 TDs. He was fast as hell, and breaking tackles left and right. He broke his ankle in the playoffs. This guy was really really fast, at about 5'11" and 195 lbs. Athletically built, but not big.

During his ankle rehab, he decided it was a good idea to bulk up on top, since he really couldn't do anything with his legs with the broken ankle. We all thought it'd be good for next year. We all figured he could already run by everyone and juke out of tackles, but now he could also bull through it as well.

Didn't happen.

The guy didn't have a run longer than 10 yards our whole senior year. I don't think he got over 400 yards for his season total. He just got too big in his upper body and became really really stiff in his running. Halfway through the year we just began to abandon the run because there wasn't a point. We went from running a pro style offense to primarily a shotgun.

So Hos, you have a great theory and it's probably true. I've seen it happen.

 

[STSINAZ]

well he had to get bigger up top or he would be out of the league by now...he was getting beat up badly

 

[poke]

ya know its a good theory...and it may be right.
what i like is for the most part this thread has some
well thought out responses and not just...so and so
should get more or start and the other guy is horrible spin.
good job fans !!