superpunk;1342081 said:
Let's be honest. No matter how much Bill "tried to hold Ware back", Ware's talent is too great to keep from shining through. Even without the sacks, he was still a playmaker. The same can't be said for Julius. He's shredded some bad defenses, and every once in a while he has a wow game, but it's not like this superior talent is sitting there waiting to be unleashed, and that's evident on gameday. On gameday, Julius looks like what he is - a pretty average back capable of an occasional great game. Maybe in a different blocking system he'd do better, but we;ve tried at least two, haven't we?
Sooner or later that shine's gotta come off that rookie season highlight vid, where JJ torched some of the worst defenses in the league. And that's not on Bill.
I see what you're saying, but I think he was playing to not screw up and get in BP's doghouse rather than using his instincts. He did have some good games against good defenses the past couple years:
in 2006: 94 vs. Wash (even though the overall team sucked, the D was pretty decent), 100 v. Philly, 92 v. Carolina, 116 v. NO, 119 v. Seattle (playoffs). He only carried the ball 20+ times in 7 games in 2006. In the last 6 reg. season games, his highest number of carries (13) came against the Falcons. His decline in run production coincides with the collapse of the defense.
In 2005: He only had two real good games (93 v. SD an 194 v. Carolina), but he got injured during the Philly game and was out for four weeks. Keep in mind, he had 72 yards rushing against Philly before he got injured in the first half. Also, he only had 20+ carries in 8 of the 16 games.
Don't get me wrong, if someone who is better than JuJo falls into our laps, take him. But, I think the Boys and fan should give him the benefit of the doubt...at least for this upcoming season. Let's see if Garrett (and Norv if he's here) can make him produce like Gore or, dare I say, Emmitt.
