Really Harsh Critique of Melvin Gordon

[egn22]

sheesh, this guy didn't hold back any punches.

MAR 17 2015
by Bryce Pinson, Contributor
I heard a man say on the radio that Melvin Gordon would obviously be a superstar in the NFL. This man left out all other tailbacks in the draft, including Todd Gurley, and singled out Gordon to be the best tailback taken in the upcoming draft.

Melvin Gordon was a fantastic player in college. The 6’1,” 207 pound running back from Wisconsin decided to come back for another season so he could be the go-to guy for the Badgers. The previous seasons he had played second fiddle to some pretty good backs, including current Patriots tailback James White and Broncos tailback Montee Ball. This season, Gordon got what he wanted. He enjoyed the majority of the reps and he did not disappoint. Gordon rushed for over 2,500 yards and had 29 touchdowns. These are amazing numbers for any rusher in FBS football.

BUT DO THESE NUMBERS PROVE MELVIN GORDON WILL BE A STAR IN THE NFL?
I think it is safe to say Gordon passes the eyeball test. Anyone who has watched this guy play would agree with that statement.

Is it enough?

I don’t think so. I have been watching Wisconsin football for many years now. I love watching the tailback position. The Badgers have had a great running back almost every year I can remember. I watched Brian Calhoun, P.J. Hill, John Clay, as well as the previously mentioned Ball, White and Gordon.

I was not on the bandwagon with White. I wasn’t on Ball’s either, and I will not be on the Gordon’s.


Read more at:
http://lastwordonsports.com/2015/03/17/could-melvin-gordon-be-a-bust/

 

[MichaelWinicki]

The guy could very well be right.

 

[xwalker]

sheesh, this guy didn't hold back any punches.

MAR 17 2015
by Bryce Pinson, Contributor
I heard a man say on the radio that Melvin Gordon would obviously be a superstar in the NFL. This man left out all other tailbacks in the draft, including Todd Gurley, and singled out Gordon to be the best tailback taken in the upcoming draft.

Melvin Gordon was a fantastic player in college. The 6’1,” 207 pound running back from Wisconsin decided to come back for another season so he could be the go-to guy for the Badgers. The previous seasons he had played second fiddle to some pretty good backs, including current Patriots tailback James White and Broncos tailback Montee Ball. This season, Gordon got what he wanted. He enjoyed the majority of the reps and he did not disappoint. Gordon rushed for over 2,500 yards and had 29 touchdowns. These are amazing numbers for any rusher in FBS football.

BUT DO THESE NUMBERS PROVE MELVIN GORDON WILL BE A STAR IN THE NFL?
I think it is safe to say Gordon passes the eyeball test. Anyone who has watched this guy play would agree with that statement.

Is it enough?

I don’t think so. I have been watching Wisconsin football for many years now. I love watching the tailback position. The Badgers have had a great running back almost every year I can remember. I watched Brian Calhoun, P.J. Hill, John Clay, as well as the previously mentioned Ball, White and Gordon.

I was not on the bandwagon with White. I wasn’t on Ball’s either, and I will not be on the Gordon’s.


Read more at:
http://lastwordonsports.com/2015/03/17/could-melvin-gordon-be-a-bust/

I think he is exaggerating the negatives a little, but I agree that Gordon is overrated. He might be great, but there a several indicators that he might not be. The played a lot in inferior teams. He outran a lot of slowish defenders but won't be able to do that in the NFL.

Their 2014 schedule was not exactly difficult:

Aug. 30 Tigers LSU Tigers

Sep. 6 Fighting Leathernecks Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks

Sep. 20 Falcons Bowling Green Falcons

Sep. 27 Bulls USF Bulls

Oct. 4 Wildcats at Northwestern Wildcats

Oct. 11 Fighting Illini Illinois Fighting Illini

Oct. 25 Terrapins Maryland Terrapins (HC)

Nov. 1 Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Nov. 8 Boilermakers at Purdue Boilermakers

Nov. 15 Cornhuskers Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nov. 22 Hawkeyes at Iowa Hawkeyes

Nov. 29 Gophers Minnesota Golden Gophers

Dec. 6 Buckeyes Ohio State Buckeyes

Jan. 1 Tigers Auburn Tigers

 

[DFWJC]

Continue to color me skeptical.
At the very least, I'd be very disappointed if we traded up.
He may turn out fine, and if we take him at 27 I won't be a lunatic.
But really, outside of Gurley, I prefer the value of RBs later in the draft

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

It's always fun to read reviews of these prospects and to argue about them on a message board with a bunch of people who just watch youtube clips and/or remember the player from a game or two (myself included).

It is funny how people will see a sure fire great player vs a overrated bust of a player.

How someone will say that a prospects greatest strength is (insert here) while another reviews lists that same thing as the same prospects greatest weakness.

Just funny how it works.

It is one thing for most of us fans with no professional skill at evaluating but acting as if our evaluations of a player is the only correct evaluation and therefore we argue about it with others....

However one would think that most professional scouts would pretty much be on the same page concerning some of these top end players. I understand some will be looking for different types in order to fit their own teams schemes...but generally one would think that a group of professionals (whether it be team scouts people being paid to provide evaluations like Kiper/Mayock/Brugler) would have a general consensus if a player is a good player or bad.

 

[CowboysLaw87]

This is a really mindless article. It contains zero scouting, athletic/skills analysis, etc.

It literally begins and ends with (and I paraphrase): "I don't like the guy because he played for a school who produced a lot of busts at his position." If that's all he's got, I don't care much about his opinion. Shallow & lazy analysis.

Don't get me wrong, if you want to critique Gordon, by all means. This isn't a defense of Gordon, it's a comment that this article is meaningless.

 

[JBell]

I think saying he got his yards by simply outrunning inferior defenders is pretty lazy scouting.

Yes he had holes bigger than Strahan's gap teeth to run through, but Gordon showed on a consistent basis that he could make guys miss with his elite agility. That's a skill that can translate to the pro's. He also broke several arm tackles. That translates as well.

Sounds more like the author was describing Tevin Coleman.

He brings up a good point about his pass protection woes though. Gordon could very well be a two down back to start his career if we drafted him, which I have no problem with. McFadden can still play. But with the blitzes that we see from NFC East opponents (hell, we lost to an inferior Washington team because we couldn't pick up the blitz), we can't risk having an RB in there that can't save Romo's *** on 3rd downs. Still would be worth the pick at #27.

 

[big dog cowboy]

#1 RB according to Mayock.

 

[xwalker]

It's always fun to read reviews of these prospects and to argue about them on a message board with a bunch of people who just watch youtube clips and/or remember the player from a game or two (myself included).

It is funny how people will see a sure fire great player vs a overrated bust of a player.

How someone will say that a prospects greatest strength is (insert here) while another reviews lists that same thing as the same prospects greatest weakness.

Just funny how it works.

It is one thing for most of us fans with no professional skill at evaluating but acting as if our evaluations of a player is the only correct evaluation and therefore we argue about it with others....

However one would think that most professional scouts would pretty much be on the same page concerning some of these top end players. I understand some will be looking for different types in order to fit their own teams schemes...but generally one would think that a group of professionals (whether it be team scouts people being paid to provide evaluations like Kiper/Mayock/Brugler) would have a general consensus if a player is a good player or bad.

If you read some of those reports that have quotes from multiple NFL scouts, they seem to vary as widely as the fans and draft media opinions. One scouts will love a player and another will say they won't touch him.

There is no doubt that the majority of fans and draft media over focus on college stats and measurable(s). Many many of the draft media had Fred as a 1st round pick until the combine. One he posted slow times, they immediately dropped him to the 2nd/3rd round. I have no doubt that many people just can't get past the huge numbers that Gordon put up despite the fact that a lot of those came against teams like Bowling Green.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

If you read some of those reports that have quotes from multiple NFL scouts, they seem to vary as widely as the fans and draft media opinions. One scouts will love a player and another will say they won't touch him.

Yeah that is what i meant and in some cases the one scout loved a strength of a player while the other scout said it was a weakness.

Can't remember what RB it was but one said that they were tough physical runner while another scout said they were not physical runner.

 

[xwalker]

I think saying he got his yards by simply outrunning inferior defenders is pretty lazy scouting.

Yes he had holes bigger than Strahan's gap teeth to run through, but Gordon showed on a consistent basis that he could make guys miss with his elite agility. That's a skill that can translate to the pro's. He also broke several arm tackles. That translates as well.

Sounds more like the author was describing Tevin Coleman.

He brings up a good point about his pass protection woes though. Gordon could very well be a two down back to start his career if we drafted him, which I have no problem with. McFadden can still play. But with the blitzes that we see from NFC East opponents (hell, we lost to an inferior Washington team because we couldn't pick up the blitz), we can't risk having an RB in there that can't save Romo's *** on 3rd downs. Still would be worth the pick at #27.

Fans are very focused on drafting RB because they want one to produce this season; however, I think there is very good chance that regardless of which RB is drafted, they they are not the starter this season.

 

[xwalker]

Yeah that is what i meant and in some cases the one scout loved a strength of a player while the other scout said it was a weakness.

Can't remember what RB it was but one said that they were tough physical runner while another scout said they were not physical runner.

Every time I read one of those reports with the quotes from scouts, I realize why there are so many drafts busts. The Pro scouts seems to be almost as emotional as fans.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Fans are very focused on drafting RB because they want one to produce this season; however, I think there is very good chance that regardless of which RB is drafted, they they are not the starter this season.

I agree with you.

There's a very good chance that McFadden or Williams is the lead dog this season... At least to the point of say getting 15 carries a game.

I don't think you're going to see the Cowboys drive any back to 24.5 carries per game like what Murray averaged.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Every time I read one of those reports with the quotes from scouts, I realize why there are so many drafts busts. The Pro scouts seems to be almost as emotional as fans.

Of course.

A lot of the observations, like buying decisions are made first by emotions and then they try justifying it with logic.

 

[JBell]

Fans are very focused on drafting RB because they want one to produce this season; however, I think there is very good chance that regardless of which RB is drafted, they they are not the starter this season.

What makes you say that? I think if we take a back in the first two rounds, they are the favorite to be the starter.

If we take a scrub like Mike Davis on the other hand....

I'd be pretty disappointed if we took a back in the top 60 and they couldn't beat out the current RB's on the roster.

 

[theogt]

This is a really mindless article. It contains zero scouting, athletic/skills analysis, etc.

It literally begins and ends with (and I paraphrase): "I don't like the guy because he played for a school who produced a lot of busts at his position." If that's all he's got, I don't care much about his opinion. Shallow & lazy analysis.

Don't get me wrong, if you want to critique Gordon, by all means. This isn't a defense of Gordon, it's a comment that this article is meaningless.

Pretty much. It doesn't offer anything we haven't heard before -- principally that it's just the Wisconsin system and offensive line that made Gordon look elite. We all know the effect of a good offensive line on a team. It's a team sport and, absolutely, if he had run behind a worse line his stats would be something less than 2500 yards and 29 TDs. Other than that, I'm not sure the article actually offered any critique.

 

[Vinnie2u]

We not drafting any RB round 1...the front office is not the same anymore..

 

[xwalker]

Of course.

A lot of the observations, like buying decisions are made first by emotions and then they try justifying it with logic.

Yes, I posted a day or 2 ago about a study I saw that said the number 1 reason for failure in any endeavor, is pre-bias. People make a conclusion too early then focus on anything that validates their conclusion and reject everything that does not support their initial conclusion.

I saw another study specific to people wrongly convicted that was similar in regards to the detectives on most of those cases. Once they emotionally decided who they thought committed the crime, they focused on anything that would substantiate their conclusion and they rejected everything that didn't.

 

[CATCH17]

The draft is almost here and I still can't gage this player.

I think he is such a smart and intelligent runner that he will be good at the next level.

I just don't see him as a guy that's going to get a lot of the tough yards.

 

[xwalker]

What makes you say that? I think if we take a back in the first two rounds, they are the favorite to be the starter.

If we take a scrub like Mike Davis on the other hand....

I'd be pretty disappointed if we took a back in the top 60 and they couldn't beat out the current RB's on the roster.

1. Pass protection has been a big issue with Garrett. Only a few of the RBs in the draft were good in Pass Pro and even then it's much more complicated in the NFL than in college. The #1 goal for the Cowboys is to keep Romo healthy.

2. The Cowboys blocking scheme is a mix of Zone and Man blocking. There are very specific requirements for RBs in a Zone scheme. Most college RBs will need time to adjust.