Yeah, he didn't suddenly lose his high-tier vision. He didn't suddenly lose his ability to break linebackers' and DBs' ankles. He didn't suddenly lose his ability to go from O to 80 in a flash.
You have to have crevices to actually run through. That's someone else's job.
Deuce is, somewhat obviously, never going to resemble a prototypical RB physically. There's one area where that is a huge liability, pass blocking. In other ways, though, it's a huge advantage--lower to the ground, harder to get a hand on a body, easier to create even relatively tiny crevices in the line that he can get in and out of, and again, so light on his feet, so athletic, it's not just practically impossible to square him up, it's hard to even just time the lunge to tackle because he's there and then he's not there. And one more thing... watch that YT clip above... something I'd not noticed before now... when he gets tackled, it's practically always that he's still moving forward with the ball... even when there's a gang tackle, he doesn't go backwards very often... he's got some Robert Newhouse to him in that way... wouldn't expect that, but I suspect if you break that down, it has to-do, again, with how hard it is to square him up combined with how solid he is... not much meat, but what meat is there is potent.
How do you counterprogram to compensate for the pass blocking? You take advantage of the fact that he was regarded as plausibly the best receiver out of the backfield in the 2023 draft. Again, watch the tape. He's tremendous... catching in the flat... wheel routes... check downs.
It's on the coaching staff first, and on the O-line second. If given a legit opportunity to perform, this kid's going to manufacture a lot of highlight tape over his career.
