we may regret passing on this guy

Anguillidae said:
I agree that big, fast, talented (and elusive) runningbacks can be good in the NFL. The problem is that there are very few big, fast, and talented runningbacks.

NFL.com on Jacobs:

That doesn't sound fast and elusive to me.

I'm not disagreeing with you - just saying that it's very difficult to find a runningback that is both big and fast (elusive).
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I'm very curious. Where did you get this evaluation of Jacobs?

I would also point out that Jacobs is not the primary back in NY. Tiki will be the featured. Jacobs will be the change of pace guy.

His work outs don't suggest Big and Slow. His work out times at the combine were nothing short of freakish, for his size. I've read where he might be the 2nd string back for the GMen this year. That's ahead of Mike Cloud who I consider to be a pretty good football player. I don't know. Time will definatly tell but one thing is certain, at least in my eyes, he's earned a spot on the GMen's roster. In two games, he's rushed for 111 yards on 21 carries. That's not too bad for a rookie RB.
 
The problem with big backs aside from speed is that they 1.) take too long to get their speed up, which means you can take them down easier than if they're at full steam and 2.) their center of gravity is higher, meaning you can get up under them and cut them down, and usually you're cutting them down at the knees.

Where a big fast back is effective is when he's out in the open. No one is going to want to take a power back down head on, which is where Jacobs will be more effective (see Pete Hunter collision).

Also, don't forget the offensive line is very important. Dickerson had a great one.

That's not to say that big backs can't be successful. But a 4.5-4.6 40 time for a big back is nothing compared to linebackers who might run 4.7, 4.8, especially if the back is moving laterally and especially if the back hasn't gotten up to speed.

Oh, and smaller backs can "hide" behind their offensive linemen better.
 
You know with all these "We shoulda drafted this guy"..."We're gonna regret passing on that guy..." ...I'd just like to remind everyone of an important fact. The Dallas Cowboys, although certainly beloved by us all, are not allowed to draft every player available. You people do realize that right? Call the NFL crazy, but the other teams also have draft picks. So again, we are not allowed to draft every single player leaving college for the pros. Thanks.
 
Brandon was on my wish list but BP and JJ did such a great job with the other picks that I have to trust them on this one too. Let's see where he and III are five years from now.
 
ABQCOWBOY said:
I'm very curious. Where did you get this evaluation of Jacobs?

I would also point out that Jacobs is not the primary back in NY. Tiki will be the featured. Jacobs will be the change of pace guy.

His work outs don't suggest Big and Slow. His work out times at the combine were nothing short of freakish, for his size. I've read where he might be the 2nd string back for the GMen this year. That's ahead of Mike Cloud who I consider to be a pretty good football player. I don't know. Time will definatly tell but one thing is certain, at least in my eyes, he's earned a spot on the GMen's roster. In two games, he's rushed for 111 yards on 21 carries. That's not too bad for a rookie RB.
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From NFL.com as I noted (http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/jacobs_brandon). His combine 40 was 4.56 (4.52 campus). That's not slow (for his size), but I don't think it's freakish (same for the rest of his workout).

Tyson Thompson has 116 yards on 23 carries. He's only our 4. runningback, maybe the Giants don't have good back-ups. And a 4. round pick should always be able to earn a spot on your roster, or it' a bad pick.

Time will tell if Jacobs is any good and/or better than Marion Barber. But I just think that it's a little bit early to regret not drafting someone we haven't even seen in a game yet.
 
Alright... First a few things...

Steven Jackson measured in at 6' 1.4" at the combine. Oddly he apparently added almost an inch by his Pro-Day *** nothing suspicious about that (Pro-Days)*** He also doesn't run straight up.

Now having said that can anyone name any Running backs that are 6'3" or taller and haven't had multiple injuries in this league keeping them off the field?

Really the only modern day RB I can think of is Eddie George and he is an annomoly.

Nearly all the great backs (Dickerson included ''I got hit, blown up, stood up as a young back, but you learn. You learn to run lower.") say that to be a good runner and last you have to run low with a low center of gravity. That is just easier for smaller backs.
 
Anguillidae said:
From NFL.com as I noted (http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/jacobs_brandon). His combine 40 was 4.56 (4.52 campus). That's not slow (for his size), but I don't think it's freakish (same for the rest of his workout).

Tyson Thompson has 116 yards on 23 carries. He's only our 4. runningback, maybe the Giants don't have good back-ups. And a 4. round pick should always be able to earn a spot on your roster, or it' a bad pick.

Time will tell if Jacobs is any good and/or better than Marion Barber. But I just think that it's a little bit early to regret not drafting someone we haven't even seen in a game yet.
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This is a 260+ RB. 4.5 speed is pretty damn good. I would be interested in seeing how many mean his size can run like that. No matter.

Point being, there have been and continue to be excellent big backs.

We are going to get a chance to see one of them up close and personal for years to come. I really hope your right. If your not, I won't need to tell. You'll know.

Interesting that this article was posted speaking about this young player.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...kies/index.html
 
playit12 said:
Alright... First a few things...

Steven Jackson measured in at 6' 1.4" at the combine. Oddly he apparently added almost an inch by his Pro-Day *** nothing suspicious about that (Pro-Days)*** He also doesn't run straight up.

Now having said that can anyone name any Running backs that are 6'3" or taller and haven't had multiple injuries in this league keeping them off the field?

Really the only modern day RB I can think of is Eddie George and he is an annomoly.

Nearly all the great backs (Dickerson included ''I got hit, blown up, stood up as a young back, but you learn. You learn to run lower.") say that to be a good runner and last you have to run low with a low center of gravity. That is just easier for smaller backs.
Click to expand...

I would agree that you must learn to run with lean in order to survive in the NFL.

I can not think of any 6'3 backs in the NFL right now but then again, there are not a lot of 6'3 guys who have the skills to play RB in the NFL either. I think the point here is that Jacobs is not going to be the primary ball carrier here. He's going to spell Tiki. I think you run Tiki at a defense for a couple of quarters and then you bring in a 4.5 260 pound back like Jacobs and the results could be spectacular.

I, for one, would like to see this kind of 1-2 punch here in Dallas.
 
really dont see why we'd regret passing on him...we have Julius Jones, who's we know is going to be a top flight RB...at best Jacobs would have been a backup here and got minimal carries...he was never going to be better than the guy we have starting

its not like we were sitting here with mediocre talent at RB

so why sweat it?

David
 
From what I've seen, he can drop his pad level a lot and isn't that upright in his running style. He also looks to accelerate quicker than I'd think a guy his size was, and his top end speed is pretty good to. Yeah I would have rather had him.

But no sweat here. JJ will be an excellent runner....and hopefully a healthy runner.
 
Rezz said:
You know with all these "We shoulda drafted this guy"..."We're gonna regret passing on that guy..." ...I'd just like to remind everyone of an important fact. The Dallas Cowboys, although certainly beloved by us all, are not allowed to draft every player available. You people do realize that right? Call the NFL crazy, but the other teams also have draft picks. So again, we are not allowed to draft every single player leaving college for the pros. Thanks.
Click to expand...

really dont see why we'd regret passing on him...we have Julius Jones, who's we know is going to be a top flight RB...at best Jacobs would have been a backup here and got minimal carries...he was never going to be better than the guy we have starting

its not like we were sitting here with mediocre talent at RB

so why sweat it?

David

And we lived happily ever after. :hammer:
 
ABQCOWBOY said:
I would agree that you must learn to run with lean in order to survive in the NFL.

I can not think of any 6'3 backs in the NFL right now but then again, there are not a lot of 6'3 guys who have the skills to play RB in the NFL either. I think the point here is that Jacobs is not going to be the primary ball carrier here. He's going to spell Tiki. I think you run Tiki at a defense for a couple of quarters and then you bring in a 4.5 260 pound back like Jacobs and the results could be spectacular.

I, for one, would like to see this kind of 1-2 punch here in Dallas.
Click to expand...

Only current 6'3" guy in the league now that I know of it Chris Brown, and he can't stay on the field. Fragile Fred is 6' 1+" (about the same as Steven Jackson) and runs a little upright. I think Anthony Thomas is just under 6'2" but he runs with his shoulders low.

The problem is that when tall guys run with a good lean they reduce their vision. So you have a catch 22. If they run upright they are too easy to tackle and they get hurt. If they run down they have to lean more than shorter guys and thus they can't change dirrections as quickly or keep their eyes up as easily.

I think it would be a mistake not to take into account history when it comes to players heights. Players have been put into position for a lot of reasons. There are a lot of athletes out there that are fast at 6'4" but they aren't playing RB or CB. The reasons are due to the contraints of the position.
 
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