Yakuza Rich
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 18,043
- Reaction score
- 12,385
Dallas Might Consider a Different Razor 'back
by Yakuza Rich
http://yakuzarich.blogspot.com
With the Cowboys having two first round picks this year and Jerry Jones being an Arkansas alum, it has been widely rumored that the Cowboys will make a move to get Razorback stud Darren McFadden. However, it's probably a move that is a bit too pricey for the Cowboys' taste and since the Cowboys could use a "change of pace" back for Marion Barber, there's a lot of draftnicks claiming that the Cowboys will select Felix Jones instead.
The fact is that Jerry Jones has never drafted a former Arkansas player in his nearly 20 years as Owner/GM of the team. So I don't expect him to make a big move to get McFadden and I actually don't think Felix Jones is the tailback he wants backing up Barber either. Instead, I would not be the least bit surprised to see the Cowboys go after the rather unknown member of the Arkansas backfield in fullback Peyton Hillis.
Last year the Cowboys surprised me a little by drafting fullback Deon Anderson in the 6th round. Oliver Hoyte played very well for the Cowboys at fullback in 2006 and I figured that there wasn't a big enough need at fullback to even draft anybody at the position. I then chalked it up as Anderson probably being a good special teamer who could spot Hoyte if he got injured.
But as the 2007 training camp and season went along it was pretty apparent that the coaching staff wanted to get Anderson to start over Hoyte at fullback. When Hoyte got injured, Anderson became the starter and eventually started playing better and better and the coaching staff seemed unwilling to have Anderson relinquish the starting spot until they were forced to as Anderson went on injured reserve with a knee injury.
About a month ago the Cowboys decided to release Hoyte (now with Kansas City) and it was a suprise given his ability as a physical blocker. But it then dawned on me that with "new" Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett, Hoyte never really fit into their offensive plans to begin with.
Garrett comes from the Norv Turner/Ernie Zampese offensive scheme. Coaches that use that scheme often look for fullbacks with some receiving ability so they can set the fullback in motion and possibly get some mismatches, take certain players out of the play, and to tip the defense's hand as to what type of coverage they will be in. Here's an example:
X........................X..X..X..X..X..X............FB............X
....................................X
....................................X
As you can see, I have the fullback starting out at where the slot WR is. For the most part, the fullback almost never stays at this position and instead will motion back to the regular fullback spot. But the reason why it's done is mostly to tip the defense's hand as to what they are going to do as they check to see who is covering the fullback and then deduct who is responsible for the other players. And it can also tip as to whether the defense is playing zone or man-to-man.
There's another way this use of the fullback can be helpful as well. Here's what the Panthers did to Dallas back in 2006.
STARTING FORMATION
.............................X..X..X..X..X..X.....................X................X
...........................................X
..........................................FB
...........................................X
FORMATION AFTER FULLBACK GOES IN MOTION
FB.......................X..X..X..X..X..X.....................X..................X
..........................................X
...........................................X
Obviously Brad Hoover was an afterthought as a receiving option by motioning out wide like a receiver, but this motioning forced DeMarcus Ware to follow him and obviously took Ware out of the play (insert Mike Zimmer rant here).
The key here is that while you obviously want a fullback who can block and run to a degree, he has to be somewhat of a threat as a receiver just so he has to be accounted for by the defense. Anderson has that skill as a receiver, but after suffering a knee ending knee injury and Hoyte being release, the Cowboys will probably look at a fullback.
Hillis fits the exact profile of the fullback that Garrett is probably looking for. He had 38 receptions in 2005 and 44 receptions in 2007. He's also played tight end, H-Back, wide receiver, and punt returner in college. And if Dallas happens to draft Hillis, he could wind up being an important contributor to the team because of his versatility.
YAKUZA
by Yakuza Rich
http://yakuzarich.blogspot.com
With the Cowboys having two first round picks this year and Jerry Jones being an Arkansas alum, it has been widely rumored that the Cowboys will make a move to get Razorback stud Darren McFadden. However, it's probably a move that is a bit too pricey for the Cowboys' taste and since the Cowboys could use a "change of pace" back for Marion Barber, there's a lot of draftnicks claiming that the Cowboys will select Felix Jones instead.
The fact is that Jerry Jones has never drafted a former Arkansas player in his nearly 20 years as Owner/GM of the team. So I don't expect him to make a big move to get McFadden and I actually don't think Felix Jones is the tailback he wants backing up Barber either. Instead, I would not be the least bit surprised to see the Cowboys go after the rather unknown member of the Arkansas backfield in fullback Peyton Hillis.
Last year the Cowboys surprised me a little by drafting fullback Deon Anderson in the 6th round. Oliver Hoyte played very well for the Cowboys at fullback in 2006 and I figured that there wasn't a big enough need at fullback to even draft anybody at the position. I then chalked it up as Anderson probably being a good special teamer who could spot Hoyte if he got injured.
But as the 2007 training camp and season went along it was pretty apparent that the coaching staff wanted to get Anderson to start over Hoyte at fullback. When Hoyte got injured, Anderson became the starter and eventually started playing better and better and the coaching staff seemed unwilling to have Anderson relinquish the starting spot until they were forced to as Anderson went on injured reserve with a knee injury.
About a month ago the Cowboys decided to release Hoyte (now with Kansas City) and it was a suprise given his ability as a physical blocker. But it then dawned on me that with "new" Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett, Hoyte never really fit into their offensive plans to begin with.
Garrett comes from the Norv Turner/Ernie Zampese offensive scheme. Coaches that use that scheme often look for fullbacks with some receiving ability so they can set the fullback in motion and possibly get some mismatches, take certain players out of the play, and to tip the defense's hand as to what type of coverage they will be in. Here's an example:
X........................X..X..X..X..X..X............FB............X
....................................X
....................................X
As you can see, I have the fullback starting out at where the slot WR is. For the most part, the fullback almost never stays at this position and instead will motion back to the regular fullback spot. But the reason why it's done is mostly to tip the defense's hand as to what they are going to do as they check to see who is covering the fullback and then deduct who is responsible for the other players. And it can also tip as to whether the defense is playing zone or man-to-man.
There's another way this use of the fullback can be helpful as well. Here's what the Panthers did to Dallas back in 2006.
STARTING FORMATION
.............................X..X..X..X..X..X.....................X................X
...........................................X
..........................................FB
...........................................X
FORMATION AFTER FULLBACK GOES IN MOTION
FB.......................X..X..X..X..X..X.....................X..................X
..........................................X
...........................................X
Obviously Brad Hoover was an afterthought as a receiving option by motioning out wide like a receiver, but this motioning forced DeMarcus Ware to follow him and obviously took Ware out of the play (insert Mike Zimmer rant here).
The key here is that while you obviously want a fullback who can block and run to a degree, he has to be somewhat of a threat as a receiver just so he has to be accounted for by the defense. Anderson has that skill as a receiver, but after suffering a knee ending knee injury and Hoyte being release, the Cowboys will probably look at a fullback.
Hillis fits the exact profile of the fullback that Garrett is probably looking for. He had 38 receptions in 2005 and 44 receptions in 2007. He's also played tight end, H-Back, wide receiver, and punt returner in college. And if Dallas happens to draft Hillis, he could wind up being an important contributor to the team because of his versatility.
YAKUZA
