FuzzyLumpkins;2032102 said:
Stupid things I have read in this thread.
1) Only making one cut and then hitting the hole hard is now bad. Stupid because last time I checked, if you dont do that its called indecisive and dancing in the backfield.
I Guess Emmitt Smith, and Brian Westbrook today dance in the hole. Since you obviously don't know enough about what you are talking about let me explain. There is a HUGE difference between dancing in a hole, which is when you tippy toe around and never get anywhere. And Sliding and cutting and slidding and cutting. Watch Brian Westbrook run, he is constantly slipping in and out of cracks and creasing every which way. Chris Johnson make one good cut, and he is gone.
2) Getting out of your stance and running up to the QB to get the ball is now a bad thing. i really shouldn't have to comment on this. Wow they showed him in slow motion running to get the ball. Wow that was pure genius.
Running up to the ball isn't a bad thing, but taking the ball running at or near full speed is. In the NFL you MUST give the line a chance to open holes. You don't take the ball at full speed going forward. Move forward, absolutely, jump up and start sprinting forward to get the ball NO WAY!!!
3) The further repetition that he is only speed. I remember at one point theo was trying to talk about how he doesn't cut, he instead shuffles his feet. It was clear ont hat previous clip but this time its not low res and its shown in slow motion. Despite that, I am sure he is babbling that same nonsense in this thread. --best use of the ignore feature yet-- You can see him plant his foot and move laterally behind the line to hit the hole and in the open field to avoid defenders.
If you don't see that Chris Johnson is a 1 cut runner, then you have no idea what you are looking at. Chris Johnson is the DEFINITION of a 1 cut runner. Noone in this thread ever said anything about just shuffling his feet, what people want to see and have yet to see, is him make a play out of nothing, even if it is just for 8 to 10 yards. Show me a clip where he has nothing, he slides along the LOS and finds a crack. Show me a clip where he makes several cuts.
Is he able to cut as far as Rice? No but you bet he can moreso than the other top backs except maybe Charles.
If you want 1 cut, then you are absolutely right, Chris Johnson does make quite a few great cuts, but after he makes one big cut, once he gets into the open field, he doesn't put any great moves on anyone or make any more cuts, where he plants a foot and moves completely against the grain, then all he does is run around guys.
Also there are several times where he is hit hard either high or low so that his tread and center of balance are not aligned and he is able to right himself. That is called balance.
I will give him that he does have good balance. The one thing you got right this whole thread.
As for vision I agree with tyke on this. you cannot say definitively on that until youve seen all the snaps and I agree with that wholeheartedly. It appears he does but we need to see the plays where the line is breaking down to be sure.
You can definately tell if back back has great vision on highlight films. You watch Ray Rice's highlight film, and you can definately see his vision, just watch him slide along the LOS, till he finds a hole, that happens several times in his film. Or watch film and look for plays where he had to create something out of nothing. That is the glaring hole in Chris Johnson's highlight film, the plays that look dead, but he gets a big gain out of them.
4) He showed no power in those clips. Im not even going to bother with all the arm tackles he ran through. But there were two other plays that stuck out to me. One was where he lowered his shoulder at the 5 and rode the safety into the EZ. I guess that is just being glossed over. The second is where hes running up the left sideline and a defender takes a good angle but CJ stiff arms him and then throws him to the ground.
I have seen Rice try to do that and fall down. Yet you people think Rice has power but CJ does not. Lovely.
Power is taking a hit and running THREW the tackle. Chris Johnson does not do that.
5) He only makes one cut. Well he does only make one cut and hits the hole decisively like your supposed to. Now quite often when hes past the line, he absolutely destroys pursuit angles but if he comes up on a back or backer he makes cuts spin moves lowers his shoulder, stiff arms etc. And the moves work. All was shown on those clips. But hey the 'hes only speed' mantra continues.
You are exactly right, he makes one cut, but after that, if he comes up on someone else, he doesn't plant his foot hard and get past them, he uses spin moves and the likes. Guess what in the NFL the spin moves will not work, so he either has to be able to take the defender on and run THREW the tackle and keep going, or he better be able to cut and make that defender miss. Chris Johnson does NOT have the power to run THREW a defender. When I say run threw him, I mean take him on, and blow him off and keep going, not hit him and gain an extra yard or two. Marion Barber runs THREW the tackles, and if you honestly think that Chris Johnson can run threw the tackles like Marion Barber, then there is no hope for you, you are infatuated with his speed and simply do not see his weakness's.
