Will we have a 1,000 yard rusher in 2016?

[TomBigBeeHog]

We will have two 1,000 yard rushers.

Kody Walker and Whaley, right? Pulling for Duwop though. Shouldn't see much drop off in the running game.

[RebelW]

DW is a perfect blend of a back. His speed is elite. Plus he has never lost a yard or had 1 negative ply his whole HS career. Lots of power. No more AC3 getting shoe string tackled! Don't get me wrong AC3 is a Good back but I did use to get agrivated when he'd get tripped up by somebody grazing his foot . Switch DMac and he would've took the same play to the house! There's no way DW doesn't get 1000 yards unless injury "God forbid"

[DiamondHogFan]

Kody Walker and Whaley, right? Pulling for Duwop though. Shouldn't see much drop off in the running game.

I think RWIII is our best chance at a 1,000yd rusher this year.  Then if we get a 2nd it will be Kody or Devwah.  Duwop will get carries, but I don't know if it will be enough to get him close to 1,000yds.

[carolinahogger]

Way to set the kid and fanbase up for disappointment if he turns out not to be.

Ah,  so his priority should be avoiding fan disappointment.

[DiamondHogFan]

DW is a perfect blend of a back. His speed is elite. Plus he has never lost a yard or had 1 negative ply his whole HS career. Lots of power. No more AC3 getting shoe string tackled! Don't get me wrong AC3 is a Good back but I did use to get agrivated when he'd get tripped up by somebody grazing his foot . Switch DMac and he would've took the same play to the house! There's no way DW doesn't get 1000 yards unless injury "God forbid"

That is all you needed to say about Collins.  Dude was AWESOME for us.  If Whaley can produce the same numbers as Collins we would be very, very pleased.  I'm excited to watch Alex run in the NFL next year, "shoe string tackle" or not...

[ChitownHawg]

DW is a perfect blend of a back. His speed is elite. Plus he has never lost a yard or had 1 negative ply his whole HS career. Lots of power. No more AC3 getting shoe string tackled! Don't get me wrong AC3 is a Good back but I did use to get agrivated when he'd get tripped up by somebody grazing his foot . Switch DMac and he would've took the same play to the house! There's no way DW doesn't get 1000 yards unless injury "God forbid"

And did you get equally aggravated when he would juke a guy out of his shoes while still in the hole? The dude could make you miss in a phone booth. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

DW is a perfect blend of a back. His speed is elite. Plus he has never lost a yard or had 1 negative ply his whole HS career. Lots of power. No more AC3 getting shoe string tackled! Don't get me wrong AC3 is a Good back but I did use to get agrivated when he'd get tripped up by somebody grazing his foot . Switch DMac and he would've took the same play to the house! There's no way DW doesn't get 1000 yards unless injury "God forbid"

Whaley will most likely turn out to be a great RB at Arkansas. The potential is certainly there. I hope he adapts to the offense quickly and is capable of doing all of the things required of RB's who see a lot of snaps, not just running the football. Time will tell as to how quickly he adapts and produces at a high level.

Comparing him to being better than a RB that already has 3-1,000+ yard seasons in the SEC against the defenses that we face and who is headed early into the NFL Draft is a bit over the top. Whaley may have a lot of potential, but like everyone else on the team, he has to earn his way and he has yet to participate in a practice let alone play a single game.

And you can compare D'Mac to Collins and what he would have done compared to Collins, but the truth is, you can't compare. Both players faced different teams and different sets of athletes, different circumstances, different defenses and the list goes on. D'Mac was and is a great RB, but so is Collins and comparing the two is pure conjecture with no basis for actual comparison. That's like me saying that Jim Brown or Gale Sayers would have done more than D'Mac given similar circumstances in college. It sounds good, but there is no actual and verifiable, accurate comparison. Just conjecture.

[bennyl08]

            Darren McFadden        Alex Collins
            combine   pro day    combine   pro day
40 dash: 4.33        n/a           4.59          n/a
20 split: 2.53         n/a           2.70          n/a
10 split:  1.51         n/a          1.62          n/a
bench:     n/a          13            18            n/a
vert:        33"          35.5"        28.5"       32.5"
broad:     10'8"        n/a           9'5"          n/a
3-cone:    n/a           4.10         n/a          n/a
shuttle:    n/a          6.86           n/a          n/a
ht/wt       6'1 211                     5'10 217

So yes, they can be compared. From stop to go, Dmac will reach 10 yards a full tenth of a second faster. Using next gen stats, NFL player's peak out at about 20mph or right around 9 m/s. What does that 1/10th of a second mean? Say you have a Clay Matthews running top speed at you. 1/10 of a second for him means 0.9m less distance covered for him, or right around 3 feet. That is the difference between a solid tackle and not even sniffing the shoe strings.

Based on the numbers, I would say one is extremely safe is assuming that Dmac would not get tackled by the shoestrings in the same situation that Collins would.

[factchecker]

Based on the numbers, I would say one is extremely safe is assuming that Dmac would not get tackled by the shoestrings in the same situation that Collins would.

Based on this video I'd say Collins, despite the speed differential, is still pretty hard to take down:

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/683431845225213952

[bennyl08]

Based on this video I'd say Collins, despite the speed differential, is still pretty hard to take down:

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/683431845225213952

Completely agree. I'd argue that Collins is a tougher runner than Dmac. The question at hand was who would be more likely to get caught from behind.

[factchecker]

Completely agree. I'd argue that Collins is a tougher runner than Dmac. The question at hand was who would be more likely to get caught from behind.

Agreed.... McFadden was something else.   A true home-run threat on every play. 

[bennyl08]

Agreed.... McFadden was something else.   A true home-run threat on every play.

Whether or not the two have the same talent level remains to be seen. However, I see a lot of McFadden in Whaley. Whaley's HS tape shows him to be faster than JWill and Collins and he has a similar running style. Not a lot of spins or jukes. One cut, N-S runner with a wicked stiff arm. Raleigh reminds me of a JWill and Knile. Both are mostly 1 cut n-s runners, but with a little extra wiggle and more power. RW3 I'd argue is a bit more athletic than JWill but not as athletic as Knile. Finally, Walker reminds of a Marcel Reece type runner. Reece is mostly used as a FB, but if the primary rb's get injured, Reece is more than capable of some 100 yards games in the NFL on his own right.

[factchecker]

Here is a highlight video for those who haven't seen Whaley:

[HogMantheIntruder]

Here is a highlight video for those who haven't seen Whaley:

And here's a link to TJ's...

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1905248/highlights/285936397

Just based on their HS highlights and running styles, they remind me a lot of another tandem of backs that did pretty well here. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but how would you like to have another DMac/Felix type combo with one of our blue chip QB's, the same talent at receiver and TE, with CDE calling the plays?

Like I said, I'm not saying it's going to happen, but just imagine that for a second...

[choppedporkextrasauce]

DW is a perfect blend of a back. His speed is elite. Plus he has never lost a yard or had 1 negative ply his whole HS career. Lots of power. No more AC3 getting shoe string tackled! Don't get me wrong AC3 is a Good back but I did use to get agrivated when he'd get tripped up by somebody grazing his foot . Switch DMac and he would've took the same play to the house! There's no way DW doesn't get 1000 yards unless injury "God forbid"

his speed is very good but not elite. Dmac had elite speed, Felix had it, hell Matt Jones had elite speed, DW is not quite that fast.
Still this is an offense that DW can excel in, as did Alex who didn't have the fastest numbers but he wasn't slow either. His 80 yard run against LSU was aces.

[RebelW]

He took it to the house on a huge run one time against LSU and his last game against Katate he was hard to break down. I'm not saying he wasn't a good back... But if he was a great back he would've done it a whole lot more than he did.

[HogMantheIntruder]

He took it to the house on a huge run one time against LSU and his last game against Katate he was hard to break down. I'm not saying he wasn't a good back... But if he was a great back he would've done it a whole lot more than he did.

AC simply did not have that breakaway speed, and he never will. But doesn't that make what he did accomplish even more impressive? Think about what his average would be if had been able to break a long one on a regular basis.

[RebelW]

AC simply did not have that breakaway speed, and he never will. But doesn't that make what he did accomplish even more impressive? Think about what his average would be if had been able to break a long one on a regular basis.

Agreed

[bennyl08]

his speed is very good but not elite. Dmac had elite speed, Felix had it, hell Matt Jones had elite speed, DW is not quite that fast.
Still this is an offense that DW can excel in, as did Alex who didn't have the fastest numbers but he wasn't slow either. His 80 yard run against LSU was aces.

Here some crappy HS highlights from the early 2000's for Dmac. I'd say that Dmac is faster, but not by a whole lot. In terms of speed, I'd definitely put Whaley on par with Felix, if not a hair faster. Recall, Felix's forty was 4.47. That is fast, but I wouldn't say elite. Well, for a normal human, that is extremely elite. I'd say 4.5's is pretty much the norm for good rb's. 4.6's and slower is getting on the slow end. 4.4's are where you have breakaway speed, and 4.3's is where the elite speedsters are.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

            Darren McFadden        Alex Collins
            combine   pro day    combine   pro day
40 dash: 4.33        n/a           4.59          n/a
20 split: 2.53         n/a           2.70          n/a
10 split:  1.51         n/a          1.62          n/a
bench:     n/a          13            18            n/a
vert:        33"          35.5"        28.5"       32.5"
broad:     10'8"        n/a           9'5"          n/a
3-cone:    n/a           4.10         n/a          n/a
shuttle:    n/a          6.86           n/a          n/a
ht/wt       6'1 211                     5'10 217

So yes, they can be compared. From stop to go, Dmac will reach 10 yards a full tenth of a second faster. Using next gen stats, NFL player's peak out at about 20mph or right around 9 m/s. What does that 1/10th of a second mean? Say you have a Clay Matthews running top speed at you. 1/10 of a second for him means 0.9m less distance covered for him, or right around 3 feet. That is the difference between a solid tackle and not even sniffing the shoe strings.

Based on the numbers, I would say one is extremely safe is assuming that Dmac would not get tackled by the shoestrings in the same situation that Collins would.

That's a good statistical argument Benny and I certainly have respect for stats. Good work on your part to come up with that. But, game time situations, the talent surrounding you and the level of talent that you face changes year to year and considering that they played under different Coordinators in different seasons and different teams, I still believe it is difficult to compare two players with any degree of accuracy given all of the factors that come into play. Comparing timed runs is one thing, game time situations are different.

[ChitownHawg]

            Darren McFadden        Alex Collins
            combine   pro day    combine   pro day
40 dash: 4.33        n/a           4.59          n/a
20 split: 2.53         n/a           2.70          n/a
10 split:  1.51         n/a          1.62          n/a
bench:     n/a          13            18            n/a
vert:        33"          35.5"        28.5"       32.5"
broad:     10'8"        n/a           9'5"          n/a
3-cone:    n/a           4.10         n/a          n/a
shuttle:    n/a          6.86           n/a          n/a
ht/wt       6'1 211                     5'10 217

So yes, they can be compared. From stop to go, Dmac will reach 10 yards a full tenth of a second faster. Using next gen stats, NFL player's peak out at about 20mph or right around 9 m/s. What does that 1/10th of a second mean? Say you have a Clay Matthews running top speed at you. 1/10 of a second for him means 0.9m less distance covered for him, or right around 3 feet. That is the difference between a solid tackle and not even sniffing the shoe strings.

Based on the numbers, I would say one is extremely safe is assuming that Dmac would not get tackled by the shoestrings in the same situation that Collins would.

I'm not sure why people keep pointing to AC's speed. He is a fast back. Not elite but fast. His skill that makes him an elite back is his juking ability. I agree with Muskogee that it is hard to compare.

Using your Matthews example - Dmac most likely would try to use speed to get by Matthews. While AC is most likely going to juke him to miss. I like both of their chances to make the big play. 

[ChitownHawg]

Based on this video I'd say Collins, despite the speed differential, is still pretty hard to take down:

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/683431845225213952

You see the problem with that play was those defenders were NOT going for his ankles.   

[ChitownHawg]

He took it to the house on a huge run one time against LSU and his last game against Katate he was hard to break down. I'm not saying he wasn't a good back... But if he was a great back he would've done it a whole lot more than he did.

His first two years he shared the ball with JWill almost equally. Who shared the ball equally with Dmac?

You saw the TDs this year because he was THE back. He had the carries to shine more.

[AirWarren]

One thing I won't question about Bret bielema is the offensive line and the running backs. He will have the horses ready to go. Bank on it.

[bennyl08]

That's a good statistical argument Benny and I certainly have respect for stats. Good work on your part to come up with that. But, game time situations, the talent surrounding you and the level of talent that you face changes year to year and considering that they played under different Coordinators in different seasons and different teams, I still believe it is difficult to compare two players with any degree of accuracy given all of the factors that come into play. Comparing timed runs is one thing, game time situations are different.

Disagree. You watch a player enough, you can learn at least to a shallow level, their tendencies and such. For example, who would you bet money on to complete a pass that is 60 yards in the air, Mallett, Wilson, or BA? Who would you bet on to be the best at standing in the pocket and delivering a strike knowing he is about to get blasted by a defender? Who would you bet on have the quickest release?

Or another example: Broderick Green vs Michael Smith. They are two very, very different runners. Would you honestly say that you would expect Smith to be able to do the same things as Greene or vice versa? How about Marcus Monk fielding the punt that Joe Adams had his once in a lifetime return against Tenner with? Would he have been able to return it to the house in the same manner as Adams?

There is a correct answer to each question. Mallett was by far the best deep passer we've had. Wilson arguably to a fault was amazing at not letting the impending hit affect his throw. Allen has the shortest release time of literally any qb I've seen. I'd say it is right there with Brees. Greene wasn't nearly as fast or quick as Smith and Smith weighed a good 50 pounds less than Green. Monk was a great receiver, but more in the mold of Childs and not nearly as shifty.

You can totally compare how a player might achieve a certain play. What you can't do is compare the end result. For example, going back to the original argument. I feel safe is saying there are plays that Collins would get more yards than Dmac when it comes to having to wildly juke a defender, or make a sharp cut while in the mass of linemen bodies. So, maybe Dmac hits a different hole or takes a different cut than Collins such that he isn't in the same position to see whether the shoestring tackle happens or not. Maybe Monk still returns the punt for a TD, he simply does it a different way by breaking a tackle and seeing a different path. Maybe smith uses his quickness to get the extra 3 yards while Green trucks the defender to get those same yards. End results you can't really compare because there are so many variables. However, the players themselves? Yes, emphatically yes you can compare them.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I feel safe is saying there are plays that Collins would get more yards than Dmac when it comes to having to wildly juke a defender, or make a sharp cut while in the mass of linemen bodies. So, maybe Dmac hits a different hole or takes a different cut than Collins such that he isn't in the same position to see whether the shoestring tackle happens or not.

This much, I agree with.

[bennyl08]

This much, I agree with.

You don't agree that Smith is smaller than Green? That Mallett had the strongest arm of our recent qb's, or that Adams was shiftier than Monk?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

You don't agree that Smith is smaller than Green? That Mallett had the strongest arm of our recent qb's, or that Adams was shiftier than Monk?

I'm sticking to the discussion about the difference between Collins and D'Mac.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

You don't agree that Smith is smaller than Green? That Mallett had the strongest arm of our recent qb's, or that Adams was shiftier than Monk?

No.

[bennyl08]

I'm sticking to the discussion about the difference between Collins and D'Mac.

You were the first to make the argument than you can't compare players in general and take the argument beyond just Collins and DMac. I'm glad to see you are now backing away from that argument even if you won't admit defeat.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

You were the first to make the argument than you can't compare players in general and take the argument beyond just Collins and DMac. I'm glad to see you are now backing away from that argument even if you won't admit defeat.

The basis of my discussion is, and remains, about RB's, specifically Arkansas RB's. The fact that I mentioned Gale Sayers and Jim Brown in doing so is minutiae but meant to indicate how difficult it is to compare RB's from different years and eras with different talent, systems, play calling and different opposition surrounding them. Now if it is so important to you to secure some kind of moral victory for your ego in this discussion (and that is all that it is)...by all means indulge yourself, whether right or wrong. It still doesn't make either of us right or wrong, we are merely voicing opinions. But I can live with that, even if we disagree.

[factchecker]

T.J. Hammonds:

https://twitter.com/N_page03/status/720042955734540288/video/1

[Dugann]

yep at least one 1K .  anyone's guess who atm.

[Jonteviosk]

AC simply did not have that breakaway speed, and he never will. But doesn't that make what he did accomplish even more impressive? Think about what his average would be if had been able to break a long one on a regular basis.

Yeah kinda why he averaged 6 ypc huh and only required 15 carried a game to get 100 yds. But your right no breakaway speed what so ever.

[Jonteviosk]

You don't agree that Smith is smaller than Green? That Mallett had the strongest arm of our recent qb's, or that Adams was shiftier than Monk?

I agree Adams is a lot better than Monk...Monk only ever was a mediocre receiver at best.

[ChitownHawg]

I agree Adams is a lot better than Monk...Monk only ever was a mediocre receiver at best.

This is a joke right? He said Adams was shiftier not better. Besides Adams had two other WRs on the field with him. Monk was mainly be himself and the defense could key on him. He had these huge hands and caught most passes thrown to him.

Both were Razorbacls and both were good.

[PorkSoda]

Monk only ever was a mediocre receiver at best.

I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything or it would be spewed over my computer screen right now.

[bennyl08]

I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything or it would be spewed over my computer screen right now.

I know right? What Monk was able to do here in the passing game with limited opportunities in the passing game, nobody to keep the coverage from often triple teaming him, and subpar qb play was incredible. He was nigh uncoverable.

Monk's #'s: 6'4", 222, 4.41 forty (1.48 split), 9 reps on bench, 36" vert, 9'11" broad, 4.30 shuttle and 7.08 3-cone.

That 10 yard split is one of the fastest.

[reddogjcss]

We will have 2 1,000 yd rushers! We are RB U

[bennyl08]

We will have 2 1,000 yd rushers! We are RB U

Which two?

I think we will have well over 2000 yards rushing and approaching 3k, but not sure we have 2 1k rushers. If Whaley didn't sign, Williams and Walker would likely both go 1k yards. If Walker didn't come back, Williams and Whaley would both go over. If Walker and Whaley weren't here, TJ or Duwop would be the strongest candidate to also go over 1k. However, we do have Walker and Whaley and I think they will both eat up the opportunities for a second 1k rusher.

[nwahogfan1]

I think we will have 2 very good backs who can get over 1000 yards next year if we have the OLM who can block well enough for them.  OL scares me right now.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I think we will have 2 very good backs who can get over 1000 yards next year if we have the OLM who can block well enough for them.  OL scares me right now.

I think the starting 5 on the O-Line will be very good and that there might be 2 behind them that might be nearly interchangeable, but what we need to hope is that the O-Line is able to traverse the entire season without significant injury or we might have a problem. I want to see us get to the point that we have a two deep where there is little drop off from the 1's to the 2's so we can "mix and match" and rotate O-Linemen for continuing experience and don't have to rebuild, but just reload.

[bennyl08]

I think we will have 2 very good backs who can get over 1000 yards next year if we have the OLM who can block well enough for them.  OL scares me right now.

Losing 3 OL starters hurts no matter how you slice it. There will be some growing pains next season.

I harken back to 2013. We had Smothers and Cook who were quite experienced manning the C and RT positions. We then had former walk-on Hurd at LT and two true freshmen in Skipper and Kirkland manning the guard spots. Watching them play that season, the OL actually did a very good job in not getting beat straight up. If they knew who they were blocking, they typically did a good job blocking them. However, stunts and twists threw them all pretty easily.

This year, current projections show Ragnow at center with Skipper at RT. Eerily similar. However, we aren't in a situation where we need to play two true freshmen on the OL. At worst, they've either had a full year here as a redshirt of played at the JUCO level. Further, we don't seem to bee in the need to start a walk-on either. Hurd did great and was an amazing technique player, but his pro day showed a complete lack of athleticism. Gibson and the other guy (his name escapes me) are playing big roles in the spring as backup players right now but will likely be replaced by Ramirez when he comes in and when it comes to actual game time next year, will probably be surpassed by a different player. Evidence for that is when Wallace who had been practicing at RT replaced Kirkland when he was injured at LT instead of Gibson who had spent a lot of time at LT in practice and was listed behind Kirkland on the official two deep.

[bennyl08]

I think the starting 5 on the O-Line will be very good and that there might be 2 behind them that might be nearly interchangeable, but what we need to hope is that the O-Line is able to traverse the entire season without significant injury or we might have a problem. I want to see us get to the point that we have a two deep where there is little drop off from the 1's to the 2's so we can "mix and match" and rotate O-Linemen for continuing experience and don't have to rebuild, but just reload.

I agree. I think come next season, we will have Ragnow, Skipper, Merrick, Jackson, Wallace, Malone, Allen, and Ramirez all more than worthy to be SEC starters on the OL. with some talented freshmen as well who hopefully can redshirt. Here we have Ragnow, Malone, and Allen who are strictly interior players. Skipper is pretty much solidified at RT. Merrick and Wallace have experience at guard and tackle. Then Jackson and Ramirez are to my knowledge both just tackles. So, basically, no matter what starting group we decide on, I believe we will have one player who will be able to play both tackle spots and one who can play the interior spots. If Ragnow does indeed start at center, I'd guess Allen becomes the interior player. If Allen starts at center, then Ragnow will start one of the guard spots and move into the center position should Allen go down while somebody else takes his guard spot.

[HogMantheIntruder]

Yeah kinda why he averaged 6 ypc huh and only required 15 carried a game to get 100 yds. But your right no breakaway speed what so ever.

Was this an attempt at sarcasm, or were you agreeing with me? I honestly can't tell, but anyone who would argue that AC's top end speed is elite is showing ignorance of the game of football. However, my point was that even lacking that extra gear, he put up elite numbers. As a RB, especially in the NFL, top end speed is nowhere near as valued as great vision, being able to follow blockers, pass protect, having good hands, and the ability to consistently gain 3-5 yards. AC's talents fit this mold. I don't know if there is another back in the draft with his ability to find a way through the hole, even while it's breaking down. And, as we saw last season, especially during the latter half, he became a punishing, every down back. IF he did have that elite speed, in addition to his current abilities, he would be a first round lock.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

Was this an attempt at sarcasm, or were you agreeing with me? I honestly can't tell, but anyone who would argue that AC's top end speed is elite is showing ignorance of the game of football. However, my point was that even lacking that extra gear, he put up elite numbers. As a RB, especially in the NFL, top end speed is nowhere near as valued as great vision, being able to follow blockers, pass protect, having good hands, and the ability to consistently gain 3-5 yards. AC's talents fit this mold. I don't know if there is another back in the draft with his ability to find a way through the hole, even while it's breaking down. And, as we saw last season, especially during the latter half, he became a punishing, every down back. IF he did have that elite speed, in addition to his current abilities, he would be a first round lock.

If he had that other gear........AP number 2.

[redleg]

I say no. But, our running game will still be potent. I look for Walker, Williams, Mitchell, and Whaley to all contribute to almost an equal measure. THAT would be awesome, because it would keep a fresh RB on the field the entire game!
:razorback:

[ChitownHawg]

I say no. But, our running game will still be potent. I look for Walker, Williams, Mitchell, and Whaley to all contribute to almost an equal measure. THAT would be awesome, because it would keep a fresh RB on the field the entire game!
:razorback:

Some RBs cannot perform at their best this way. They need 20-25 carries to get into the groove of the game. If we give equal carries to four backs then we are in trouble.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I say no. But, our running game will still be potent. I look for Walker, Williams, Mitchell, and Whaley to all contribute to almost an equal measure. THAT would be awesome, because it would keep a fresh RB on the field the entire game!
:razorback:

I can't see that happening. I think that we will see two RB's emerge who get nearly equal carries, but still the vast majority of total carries available. The rest, whomever that winds up being, will split up the remaining carries due to down/distance/field position/game plan vs. whatever team. Maybe 170 carries or so for each main RB and about 170 carries split up among 2-3 others (57-83 carries each) throughout the season. If you calculate a 13 game season it may look like this: RB 1A and 1B-14 to 17 carries each per game, RB's 2A, 2B-5 to 6 carries each per game, if that much. Bielema can live with having a 1A and 1B RB, but rarely does he split up carries to a greater degree among three, though one year at Wisconsin was an exception.

[HogMantheIntruder]

If he had that other gear........AP number 2.

I concur. Last season I was pleasantly surprised at how he stepped up as "the guy". By the end of the season he was tough as nails and could cut as well as any back we've had. That last gear is, IMHO, the only thing missing, and unfortunately, you can't teach that. I still see him having a great NFL career, but that may be the one thing that keeps him from being a household name.