Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

31 carries, 88 yards

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 31 carries, 88 yards

    Those are Chester Taylor's stats from the Vikings' opener. That's 2.8 YPC.

    Now i know there are a lot of football fans who absolutely LOVE dedication to the running game, and i think just about everyone agrees that you need a balanced attack to win consistently in the NFL. When a RB exceeds 30 carries lots of people view it as successful, regardless of the YPC.

    But where do you draw the line? At some point aren't you just bashing your head into a brick wall? Or is there value in staying w/ the running game even if it's not really moving the football. There is logic that it will pay off in the 4th quarter when the defense supposedly gets 'worn down' from having to stop the run. Doesn't look like the Skins got worn down though. Is this just a necessary part of limiting the chances of mistakes and limiting the amount of possessions by the opposing team?

    What does everyone think?

  • #2


    I think in this case, you need to ask this guy. Who knows what lurks in the minds of the coach/coordinator/playcaller. Was he pounding it to burn clock? Or, maybe to set something up later on off playaction? Or, maybe because that was the dig-darn-diddly plan, and he's stickin' to it.

    Comment


    • #3
      I thought it was pretty damn smart. He shortened the game, won the time of possession battle and kept the Skins offense (which is new and needs time to click) a limited amount of time/possessions to get on track.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by stevemc
        I thought it was pretty damn smart. He shortened the game, won the time of possession battle and kept the Skins offense (which is new and needs time to click) a limited amount of time/possessions to get on track.
        But if you're running a WCO, and the short passes are just like running plays (in theory), and yiu have an accurate QB like Brad Johnson, wouldn't it have perhaps been better to mix a few more of those in to possibly loosen things up for the run? Make those Chester Taylor carries a little more effective?

        Comment


        • #5
          I hear ya Swing but do you feel comfortable with short passes to Troy Williamson, Marcus Robinson and Billy McMullen?

          Comment


          • #6
            What was Johnson's completion rate and QB rating? dont know but you can bet it was pretty high. His 3rd down conversion rate was something like 65%.

            do you think if he was going back to pass a gzillion time he would have that same kind of effectiveness? Something had to help him in being that good. Maybe the defense knowing a running play was very likely to be coming was the key......

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by oregontrail
              What was Johnson's completion rate and QB rating? dont know but you can bet it was pretty high. His 3rd down conversion rate was something like 65%.

              do you think if he was going back to pass a gzillion time he would have that same kind of effectiveness? Something had to help him in being that good. Maybe the defense knowing a running play was very likely to be coming was the key......
              Exactly, it was IN SPITE of the lackluster running game that Brqad Johnson converted so many 3rd and longs. Because of his great accuracy. Those conversions aren't going to happen all the time, and had they not happened in that particular game, the Vikes lose and Childress doesn't look like such a great coach calling all of those 2 yard running plays.

              Comment


              • #8
                I guess my main gripe is the media telling me that 88 yards on 31 carries is a good day for a RB and an offense.

                It's not. It's piss-poor, actually. You give Bruce Perry or Reno Mahe the ball 31 times and they'll get 88 yards too.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Well first off, Washington has a very good run D, led by Cornelius Griffin. So nobody's YPC is going to be great.

                  I don't think all the running was necessarily being used to set up anything. 13 of those runs came in the 4th quarter when the Vikings clearly went into clock-kill mode. Sure, the game was tied at the time, but I think once the 4th quarter began Childress decided their best chance to steal one on the road was to keep the Skins' offense off the field and try to get a late score.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by IMK
                    Sure, the game was tied at the time, but I think once the 4th quarter began Childress decided their best chance to steal one on the road was to keep the Skins' offense off the field and try to get a late score.
                    I understand the logic of wanting to bleed the clock, it's just that w/ a WCO and an accurate QB, you can accomplish that w/ passing the ball too. Plus, you might even get a few first downs.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by SwingOnThis
                      Originally posted by IMK
                      Sure, the game was tied at the time, but I think once the 4th quarter began Childress decided their best chance to steal one on the road was to keep the Skins' offense off the field and try to get a late score.
                      I understand the logic of wanting to bleed the clock, it's just that w/ a WCO and an accurate QB, you can accomplish that w/ passing the ball too. Plus, you might even get a few first downs.
                      I don't know if what they're running is much of a WCO. Didn't look like it in that game, with lots of deep throws and power running. The passing game seemed to be focused on big gains, which makes sense with his WR crew, which is all tall downfield guys.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I looked over the play by play on ESPN and I got the following:

                        1st Q: 7 rushes for 26 yards
                        2nd Q: 5 for 6 yards
                        3rd Q: 7 for 21 yards
                        4th Q: 12 for 40 yards

                        Which adds up to 91 yards for some reason. But anyways, it looks like Childress' strategy was to minimize mistakes in his first game and he did that by running the ball, even though it obviously was not going to be much of a success.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Washington has a good defense, and Taylor lost almost 5 yards on the last two carries when he was setting up a game winning FG, just keeping the clock running. So it was really more like 29 carries for 94 yards. I thought it was smart of Childress.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by mcnabbmcnow
                            Taylor lost almost 5 yards on the last two carries when he was setting up a game winning FG, just keeping the clock running. So it was really more like 29 carries for 94 yards.
                            You're kidding right? lmao, if you throw out 2 of his worst carries, you also have to throw out 2 of his best, which skew the stats the other direction. You can't have it both ways in order to prove your point.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Seems the Foxsports guy ignored such stats when he wrote this:

                              You — yes, you — could rush for 100 yards if you had Tony Richardson and the Vikes' O-line blocking for you. Chester Taylor may very well lead the league in rushing this season.

                              http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X