Former PSU QB Michael Robinson on BTN: Cobb will be better back in NFL than Gordon

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supadupafly

supadupafly

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3rd video down the page via the BTN link below. Actually, I don't think his opinion is too far fetched regardless of the season Gordon is having. Minnesota RB's have fared better in the NFL than Wisconsin RB's in recent memory. Maroney, Barber, Tapeh, Russell for the most part had better/longer careers in the NFL than Dayne, Clay, Ball, Bennett, etc.

http://btn.com/video/page/3/
 

I've always known Robinson was a smart guy!! Thanks for posting supadupafly.

Every time I hear or see Robinson, it always makes me think of the unfortunate career ending injury to Brandon Owens. That kid was so tough and he seemed to deal with the injury with an incredible perspective.

Go Gophers!!
 

I don't know about Gordon but I think Cobb will be a very serviceable NFL back. He can block, is clearly not a prima-donna, and is tough as hell and doesn't get hurt. He also never takes himself out and seemingly can play all day- a rarity among current RBs. I think he will have a nice, steady, unspectacular NFL career.
 

BleedGopher said:
I've always known Robinson was a smart guy!! Thanks for posting supadupafly.

Every time I hear or see Robinson, it always makes me think of the unfortunate career ending injury to Brandon Owens. That kid was so tough and he seemed to deal with the injury with an incredible perspective.

Go Gophers!!
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I'm with you, Bleed. I think of that every time his name is mentioned. I have that play burned into my memory forever.
 

forever a gopher said:
I'm with you, Bleed. I think of that every time his name is mentioned. I have that play burned into my memory forever.
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Me too. That day I happened to have the best seats I've ever had for a sporting event in my life. 50 yard line, row 11, Happy Valley pre-Paterno-fall-from-grace. I was stoked. Then that happened right in front of me, disturbing to say the least.
 


I've been saying that for a while now. I think Cobb is built better for the NFL. I just don't see Ameer as a 20+ carry per game back. Gordon will be a 20+ carry per game. He is fast, but I haven't seen him take hits and break tackles like Cobb. I think Wisconsin's OL is just really good, and of course Gordon is good too, but College and the NFL are different games. Speed can take you places in College, but I think in the pros, everyone has speed.

I don't really mind if they all are successful though, because it just shows how tough the B10 is!
 

I freaking love David Cobb.

But I don't see how he makes it in the NFL.

I hope to gosh that I'm totally wrong.

He is slow by college standards.
 


He reminds me of Mewelde Moore.
 



I like to see good things happen to good people, so I hope that both players end up making an impact on Sundays. We all know about David Cobb and what a high quality individual he is, and I would say that Gordon is equally so. He is about as driven a player as can be. ESPN the Magazine in their 2014 college football preview had a great piece on the top RB's coming into this season, and it is really funny how Melvin Gordon, he's got an old-school weight-set out on the lawn outside his dorm where he works out at any and all hours, and his teammates were talking about how they're regularly getting texts from him like at 1 or 2 AM, asking "Hey, you want to come work out?" or "Want to come running with me?", and they'd be like "Whaaaat?" as they're lounging around playing video games or watching movies or partying or what have you, haha. And Gordon does this year round- it doesn't matter whether it's 10 degrees in February or 90 degrees in July, it's a common sight to see him out there either working out or running up and down the streets of Madison.

So very long story short- it ain't just natural talent, but rather he has worked his tail off to get where he's at, and he continues all that hard work and effort even with all his accomplishments and great success. He could easily be resting on his laurels right now, but that's not who he is. He is exceptionally motivated internally, and it's nice to see a person who works that hard be rewarded in life.
 

To me, Gordon is by far the best of the recent wisky backs and it isn't close. Ball had a great complementary passing game. Wisky qbs are a mess this year.

Abdullah is great too. Yes he can be a 20 carry back. His size is a benefit in the NFL. Lots and lots of backs his size have been productive.

I think Cobb will be a good back too. Has good burst and great vision and breaks tackles. Breakaway speed is nice but a secondary concern.
 

Section2 said:
Abdullah is great too. Yes he can be a 20 carry back. His size is a benefit in the NFL. Lots and lots of backs his size have been productive.
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He is a very good player, but given the investment that NFL teams put into the QB position, I just do not see him ever being a featured back, as his blocking is truly that bad. I might be way off base, but I just cannot imagine an NFL team out there who would jeopardize their quarterback by making Abdullah a starting RB, especially since NFL teams view the vast majority of running backs to be relatively interchangeable and pretty much completely fungible at this point. Abdullah as a change of pace, rotational guy? Sure. Starter or featured (meaning 20 or more carries) back? In my opinion a team would be absolutely insane to do so, because sometimes those backs are required to block, and Abdullah's utter inability to do so is that much a liability. Your mileage however might vary. It will be interesting to see what becomes of him.
 

The only type of pass I've seen Melvin the "___?___" catch is a floater a 6 year old kid could catch. He doesn't block much because Stave doesn't throw the ball. He is durable and has great speed on the edge. Here's the thing, he's not going to find holes you can drive a truck through in the NFL. This is what Cobb does best. He finds an opening because he is so patient. Melvin the "__?__" will go in the first round, but I think Cobb will have a longer career.
 



supadupafly said:
Dayne, Clay, Ball, Bennett, etc.
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What did all of those Wisconsin RBs have in common? They were all slow. Too slow for the NFL. Unfortunately Cobb is in a similar mold. That doesn't mean Cobb still can't have a productive career, but NFL teams want speed. Gordon has more speed than any of them, and I'd put my money on Gordon being more successful in the NFL.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
What did all of those Wisconsin RBs have in common? They were all slow. Too slow for the NFL.
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Michael Bennett lacked many of the traits of an ideal NFL back, but speed wasn't one of them. Agree that the others were slow by NFL RB standards.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
Michael Bennett lacked many of the traits of an ideal NFL back, but speed wasn't one of them. Agree that the others were slow by NFL RB standards.
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Correct. Michael Bennett was one of the fastest backs in college. 4.28 sec 40-yd dash and a 10.00 sec 100m time isn't slow in my universe. He issue was that he was injury prone (as so many track guys end up being) and a bit fumbly as I recall.

Side comment: Ron Dayne might be the most overrated player to every come out of Wisconsin. His Heisman should have been immediately handed over to his offensive line men. Watch Dayne highlights sometime, the guy never gets touched until he's into the second level on almost every run. Made a terrific statistical career running over cornerbacks, but in the NFL you actually have to get yardage after contact.

I see Cobb as an NFL back in the mold of James Stewart (old Tennessee Vols running back from the late 90s - played for Jax and Detroit in pros). Hard, north-south runner, gets you the hard yards, but won't average north of 4.0 ypc.
 

Gordon is a one trick pony, his trick is the best in college football though and it's flashy.
He breaks a tackle and can take it the distance. He does both alot.
He's Cordarell Patterson without hands.

Cobb is a true workhorse with solid mid range speed and very good patience, on top of that his blocking and ball catching have been superior this season.
He's a typical productive back like Rashad Jennings.
 

In today's pass happy NFL a running back needs to first be able to pick up a blitz and block for the quarterback. If the team needs a couple yards for a first down then you need a back that always falls forward. Cobb is a perfect fit for today's NFL. Expect to see Cobb playing a lot in the NFL and for many years...if he lands with a team that has a solid to great quarterback. Those QB's would love to have a back like Cobb watching their blind side.
 

Ole said:
Gordon is a one trick pony, his trick is the best in college football though and it's flashy.
He breaks a tackle and can take it the distance. He does both alot.
He's Cordarell Patterson without hands.

Cobb is a true workhorse with solid mid range speed and very good patience, on top of that his blocking and ball catching have been superior this season.
He's a typical productive back like Rashad Jennings.
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I like the Rashad Jennings comp, I hadn't heard that one before.
 

Ole said:
Gordon is a one trick pony, his trick is the best in college football though and it's flashy.
He breaks a tackle and can take it the distance. He does both alot.
He's Cordarell Patterson without hands.

Cobb is a true workhorse with solid mid range speed and very good patience, on top of that his blocking and ball catching have been superior this season.
He's a typical productive back like Rashad Jennings.
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Cordarrelle Patterson has hands?
 


2nd Degree Gopher said:
Michael Bennett lacked many of the traits of an ideal NFL back, but speed wasn't one of them. Agree that the others were slow by NFL RB standards.
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Yeah you are right. Sorry I glossed over Bennett and wasn't thinking Michael Bennett for some reason.

But to those saying Gordon won't make it because he can't pass block or can't catch, Adrian Peterson couldn't do either of those.

Alright I'm going to stop defending Gordon in both threads because I feel dirty.
 

tinyarch said:
In today's pass happy NFL a running back needs to first be able to pick up a blitz and block for the quarterback. If the team needs a couple yards for a first down then you need a back that always falls forward. Cobb is a perfect fit for today's NFL. Expect to see Cobb playing a lot in the NFL and for many years...if he lands with a team that has a solid to great quarterback. Those QB's would love to have a back like Cobb watching their blind side.
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Agreed. See former Gopher (and current Chicago Bear) Brock Vereen's brother Shane Vereen with the New England Patriots. This is the type of NFL RB Cobb reminds me of. Similar speed, similar running style traits. Both great pass blockers, can absorb and shed off that initial hit or two at the line, and both always seem to fall forward for that extra yard or two or three on their runs.
 

Ole said:
Gordon is a one trick pony, his trick is the best in college football though and it's flashy.
He breaks a tackle and can take it the distance. He does both alot.
He's Cordarell Patterson without hands.

Cobb is a true workhorse with solid mid range speed and very good patience, on top of that his blocking and ball catching have been superior this season.
He's a typical productive back like Rashad Jennings.
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I love Cobb, but anyone who thinks he is better than Gordon or will be better in the NFL needs to have their head examined. To say Gordon doesn't run between the tackles or break tackles means you have never seen him run. The kid is the best back to be coming out of college in a long time.
 

supadupafly said:
Agreed. See former Gopher (and current Chicago Bear) Brock Vereen's brother Shane Vereen with the New England Patriots. This is the type of NFL RB Cobb reminds me of. Similar speed, similar running style traits. Both great pass blockers, can absorb and shed off that initial hit or two at the line, and both always seem to fall forward for that extra yard or two or three on their runs.
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Vereen also makes his money as a good receiver. Against Indianapolis the Pats used Gray to run (another point in the insert any random back argument) and had Vereen as a slot receiver.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Yeah you are right. Sorry I glossed over Bennett and wasn't thinking Michael Bennett for some reason. But to those saying Gordon won't make it because he can't pass block or can't catch, Adrian Peterson couldn't do either of those. Alright I'm going to stop defending Gordon in both threads because I feel dirty.
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Sure AP couldn't do those things. But AP is a far better back than Gordon. AP is one of the few running backs who personally makes a difference. I typically believe the idea that you can insert most any back behind a good offensive line and be okay. Except when it comes to AP. i don't think you can say that for any other back including Gordon or Cobb.
 

Ole said:
Gordon is a one trick pony, his trick is the best in college football though and it's flashy.
He breaks a tackle and can take it the distance. He does both alot.
He's Cordarell Patterson without hands.

Cobb is a true workhorse with solid mid range speed and very good patience, on top of that his blocking and ball catching have been superior this season.
He's a typical productive back like Rashad Jennings.
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David Cobb - 10 recs in 2014
Melvin Gordon - 11 recs in 2014
 

FreakyDeke said:
Me too. That day I happened to have the best seats I've ever had for a sporting event in my life. 50 yard line, row 11, Happy Valley pre-Paterno-fall-from-grace. I was stoked. Then that happened right in front of me, disturbing to say the least.
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Does anybody know how well he recovered? There was an article in the Strib back in 2007, and then I never saw another update on his condition.
 

Plinnius said:
Does anybody know how well he recovered? There was an article in the Strib back in 2007, and then I never saw another update on his condition.
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I am pretty sure he still does not have use of his arm. I saw him last spring but can't recall if he still wore a sling but had little to no use.
 

Melvin Gordon >>>>>>> Montee Ball
 

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