FSN: Rodrick Williams is Minnesota's most important player in 2015

[die hard gopher]

We both see us heading that direction, that's cool. But it's a non factor until we get there. You can't compare the future to the present. Cobb's production will be the hardest to replace on our team in any area imo. Even if it's not the hardest to replace it's the most important to replace. Nothing matters in our offensive and defensive schemes if we can't run the ball.

I wasn't saying at all that I expect to go from one 1,000 yard rusher to another every single year. My point about bringing Alabama and Wiscy up was solely to illustrate how RB is one of the easiest positions to transition different players into. You don't really see those types of transitions at other positions.

 

[die hard gopher]

I don't know but maybe the reason Cobb was the running back is because of his patience and his ability to make something out of nothing? And maybe the reason Jones is a wide receiver is because he hits the hole too fast and there isn't a hole every time or the majority of the time. Similar to why Berkley was ineffective often between the tackles...it's not because he's slow to the hole either.
Jones evidently can catch, so they want to get him the ball in space and B.E. drops a few so his versatility isn't quite as trustworthy.
Just one reason of a thousand possibilities how/why we do things as we do.

Never said he wasn't. Galt was simply saying that Cobb hit the hole faster than any RB on our roster and I disagree. I do disagree with you though that Jeff was switched to receiver because he hits the hole to quick.

 

[dpodoll68]

I think Cobb is one of the most underrated players in Gopher history. Even after setting the all-time season rushing record and getting selected in the NFL draft, people view him as easily replaceable. Not only that, people view it as inevitable that JJ, Smith, and/or Williams will end up being better. Cobb wasn't the sexiest RB, but there were so many times where he gained 3-4 yards out of nothing. I like the potential of our other RBs and think we'll be fine, but there was a reason Cobb got 90% of the carries last year.

Cobb had just under 66% of the carries last year.

 

[oleboy41]

Cobb was the perfect back to save us last year because the OL wasn't all that good. Cobb's MAIN strength was his patience and vision which allowed him to squeeze every last inch out of situations where there wasn't much there. Cobb wasn't elite when it came to the second level and making guys miss and turning 5 yd runs into 20 yd runs. He wasn't bad like some of our Brew era backs were but he wasn't special in that area. While he was great at bouncing off of weak tackles he had a number of times in which he broke in to the open, had 1 guy to beat and would get tackled. My point with this is that with an improved OL this year we can succeed with backs that maybe aren't as gifted at squeezing out those 3-4 yd runs but are better at taking the 4 yds the OL gives them and turning it into 20 or more based on their ability in space or as a pure bowling ball. For all of Cobb's greatness he only averaged about 5 ypc which tells you just how mediocre our OL was last year. That is a number that is very repeatable with better OL play and more explosive runs

 

[WAGopher]

Agreed Ole. If the O line can be as good as the elite Mason lines, it's going to be sweet no matter who's carrying the rock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[die hard gopher]

Cobb was the perfect back to save us last year because the OL wasn't all that good. Cobb's MAIN strength was his patience and vision which allowed him to squeeze every last inch out of situations where there wasn't much there. Cobb wasn't elite when it came to the second level and making guys miss and turning 5 yd runs into 20 yd runs. He wasn't bad like some of our Brew era backs were but he wasn't special in that area. While he was great at bouncing off of weak tackles he had a number of times in which he broke in to the open, had 1 guy to beat and would get tackled. My point with this is that with an improved OL this year we can succeed with backs that maybe aren't as gifted at squeezing out those 3-4 yd runs but are better at taking the 4 yds the OL gives them and turning it into 20 or more based on their ability in space or as a pure bowling ball. For all of Cobb's greatness he only averaged about 5 ypc which tells you just how mediocre our OL was last year. That is a number that is very repeatable with better OL play and more explosive runs

I'd argue that he averaged just over 5.2 YPC because of our O-line and not in spite of it. I'd also argue that a lot of his 5-7 yard runs were mostly just runs where the O-line opened it up for him and yes, I understand he is an NFL back.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

I don't get that at all. If Roderick isn't a bruiser, then I don't know who in college football is. He was probably the most physical RB in the Big Ten last year and relished contact much more than even Cobb. Also Cobb was considered rather slow to hit the hole although a lot of that is because of his patience. I thought Kirkwood would hit the holes much harder and Jeff Jones is better than either of them at that.

He had 23 carries last year. Ive said it before but he has to prove he can dot it consistently against Big Ten defenses, not just the creampuffs. Cobb's gift was finding the often tiny gap or waiting for the cutback to develop. Most RBs are too anxious and get caught up in their own linemen.

Cobb's almost yard per carry advantage over Williams vs Big Ten teams the last 2 seasons is a significant number. This is a game of inches and yards per play is an important number. I'm not saying he can't do it, especially with a healthy line this year. I'm simply saying he hasn't proven it to me. It will be an interesting sub-story to watch who gets the carries. Of the running backs, Cobb had 77% of the carries last season.

 

[oleboy41]

I'd argue that he averaged just over 5.2 YPC because of our O-line and not in spite of it. I'd also argue that a lot of his 5-7 yard runs were mostly just runs where the O-line opened it up for him and yes, I understand he is an NFL back.

If that was the case then what is the explanation for the dramatic drop off in YPC for all of our other backs? Kirkwood averaged 2 ypc less, Berk .5 less and Kirkwood .2 less. Besides the numbers, in game it looked like Kirkwood and Berk were running into walls whenever they entered the game during the conference

 

[die hard gopher]

If that was the case then what is the explanation for the dramatic drop off in YPC for all of our other backs? Kirkwood averaged 2 ypc less, Berk .5 less and Kirkwood .2 less. Besides the numbers, in game it looked like Kirkwood and Berk were running into walls whenever they entered the game during the conference

Roderick's career YPC is 5.0

 

[oleboy41]

Roderick's career YPC is 5.0

OK? I'm speaking specifically of last year where his YPC dropped from 5.5 to 5.0

 

[MNVCGUY]

OK? I'm speaking specifically of last year where his YPC dropped from 5.5 to 5.0

I think the sample size is way to small to draw anything of significance from Roderick's career numbers to this point. At no point last year was he asked to be the guy so putting up decent/good numbers on a handful of carries does not necessarily translate to being able to put up those same kind of numbers when toting the rock 20-25+ times in a game. And then doing it week after week against great defenses.