Kenneth Gainwell

PFR website. Definition is there as well. It's a better metric than YPC.

 

https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2023/09/success-rate-comes-to-pro-football-reference/

"We've added a brand new stat to PFR. It's Success Rate, one of the coolest and most interesting new advanced stats to enter the football discussion in the last few years."

There is such a thing as cool statistics? Who knew? lol

Rushing success rate is subjective, not objective, thus losing the most valuable thing about statistics. That alone tells me that no, it is not better than yards per carry.

It also ignores the other factors that limited Harris in Pittsburgh, such as the poor play by the offensive lines and quarterbacks. The weak receiving corps was a problem last season, too, making it far to easy to stack the box against the run.

 

Stats wise I did not see much difference than Patterson, who should have not been brought in, but that's another story. He is an option guy who brings nothing special, like many he will likely light it up in pre, then show why he is and had been the 3rd option.

 

You can quibble over the thresholds but since every player is rated the same way, the rankings are valid. But it does ignore factors such as Harris' lack of vision for holes, running into the backs of blockers and lack of outside speed. But hey, he's a weekly angry runner candidate so he has that going for him.

 

I am in agreement with them.

Harris is just an RB, nothing special AT ALL.

Pros
Doesn't fumble
Durable (so far, but that will change)
Classy (not a problem child)

Cons
Lacks speed for big runs
Dances too much
Low YPC, partly OL, partly him and his vision

Sorry, Steelers did the right thing. That said, I don't think Gainwell is any answer and I do hope he's just RB3 insurance and not some plan to go forward with him and Warren as RB1/RB2. The production would likely mirror Harris/Warren output (since Warren was superior in per touch output by a wide margin).

Hoping they draft Treyveon or Omarion, but there are a couple of other RBs for round 3 or 4 that could start and be as or more productive than the pedestrian Najee. I was high on Najee when they drafted him, but he got worse each year. His rookie year had me thinking they had a top 5 RB, but he's below average starting RB now. Useful, but not an RB thats going to make your offense click.

 

During his draft cycle, Gainwell was rated the #1 receiving RB in that class. This draft it is 'Rocket Sanders'. Sometimes you just need players that are very good at specific things. Gainwell is very good at moving the chains.

 

I'd see how much Chubb costs. Warren, Chubb and Gainwell would be really nice.

 

Would not be shocking if Gainwell beats out Warren in TC. Neither should be the starter, IMO. Still need one in the draft.

 

if he is not good ---then we better get a tough back to power through lines..

 

I'm not quibbling over thresholds. I'm pointing out that the measures they are using are subjective.

 

It isn't just that Harris is durable. He has been the most durable back in the NFL since he was drafted, the only running back to play in all 68 games over the last four seasons.

You left out his versatility and power. Harris breaks tackles at a high rate. He is a strong blocker and capable receiver. He has often been on the field for two-minute drills even after Warren took over as the third-down back.

Harris did not get worse each year, either. His highest average per carry was in his third season. He dropped slightly last season, but much of that was the entire offense collapsing at the end of the season.

 

I think this was a stupid choice. Dobbins would be better!

 

Oh yeah??? Sez who??

 

They don't need to draft two RBs, they have plenty of other holes to fill.

 

Maybe you prefer first down rate... you know, how many carries result in a first down. Oops, Harris was ranked 44th for RBs... that must be subjective too.

 

At this point, it won't surprise me if the Steelers elect to draft Omarion Hampton with the 21st pick. Wouldn't shock me in the slightest. That said, it would be nothing more than a reach that only Inspector Gadget could surpass.

 

Reported as 1-year, $1.79 million deal with $620K guaranteed

 

I prefer objective rather than subjective, though neither of those statistics are all that useful. None of them take into account the shaky offensive line, spotty quarterback play, and lack of a threatening receiving corps that all held Harris back this past season.

 

It is a combination of the player and the team. Pickett was handled horribly. Harris has produced despite being saddled with a lousy situation. If you refuse to acknowledge context, you aren't going to make an accurate evaluation. Too many fans are just pissed that they were first-round picks and didn't become superstars and that clouds their judgement.

In the case of Harris, the things that are special about him are boring, specifically his durability and how well he takes care of the ball. I suspect we will end up missing those things this season.

 

In the NFL Network piece on him signing with the Chargers, they pointed out that Harris is the only running back in the NFL to start all 68 of his team's games over the past four seasons, but sure, that's not rare. lol

 

No other running back in the NFL started every game the last four seasons. How is that not rare? You're just trying to tear him down. It figures that you would want to ignore that aspect of the game because it is a big question mark for Warren, who battled through injuries all of last season. Speaking of pumping someone up, you seem to want to ignore the legitimate question marks about him.

The Chargers gave Harris more than $5 million. Even his base is a little more than that and ignoring the incentives is yet another inaccurate way to try to tear the guy down.

I'm not saying Harris is a star or that spending a first-round pick on him worked out, but that doesn't mean the Steelers were right to move on. They are going to have to put more resources into the position and they their current top option is nowhere close to Harris in durability.