end of season grades and next yrs. outlook............. rb

I'm sure most here will wonder why I even bother to write this position up.. isn't it leveon bell right, leveon bell left, leveon bell up the middle, leveon bell safety valve etc......especially since blount got bounced????... Am I just going through the motions here, and should I just go to the next positional group?... Believe me. The thought crossed my mind, but i'll still make an attempt, as this group does consist of slightly more than just bell.. Of course, the playoff game against the ravens put an exclamation mark on the fact that we desperately need depth here, and I fully expect to see someone drafted at either the 4th or 5th rd.... there are some very intriguing prospects out there..... now on to the individual

leveon bell: at the end of last season I predicted 1700 total yds. for bell and at the time it seemed very ambitious... I feel extremely foolish for being so conservative now.. Bell was the engine that made the offense go, and he flirted with 1,000 yds. rushing and receiving... What was even more amazing was that he did it without turning the ball over even once... I expect to see more of the same as I will now predict that bell will flirt with the total yardage record next season.
Final grade: A+

Dri Archer: We keep going for these scat backs, and we keep misusing them. I hope the glimpse that we saw in the playoffs will be more of what we see next season, otherwise this pick was totally wasted and a luxury we can't afford given the needs elsewhere... Granted, this was Archer's rookie season, so I'll give it a pass for now, and expect to see him in space creating mismatches against linebackers next yr.... I also expect to see him back to returning kicks again....It's not like anyone after him did all that much better... with better blocking, Archer would be deadly.
Final grade: inc.

Josh Harris: thrust into a prominent role due to Bell's injury and wasn't really ready for it... That was to be expected.. what's also to be expected is that Harris will have to fight for his job against whatever competition we bring in for the back up spot.
Final grade: inc.

FB:
Will Johnson: only ran the ball twice during the season, and only 6 rec., but that doesn't begin to show Johnson's worth to this offense.. As a lead blocker, Johnson was invaluable to Bell's production... Due to his lack of stats, he doesn't get much recognition, but look back at some of Bell's biggest runs during the season, and you will see Johnson somewhere in the mix.....When I see Johnson, I think of Dan Kreider with speed and hands.... He's not used much in the offense other than blocking, but anyone who sleeps will get burned.
Final grade: B


Next up: Wr's

 

Le'Veon Bell ... stud

Will Johnson ... solid

everyone else ... nothing to see here

 

I honestly have no idea what you saw in the playoff game, because I saw a guy who couldn't be trusted to pick up blitzers, a guy who had -1 yards on 1 carry, and a guy who had a very pedestrian 3 receptions for 15 yards. In other words, you could have replaced him with any number of unemployed scat-backs and not been able to tell the difference.

 

keep in mind the td he scored... It was called back due to a boneheaded penalty, but it was a glimpse that we may see more of next yr.... I fully expect him to be more involved and placed in a position where his speed will actually be of some use

 

Nice write up

 

I think we saw more the week before against Cincy. He actually did some good things coming out of the backfield.

 

Bell is amazing! A+ (Can't wait for a full season!)

Dri Archer F (Fail:get rid of this fragile tiny tyke.)

Harris Inc. Agreed, he showed something and deserves a shot.