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Need a better backup RB

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Maddog78, May 2, 2021.

  1. steelersrule6

    steelersrule6 Well-Known Member

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    I think he gets to 1,200 at least
     
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  2. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    Based on your logic, there were nine good running backs in the NFL this past season.

    Le'Veon Bell ran for 860 yards as a rookie. I guess that second-round pick was wasted. :facepalm:

    Seems to me, you are just trying to frame the argument in your favor before the season begins.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
  3. Maddog78

    Maddog78 Well-Known Member

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    How many of those nine were first round picks on teams with multiple holes, and all but proclaimed as the solution to the failed running game by the organization?

    If this superstar RB the team proclaimed as the solution to the run game can only muster 800+ yards, it proves the point of everyone arguing against the pick.

    RB is one of the least important positions in the game, the Steelers convinced themselves (and 90% of their fans) it was the most important. The organization has a questionable football IQ.
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2021
  4. Blitz

    Blitz Well-Known Member

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    I think Harris will break 1k in his rookie season. For those who are taking the under, lets come back here in one year. You may be right or I may be right. We will see.
     
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  5. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

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    Overall, or just rushing?
     
  6. Roonatic

    Roonatic Well-Known Member

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    I'd say overall is a given barring injury. Najee might be the new alpha in the locker room.
     
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  7. Disco1981

    Disco1981 Well-Known Member

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    I always liked Carlos Hyde... He's bounced from team to team to team, and everywhere he's been, that team was always bringing it the new guy/ next guy...He's not a Superstar, But he has nice size, speed,power ..And is TONS better than anything we have other than Harris!
     
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  8. Blitz

    Blitz Well-Known Member

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    Just rushing. Bullish I know but yeah I feel I would take the over
     
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  9. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    TBH I hated the fact that we took RB in the first. Harris better only be leaving the field for injury, otherwise we wasted our first round pick. We likely will only have him for 5-6 years at most anyways, so why not run his wheels off then move on to the next one? Actually limiting carries and attempting to preserve the longevity of a RB's career is strictly an incorrect move. RB's fall off fast in this league and by the time Harris is up for a new contract he will be 28 years old (29 if we tag him). He wont be worth all the money he hopefully earned tearing it up on his rookie deal in the Burgh. There is absolutely no reason to not give him 95% of the work if he is as good as we hope he is, and by the time he's ready to get paid let some other team pay full retail price on used goods. Our fall back plan is going to be continue to draft mid round RB's like McFarland and Snell or add Ballage type players until we get it right. No need to overpay people past their prime to do nothing but sit there hoping our starter catches an injury.

    There aren't a plethora of D. Williams' just laying around FA. Most of DeAngelo's success as a back up when he was here had less to do with him having a ton left in the tank and more to do with we had an elite offense with an elite OL, the best WR corps in the NFL, and a likely future HOF QB that was still in his prime. More of a product of his environment than him being anything special that someone else couldn't be in the same situation. Of the guys you listed I like Ingram the best. He's the only one of the three that has meaningful football left in the tank. LeVeon is lazy and washed up, and Peterson is washed up from being washed up. Neither of those two are signable assets imo. We have a journeyman back up and two recent draft picks (4th and 5th round) backing up Harris. That actually is a lot of capital, and really should be enough.

    I dont care about draft value so much as how they turn out. Plenty of highly valued prospects have become busts and plenty of lower value guys have become excellent NFL players. Its all about how each player's career turns out. If Harris becomes the next LeVeon, Freirmuth is a Heath-lite, and Green is a 10 year starter... then we talk about how amazing this draft class was at some point in the future. If Harris is just another guy and Friermuth and Green struggle, then we talk about how big of a disaster the draft was. I agree that Jenkins, Humphrey, and Sermon would've been instant starters... but there is also actually zero chance (barring injury) that Harris, Friermuth, and Green aren't instant starters too. The reality is that Harris will take basically all the RB snaps, Friermuth will be used in all inline TE sets and likely very frequently between the 20's, and Green just has to beat out Finney for the starting C job (which if the kid is at all our future at C, he should do easily). I may not have loved taking RB in the first, but I'm just gonna trust Colbert and co. They have a long history of doing an excellent job drafting in the first round. Only time will tell if this class was a hit or a bust.
     
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  10. Brice

    Brice Well-Known Member

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    I think we learned our lesson the last couple of years of what type of RBs you get in the 3rd and 4th round as this is what we had.

    Lesson learned, draft a RB early in the draft if you want to improve your running game. No more trying to run with a bunch of guys you picked up in the middle rounds of the draft.
     
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  11. Brice

    Brice Well-Known Member

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    I think Harris will be offensive Rookie of the Year front runner for 2021.
     
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  12. AFan

    AFan Well-Known Member

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    Connor got 721 in 13 games last yr. I’d hope Najee clears that bar with ease. I don’t think the OL is going to be better, but all I hear is that Klemm is a genius, DeCastro is healthy and Banner, Dotson and Greene will excel despite lack of experience. So maybe it will be.
     
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  13. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    I haven’t heard people claiming Klemm is a genius, just that he wants to bring back a particular mindset that has been missing from the line. They have become soft and favored pass blocking to the point of neglecting the run blocking, going so far as to have them run block form a 2 pt stance.

    Run blocking was ranked dead last so it’s not very difficult to think it will improve, can only go up. The overall ranking of 17th will probably remain the same.
     
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  14. ljkjr74

    ljkjr74 Well-Known Member

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    We have what we have and I think we will be fine. There all healthy. What I’m concerned about is our QB. He is not healthy and if he gets hurt who is his replacement/?
     
  15. Rel

    Rel Well-Known Member

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    Run Harris until the wheels come off. Don’t worry about 2nd contracts.
     
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  16. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Whack
     
  17. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Sir, you are being very generous.
     
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  18. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    No, it doesn't, because anyone with a clue understands that draft picks aren't made for only one season and that no running back can fix a team's rushing attack by himself. You just want to paint it that way in the hopes that you can have something to brag about later. I don't get why you want to brag about things going poorly for the Steelers, but clearly that's the angle.

    Also, nobody is claiming that running back is the most important position in the game. You are misrepresenting what the Steelers are doing and the responses of every fan who disagrees with you. Perhaps you just don't think your argument can stand on its merit or lack thereof.

    Regarding the first question, you are dodging the point. You claimed that a back with 975 yards or less is "just a guy." By that logic, there were only nine good running backs in the NFL last season.
     
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  19. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    That's me. I'm generous to a fault.
     
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  20. PWP

    PWP Well-Known Member

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    I like our RB'S I see no need to invest more money into that position. It's not like Ben is going to allow 30 plus runs a game . Even if that many are called he will audible out. I just hope the OC and Ben put Harris into a great checkdown position and Ben actually uses him..I think Mcfarland can do really well as a checkdown guy as well..
     
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  21. Thor

    Thor

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    Agreed. No one I've run across has proclaimed the running game fixed by the drafting of Harris.
     
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  22. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    Dammit! Stop agreeing with me! :roflmao:
     
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  23. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    I mean first round is still really rich. Harris better be a top 5 back. When you look at the top 10 runners from last season (measuring by yds per gm) only 1 was a first round pick. 6 of them were second round picks, 1 was a third round pick, 1 was a 5th round pick, and 1 was undrafted. Also, only 8 backs were responsible for 100 total yards a game (receiving and rushing combined). Harris needs to be one of those guys or else we really screwed up.
     
  24. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    They didn’t have a choice. Pass on Harris and they would have been stuck with the same 4th rd talent they have been drafting. I liked Stevenson, big, powerful with very good agility for a man his size but just as likely to end up another Redman than the next Derrick Henry. Harris is a much safer pick and it was imperative they improve that position.

    People are down on taking a TE in the 2nd, too. How many times do they have to take mid-late rd RB’s and TE’s before people realize that maybe they need to draft high to fix those positions.
     
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  25. SGSteeler

    SGSteeler Well-Known Member

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    To be honest, there are probably less than 9 good backs in the league. Only 8 guys cleared the 100 total yds a game (2 guys averaged over 100 yds rushing a game). There really are only 5 guys that I consider scary enough to have to game plan around. Henry, Cook, Chubb, McCaffrey, and Kamara. The next 10 guys are solid runners but they will bounce around from pretty good to average on any given year. There just aren't many consistently good backs, and most backs fall off once they sign their second contract.

    We will see if its a good pick or not. He wont be able to fix it by himself, but Harris should help improve our rushing attack if he is as good as the FO thinks he is. I sincerely hope he is... only time will tell.
     

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