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Only a single afternoon practice today, so let's look at some of the things RB Brandon Jacobs had to say yesterday. Seems the big guy, fresh off knee surgery, is taking really limited snaps, so much so that one might think Ahmad Bradshaw has become the new No. 1.
But Jacobs said that's not the case. Just the fact that he's feeling good is reason for optimism.
"I feel better this year than I have felt since my third year in the league. I feel really good," Jacobs said. "I’ve done a couple things this offseason to prepare myself for the season, and doing certain core work and hip flexibilities. Things that I need to do. I don’t want to work on too much strength because I’m getting older and I don’t need strength. I’m getting older, and I want to keep my body durable and flexible to do this grind."
As for Bradshaw taking a lot of first-team snaps, Jacobs said, "I have no idea. I don’t know the reason, I really don’t know anything about it. I’m just out here to try and help us win. That’s about it. No matter who gets the first carry or what. I’m still there and I’m not dead, so we still have a chance to win it."
At this point, I'm wondering if some of those posters who opined it might be better to start Bradshaw and bring in Jacobs late to pound a tired defense might be right. Given how the running attack stuttered last year, it might be nice to have a quick guy like Bradshaw setting the tone, rather than vice-versa.
Judging by Jacobs' words, he might go along with that. No doubt, he and his roomie, Bradshaw, have broached the subject at night.
"No question. Every night we sit there, we play Call of Duty, and talk about us coming back and being a force that we need to be. We want to be up in the top two or three of the league, where we have always been. We built a house on the top of the hill. We need to go back and knock at that door, and New Orleans better let us in again.
"I didn’t have a good year last year. I wasn’t explosive, I was hurt and I couldn’t plant my right foot in the ground and push off. I didn’t have any strength in it at all. That whole year, I never went out and made an excuse, and I’m not doing that now. I’m just saying we had a bad season."
As for No. 1 running back, even running backs assistant Jerald Ingram cautioned not to judge anything by the practice snaps.
"Well, no one is really the starting running back," Ingram said. "We‘re not going to get hung up on who’s the starting running back. It’s who does what when that play is called.
"From that standpoint, if we want an outside play, if we want to be in third down, if we want to be in two tights, or what is the defense's game plan going to be. We’re going to put, just like you saw the New Orleans Saints a year ago, you’re going to put that guy who does what's best in that situation. We’re trying to spread it out there. Everybody understands that they have a role in the game plan and we’ll just go from there. It will be based on who we play against."
That would be fine with Jacobs.
"I just want to win," he said.
EP
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Jacobs is right, the team just needs to do what it can to win. I'm not really sure why they didn't try to swap the game plan last season, because clearly Jacobs wasn't effective.
ReplyDeleteHell, if it works, let's start Andre Brown the first series*, then switch it up - as long as they win ballgames.
*obviously kidding, but you get my point
I really find this to be a moot point that the media, Ern included, keep bringing up as if it is important. The fact is there are only 2 rb who right now deserve carries and there will be plenty to go around for the 2 of them no matter which one is in on the first set of downs.
ReplyDeleteMK. if you watch Brown at the camp, he looks every bit as good as expected and even with all the talk BJacobs is still not elusive and goes down on first contact alot. Granted it takes a pile to bring him down, but I have not seen the elusiveness he is striving for, in fact, what I've seen at 3 practices I went to is he is still a very upright runner, a big target and someone who does not break a big play. one day he continued on a run like it was a big play but he would have clearly been stopped earlier in the play
ReplyDeleteStop hating.U write, "goes down on first contact alot(sic). Granted it takes a pile." Which one is it. And talking about how a gy who has never played a down in the NFL looks in camp when he is an rb in light contact drills as u point out with Jacobs. U went to camp, so what. U learned nothing so stop hating.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anon, jacobs has not shown much thus far. To Wayno above, to what do you attribute his decreased effectiveness?
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree. what i see at camp is a leaner and quicker runner. I understand what anon means when he says that he goes down on first contact alot. He does not run with low center of gravity and seems to get knocked off balance, but that is his style.
ReplyDeleteIdeally these guys are just situational. Different styles, but overall on the same skill level. If you play a slow D on a fast field, you go Bradshaw. If you play a big D, you wear 'em down with Jacobs. If the D is bad against the RB screen, you get Bradshaw out in the flat. etc. etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteWe're just not a run first team anymore, so it's really all inconsequential. 2 years ago, Plax was taking safeties out of the box, the o-line was in their prime and we had 2 1,000 yard rushers. Not the case anymore. We've gone from big sets to 3 wides, so all we really need the RBs to do, is produce on 1st down and short conversions.
Thank you for sharing thiis
ReplyDelete