Commanders Post at The Warpath - View Single Post

Hogskin · 05-16-2004, 01:49 PM

Daseal, not to drag this out, but I think you may be missing a bit here in assessing the value of a back. Yes, most of those guys you listed have gained a fraction of 1 yard more per carry than Ricky Williams over the past 3 years. But Ricky HAS averaged 4.1 yards per carry over that time. He is not a "slasher" or breakaway back, he is a pounding, bruising back who gets better and better as the game goes on, and is extremely valuable to a team. You may be a little young to remember how much John Riggins meant to the Redskins, but he made it into the Hall of Fame with 3.7 yards per carry for his career, which is a little less than Ricky's lifetime average. Think about how much Stephen Davis meant to this team, especially in the 4th quarter. In 3 of his 4 years with the Redskins, he had less than 4.1 yards per carry. Ricky is the same TYPE of back as Riggins and Davis - he wears down a defense over the course of a game, making it more vulnerable in general, and can eat up valuable clock time when you have a 4th quarter lead. That is something that we lacked last year that cost more than one win. I am thrilled we got Portis, but would be just as happy to have gotten Ricky, or any of the guys you listed, except Faulk (seen his best days), Holmes (time for him to start dropping off), and Alexander (who I do not put in the same category as the rest - even though went to Alabama <Go Tide!!> LOL). Another plus for Ricky is that he is a "team" player, who will play through pain. A lot of guys today will not.

John Shaffer
National Fantasy Sports Leagues, Inc
Home of "The BEST Game In Town" since 1990

P.S. I was just re-reading my post, and realized one more reason I may be so high on Ricky. I have been a Redskin fan since around 1950. My 3 favorite Redskins over all these years are Riggins, Jurgenson, and Taylor (probably in that order). I saw a LOT of plays the last few years where Williams was dragging would-be tacklers several yards farther down field. I guess his style just reminds me a lot of Riggins - dragging 1, 2, or 3 tacklers for another 2-3 yards.

05-16-2004, 01:49 PM	#12
Hogskin Impact Rookie Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hartselle, Alabama Age: 84 Posts: 659	Daseal, not to drag this out, but I think you may be missing a bit here in assessing the value of a back. Yes, most of those guys you listed have gained a fraction of 1 yard more per carry than Ricky Williams over the past 3 years. But Ricky HAS averaged 4.1 yards per carry over that time. He is not a "slasher" or breakaway back, he is a pounding, bruising back who gets better and better as the game goes on, and is extremely valuable to a team. You may be a little young to remember how much John Riggins meant to the Redskins, but he made it into the Hall of Fame with 3.7 yards per carry for his career, which is a little less than Ricky's lifetime average. Think about how much Stephen Davis meant to this team, especially in the 4th quarter. In 3 of his 4 years with the Redskins, he had less than 4.1 yards per carry. Ricky is the same TYPE of back as Riggins and Davis - he wears down a defense over the course of a game, making it more vulnerable in general, and can eat up valuable clock time when you have a 4th quarter lead. That is something that we lacked last year that cost more than one win. I am thrilled we got Portis, but would be just as happy to have gotten Ricky, or any of the guys you listed, except Faulk (seen his best days), Holmes (time for him to start dropping off), and Alexander (who I do not put in the same category as the rest - even though went to Alabama <Go Tide!!> LOL). Another plus for Ricky is that he is a "team" player, who will play through pain. A lot of guys today will not. John Shaffer National Fantasy Sports Leagues, Inc Home of "The BEST Game In Town" since 1990 P.S. I was just re-reading my post, and realized one more reason I may be so high on Ricky. I have been a Redskin fan since around 1950. My 3 favorite Redskins over all these years are Riggins, Jurgenson, and Taylor (probably in that order). I saw a LOT of plays the last few years where Williams was dragging would-be tacklers several yards farther down field. I guess his style just reminds me a lot of Riggins - dragging 1, 2, or 3 tacklers for another 2-3 yards.