Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirtbag59
He has to be doing something right though. I mean I agree that he goes to the outside to much but how he emerges from these crowds after going so far laterally is beyond me.
As for the boom or bust, I guess thats just the point of zone blocking to begin with as theres such an emphasis on getting to the second level in the interest of breaking off big runs. Where as power blocking is obsessed with making sure that anyone at the line of scrimmage is blocked even if it means leaving linebackers virtually untouched.
|
Well, I don't know if I would say that he has to be doing something right. I think Torain makes a lot of good things happen simply by moving his feet in the hole. He doesn't really ever run to daylight, so there's limited upside to his strong balance and lower body strength. The upside is that he'll keep running until two or three guys bring him down. But Keiland Williams, for example, runs with much better vision and often does find space to break a long run that Torain wouldn't have.
Ryan Torain is a hard runner who rarely gives up on a play. He's just not a particularly effective runner. But he's the kind of guy who will tear to shreds a terrible run defense (such as Tampa Bay) because there are gaping holes in the defense created by the blocking, and he usually powers through the first tackle and drags other players for extra yards.
Those yards after first contact aren't meaningless, but they don't outweigh the frequency at which a Torain carry can put the Redskins in long yardage.