Vinny tips his hand on the final 53

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by dmvskinzfan08

You obviously don't know football. Lets add some things up. So maybe YOU can understand...

1. What happened last year when CP and Betts got hurt? Where was Rock?

Oh we went and got a Shaun Alexander aka tip toe burgular..

2. He has returned one kick for TD..I think it was in 2006. Our special teams sucks. So to say he is the best tackler on special teams and thats the reason you want to keep him is frankly assinine.

3. Rock is 29 years old about to be 30 and so is Betts.

We have two RBs that have different type of styles to offer that would be more productive than Rock.

- So by your football knowledge. We have no one else that can return kicks.

- We have know one that can tackle besides him on special teams and he makes every tackle on special teams. Dude please.

- We shouldn't learn from our mistakes in 08. By not keeping a RB that can contribute if Betts and CP get nicked.

We have Moss, Betts, Thomas and other that can return kicks plus have more than one duty on the team.

But you right. I know nothing about football.

Wow, belligerent. I'm not sure whether to ream you out or admire you.

But seriously, you're vastly underestimating the importance of special teams. Rock didn't just return a kick for a TD, he ranks in the top 5 or 6 in the NFL in average yards on kick returns. The dude's legit.

But I do think we have other players who could adequately replace him on kick returns. Where I'd be much more concerned is punt and kick coverage, considering we already lost two out of our three best special teams tacklers in James Thrash and Khary Campbell. Losing Rock, the last of that coverage trio, would be a loss too great to bear. You'd be screaming at your TV in frustration every time we gave up a long return.

As for the injury risk, you're basing most of your argument on the anectdotal evidence from last season, when Betts got hurt and Portis "wore down." First off, Portis's drop off last year had more to do with a decimated offensive line than it did with his own drop off. But that notwithstanding, assuming that both of your top two RBs will be injured at the same time for a prolonged period is nothing short of retarded. Think about it, how many times have we needed to rely on Rock Cartwright (our #3 RB for the last 7 or 8 years) for more than a single game at a time?

The benefit Cartwright brings on special teams far outweighs the value Mason brings. Mason can't play teams, and he's no faster than Portis, Betts, or Cartwright. If you're going to mount an argument for any back over Cartwright, it definitely shouldn't be Mason. It should be Alridge, because at least he has a chance of breaking a gigantic play a la Darren Sproles.

Mason is completely ordinary. He can find holes and run with authority, that's about it. But he's a liability in pass protection so you can't put him on the field on 3rd downs. He doesn't have breakaway speed so he's not a fit as a change of pace back. And as discussed ad nauseum here, he can't play teams. He might be a decent back with a decent future ahead of him if he can improve on key areas, but we need other skill sets. We're all taken care of in the decent RB department, we've got two of them already. And to sacrifice a key special teams player for the sake of excess insurance at RB is, well, stupid.