Arizona RB Tim Hightower traded to Redskins.

[Monkeydad]

Keep in mind, Arizona has had one of the worst running games in the league for a few years. Hightower was not the only RB having trouble producing in that system...look at Wells' numbers too.

They'd run maybe 15-20 times a game as a team when Warner was still there...last year was just ugly all around for them. Hightower only had more than 15 rushes ONCE last two seasons, and went for 148 yards that game (vs. Denver).

But, when Hightower did get the ball in space...look out. He's a TD machine too. Look at his limited touches and his TD totals:

2010 - 153 rushes, 5 TDs
2009 - 143 rushes, 8 TDs
2008 - 143 rushes, 10 TDs

We needed some red zone help!

[SirClintonPortis]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Keep in mind, Arizona has had one of the worst running games in the league for a few years. Hightower was not the only RB having trouble producing in that system...look at Wells' numbers too.

They'd run maybe 15-20 times a game as a team when Warner was still there...last year was just ugly all around for them. Hightower only had more than 15 rushes ONCE last two seasons, and went for 148 yards that game (vs. Denver).

But, when Hightower did get the ball in space...look out. He's a TD machine too. Look at his limited touches and his TD totals:

2010 - 153 rushes, 5 TDs
2009 - 143 rushes, 8 TDs
2008 - 143 rushes, 10 TDs

We needed some red zone help!

TDs were deliberately inflated by the 'Zona coaching staff because he was their "goal line back". That doesn't prove that he's even that good. Just look at Lendale White.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by SirClintonPortis

TDs were deliberately inflated by the 'Zona coaching staff because he was their "goal line back". That doesn't prove that he's even that good. Just look at Lendale White.

Coches do not "deliberately inflate stats".

This only means he's trustworthy and capable at the goal line, like McClain (Baltimore) was a few years ago, McGahee and yes, LenDale White.

Beanie Wells could not be trusted in the RZ...Hightower was. Hightower is also a great blocker and can pick up blitzes too. Good news for us!

Tim Hightower will get his share of touches for the Arizona Cardinals even with Beanie Wells as the main back - Fantasy Football - ESPN

However, there's a huge monkey wrench in the works for those fantasy owners looking to make Wells their No. 2 running back. His name is Tim Hightower. Hightower has some skills that Wells simply does not possess. He's a far better pass-catcher -- 63 receptions, as opposed to only 12 for Wells -- and also is much better at overall pass protection and picking up the blitz. While the Cardinals may not be throwing the ball as often with Warner gone, they're certainly not going to give up the pass completely, especially when they still have a weapon like Larry Fitzgerald at their disposal. Not only that, but with Leinart's relative inexperience, having a little more time to make the proper decision is essential to his success. Hightower is definitely going to see a lot of third-down snaps to try to give Leinart that one extra block and those few extra seconds.

Camp Confidential: Arizona Cardinals

A number of key names from the past couple of seasons are gone, but there's hope that players like Matt Leinart and Joey Porter can maintain their recent winning tradition. Story


More than that, Hightower has proved himself to be a goal-line vulture of enormous proportions. Last season, he had twice as many carries inside the 5-yard line as Wells, and eight of his 10 rushing touchdowns (including two in two playoff games) were from inside the 3. Wells certainly has the size to be able to pound the ball home from in close by himself, but with his general noninclusion on passing plays, it probably makes more sense for Ken Whisenhunt's offense to pull him for Hightower, in order to leave the defense guessing.

[SirClintonPortis]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Coches do not "deliberately inflate stats".

This only means he's trustworthy and capable at the goal line, like McClain (Baltimore) was a few years ago, McGahee and yes, LenDale White.

Beanie Wells could not be trusted in the RZ...Hightower was. Hightower is also a great blocker and can pick up blitzes too. Good news for us!

Tim Hightower will get his share of touches for the Arizona Cardinals even with Beanie Wells as the main back - Fantasy Football - ESPN

Your quoted report does not say that he was better at the goal line. It said that his pass-catching skills were what probably made Wisenhunt decide on him over Wells at the goal line.

And his stats were inflated, because it was a concious decision by the staff to use him over Wells. Whether or not this was due to him he was better is irrelevant.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SirClintonPortis

Your quoted report does not say that he was better at the goal line. It said that his pass-catching skills were what probably made Wisenhunt decide on him over Wells at the goal line.

And his stats were inflated, because it was a concious decision by the staff to use him over Wells. Whether or not this was due to him he was better is irrelevant.

That is one of the more nonsensical things I've read on this board in a while. His stats are inflated because the coaches use him more? Yeah, you tend to have better stats than the next guy if you play more. Also, wouldn't the coaches use the better player more often? Not really irrelevant.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by GMScud

That is one of the more nonsensical things I've read on this board in a while. His stats are inflated because the coaches use him more? Yeah, you tend to have better stats than the next guy if you play more. Also, wouldn't the coaches use the better player more often? Not really irrelevant.

Peyton Manning's stats are WAYYYYY inflated. LOL.

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

Peyton Manning's stats are WAYYYYY inflated. LOL.

That's only b/c they insist on playing Manning over Curtis Painter!!

[SirClintonPortis]

Originally Posted by GMScud

That is one of the more nonsensical things I've read on this board in a while. His stats are inflated because the coaches use him more? Yeah, you tend to have better stats than the next guy if you play more. Also, wouldn't the coaches use the better player more often? Not really irrelevant.

And the coaches deliberately decided to use him as the goal line back, thus giving him more opportunities to snatch touchdowns. The decision appears justified by his proficiency in said situations. The coaches could have used him in the goal line due to non-utilitarian reasons, such as personal preference or the like. Either way, his use as a goal line vulture would likely have given him a higher TD total for the season. Hence, his TD total is not particularly valuable in determining whether he's going to do well or suck.

Now, I probably should have worded the sentence a little better since the word inflate carries the connotation that the coaches were trying to make his numbers look good for no good reason.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SirClintonPortis

And the coaches deliberately decided to use him as the goal line back, thus giving him more opportunities to snatch touchdowns. The decision appears justified by his proficiency in said situations. The coaches could have used him in the goal line due to non-utilitarian reasons, such as personal preference or the like. Either way, his use as a goal line vulture would likely have given him a higher TD total for the season. Hence, his TD total is not particularly valuable in determining whether he's going to do well or suck.

Now, I probably should have worded the sentence a little better since the word inflate carries the connotation that the coaches were trying to make his numbers look good for no good reason.

So what is your argument exactly? His high touchdown totals aren't reflective of the player he is because he got a lot of goal-line touches? All that tells me is Wisenhunt gave the guy the ball in the redzone because he has a nose for paydirt. Is that somehow a bad thing?

His high touchdown total doesn't help in determining if he'll be good? Last time I checked, if you score a lot of touchdowns you're really helping the team, and thus pretty good. Pretty simple really. He's not Chris Johnson fast, but aside from that he really doesn't have any holes in his game.

I'm sure he won't be an every down back. The NFL is a committee game these days, not to mention that's not Shanahan's style and really never has been (Terrell Davis is an exception, and maybe Portis to a degree in his first two seasons). But to make a statement like "just because he scores TD in droves doesn't mean he's a good player" seems pretty silly to me.

It's really hard to argue that (if he stays healthy- and he's never missed a game in 3 seasons in the NFL) Tim Hightower will not make significant contributions to our offense this year.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by SirClintonPortis

Your quoted report does not say that he was better at the goal line. It said that his pass-catching skills were what probably made Wisenhunt decide on him over Wells at the goal line.

And his stats were inflated, because it was a concious decision by the staff to use him over Wells. Whether or not this was due to him he was better is irrelevant.

Look at his stats (that I posted above). His TDs were all RUNS, zero receiving TDs.


Also, if you've even watched a game with him in it, you would see he's an explosive back. I've been watching him for a few years (and owning him in fantasy leagues).

I don't know why you and other members work so hard to talk down EVERY acquisition this team makes.

Skins sign any one, the knee-jerk reaction is "oh, bad deal, he's a bad player, the team is making bad decisions again!"

Sure...cut Hightower and give Betts a call. Might as well bring Randel El back too...goodbye Gaffney.

Originally Posted by GMScud

That is one of the more nonsensical things I've read on this board in a while. His stats are inflated because the coaches use him more? Yeah, you tend to have better stats than the next guy if you play more. Also, wouldn't the coaches use the better player more often? Not really irrelevant.

It really is!

Reminds me of the famous Madden quote - ""Usually the team with the most points wins the game!"

[rbanerjee23]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Reminds me of the famous Madden quote - ""Usually the team with the most points wins the game!"

The team that holds the ball longest is going to have better time of possession

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by rbanerjee23

The team that holds the ball longest is going to have better time of possession

John Madden Wisdom for Mike Shanahan
The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break.


For Bruce Allen
Don't worry about the horse being blind, just load the wagon.


For John Beck
When your arm gets hit, the ball is not going to go where you want it to.

[Monkeydad]

Quick hits: Redskins sign placekicker Shayne Graham - The Insider - The Washington Post

-- Hightower is expected to arrive some time Monday afternoon. Shanahan described the fourth-year pro as a back who “can do everything: run, catch, pass protect.” Hightower is expected to challenge Ryan Torain for the starting job.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by Monkeydad

Look at his stats (that I posted above). His TDs were all RUNS, zero receiving TDs.


Also, if you've even watched a game with him in it, you would see he's an explosive back. I've been watching him for a few years (and owning him in fantasy leagues).

I don't know why you and other members work so hard to talk down EVERY acquisition this team makes.

Skins sign any one, the knee-jerk reaction is "oh, bad deal, he's a bad player, the team is making bad decisions again!"

Sure...cut Hightower and give Betts a call. Might as well bring Randel El back too...goodbye Gaffney.



It really is!

Reminds me of the famous Madden quote - ""Usually the team with the most points wins the game!"

You can't win on this board sometimes. If it's a highly sought after FA we acquire, then we whine and complain that we overpaid for that player. If we go out and get a proven, solid talent like Tim Hightower. It's oh, he's no Adrian Peterson. This move doesn't make sense.

I like this part of the season where we all get to play armchair GM, compare stats, and talk a little trash. It's part of the deal. But come September we'll know who's the real deal and who deserves to be a Redskin. Right now I'm just enjoying the ride. God knows politics is crazy right now, so this a much needed distraction.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

You can't win on this board sometimes. If it's a highly sought after FA we acquire, then we whine and complain that we overpaid for that player. If we go out and get a proven, solid talent like Tim Hightower. It's oh, he's no Adrian Peterson. This move doesn't make sense.

I like this part of the season where we all get to play armchair GM, compare stats, and talk a little trash. It's part of the deal. But come September we'll know who's the real deal and who deserves to be a Redskin. Right now I'm just enjoying the ride. God knows politics is crazy right now, so this a much needed distraction.

And people will still be clamoring for Marcus Mason and Chase Daniel.