Day 2- Rating the SEC- RB's

[Coach34]

1. Bammer- this one isnt even up for discussion. Not only only dothey have the Heisman winner, but I think his back-up is going to end up being better than he is.

2. Jawja- Washaun Ealey and Caleb King give the Dawgs a very good backfield. With the SEC's best OL and an inexperienced QB, this group is going to get lots of carries in 2010

3. Auburn- Mario Fanin and Onterio McCaleb give Auburn another solid backfield

4. Fla- Demps will lead the way for a group of very talented backs

5. South Carolina- Kenny Miles and Marcus Lattimore will supposedly give Spurrier his best backfield he has had at SC

6. State- you have to include Relf with the RB's due to the many carries he will get and the probability of him rushing for 850-1,000 yards. Add Vick Ballard, Montrell Conner, Robert Elliot and State will once again have one of the best rushing attacks in the SEC

7. LSU- Riddley, Murphy, and Ford lead the way for the Tigers

8. UPig- Wingo and Green and crew aren't bad

9. Mississippi- Brandon Bolden has to step up for the Rebs after the loss of McCluster

10. Kentucky- Locke is a pretty good back for the Wildcats

11. Tennessee- they don't have another Hardesty waiting in the wings

12. Vandy- returns an experienced group to an anemic offense

 

[Coach34]

1. Bammer- this one isnt even up for discussion. Not only only dothey have the Heisman winner, but I think his back-up is going to end up being better than he is.

2. Jawja- Washaun Ealey and Caleb King give the Dawgs a very good backfield. With the SEC's best OL and an inexperienced QB, this group is going to get lots of carries in 2010

3. Auburn- Mario Fanin and Onterio McCaleb give Auburn another solid backfield

4. Fla- Demps will lead the way for a group of very talented backs

5. South Carolina- Kenny Miles and Marcus Lattimore will supposedly give Spurrier his best backfield he has had at SC

6. State- you have to include Relf with the RB's due to the many carries he will get and the probability of him rushing for 850-1,000 yards. Add Vick Ballard, Montrell Conner, Robert Elliot and State will once again have one of the best rushing attacks in the SEC

7. LSU- Riddley, Murphy, and Ford lead the way for the Tigers

8. UPig- Wingo and Green and crew aren't bad

9. Mississippi- Brandon Bolden has to step up for the Rebs after the loss of McCluster

10. Kentucky- Locke is a pretty good back for the Wildcats

11. Tennessee- they don't have another Hardesty waiting in the wings

12. Vandy- returns an experienced group to an anemic offense

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

1. Bammer- this one isnt even up for discussion. Not only only dothey have the Heisman winner, but I think his back-up is going to end up being better than he is.

Sounds like Ole Miss at quarterback every year, minus the Heisman.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

Are we rating them by position or what? If you are going to factor in offensive line strength with best running backs, why even talk about offensive lines? Then you throw in Relf in our RB equation?

I think it should be best RBs based on talent and depth alone. That's it. I am not saying the rankings would change that much, but I think we should do it that way to keep it consistent.

 

[RebelBruiser]

Just messing with you Coach.

Seriously, it's obviously Bama No. 1. I do think Richardson is better than Ingram too, just based off what I've watched. That said, I think Ingram is the weakest Heisman winner we've had in the modern era of football. You don't win a Heisman for what he did. That's another soapbox though.

Outside of Bama though, it's tough to rank the units, because everyone else's backfields seem to at least be somewhat unproven. I'd probably have Arkansas higher than you do though.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

...but otherwise I agree.</p>

 

[Coach34]

the fact that Jawja has an inexperienced QB is a big factor to their run game and RB's- if they had a ****** OL with the WR's they have, they would be throwing it a whole lot more in 2010.

Relf might end up being a 1,000 yard rusher with 135-140 carries- and we dont exactly run a normal offense- he has to be talked about in the run game

Got to look at the whole picture more than just who is listed at RB and whether they have pro potential or not

 

[Skink]

yards-per-carry in the nation? Wouldn't that make him a Heisman candidate?

 

[jackstefano]

We will all look back and have a good laugh at C34's statistical projections for Relf. I would say it's getting out of hand, but it's been well out of hand since late November.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Relf might end up being a 1,000 yard rusher with 135-140 carries- and we dont exactly run a normal offense- he has to be talked about in the run game

I don't see Relf averaging over 7 yards per carry.In college, sacks are counted as rushing yards. That usually hurts a QB'snumbers.Defenses will also gameplan more for him. Iamthinking (if healthy) 140 carries for 600 yards.

 

[patdog]

But you're right, no way he averages more than that this fall. I could see Relf with 800 or so yards rushing, but not 1,000.

 

[Coach34]

I do expect Relf to average at least 12 carries a game- so thats 144 at a minimum

144 x 6 yards a carry = 864 yards....yes, this is very much within reason- he averaged 6.6 last season

6.6 x 144= 950 yards

If you look back at what Mullen has done with Alex Smith and Tim Tebow. it's easy to believe Relf will get alot of carries this season. He averaged 6.6 yards a carry last season when every defense he played against knew exactly what he was coming into the game to do.

 

[SilentDog]

Warren Norman (Vandy) was the concensus pick SEC Freshmen of the year for last season, yet you still rank them dead last. Vandy's offense can't be much worse than last year and Norman was still a stud.

some of this is apples to oranges comparing 09 to 10's potential but it is still related.

stats from secsports.com for reference:
RUSHING OFFENSE G Att Yards Avg. TD Yards/G
1. Miss. State 12 555 2731 4.9 21 227.6
2. Florida 14 555 3105 5.6 30 221.8
3. Alabama 14 601 3011 5.0 31 215.1
4. Auburn 13 550 2756 5.0 24 212.0
5. Kentucky 13 551 2486 4.5 26 191.2
6. Ole Miss 13 503 2387 4.7 22 183.6
7. Georgia 13 447 2093 4.7 17 161.0
8. Vanderbilt 12 451 1920 4.3 12 160.0
9. Tennessee 13 477 2043 4.3 19 157.2
10. Arkansas 13 395 1713 4.3 23 131.8
11. LSU 13 435 1596 3.7 15 122.8
12. South Carolina 13 435 1576 3.6 12 121.2

RUSHING Cl G Att. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg/G
1. Anthony Dixon-MS SR 11 257 1391 5.4 12 70 126.5
2. Mark Ingram-UA SO 14 271 1658 6.1 17 70 118.4
3. Ben Tate-AU SR 13 263 1362 5.2 10 60 104.8
4. M. Hardesty-UT SR 13 282 1345 4.8 13 43 103.5
5. D. McCluster-UM SR 13 181 1169 6.5 8 86 89.9
6. Derrick Locke-UK JR 12 195 907 4.7 6 31 75.6
7. Warren Norman-VU FR 12 145 783 5.4 3 58 65.2
8. T. Tebow-UF SR 14 217 910 4.2 14 55 65.0
9. Caleb King-UG SO 10 114 594 5.2 7 75 59.4
10. T. Richardson-UA FR 14 145 751 5.2 8 52 53.6

note: 2, 6, 7, 9and 10 are still around and you have them ranked 1, 10, 12, 2 and 1 respectively. i agree with Bama but UGA should be a little lower, Vandy and UK higher, UM and UF lower.

 

[Coach34]

Norman is pretty good, but Vandy lost most of their OL. He is going to get killed this season.

Florida's RB's get a boost because they will no longer get rushing yards from the QB position- these guys will get more carries now

Kentucky lost OL players too

And as I mentioned- Jawja will run it more, especially early with an inexperienced QB taking over

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Their offensive line wasn't the best in the world last season andthe Commodoresmight be worse in 2010. Combine that with an unproductive QB and it'll be a long season for Vandy.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

...and hegained around 600 yards for UGA last year.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

"Jawja" = gay (or ghey if you prefer)

 

[SilentDog]

like Norwood and our NFL line a few years ago?

 

[patdog]

nm

 

[futaba.79]

running games or running backs? In your analysis and subsequent posts, you talk about various teams' OLs and Relf, a QB (who already got ranked with the other QBs).

So is this a RB analysis or something else? Later on when we get to WRs, are we going to consider the QB and whether the OL can protect the QB? When we get to DBs, are we going to discuss the DLs and what kind of pressure they can get?

 

[Coach34]

I use the other factors because they affect how that group will end up. State in 2008 is a great example- no way you rank us last in 2008, but that's exactly where we finished in rushing...

 

[VegasDawg13]

You're ranking running games and not running backs (which is fine), but you're having trouble admitting it for some reason.

 

[alabamadog]

1. Alabama
2. UGA
3. Florida- Their qb will actually pitch the ball to the runningback instead of running it every time.
4. Auburn- Dyer could make this group the second best in the sec if he lives up to his hype. McCalebb also needs to stay healthy.
5. Arkansas
6. Kentucky- Locke should go over 1000 yards, and Cobb will also get to run the ball even though he is primarily a reciever.
7. South Carolina- this mostly depends on Lattimore living up to recruiting hype. Spurrier will probably be throwing more than running.
8. Vandy- Norman was freshman all sec, and Zac Stacy is decent. Nobody will notice these guys are any good because they won't get much help.
9. LSU- Shepard will probably get to run the ball even though he is a reciever, and I'm sure they have some good athletes like Ripley that haven't played much yet.
10. Ole Miss- I expect Bolden to be good, and have no idea who is behind him.
11. MSU- If Elliot is healthy he should be ok. I'm not expecting much out of Ballard because he had no other offers. Connor was impressive in the spring game and should probably get the most carries. I'm ranking us this low because Elliot is the only guy who ran for over 100 yards last season. Our line and Relf running the ball will compensate for our runningbacks lack of experience.
12. Tennessee- Poole and Oku are supposed to be good but they played so little last year they have to be last.

I haven't seen much of some of these players like Poole, Ripley, and Miles so I feel like I could be way off with UT, LSU, and USC. I also expect us to be in the middle of the sec in rushing, but expect it to have more to do with our line and Relf than our runningbacks. Kentucky is a little higher than everyone else will have them because I feel like Locke is underrated and he is one of the most experienced backs. If he goes down they could be in last.</p>

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[SilentDog]

exactly!

THE END

 

[markymark.sixpack]

last year and only played in half the games? So that means he will automatically reach 1000 yards this year just from getting more snaps. Duh.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

However, last year he played mostly in running situations. Because Relf will get more snaps this year, he will be playing a lot more in situations where we pass. For example: I think we were about 65/35 run/pass last year. We were probably 75/25run/pass when Relf was in the game. I think with Relf playing the vast majority of the snaps, we will probably be about 65/35 run/pass when he plays. I hope the sumbitch rushes for 1500 yards. I'm betting he doesn't get 1000. I still think 600. Defenses will certainly gameplan him much better. Ole Miss was totally unprepared to stop Relf running.

 

[Coach34]

"Defenses will certainly gameplan him much better"


How is that??? Last year all Relf did basically was come in and run the option and the zone/read- thats not really that hard to prepare for is there is little threat of a pass. Relf could not possibly have been any easier to gameplan for than he was last year. Yet, still had success.

This season, Relf has improved his passing and that will make it <span style="text-decoration:underline">much tougher</span> on defenses to gameplan for him because now, guess what? The sumbitch might actually throw that mf'er instead of just running it.


"Ole Miss was totally unprepared to stop Relf running. "


No, they knew he was coming in the game to do just that. They had him scouted and 9 games of film on him and what he did as a QB. They just couldnt stop it because we were whipping their *** upfront. To say they were unprepared is dumb. A college DC and staff is never unprepared for a guy that had over 450 yards rushing coming into the game

 

[futaba.79]

If our RBs don't prove to be significant threats, then defendingRelf will be prettyeasy. With Dixon, a decent ride into the line bought Relf an extra step. Sure a passing threat helps, but a great back opens lanes for the QB.

As for UM's preparation for Relf, they weren't ready. As amazing as it to believe, they didn't emphasize the option during gameweek. They downplayed the Relf threat. I was told this by a good source. Apparently they were fairly stunned. </p>

 

[Buford T. Justice]

No, they knew he was coming in the game to do just that. They had him scouted and 9 games of film on him and what he did as a QB. They just couldnt stop it because we were whipping their *** upfront. To say they were unprepared is dumb. A college DC and staff is never unprepared for a guy that had over 450 yards rushing coming into the game

I agree we were whipping them up front. We all know what Relf was coming into the game to do. What you don't know if you are Ole Miss in the week leading up to this game, ishow many snaps Relf will play. In some games, the guy only played one or two series. I believe they were unprepared forsuch a heavy dose of his running. As foryou saying thata college coordinator and staff never being unprepared,Ihave seen prior staffs of ours (Croom's staff) be unprepared. I have also seen offensive and defensive coordinators admitting thatthey were unprepared for a certain thing they saw. I do not believe that Nutt and staff were expecting such a heavy dose of Relf and the running game. Sometimes you prepare to see something 5 times, and are unprepared to see it 35 times. For example,Relf was only averaging 5.5 carries per game entering the Ole Miss game.Most coaches don't exactly spendan entire week of preparation for a guy who only runs it 5.5 times per game, especially with Dixon on the roster to try and stop. Relf had 15 carries in the Ole Miss game.

I agree Relf has improved his passing. Ithink we willbe much more versatile at running back. I think the offense will make strides from last year. I am still not convinced he gets 1000 yards. I hope I'm wrong. Withsacks factored in as rushing yards, I am expectingin the neighborhood of 600 yards. If a QB rushes for a 1000 yards, that istough. Relf will have to stay clean from suspension andinjury free while taking a pounding. Those are not all givens.

 

[Coach34]

1. Just how many times do you plan on Relf getting sacked? Improved OL play and more experience from him should equal fewer sacks in 2010.

2. Our use of formations to outnumber the defense at the point of attack is very good. And Relf being the athlete he is only helps the staff. We will do things like run a trips set to the wide side of the field- and from that we can run wide side, attack the middle of the defense with a RB or have the RB lead inside for Relf, or attack the backside of the defense if they over-shift to the wideside by running the counter. This is just one example of what we are able to do to teams with Relf at QB

3. Futaba's point of the RB's have to do their part to help Relf be effective is a good one- but you also have to see that Relf's effectiveness also helps the RB's as well. This is best example is when a backside LB stays home to spy Relf on the zone read- but that also leaves a cutback lane for the RB to exploit if he can find it. When you outnumber the defense in the box, they have to pick their poison.

4. It is all going to come down to Relf's ability to handle enough of our offense to avoid dumb mistakes and penalties, and his ability to make throws. If he makes throws, the safeties just cant crowd the LOS. And without safety help, our offense outnumbers the D at the point of attack. Look for alot of big plays on play-action passes in 2010.

 

[Hector.sixpack]

4. It is all going to come down to Relf's ability to handle enough of our offense to avoid dumb mistakes and penalties, and his ability to make throws. If he makes throws, the safeties just cant crowd the LOS. And without safety help, our offense outnumbers the D at the point of attack. Look for alot of big plays on play-action passes in 2010.

His running ability simplifies the playbook- which gives us (him)a big advantage. All he has to do is make afew throws in each game to keep the safeties honest.He's gonna give OLB fits. But, I still wouldn't be surprised to see Russell running the 2 min drill.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Coach, I agree with 99% of what you are saying. I just don't feel Relf gets 1000 yards. Can he? Yes. Will he? I don't think so. I hope I'm wrong. A few reasons:

1. Health. We need Relf healthy to get 1000 yards. He misses a few games with injuries, and the chance for 1000 yards could be over. Offensive line needs to stay healthy also, especially at offensivetackle.

2. Carries. You need a lot of carries to get 1000 yards. Mullen knows that Relf is our only running threat at QB. Russell doesn't scare anybody. I think Mullen will be careful with Relf's carries against the likes of Alcorn, Memphis, etc. You don't want Relf dislocating a shoulder getting 20 carries against an opponent you can beat anyway. Besides, this is where Russell can get some playing time.

3. You can't disappear and still get your numbers. In a 4 game stretch against LSU, Georgia Tech, Houston, and MTSU last year, Relf rushed for a whopping total of 20 yards. TWENTY FREAKING YARDS IN 4 GAMES!! Grantedthis was limited by playing time and his suspension, but it is hard to get 1000 yards when you miss 2 games for smoking weed. If you want 1000 yards, you need to show up for 12 games, not 8 or 10.

4. Attention. There is a lot of difference in being "the man" and being a sidekick. Last year Dixon was the guy the defenses keyed on. Now Relf will be front and center in the minds of defensive coordinators and defensive players. Defensive strategy may be planned more around how to stop Relf rather than how to stop Dixon.

I think Relf is perfectly capable of getting 1000 yards in this offense. However, a lot of things must come together. I stilldon't think he does it. But I hopeI'm wrong.

 

[Coach34]

on Russell- I agree on 2 minute drill...I've said from the beginning I'd like to see them give him about 8 plays to run in a 2 minute type situation, let him learn those backwards and forwards so that he feels really comfortable with them, and use him in that capacity almost exclusively. We can do that as a change of pace mid-quarter, or at the end of halves.

As far as Relf getting 1,000- I've said it's very possible- not that it's set in stone. I figure 750 at minimum, 800-850 most probable, and 1,000 at top end. GaTech's QB carried the ball 279 times last year...Tebow averaged over 200 carries as a starter...It won't surprise me in the least if we see Relf get 185-200 carries. And if he gets 200 carries- he will get 1,000 yards rushing for us

 

[BigLeagueChew]

1. Bammer- this one isnt even up for discussion. Not only only dothey have the Heisman winner, but I think his back-up is going to end up being better than he is.

2. Jawja- Washaun Ealey and Caleb King give the Dawgs a very good backfield. With the SEC's best OL and an inexperienced QB, this group is going to get lots of carries in 2010

3. Auburn- Mario Fanin and Onterio McCaleb give Auburn another solid backfield

4. Fla- Demps will lead the way for a group of very talented backs

5. South Carolina- Kenny Miles and Marcus Lattimore will supposedly give Spurrier his best backfield he has had at SC

6. State- you have to include Relf with the RB's due to the many carries he will get and the probability of him rushing for 850-1,000 yards. Add Vick Ballard, Montrell Conner, Robert Elliot and State will once again have one of the best rushing attacks in the SEC

7. LSU- Riddley, Murphy, and Ford lead the way for the Tigers

8. UPig- Wingo and Green and crew aren't bad

9. Mississippi- Brandon Bolden has to step up for the Rebs after the loss of McCluster

10. Kentucky- Locke is a pretty good back for the Wildcats

11. Tennessee- they don't have another Hardesty waiting in the wings

12. Vandy- returns an experienced group to an anemic offense

Very similar with the top programs. You also included Relf as a running back in your rankings which is improper b/c you also counted him as a QB in those rankings.

1. Alabama: This is a pretty easy choice when you have the two best running backs in the league on the same team, and one of them -- Mark Ingram -- won the Heisman Trophy last season. Here’s the kicker: The “other” guy -- Trent Richardson -- might be even more explosive. Redshirt freshman Eddie Lacy would be starting for a lot of teams around the country.

2. Georgia: Washaun Ealey was one of the more impressive freshmen in the league last season and had a brilliant November. He’ll team with Caleb King to give the Bulldogs the kind of one-two punch that should take some of the pressure off redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray. Senior Shaun Chapas is one of the better fullbacks in the country and a relentless blocker.

3. Auburn: Even with the departure of Ben Tate, the Tigers should have one of the strongest backfields in the league. Mario Fannin has been waiting for his shot at tailback after moving around to different positions. The coaches think he will have a Tate-like senior season. Onterio McCalebb has speed and moves, while incoming freshman Michael Dyer was one of the most coveted running back prospects in the country.

4. Arkansas: There aren’t any big names … yet. But check back again this time next year. Sophomore Ronnie Wingo Jr. weighs 230 pounds, has track speed and is just waiting to break out. Broderick Green is a 245-pound bruiser who scored 12 touchdowns last season. Dennis Johnson is coming off a terrific spring, and Knile Davis is another 220-pound speedster who’s run a sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash.

5. Florida: The problem is depth. There’s not a lot of it, especially when you consider that Chris Rainey has moved to the slot and Emmanuel Moody has never been able to stay healthy. Jeff Demps, though, has the kind of speed that scares anybody. He’s one of the best big-play threats in the league and will get even more chances this season. Look for the Gators to use a fullback more than they have in the past under Urban Meyer.

6. South Carolina: It’s unfair to brand true freshman Marcus Lattimore as the savior, and he’s not claiming to be. But the South Carolina fans can’t wait to see him in a Gamecocks uniform. One of the top running back prospects in the country, Lattimore possesses the speed, burst and power that all the great ones have. He also won’t have to do it alone. Kenny Miles, Brian Maddox and Jarvis Giles give South Carolina some quality depth.

7. Kentucky: Not only is Derrick Locke underrated, but he’s also one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything. He’s one of the top kickoff returners in the SEC and also caught 31 passes last season. A track athlete when he came to Kentucky, Locke has great speed and runs a lot bigger than his size (191 pounds). The Wildcats also like what they’ve seen from sophomore Donald Russell and redshirt freshman Jonathan George.

8. Vanderbilt: When last season began, it looked like Zac Stacy might be Vanderbilt’s candidate for SEC Freshman of the Year honors. But Stacy was slowed by an ankle injury, and Warren Norman set sail on a record-breaking season. He broke Herschel Walker’s freshman record in the SEC for all-purpose yards. Norman and Stacy will be joined this season by redshirt freshman Wesley Tate, the younger brother of former Notre Dame star Golden Tate.

9. Ole Miss: Nobody could touch Dexter McCluster, literally, once the Rebels turned him loose last season. Now comes the hard part – finding somebody to make all the plays he did a year ago. The reality is that it won’t be just one person. Brandon Bolden is the starter. He’s lost weight and was a warrior in the Rebels’ offseason program. Junior Enrique Davis, a big-time recruit a couple of years ago, had his best spring, while Rodney Scott will also factor into the rotation.

10. LSU: The Tigers’ entire running game was a disappointment a year ago, and much of that was on an offensive line that simply didn’t play very well. Charles Scott is gone, and the Tigers will miss him. But when given the chance last season, Stevan Ridley showed flashes of being a marquee SEC back. He’s got a nice blend of size and speed. The Tigers could sure use a healthy Richard Murphy this fall, and the newcomers to watch are redshirt freshman Michael Ford and true freshman Spencer Ware.

11. Tennessee: Montario Hardesty came out of the shadows to have a fabulous season a year ago and wound up going in the second round of the draft. The Vols hope Tauren Poole can be that guy this season. Buried on the depth chart behind Hardesty and Bryce Brown last season, Poole showed what he could do in the spring. Brown has since departed, but the other touted running back Lane Kiffin brought in last year, David Oku, will also see his role increase.

12. Mississippi State: Anthony Dixon was the heartbeat of the Mississippi State offense last season, and replacing him won’t be easy. When the spring concluded, Robert Elliott and junior college newcomer Vick Ballard were running a neck-and-neck battle for the starting job. Elliott is one of those guys who just needs to figure it out, because he’s plenty talented. Redshirt freshman Montrell Conner (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) also had his moments in the spring.

 

[crydabao]

<blockquote style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><font size="1">AzzurriDawg4 wrote:</font>_________________________________________________<font size="1">Are we rating them by position or what? If you are going to factor in offensive line strength with best running backs, why even talk about offensive lines? Then you throw in Relf in our RB equation?

I think it should be best buy anabolic steroids RBs based on talent and depth alone. That's it. I am not saying the womens designer handbags</font>
rankings would change that much, but I think we should do it that way to keep it consistent.[/quote]
I make sure about this.Their offensive line wasn't the best in the world last season andthe
Commodoresmight be worse in 2010.

 

[Irondawg]

I watched some of the OM spring game and got the impression that Enrique Davis was their best back. He looked pretty good in that game.

I don't know if we're as high as 6th in RB talent but we're sure as heck not 12th in my opinion

 

[Coach34]

I know it was in the top 5 at least...and I'm sure our OL was 11th or 12th...how did that workout last season?