[Hacksaw]

Guess, , , AP.

[ramsman34]

The passing game gets a bit easier to defend when you don’t have to commit extra box defenders to stop a premier rushing attack - something Cam was starting to display in the playoffs. Hendo can create that problem IF he can stay healthy. Big IF. Doesn’t have the vision or lateral quickness of Cam. But, he is faster. And an excellent receiver/pass catcher. The others are total Jags. Need a vet for sure.

[/zn/]

The passing game gets a bit easier to defend when you don’t have to commit extra box defenders to stop a premier rushing attack - something Cam was starting to display in the playoffs. Hendo can create that problem IF he can stay healthy. Big IF. Doesn’t have the vision or lateral quickness of Cam. But, he is faster. And an excellent receiver/pass catcher. The others are total Jags. Need a vet for sure.

Henderson is a good back but he's not at the level Akers is.

The lateral quickness makes all the difference. Akers can make more out of less in a way Henderson can't. Akers actually thrived in a college offense with a famously (or infamously) bad OL.

They drafted Henderson as a complementary back and Akers as a primary back. They like Henderson and they raved about Akers.

With Henderson they will have a run game. With Akers they could have dominated with the run game.

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[/zn/]

re the "stafford's never had a quality running back" thing, or "his rbs have gained 100+ yards in game only a handful of times during his career" thing, it's a bunch of meaningless nonsense imo....

Except I don't know anyone who says that. Here's what I've seen said and I say it too: in Detroit Stafford had this combination of issues: (1) only 1 out of 12 seasons did he have a running game that ranked even fairly high in YPC and that year it was 13th (most of them were ranked lower than 20th) (2) he only had a decent defense 3 times (and in 2020 it was 32nd). (3) In 2020 more than 60% of his throws were when the Lions were behind.

That's quite a combination of liabilities.

You mention Buffalo. In 2020 Buffalo did not have all 3 problems simultaneously, as Stafford often has.

The reason Stafford's liabilities in Detroit get mentioned is to emphasize he is now in a better situation, though losing Akers qualifies that a bit. He also has McVay's scheme which is an advantage, though at the same time the advantage cuts both ways because now McVay has a veteran qb he will listen to and that bodes well also.


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[AvengerRam]

Henderson is a good back but he's not at the level Akers is.

From a production standpoint, they were pretty comparable last year:

Akers 145 carries, 625 yards, 4.3 ypc, 2 TDs
Henderson 138 carries, 624 yards, 4.5 ypc, 5 TDs

The big concern here is that we had two backs, both of whom had trouble staying on the field last year, and now we have only one. Henderson's history calls into question his ability to be "the guy" for 17 games. Its likely he'll miss some time or, at a minimum, need someone to lighten his workload. Whether we have that guy remains to be seen.

[snackdaddy]

I don't even like saying this. But Gurley makes a lot of sense if they're gonna sign a vet. He's missed two games in the last two years. Scored 23 total touchdowns. He does have a knack for the endzone when they get close. He knows the offense. He's pretty good in pass protection. But he's nowhere near the explosive player he used to be. Averages only about 3 and a half yards per carry.

Peterson is a guy who might be a little better runner and durable. And his YPC was a little better than Gurley the past couple years. He's not as good in the passing game. But as a runner he might be a good option. Bell is a guy who knows how to play in the passing game.

None of those guys is a homerun hitter anymore. But if they can take some of the snaps and conserve Henderson, it might be worth a shot. Henderson is not a bell cow type back. Not durable enough. But maybe they can keep him healthy if they don't use him too much.

[AvengerRam]

I think that, if he stays healthy, Jake Funk may be the guy who emerges as Henderson's second.

If you're looking for a diamond in the rough, Funk fits the bill. He suffered two ACL tears in college, but came back last year and played well. His Pro Day numbers ( 4.43-second 40-yard dash, vertical 38 inches, broad-jump 10 feet 2 inches and 22 bench press reps at 225 pounds) were impressive, and he managed to average 7.2 yards/carry in college while playing for one the weakest teams in the tough Big 10.

Bring in da Funk!

[Hacksaw]

AP, Bell, Gurley and others mentioned here.
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/coul ... cam-akers/
Heard Duke Johnson's name is floating out there too.
Such a drag.

[actionjack]

The passing game gets a bit easier to defend when you don’t have to commit extra box defenders to stop a premier rushing attack - something Cam was starting to display in the playoffs. Hendo can create that problem IF he can stay healthy. Big IF. Doesn’t have the vision or lateral quickness of Cam. But, he is faster. And an excellent receiver/pass catcher. The others are total Jags. Need a vet for sure.

Agreed, I like Hendo's speed and power (bowling ball like) but like we have said he needs to stay on the field. I do think Funk can have a role, he is legit fast with power. I could see him getting 1/3 of the carries at some point. Curious to see if the hype about Xavier is true.

[safer]

I like McVay's approach this close to camp starting. Let's see what the young guys can do in camp--there will still be vet RB's available in a couple of weeks. But WHY take camp carries away from young bucks that have upside?