Starks - Breakaway Speed?

[Zool]

Holmgren's RBs were what made the WCO go by providing a continual threat in the flat to keep DEs and OLBs honest. Our current offense hardly even utilizes the backs in the passing game, which I feel is due to their lack of ability as receivers.

So I decided to compare last year's team to the 96 team to see if this was a truism or not.

1996 RB stats:
89 catches
605 yards

2010 RB stats:
63 catches
484 yards

Difference per game:
1.6 catches
7.56 yards.

Because the Packers run only 3 instead of 4-5 designed screens per game, the yammering heads in the booths still say the Packers don't run the screen like they used to. In the future I'm hoping they simulcast NFL games on a channel where all you get is field noise. Announcers are the worst thing to ever have happen to sports.


-Edit-
For the sake of argument, I decided to dig a little further, pre-superbowl years there were 100+ catches per season by the backs. There were quite a few designed screens back then as opposed to the outlets we see today.

2009:
63

2008:
65

2007:
95

2006:
104

2005:
113

1998:
102

1997:
96

1995:
112

1994:
127

I still hate announcers and their idiocy.

[mraynrand]

Announcers are the worst thing to ever have happen to sports.

Why do you think I went to Discovery channel?

[pbmax]

1996, 6.8 YPC
2010, 7.7 YPC

Interesting, considering how many screens I remember being successful. Though in my dotage I might be confusing Ruettgers/Brown/Wilkerson and Bennett with Clifton and Green.

[pbmax]

Announcers are the worst thing to ever have happen to sports.

I blame radio.

[Partial]

Peterson gets caught from behind. Not often, but a fair amount of times. I thought he actually lost a little of his "deep speed" since his first or second year, but sadly he looks great this preseason. Even during his rookie season, Nick Collins caught him from behind. (And I felt like that was Peterson at his fastest.) There are guys faster than Peterson. Not many faster than Johnson.

See 1:37

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-h...-23-Vikings-16

Fair enough Harv. I stand corrected. I agree he has slowed some, I think it was due to bulk. I haven't seen him this preseason but that's a scary proposition.