Lacy's Running Style

[RashanGary]

bobble,

There was a stat on the RB's coming out in this years draft. One of the players had the most yards before contact. Everyone on the forums chalked that up to him having the better line. After watching Brandon Jackson run behind the same line Ryan Grant (a marginal physical talent) ran behind and suck so bad, I wanted to shoot myself after almost every run, I realized something. Running the football is as much about feel and instinct as it is about pure physical skill. My opinion was that, maybe that stat meant Bernard is incredibly natural, instinctive and skilled at navigating through traffic. That same RB, if you looked at the rest of the stats, seemed to be the best. That RB was Giovanni Bernard, and he was the first RB taken in the 2013 draft.

In short, a really natural football player can make a lot of his own luck. Emmit, as great as he was for as long as he did it, I have a hunch he made a lot of his own luck. His effectiveness, SB rings and success are as spectacular as anyones. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Same with Jerry Rice. Same with Joe Montana, Tom Brady, etc. . . . . A lot of the greatest of the greats don't dominate on pure physical prowess.

[wist43]

Wist, I believe our awful "base running attack" is a tool that we need, but most definitely is not needed until the last 4 minutes of a game when we need to preserve our lead. At that point, yes, we have routinely been stopped in the last two years. There has only been one game in recent memory where we were able to run out the clock with a lead (I believe it was against Detroit in 2010 with Kuhn running out the clock, but I'm blanking).

The rest of the time we are going to spread multiple WRs and multiple flexible TEs into the picture and roll. WE HAVE THE BEST QB IN THE LEAGUE why would we be lining up routinely in pro sets with a FB and two run blocking TEs, it would not be playing to our strength which is our QB and his beautiful, god-given arm (slurp).

Anyway, I believe we are improving this area, where a base running attack keeps our leads (which we will accumulate based on our offensive potency). Lacy will help tremendously with yards after contact. Hell, I'm excited to see the resurgence of the play-action pass which believe it or not was very effective in 2011 and died last year.

Things are looking up Wist, how bout you pop a happy pill and smile a little.

Actually, I did just pop a happy pill, but it isn't helping, lol... I foolishly spent too much time on the back of a horse yesterday, and I'm paying for it today - one more happy pill should do the trick... maybe two

Hair of the dog though... gonna ride again today, so I should be properly dead by about 6pm tonight, lol

[RashanGary]

What's a happy pill, Wist?

[Smeefers]

Here is my position. With the playmaker theory you need one of the 3 elite RB's in the league. YOu need the generational guys. Yes, Walter Payton makes your running game great. AP, Barry Sanders, Erik Dickerson. However those are rarely an option.

When Ahman Green was dominant we had ZERO all pros on the line. Eventually Rivera got a token nod, but he was never a top 5 guard in the league. Emmit Smith was never even a top 5 back (imo) in the league, but he scored from 4 yards out standing up. Ahman had talent, but wasn't a world beater. Right now the packers have 3 good OL. We suck at center and RT (until someone steps up). I would have rather paid Wells, and signed a RT so that nearly anyone could run behind the OL for the next 10 years. Or hell, even left Bulaga, and found a serviceable LT. Good RBs have about a 5 year run. Generational guys get 10. We have Aron Rodgers, so we need to spend money on the OL anyway.

I don't buy the playmaker theory because the NFL is an ebb and flow game. You have to be able to attack weaknesses, not have them. Sure, having the playmaker can CREATE a weakness on another team, but if the team is balanced they can adapt to the great player. IF you are balanced you attack weaknesses. If SF must match your spread personel then you run Cobb out of the backfield....this isn't gimmicky, its attacking a weakness.

Playmaker. Clay Mathews. When we won the big game everyone was gushing over clay. Cameron Wake did everything clay does, but played in Miami. What came first, the playmaker or the rest of the team around them? When you have a bunch of talent on the field good playes look like playmakers. When you have garbage on the field great players look human.

When we won the superbowl we had a bunch of good players step up, but last year, while Walden was blowing containment, the HEROIC game by Sam Shields didn't leave us screaming "playmaker", it left us saying, "fuck our D blows". I believe in the reverse playmaker theory. When you have major flaws it shows. It can make 10 good players look bad. We have the worst starting LT in football (last year) and a bad center and due to injuries we had a really bad OLB and some other weak starters on D. Playmakers Rodgers and Shields and Mathews and Cobb and James Jones in that game weren't enough. We lost because of the flaws.

I disagree on the Smith statement. The dude was phenomenal AND he had a great line. I also seem to remember back in the day how the commentators would talk about how big the line was and how nobody could stand up to it. Today, that isn't an option. Even so, Smith routinely broke tackles and was the ideal of a power runner.

I like everything else you said though a lot. Our problem last year was that our weakness' were debilitating. It's like we got hurt in every place where we couldn't afford it.

[wist43]

What's a happy pill, Wist?

Not really sure... some are red, and some are blue - then something about a rabbit hole. Not sure how the whole thing works...

I long for the good old days when smoking a joint wouldn't cost your job, your house, and your freedom. That would be my 'happy pill' of choice - but, living in a nazified nation... I will have to find a way to "do it for the chi'ren"; or the environment; or keeping the chi'ren safe in the environment - I think I took the red pill??

[packer4life]

you could always move to cali...

Not really sure... some are red, and some are blue - then something about a rabbit hole. Not sure how the whole thing works...

I long for the good old days when smoking a joint wouldn't cost your job, your house, and your freedom. That would be my 'happy pill' of choice - but, living in a nazified nation... I will have to find a way to "do it for the chi'ren"; or the environment; or keeping the chi'ren safe in the environment - I think I took the red pill??