Texas Football 2011 Preseason Position by Position: Running Back

Great writeup. CJ and Bergeron are intriguing FB prospects because they both have HB skills. Plus, in Harsinwhite’s offense, the fullback position will be used correctly for the first time in the Mack Brown era. I’m also a little more bullish on Fozzy because it looks like he’s added some great weight to withstand some of the wear and tear. Of course, I was bullish on Large Cap equities until last week.

Regardless, I think all of these guys are just keeping the seat warm until Gray arrives on campus in 2012.

Jesus -
 
Agree on all points. Having a fullback who can credibly catch a ball in the flat off of play action with a linebacker trailing is a great way to keep a defense honest and get an easy first down. Both Bergeron and CJ can do that. If one of them can prove to be a head cracker blowing up LBs on the lead iso, then I’ll write them a soppy public love letter.
 
2012 should be a dull colored backfield of Gray and Brown.
 
Re: Fozzy - I think 500 rushing/400 receiving is a reasonable target. If he can give us a Chris O type of senior season, then I’m very happy.

“Malcom Brown is the least experienced running back on the team with the most experience in a real running game”

Great line, eloquently captures the despair of the past and the hope of the future.

Count me as a big fan of Hills’ burst in the limited action I’ve seen.

How often does the FB actually carry the rock in the Harsin offense? How was it not used effectively under Mack during the early aughts?

Erik -
 
It’s not so much that the fullback gets a lot of action under Harsin. It’s that situationally, they’re used to pick up key first downs and to force a defense to keep certain personnel groupings on the field - specifically, not allowing them to go nickel.
 
Also, Harsin has never had FB talent like Cody or Bergeron. My guess is that he’ll use it.

I will believe it when I see it in regards to Fozzy. Peanut brittle and masking tape is about right, don’t give a shit what your biceps look like if you can’t stay healthy.

After seeing Fozzy in HS I never thought durability would be a problem. He literally carried Pearland to the 5A semis. Hope he can stay healthy this year.

Reading about how our offense will use specific players and their varied skill sets in an actual scheme made my nose bleed.

The Bergeron development is the most intriguing personnel news so far.

Scipion, I heard someone say about Hills, “Sure we could give him the ball 20 times a game and good things would happen, but he’d fumble three times.”

nordberg -
 
Then you only give it to him the 17 times where he doesn’t fumble. Duh. This shit is easy.

I saw Cody a few times this summer, he looks better than ever, including high school when he was 5’11" 235 lbs and dunking on people.

He’s got a lot to play for this year, and I think he realizes it.

Hills has always confounded me as well. I’ve seen the same things, hell maybe we were at the same practices (I was the one splitting Denius’ sides while he was adding me to his will) and Hills always impressed. I expect him to provide us something in the screen game and sweeps.

Nobody can convince me that Tre Newton was a better option to carry the ball than Hills.

We shall see.

I think I’m going to start pointing out dromedary toe when I see it. A little less obvious. Kind of like telling a girl she looks meretricious just to watch her misconstrue it for a compliment.

Savage Henry -
 
I remember noting that when we signed him. He was the definition of a workhorse in high school, carrying it 40+ times per game. I guess durability isn’t a predictable commodity when the competition rises. Or else he has been placed in a S&C program that didn’t suit him very well.

Tipsy -
 
I hope Cody understands that this is a contract year. The coaches have placed him a niche. It’s up to him to expand it.

Great stuff per usual.

The real X-factor for me in who ends up toting most of the mail for Texas (besides health, obviously) is the whole Vision Thing - who on the team can demonstrate the aptitude for finding the right place to run during the execution of a legitimately designed play? It’s been years since there’s even been the opportunity to demonstrate this skill - Jamaal managed to sometimes make chicken salad out of the fowl feces that was normally available between the tackles, but most of his money was made just outrunning the whole damn defense to the corner.

Since then, it seems like every back has been trying to emulate Jamaal despite being between .2 and .6 seconds slower in the 40. On countless plays our OL would zone/stretch block (this, in and of itself is not bad), shuffling laterally (this is pretty bad) but generally taking the defenders where they wanted to go - outside (this, in and of itself is not bad) - but we seemed to either de-emphasize or outright forbid cutting back against the defense’s overpursuit (this is very, very bad).

Seeing who can hit a defined hole with authority, read when the hole is actually going to be somewhere other than designed, take advantage of defenders taking false steps inside/outside and cutting behind actual second-level blocking will be tremendously fun to watch.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep saying it until the pant shitting about Fozzy’s injuries leaves at least one white spot: Fozzy’s injury problems will likely be less pronounced due to some ACTUAL conditioning. Flexibility and strength improvements will improve his durability. Where’s the optimism, people?!

For every five players we’ve seen who never shake the injury bug we have a pretty good history of guys like Jordan Shipley, Bo Scaife, and others coming through later in their careers.

It happens.
 
I also think it’s most likely to happen with Fozzy if we keep his work load at 10-15 touches per game.

Or else he has been placed in a S&C program that didn’t suit him very well.

Under Madden, S&C stood for “Sitting and Chocolate.”

We do have a lot of quality pieces at RB/FB/H-Back, it’s a shame none of them were used last season. GD’s unwillingness to stick with the run in many games was as detrimental to Fozzy’s stats last season as Fozzy’s injuries. Hard to do much damage when you’re QB’s slinging it 60 times a game.

CoJo gets 1000+ yards. There. I said. He’s been my favorite RB since JC left, and I hope he runs himself into an NFL contract. Feel free to mock me in December.

“Sitting and Chocolate”. Haha. It’s funny because it’s true.

Must we wait til December? There’s too many carries being split for anyone to crack a thousand. Plus, though Cody runs powerfully, he’s often hesitant in the hole and runs into his blockers too much. That will keep him from breaking any longer runs moreso than his size.

I’d love to see his average up around five. That would be a stellar number for a guy that gets so many runs designed to net one much needed yard.

we seemed to either de-emphasize or outright forbid cutting back against the defense’s overpursuit

Don’t remember the game, but distinctly recall watching Foz run the same zone run three times in a row - twice to the right, once to the left - all three times with the OL and DL action as you described, and all three times a gimme cutback wall appeared and all three times he ran smack into the pile of five blockers and six or seven defenders, resulting in a 4th-and-four punt. It looked like anywhere from at least ten yards to gone were available for the cutback. I didn’t know whether to blame Foz, Major, GDGD, or Mack, or… WTF? I sincerely hope to not see anyone running into a goddamned pile this year, unless the pile is already either five yards past the first down marker or the goal line. I also noticed in clips and live action of MB1 last year that he did take numerous cutbacks and usually with excellent results. Hopefully he will continue to manifest this unorthodox style.

Fine, mock now if you must. Just my hopes for the kid.

What do y’all think about this possible best case scenario for MB: Toby Gerhart

Overly optimistic yes, but If MB can fill out, I think he could develop into an eerily similar type of runner. Deceptively fast, but dominates (obviously projecting here) through outstanding balance and lower body strength. A lot of people get too enamored with speed in running backs because balance is so difficult to define and measure, but I’d point to Ingram and Gerhart as demonstrative of elite balance and yards after contact translating into success.

tips, does the dromedary toe have three humps? that one is new to me.

cardinal -
 
That’s actually a fantastic comp and I’m pissed I didn’t make it.
 
However, you violated the internet rule in which black athletes and white athlete can never be compared to each other.
 
Gerhart had freakish tackle breaking ability and he finished every run. I’d be delighted if MB did the same.

i agree with cardinal. take earl for example. of all the remarkable traits he had, maybe his balance was the most uncanny. he recovered from some of the most amazing situations and ran like a contortionist. ced was a lot that way, and ricky’s sense of balance didn’t get its due in my opinion.

i’m not saying i expect mb to be another earl or ced or ricky, or even need to be. i’m just saying his sense of balance doesn’t get its due either. and it is important.

I CANNOT POST WITHOUT SOMEBODY SLIPPING IN AHEAD OF ME!! WHAT GIVES?

Scipio—“more of an idea or an impression than an actual reality. Fozzy is the dream within a dream. The first allegorical running back!”

Shuttlesworth—“Of course, I was bullish on Large Cap equities until last week.”

Tipsy—“I think I’m going to start pointing out dromedary toe when I see it… Kind of like telling a girl she looks meretricious just to watch her misconstrue it for a compliment.”

Our RBs gain half the yardage running this year as you guys do writing… pack ’er up—national championship season!

Strongly disagree about S&C- it reallystands for sleeping and cuddling.

What backs over the last few years didn’t get hurt due to scheme, poor line play, bad conditioning? Heck, Newton had to retire. I also am hoping for improved output and longevity from our running backs.

Scipio - Excellent series of position break-downs! I’m interested to see how the touches are distributed as well. Obviously, it stands to reason that the opponent & game situation will determine the distribution.

JS- The backfield is going to look down right SCARY (good) next year…MB place holding fro JG, or not, he’s going to put his stamp on the position this year.

With the attributes mentioned (good enough but not blazing speed, balance, will, vision, durability) MB1 reminds me of a bigger Emmitt Smith. Here’s hoping.

Hills seems like one of many casualties of the chaotic yet predictable cluster**** that we were forced to accept as an offense.

hopeful -
  
I understand where you’re coming from in that sense that all good backs share those attributes but I don’t think Emmitt is a useful comp given his body type, style of running, low base etc.
 
It’s a little like saying Eric Dickerson was a bigger Walter Payton.

“When I’m not watching him, he must run backwards into the end zone where he strips off his pads and naps in a nest of blocking dummies telling the coaches to suck him off if they’d like for him to further participate in practice.”

Funniest thing ever written on BC. I almost threw up my IDOL and tonic.

Do you think when Malcolm Brown looks in the mirror he sees Cedric Benson? I sure see it, but hopefully without the same door-kicking skills. I hope Mack Brown sees the same thing and chooses to not let history repeat itself… and starts him way before OU.

I consider anything Fozzy gives us as gravy. No doubt he will make some nice plays. The question is how many, how deep into the season.

I think we all see the same thing with Jeremy Hills because he performs well any time he has been on TV. It may be that that is all he has ever done, or sometimes coaches have blind spots or overvalue strange things (like jumping over piles, answering questions a certain way) or undervalue important things (like making plays). I think something like that has happened with Hills.

Re: Jeremy Hills — What is “applicable football speed”?

BTW, meant to add that I’m really enjoying your position breakdowns. Terrific stuff. Would really love to see Fozzy stay healthy, Hills get a chance in primetime (and hold on to the ball), and Brown show what he can do before the OU game. This position could see an enormous uptick in production if Searels works some magic on the O-line.

CalHorn -
 
Can run fast in stop-start fashion and hit high speeds while negotiating traffic.

Those writers also play a mean power trio set at Waterloo Ice House at Tuesday happy hour under the name Heavy Burden.

I look forward to seeing DJ Monroe deployed at full capacity.

Scipio — Thanks. Hadn’t seen that phrase before.

I am not ready to say that Pearland is coached by Bud Kilmer nor that Fozzy’s nickname should be Wendell. He was part of a series of 3 running backs who came through there who had heavy workloads in high school and posted big numbers. If I am not mistaken none of the three have come close to that degree of success in college.

Texas has signed backs who had high workloads in high school. Heck, Bum Phillips wishes he could have run Earl as many times with the Oilers as Parchmen did Ced at Lee. Friend of mine who was at the game still wonders why Lee even huddled in the second half of the Lee-Permian game Ced’s senior season.

Big difference is Ced was a grown ass man as a sophomore in high school and not just a little heavier than our chocolate lab as was the case of Foz in high school.

My only real concern about Gray and Trey Williams for that matter has been the work load during their careers. Both are slighter builds.

Fozzy is a wonderful person and a good player. Somebody who I’m proud to call a Texas
Longhorn for the rest of his life. Brown should only recruit these kinds of players now that
we have a D I coaching staff. Go Fozzy and have a great season !

Because we wanna win by 50 ESPECIALLY against mojo