I just hope he doesn't get drafted by an AFC East team...especially the Patriots. Pat Hill and Bill Belichick are very good friends. I'll root for him wherever he goes, unless it's a division rival. I hate when my favorite players go to teams that I hate - it ruins part of the game for me. Logan Mankins is one of the best Fresno State players to ever put on a jersey, and I hate his guts now because he's a Pat.
11/7 versus the Idaho Vandals: Ryan Mathews rushed for 144 yards and 3 TDs. (77 yard TD run = his first carry of the game) Season rushing stats are now 1459 yards and 14 TDs...through 9 games BEAST
Mathews is on pace to rush for 2,000 yards as well. Right now, he's saying that he wants to stay at Fresno and play as a senior, but if he leads the entire nation in rushing, Pat Hill will convince him to get out and make money.
In the back of my mind, I knew this would happen: Ryan Mathews took a huge hit in the first quarter of the Nevada game...and was carted off the field. Most people thought it was just a mild concussion, but Mathews is supposedly on crutches now. This sucks for him and his NFL hopes, because durability is his only knock. I guess this means he'll return for his senior season and the Bulldogs should be a mid-major favorite in 2010.
I saw the hit on the dump off to Mathews and it didn't look like his head was hit. Maybe it was his chin and he got his bell rung. Mathews looked to lower his head, not a good idea. It was a hard hit, but I've seen alot harder hits. Mathews did walk off the field and I didn't see a limp , his legs looked fine. The Crutches maybe a precaution, it's not uncommon for a person that has a concussion to use crutches to prevent falling. BTW, I heard Nevada before the game, was talking alot of shit that they needed to take Mathews out.
I like his running style, and attitude. I think he has a lot of potential. I just don't like the way he takes some of those hits, it just looks like he was getting hit very akward for a RB. Which may be why he has been so injury prone in the past?
He's back boys! Mathews rushed for 173 yards and 3 TDs in a shootout win over Illinois. In 11 games, Mathews had 1664 yards rushing and 17 TDs. Toby Gerhart is still the nation's leading rusher, but he's also played in one more game. Gerhart stayed healthy and that's been the deciding factor.
I got this info from a good source... Mathews pre-combine workout statistics: - 5'11 216 - consistently running in the 4.3s (fastest time of 4.35) - 22 reps of 225 pounds - 37 inch vertical jump If he pulls all of this off at the combine, he'll jump CJ Spiller, and become the top rated RB prospect. Supposedly, a lot of scouts are claiming that Mathews is the most complete back in this draft, and that he could be extremely valuable as a Wildcat quarterback. Mathews was a direct-snap quarterback in high school, and received a lot of direct snaps at Fresno State.
I could easily see him passing Spiller To be honest, I see Spiller as a Leon Washington type player in the NFL but not a feature back..then again I was wrong on Chris Johnson so what do I know
I HATE that comparison. Reggie Bush is a much better comparison. Have you ever watched CJ Spiller play? The guy has some of the best receiving skills that I've ever seen a running back have. Jet fans overrate Leon Washington so much. He's a very good kick returner, and he's a talented change-of-pace back, but that's all he offers. His height limits what he can do. CJ Spiller is way more versatile than Washington. He can line up out wide, in the slot, and in the backfield, return kicks and punts...and score every time he touches the football. His biggest knock is that he isn't very durable, and that can be said for Mathews too. Absolutely nothing. You're a Giants' fan.
I agree that Spiller is better than Leon, but I'm not sure he's equally explosive as Bush. He's close, but Reggie Bush was just so incredibly dominant in college--every time he touched the ball you thought it was a touchdown. Now, I really like Spiller, and, in terms of NFL comps, Bush is great. But if you're talking about the perception coming out of college, I'm not sure that's fair to the kid.
I got to watch Reggie Bush in person - he completely destroyed Fresno State the year he won the Heisman. Spiller was incredibly dominant in college too. He's an all-purpose yardage machine. CJ Spiller was robbed when he wasn't named a Heisman finalist. He was the only player to score a TD in every game during the 2009 season. He's the most successful kick returner of all time, and he's one of only five players to gain 7,000 plus total yards in a career.
I had him right behind Spiller. I think he'll be the clear-cut #2 come draft time. No way a team takes Best or Dwyer ahead of him.
This is probably one of the cases where a player who isn't as highly touted goes into the combine, has a great workout, is drafted higher but then is justified.
A team that runs as much as we do always needs runningbacks. I can't imagine you were sitting there watching as Greene got hurt and TJ hobbled around in the backfield during the Colts game and you were saying to yourself - 'Damn, we are solid as a rock in the runningback department!'
I just got a chance to watch that video... THAT is a cutback runner. He would be the perfect compliment to our runners if the Jets end up dealing TJ to another team.
