http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-mcfadden022408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns I'm not sure if this article was posted awhile back, but I feel like it's worth mentioning again. Apparently McFadden hasn't been doing squats all throughout college because coaches feared re-aggravating an old high school injury. I don't know if he did substitute lifting exercises to substitute squatting, but squatting really is the best way to build leg strength and bulk. Add to this the fact that he already has great leg strength (as demonstrated by his acceleration, top end speed, broad jump of 10'8'', and vertical of 35 1/2), and I think that some of these concerns about his skinny lower body are overblown. Why does it matter what his legs look like if he still has great power in them? The only counterargument I can think of is that skinny legs present more of a target for defenders to aim for. The whole "legs go dead on contact" issue seems silly to me. Obviously if you watch a play of him being tackled, his legs will stop. That's what happens when you're tackled. If the tackle is unsuccessful, your legs keep on moving. Really, his legs go dead when he's tackled, brilliant observation. There's plenty of tape showing his legs keep going after contact. Hell, people were saying that he had the nastiest stiff-arm in college football. The areas of weakness that I think are legitimate are the fumbling concerns, elusiveness, and hands. Fumbling is a real problem: 22 fumbles in three seasons is a real concern. Hopefully coaching can correct this at the next level, because turnovers can be quite a difference maker. Watching McFadden play, I also don't see the level of elusiveness that you would expect from an elite back. By elusiveness I mean moves to shake a defender. He's very good at what he does, which is make fast reads of blocks and decisive cuts, accelerating through when he makes these decisions. In terms of shaking a guy in the open field however, it appears that his repertoire of moves seems to be limited to bouncing outside, stiffarming, a hard cut inside if they overpursue, or the sellout dive into a defender to push for a few extra yards. That's not to say that these moves aren't good enough, it's just you usually see more wiggle and frills in running style with these highly rated running backs. His acceleration and top end speed appear to be elite, but if they don't translate in the NFL, then he's in big trouble, because I don't really think he can lose a defender with moves. Also, I see his hands as overrated by the press. Most of his catches are typical running back fare: flats, screens, and other short routes. His hands aren't anywhere near a Reggie Bush level, and frankly it's hard to tell if they're even above average from some of his highlights. Any NFL runningback should be able to make the catches I've seen him make. That being said, he has dominated from the get-go in a very tough conference. I think that he will be a great back if he can fix his fumbling. I'd like to see more moves out of him, but his running style seems to be based on a hard cut and then he takes it up a gear or turning it outside and destroying contain and pursuit angles with his speed. It seems like teams are badmouthing him because they are interested in taking him, but that's just a hunch.
The fumbling concern can be coached. See how Tiki Barber did when he got into that trouble. Its a simple technique of carrying the ball higher than you do. Whats hard is getting use to it and being as quick as before. Anyways, I would love to have this guy on the team and see what his 'explosiveness' brings. But my sixth sense tells me that the Jets will pass on him or trade down while he's on the board. I hope my sixth sense is wrong...lol
1-Dolphins- Vernon Gholston 2-Rams- Glenn Dorsey 3-Falcons- Jake Long 4-Raiders- Chris Long 5-Chiefs-Trade down, Sedrick Ellis OR Branden Albert 6-Jets- Darren McFadden OR 1-Dolphins- Jake Long 2-Rams-Glenn Dorsey 3-Falcons-Matt Ryan 4-Raiders-Chris Long 5-Cheifs-Trade down or Sedrick Ellis OR Branden Albert 6-Jets- Darren McFadden If you really don't want McFadden...then you better hope and pray that Chris Long is gone by #4 because if he isn't I simply don't see how the Raiders could pass on Howie's son.
Much like this year, i didnt want any specific player...but rather the best and most elite player available. I liked Williams, Bush, Brick, Hawk and Ngota. Say what you will about Bush...but he'd be helping this team right now...and so would/will DMAC who is a COMPLETELY different back.
I don't see how the differ so much....only that McFadden played in a gimmicky offense. They both can't run between the tackles, both can't move the pile. Granted McFadden played in the SEC, We have a "Bush" type back now in Leon, for waaaaaay less money. Tying that much money in one position that really isn't a big need is strange to me. Just because "experts" say he's a "gamebreaker", "elite" doesn't mean squat to me. Same things were said about Bush and many other highly drafted RB's. When history tells us different. Right now it looks like he's the pick for us, I'll reserve judgment, but to agree to disagree is cool.
McFadden is taller, heavier and faster than bush. Hard to compare the two. His hands are probably as good and he is a converted QB which means he should have a pretty good sense of the game.
Bush: 6 ft 0 in 203 lb McFadden: 6 ft 2 in 215 pounds You can debate on the inches....I'm sure Bush has put on more weight. Not much of a difference physical wise IMO.
DMac is bigger and taller...plus they're completely different running styles. Bush dances to the hole and tries to use agility to gain extra yardage...DMAC explodes to the hole, makes one cut to the outside and uses elite speed to get to the 2nd and 3rd level. DMAC is the best i've seen at making an outside cut since Terrell Davis. He makes it look so easy it's scary.
I didn't mean to imply that he was the second coming of Brandon Jacobs. If he was I'm sure he wouldn't be able to run a 4.27 40.
That's the one thing I always liked about McFadden. He runs hard, and he can get to the next level quickly. Kurt pretty much echoes exactly what I feel, but this guy can make a cut and be gone. If we can create some holes for him with our revamped OLine, he should be able to make a lot of nice plays that someone like Jones simply can't make. Washington can make them, too, but he's more of a dancer, another different style of back.
I have a family member who is a strength and conditioning coach at a major college university (in the ACC) and most players stop doing squats once they get into college/pros. The squat puts tremendous stress on the knee, which to a football player is their lifeline.
Tannebaum on NFL network last night I believed tipped his hand that we are going after Gholston or C Long if either are there at 6. He basically said the ultimate scenario is you pick the guy who you have as the best player on your board AND fills a need. More importantly, he said, you don't want to make the pick simply on best player if that player does not fill a need. To me this is all you need to know that mangini will go def. This courting DMC around NYC is all a smokescreen to try to get teams to trade up to #6 in the event Gholston or C Long are both gone when we are on the clock. Brilliant.
These guys are very different, and a comparison between the two is silly. McFadden flat out dominated the SEC, perhaps the best pro primer of any. He's successful because he explodes into the hole and cuts at full speed. Bush was a Barry Sanders style dancer without Sanders' strength. He was very obviously not a between the tackles runner. He is probably one of the greatest college players of all time, but he was dominating the Pac 10, a conference never known for its defensive tenacity. His running style of dancing behind a line that gives him time doesn't fly in the pros where the matchups are more even. If he doesn't adjust and begin hitting the hole hard, he'll probably never be successful. I don't really worry about that with McFadden. Incidentally, Curtis Martin was never really that big a back, and because of the way he ran, between the tackles was never really an issue. I don't think it will be an issue with McFadden. -X-
Bingo. Bush, like Leon, is a scat back, who relies on their agility to make it through the line and to the next level. McFadden is closer to the Dickerson mold, getting to the line so hard and fast that his blocks almost don't have time to develop. However, he has the smarts to see where holes will develop pre-snap, knows where to make his cut and get to the next level. By the way, the vast majority of McFadden's fumbles are in the open field rather than in traffic. It's obvious that he just relaxes his ball security too much once he gets free and needs to work on it.
Personally, I'd like the Jets draft to go as follows: ( First Round ) 1. Gholston - First choice - A good pash rush w / him Pace, Ellis, and Jenkins 2. D-Mac-If Gholston is gone and he's still on the board he is too good to pass up 3. S. Ellis - Play him at DE. A DE that can rush the passer and stop the run and he'll open thing's up for the rest of the line and OLB's ( Second Round ) James Hardy or Q-Groves
Its funny, in this tread alone people have compared his style to :Terrell Davis, Dickerson. Tell what Running back hasn't killed in the Denver system, and Dickerson? C'mon he looked for contact, this is something McFadden doesn't do, every game I watched it was break away straight running, or his uniform is clean as a whistle. I agree with kennyo07 we've been too open with this kid around the town and whatnot. I smell smokescreen IMO. I hope I'm right.
While McFadden does have a nasty stiff arm, most of the time if a defender can get in front of him or a good angle on him, he's going down. The dead legs issue is a legit and significant issue. I agree with your 3 main flaws too. Basically, I think McFadden will dominate behind a sick O-line that'll allow him to do what he did in college...turn the corner and blow past everyone. I wish there were videos on the internet showing McFadden doing more than just blowing past every defender untouched the whole way.
