Exactly. I like Mangini's "running by committee" approach. I've always liked that idea and could never, for the life of me, figure out why Herm never alternated Martin and Lamont Jordan, for example. The changeup is what throws DEF's off. The man absolutely refused to use that technique. We could start Barlow, but insert Blaylock and Leon at times, perhaps even have Brad Smith give it a carry or two. Mix it up on NE and they'll have fits adjusting to shifty speed versus power versus blazing outside speed. If they're going to stop our run, at least make them work for it... don't keep giving them the straight vanilla hey-diddle-diddle.
Cedric gets vastly overrated by some of you people... Anyway, i'd want Barlow this week since it will be up against New England and you need someone with some power with good burst...
definatly would love for barlow to start, and for houston to be active this week...maybe put washington on the inactive list for this one...i think houston can be effective, and then with him and barlow pounding away, blaylock can get free to do his thing
i'd hate to defend herm in this case, but it's well know that curtis, when healthy, needs as many touches as he can get to be effective. outside of him though, i like the rb-by-committee approach.
I would like to see washington involved in the pass game. I think he could run a great screen. He is going to be a playmaker I would like to see him get the ball
I have no doubt Barlow will end up starting. Blaylock looked nervous out of the backfield on Sunday and he still can't block to save his or Chad's lives. Obviously bringing in competition wasn't enough to light a fire under him. Barlow, for all of his faults, is the guy I would rather have starting.
Totally agree. With the way this offensive line is setup right now..you need a north south runner with power..and if its not Barlow...I would even prefer Houston over Blaylock. Positive yardage..even if its 3.0 per carry. I would take that right now.
Keep in mind that Tennessee has one of the best run defenses in the entire NFL. We didn't do very good running the ball, but I think part of that was because of the solid play by the titans front 7...
Barlow is the closest thing to an answer we have on the roster. I know people love Cedric, but he has never actually shown anything to prove he is a NFL-caliber RB. Getting some decent, not good, but decent, rushing yards in a lost campaign is not good. Leon is a career STer. Nothing more. He can't block at all. Hopefully Barlow is ready for his chance. We need him to get 15 or more touches a week to set up Chad for the passing game. He only needs 3 ypc to get the offense moving in the right direction. The key is the line. If they can hold up and give some decent blocks, I think Barlow can get it going.
Barlow clearly has the quickness to get outside and the power to run in the middle. He's def'n the best all around back, its to bad he couldn't come in and learn the offense earlier so he could be ready by the start of the season.
I agree, and I think this is the week it happens. What I'm wondering about who do you use as the primary backup Blaylock or Houston. Houston and Barlow have very similar bodies and running style, so you can argue that Blaylock would be a change of pace. But in my mind Blaylock goes down as soon as you blow on him and shows no real vision. Not sure why Houston was deactivated last week, but I would strongly consider sitting Blaylock this week. As for Washington, I don't want to see him in the backfield until he has proven in practice that he can pick up a blitz. The man is scary in that department.....
