Yeah, and Terrell Davis was a crappy college player! Preist Holmes was all right at Texas. Those guys that you have named were system guys. Nebraska always grinded it out and used the opition, so it was not always up to the Phillips to get his; Salaam ran a little with that I-Bone, and Carter was injured before his career started. Florida State has a system that's more conducive for the receivers and QB's to have success.
Warrick had better offensive players around him than Leon had, especially at QB with Charlie Ward and Danny Kanell; Leon had Chris Rix, Wyatt Sexton and a red-shirt freshman in Drew Weatherford! Even Travis Minor had Chris Weinke!!! Worst of all, Leon had JEFF BOWDEN as an OC, while Warrick had MARK RICHT!!! That's a hell of a difference. Obviously, Leon was the better overall player than Warrick (At FSU)! Leon is the only player in FSU history to score 5 different ways.
Washington may have some skills running the football, but from what I've heard he can't block whatsoever. Therefore I don't see him as the every down guy of the future.
Okay... okay! I'll watch Washington this weekend! I mean, I'll be watching the Jets, but I'll actually be watching Washington! No... what I mean is, I'll be rooting for Washington... but I'll actually be rooting for the Jets... well... Look, Washington is a loser and I hate Washington. But not the first Washington... I'm talkin' about the second ting here... the Jets Washington, not the Washington Washington. Oh... fuggetaboutit.
I agree with the fact that no one should be crying about lossing Suggs..... I personally was displeased with the trade. As for Leon I think he will be a great third down type back but not a every down back.
Not at all. He was great in college in a different system.... GIVE HIM MORE THAN 2 WEEKS OF PRACTICE TO JUDGE HIS PICKING UP THE BLITZ IN A WHOLE NEW SYSTEM!
First of all, you must either be making up sources, or have gotten completely bad information! Who have you heard that from, the elusive and very vague culprit of most sources, "They" or "Them"? The reason why Lorenzo Booker had to red-shirt in his freshman year was because Leon was the best blocker they had, and that included Greg Jones who was 250 lbs! Leon had gotten out there as a true freshman and thrived because of his ability to block; of course, the 135 yards against Florida in the final regular season game helped plenty too. When I say that I kept an eye on his career, I mean BOTH eyes!
Trey Ko....i'm about to go toss some frisbee, but may I say that you're posts have been well worded, interesting and thoroughly intelligent. The passion you clearly have, for belief in Washington as a prospect, backed up by your knowledge as a football fan ... makes me want to watch and root for him. For those of us who downloaded Preseason game 1, fast forward to 3rd quarter, about 5:30 left... Clemens dumps it off to Washington who, I think, makes a solid run through traffic for some 8 well earned yards. Not a huge play, but a nice look.
IMO, Leon should at least be given the benefit of the doubt from only 1 pre-season. He does seem to have quite a bit of upside potential regardless of size. This following scoutin report is very intriguing: Prospect Profiles Leon Washington Height: 5-8 Weight: 202 40 Speed: 4.42* Position: Running Back College: Florida State Final Grade: G 6.0 GM JR Scouting LLC Grading Scale/Key SUMMARY Washington has been a very hard player to get a good feel for because of his constant rotating in and out of games. He is a very well built back with the power and strength to be an effective runner once he gets past the line of scrimmage. He can keep his feet vs. hard hits and has shown the ability to lower a shoulder to deliver a hard blow to tackler to gain the extra yard at the end of the run. He has the very quick feet, acceleration, vision, instincts and playing speed to make big plays and plays a lot of Ryan Moats who was drafted in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles. On film, Washington is a tough football player and has the physique to hold up physically in the NFL, but he is going to have to prove that. Overall, Washington is going to be a very good NFL starting running back if used in a system similar to what the Eagles use. But if used in a more traditional NFL offense, he is best suited as a backup running back, starting third down back and punt returner. But be careful not to over-draft him because of his lack of size and experience carrying the offensive load on his back. CRITICAL FACTORS Size Athletic Ability Hands Competes Play Speed Blocking 5.5--6.5---- 6.5---- 6.0-- 6.5------------ 5.5 STRONG POINTS Washington is a very good athlete with the quick feet, burst and agility to make plays when he has the ball in his hands. Once he gets into space, he is a dangerous runner because he can make tacklers miss and has the strength to run through arm tackles and keeps his feet vs. dive tackles/hits. He has very good hands, which makes him a dangerous receiver out of the backfield and can make plays returning punts. He is a tough runner who consistently plays bigger than he looks and keeps his feet churning until he is on the ground. WEAKNESSES No doubt Washington is shorter than ideal and few running backs under 5-foot-8 have ever developed into good NFL starting running backs. Despite being well built for his size, Washington does not consistently break tackles. The main concern is that despite his natural talent, he has not proven himself as a 25-plus carry a game starter over an entire college season and rarely do players who were not full-time starters in college become NFL starters. He needs to do a better job of wrapping up the ball when he runs in tight quarters. POSITIONAL FACTORS Grade Category Comments/Description 7.0 Run Instincts He has excellent vision and instincts to see the field and find the hole consistently fast. 6.5 Elusiveness His very quick feet and agility help him to change directions fast and can make tacklers miss. 6.5 Cutback Abilty His vision and instincts combine with his very quick feet to let him make a sharp cutback fast. 5.5 Inside Runner Runs tough and aggressive and can run through grab tackles, but is not a tackle breaker or pile dragger. 6.5 Outside Runner He has the burst to get outside and once there he has the quicks and burst to make things happen. 6.5 Hands - Receiving He has very good hands catching ball out of the backfield and fielding punts consistently. 6.5 Adjust to Ball His body control, hands, coordination and concentration help him to adjust and make tough catches. 6.0 Runs After Catch His foot quicks, agility, playing speed and strength make him a good runner after the catch. 5.0 Run Blocker Very little experience as a run blocker, but has the toughs and strength to become good. 6.0 Pass Blocker Not always pretty, but his effort, strength and competitiveness make him usually solid. 5.0 Durability/Toughness He is a tough football player, but his durability is a question mark because he was not a fulltime starter. 6.0 Fumbles/Error He only fumbled once, but he does not cover the ball up very well. He does not make mental errors. ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 6.5 Washington is a very good athlete, which is the reason he was a productive big college running back despite his lack of height. He has the very quick feet to accelerate to full speed in a flash, which helps him get outside and around the corner on his own. He has outstanding agility and balance and when you combine them with his surprising strength, he can run through arm/grab tackles and keeps feet vs. hard hits. His agility and quick feet enable him to change directions in a flash and can make the sharp cut to avoid a tackler. His natural flexibility helps him to lower a shoulder to deliver a hard blow to the tackler. He shows good athleticism, body control and hands fielding punts with ease and making tacklers miss while running in the open field. Overall, a very good athlete, but not an elite athlete who has the rare athleticism to make up for his lack of size. Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination 7.0---- 6.5-- 6.5--6.5---- 7.0 COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 6.0 Washington has shown very good toughness when he has had the chance, but he has never had the chance to prove his toughness over the course of a season where he was the full-time 25-plus carry per game starter. He has displayed the ability to step up and make clutch plays when he gets the chance, but as he rotates with another running back, he is not on the field for every important play. His overall production has been very consistent, but as he shared the starting job, his overall production has not been up to the level of an elite starting college running back. He has proven that he is a team player by maintaining his effort and spirit despite sharing the running back job and has continued to be a dangerous and effective punt returner even during his senior season. When you see him run so hard with the ball and consistently fight for extra yards you can tell that he never quits competiting to get the most yards every time he touches the ball. Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit 6.0-------- 5.5--- 5.5------------ 6.5-------- 6.5--------- 6.5 MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.0 Washington is a smart football player and you can tell from seeing the consistently good job he does in pass pro and his ability to line up in a variety of spots without making any mental errors. He has excellent natural run instincts and his foot quicks enable him to consistently take advantage of instincts and get through the right hole. He shows very good concentration maintaining a high level of performance every time he touches the ball despite rotating in and out of the game. Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration 6.0--------- 7.0---------------- 6.5 STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 5.5 Obviously, Washington is much shorter than ideal at 5-7, but at 210 pounds, he is very well built -- he has the build, so he is short and not small. Despite being well built at over 210 pounds, he has not been a full-time 25-plus carry per game running back at Florida State so his NFL durability is definitely a question mark. His very quick feet gives him an explosive burst through the hole and can burst in the other direction when he changes directions fast to avoid a tackler. He has the playing strength to run through arm/grab tackles and to keep feet vs. hard hits, but he has not shown the srength to consistently break tackles. Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength 5.5-- -----4.0-- ----6.5----------- 5.5
you could be right--everyone said Joe Morris was too small until he was polishing his super bowl ring.
This was my exact comment... some people don't realize a backs job is to also pick up the blitz. Granted the entire line was beat but Washington did a poor job of recognizing the blitz until it was too late. That being said he's a rookie and it was his 1st taste of NFL action, I'm sure Mangini ripped him in meetings and Washington will get better because of it. One thing Martin was amazing at was picking up the blitz especially early in hs career....
I agree leon has upside but he is at least a year away from making a impact. I dont think mangini wants to move to fast with leon. He will be a 3rd down back this season. Even westbrook needs guys behind him to pick up the slack. Guys like this just cant pound the football when needed.
If I must, I do agree, even Emmitt had less than 1000 yards and lower than a 4 yard per carry average as a rookie.
