http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sport...sweblog+(Miami+Dolphins+|+Sun-Sentinel+Blogs)
Before the draft, Ireland implied the team would continue to stick with the two-running back approach that it has used in recent seasons. After the draft, he said the Dolphins drafted Thomas not because he had experience in a wildcat offense (Thomas, a former quarterback, does indeed have such experience) but because the Dolphins liked him as a traditional running back. A powerful, bruising back.
If nothing else, Thomas has some history on his side. Running backs picked in the first and second rounds have staying power, at least. Starting with the 2005 draft and ending with the 2010 draft, 34 running backs were selected in either the first or second round. Of those 34, 28 are still in the NFL. And among the group that is still in the NFL, 11 have run for at least 3,000 yards in their career (Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew have both run for more than 5,000). Three of those 11 players were picked in the second round (Jones-Drew, Matt Forte and Ray Rice).
If Thomas is indeed the guy from day one, he’ll have a head start on joining that list.
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The way he carries the ball makes me a little nervous.
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''Traditional''..I said that word a million times this offseason when it came to our runningback position, it is what was missing in this offense this last year..Ronnie is the antithesis of that..I can't tell you how many yards I feel were left on the table because of the lack of a traditional runningback skillset..
When it comes to thomas I think we have to look at the size of the man relative to his talent level...Its off the charts for a 6 foot 230 back..
The dexterity he displays in his feet and hands for that size is impressive..He's got a quick cut, and a spin move in his repertoire, and both take a lot of talent to pull off..
His feet are very nice for a back that hasn't played the position very long, dare I say he has feet of a traditional back, he just realized it late..He's able to run thru a hole at full speed, which is something that i've been longing for..
The spin move, he's always doing it, and he's good at it..
Loved the jump fake, showing some vertical explosiveness, and instincts..It wasn't there, he didn't panic, and he made moves after it..
I think there is a big perception that he is 6'2..He's not, he's 6 foot tall, legit 6'1/4 at the most..
Thats good news imo...MrClean, dolfan7171, GMJohnson and 1 other person like this. -
Thing with DTrain is, if he comes in and has some fumbles, or pops a hammy, or what have you, who do we have behind him.?
Lexxy? Sheets? I like Lexxy more then most do (along with Thiggy) but would you risk a season on him showing more? Charles Clay maybe?
The old saying is "Two is one and One is none" when it comes to Depth. -
dolfan7171 and djphinfan like this.
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http://www.advancednflstats.com/2011/04/draft-needs-according-to-2010-epa.html
Dead last in terms of running backs Henne/OL/Te all came out fairly well, dead last in running back plays leading to points.GMJohnson likes this. -
dolfan7171 likes this.
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But Ricky- man, that guy still runs hard. Both he and Ronnie were handicapped by that beaten up OL last year and it's not my intention to dump on Ronnie, but he's the guy who's been making $5 million a year and with DT's skill set coming to town he's expendable. Ricky is lower cost, more effective imo and again, I still think that he has gas left in the tank. Take a look at these recent clips- hard running and he still has the speed to get to the corner and break off a few long ones. I'd welcome Ricky back with open arms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv5vtXxjdYA -
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[video=youtube;0Pzjv7P4Q2U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pzjv7P4Q2U[/video]
Still #34, still a Williams...:yes: -
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Just watched some of Con's videos on him, and I must say he is S.L.O.W. when hitting the hole and in the open field. That may be (and hopefully some of it is) play design. Also, a little alarmed at how many times DBs were able to bring him down 1-on-1 in the open field as well.
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think hes an instinctive back with good vision, and he hits the hole hard... he can also make a move in the hole quickly which is good when running in traffic...
doesn't have the long speed but to me that doesn't matter so much for a RB... i have high hopes for the kid...