http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwHuKaRDRoY There's some good iso's as he leads the back..Seems aggressive and fluid when he''s looking for someone.. If this guy can upgrade the position, It will be a nice thing that we didn't expect, we know he's got decent hands, and when you have athletic ability, you can learn to get low, square your shoulders and block, he has very nice athleticism for the position, and can do a multiple things, catches the ball better than Lou, runs the ball better than Lou, has more talent than lou..From those few clips, it looks as though there might be the mentality as well. It's all about upgrade at the position.Lets hope the dude found his niche in this league.
Lou's a tough, hard-nosed, throw back kind of player IMO who will leave everything on the field if you ask him to, and he has that great short area burst & leg explosion to really get into a LB. I'd like to see him add a bit more bulk so there's a stronger jolt to his impact, but I think he has the tools to be an effective, dynamic FB for us.
I like Lex as a blocker better than any other part of his game. He leads on the perimeter very well and shows much better coordination hitting a moving target in the open field than most FBs do. He pass blocks well and even between the tackles he holds his own. He gives us a much more versatile option as a FB/RB hybrid, but he is still not a guy I think we want to give extended carries to game after game. If there is an injury above him on the depth chart, we are in trouble, but in a pinch he is ok as a runner.
Lex only had 41 FB snaps last season, 12 against Cleveland and 12 against Oakland being his most in single games. That video just about covers all his Cleveland FB snaps. Which brings me to say I guess I do not always understand what PFF is looking for, because they gave him a +0.1 as a pass blocker and a -0.1 as a run blocker. I did not see any run blocks I'd call a negative, and a couple were pretty darned nice. Granted, 12 plays won't give one time to get much of a score either way, but I'd guess looking at that video focused on him, he is better than his PFF score indicates.
I just look for that nature at impact, whats it look like?, is it nasty?, I saw some nastiness there, and that can't be taught, dude needs to be hungry and hit somebody..Then take a lil flat pass for 15, makin the first guy miss, then pick up a 3rd and 2..Then he will become a weapon at the position..
I like how quickly Lex gets out in front too...I appreciate what Lou did for us, but Lex can really get out in front faster and engage defenders on the 2nd level.
I would like to see more film on him blocking the ISO type plays. ISO seems like the type of play where you really see if a FB can dominate a LB head up. I think there was only 1 ISO in that film (around the 18 second mark), and Lex met the LB at the line of scrimmage and got forced back into the offensive side of the LOS. Other than that one play I liked what I saw. And it was only one play. EDIT: I Would like to see Lex get a shot or two at the 3rd and short plays that Lou used to get. Lex is a power runner. He might do well in that role as well.
From that video I'm not really sure what to think. His best play was the very last play against the Raiders where he pulls and got a block on Rolando McClain. He made some good contact and was driven back at times, such as the very first play against the Browns and they play where he has to pass-block Matt Roth. Certainly, there's things he can improve upon. I don't think he's as good as Lousaka Polite was, nor do I think he'll ever be that good. What I think is that he's a guy who could be a short-yardage specialist RB, a 3rd down back, and a guy who can be used as a FB if Charles Clay, or whomever they plan on using in that Lawrence Vickers role, should get injured. With Larry Johnson now re-signed, those short-yardage opportunities might've just gone poof! I mean, realistically, if not for him being good at special teams (I think Sparano said he led or was the second leading ST tackler last year), would he really even warrant a roster spot? I'm not so sure.
Yea. In that play Mclain is moving solely laterally, and Lex is moving vertically. I think the circumstance make the block look more impressive than it actually is.
I liked his blocking. He may not plow into guys and knock them off their feet, but he did get to where he was needed and put effective blocks in. I'd rather have a FB who gets into position and makes all his blocks than one who gets into position on 90% of his play and makes great blocks. It's the 10% you don't make that will lead to sacks or RBs getting hit behind the LOS.
Good points MC. I think Lex's versatility made Lou obsolete in Daboll's offense pretty quickly. The FO was probably thinking this all along and was simply hoping to confirm it on the field before ultimately cutting Polite.
That's why I thought he could use a bit more bulk. James Casey put on 10 lbs this off season, and he's now more stout at the point of attack b/c of it.