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2012 Running Backs ( RBs ) Discussion

Pnuts (in the Green thread) made me realize we are actually kind of thin here with Berry gone. There certainly will be an opportunity for Dunn and Ball to get some playing time. And since Hall is gone after this year, the number of RB's getting offers in the '13 class is not surprising.
 
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RB07OSU;2107902; said:
There certainly will be an opportunity for Dunn and Ball to get some playing time.

Agree. With all due respect to Hyde and Hall, I don't think either has done enough to be penciled in as the starter when the first game rolls around. The opportunity is right there for the taking for Dunn or Ball.
 
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I think some here (myself included) would disagree with that statement in regards to Hyde. He held onto the ball and had a 5.3 ypc average with 566 yards on 106 carries. He's faster than most give him credit for. He also fell forward when he was hit, often getting several yards after the hit even when playing against defenses that were ignoring the possibility of the forward pass.

No I'm not related to him. Just impressed by his play.
 
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I agree Hyde will be a force to contend with, but it will be interesting to see which backs get the most PT this season. I'm assuming Coach Drayton will work with Rod Smith on the fumbles, and I think he'll be right there fighting to play. Should be fun to watch.
 
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Completely wide open race, will be an interesting spring game and practices. IMO, Ball will redshirt, but Dunn will play, and could possibly crack the 2 deep.
Get your popcorn ready!
 
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Bill Lucas;2107923; said:
I think some here (myself included) would disagree with that statement in regards to Hyde. He held onto the ball and had a 5.3 ypc average with 566 yards on 106 carries. He's faster than most give him credit for. He also fell forward when he was hit, often getting several yards after the hit even when playing against defenses that were ignoring the possibility of the forward pass.

No I'm not related to him. Just impressed by his play.

He's fast one he gets going, but he doesn't come out of the gates extremely fast. And if you look at the tape, he struggled with finding cutback lanes. That said, he had a solid year, and he may be the starter in the first game. I'm just saying he hasn't shown enough for it to be a foregone conclusion in February that he will be the starter in September. Dunn and Ball will have a shot. That was my original point. Maybe it was a poor choice of words on my part.
 
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Here's to hoping Rod Smith is back in his rightful position of RB for next season. Still FULL of potential, and who knows, maybe he'll thrive in Urban's system a little better than the i-form style of running.
 
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buckeyesin07;2107944; said:
He's fast one he gets going, but he doesn't come out of the gates extremely fast. And if you look at the tape, he struggled with finding cutback lanes. That said, he had a solid year, and he may be the starter in the first game. I'm just saying he hasn't shown enough for it to be a foregone conclusion in February that he will be the starter in September. Dunn and Ball will have a shot. That was my original point. Maybe it was a poor choice of words on my part.

Agreed. Hyde certainly showed some talent but also that he has plenty of room to improve. The competition here really is wide open.
 
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buckeyesin07;2107944; said:
He's fast one he gets going, but he doesn't come out of the gates extremely fast. And if you look at the tape, he struggled with finding cutback lanes. That said, he had a solid year, and he may be the starter in the first game. I'm just saying he hasn't shown enough for it to be a foregone conclusion in February that he will be the starter in September. Dunn and Ball will have a shot. That was my original point. Maybe it was a poor choice of words on my part.

After watching Hyde this year, I'd describe him as serviceable. He's not the type of guy I want to be our lead back on a team where we're going to be running the ball a lot next year, but he should be in the rotation. I'm looking to see Ball and Dunn and see what we have with those two and maybe see Rod Smith make an impact. I see the ideal role in the offense for Jordan Hall to be something of a Brandon Saine half receiver/half running back and I think Hyde should have a role as a big back, but I still think we haven't found a feature back yet.
 
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wh2332;2107990; said:
After watching Hyde this year, I'd describe him as serviceable. He's not the type of guy I want to be our lead back on a team where we're going to be running the ball a lot next year, but he should be in the rotation. I'm looking to see Ball and Dunn and see what we have with those two and maybe see Rod Smith make an impact. I see the ideal role in the offense for Jordan Hall to be something of a Brandon Saine half receiver/half running back and I think Hyde should have a role as a big back, but I still think we haven't found a feature back yet.

Why do you postulate that we will be running the ball a lot next year? Do you see us running as much or more than this past season? Are you saying that Dave has not left the room?
 
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buckeyebri;2108013; said:
Why do you postulate that we will be running the ball a lot next year? Do you see us running as much or more than this past season? Are you saying that Dave has not left the room?

I see us running the ball less than last year, and you're right in that I have no idea if that's what will end up happening. I look at our receiving corps and I see lots of potential, but no one stands out to me as being a true #1 guy who can consistently get open and move the chains. Also, I think Braxton's got a nice arm, but he has to develop a lot as a passer. Our offensive line is also replacing two tackles and a center, which may make pass protection more difficult than usual. Plus Urban's teams have usually run the ball a lot. Basically though, I looked at all of these factors and thought that even though we will be throwing more than last year, I don't really see us shifting to a pass first team this year
 
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buckeyebri;2108013; said:
Why do you postulate that we will be running the ball a lot next year? Do you see us running as much or more than this past season? Are you saying that Dave has not left the room?

Depends what more means. Higher tempo equals more plays. Hopefully more first downs equals more plays. That adds up to more carries. And I'd say Meyer's offense is and has been at least balanced if not run first, be that the qb or rbs. So, yeah, more running. In a good way. :)

Also, dave's not gone, he'll just have more company.
 
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Quite frankly (and we're not going to talk about QB's), but Braxton is our best RB and he might get the most carries :biggrin:. But I agree with alot of what has been said...Hyde did look awfully impressive sometimes, while sometimes he struggled to find running lanes and pitter-pattered around. I think Hyde is in the best shape to win the starting job and I think he will. But I think Dunn is the kind of talent that could be tough to keep off the field...all depends on Rod Smith imo. Smith is a very similar RB and I mean c'mon...kid is only a redshirt sophomore this year and he has CRAZY potential if he puts it together. I am far from writing him off. And Hall has been pretty darn good for us and I am wondering if UFM tries to put him in the Harvin role this year (that's kind of how the coaches tried to use him last year), or if that will be Philly Brown. Either way, this will be an interesting position to watch over the spring, we still have a ton of talent here.
 
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