Sparty -15.5 at Ind (ov/un 48.5) Sat noon BTN

[scott91575]

For the second straight year MSU has a laughably bad run blocking unit. Last year was even more embarrassing given how honest Cousins & his WRs kept the safeties.Once again the other people ignore what's actually happening and look at the numbers instead.

All season long Bell has had to break 1-3 tackles at the LOS on half of his runs. Today was no different.

Time after time MSU would get to 2nd and 3 only to lose 4 yds as their turnstile OL let a jailbreak through the line.
Because "speed" is such a key attribute for a running back, particularly in the I

The guy has good quickness, feet, balance and athleticism. Not everyone has to be DeAnthony Thomas to be effective.

Slight hyperbole there. He is not breaking 1-3 tackles half of his runs. His quickness is also not good. Maybe good for a big back, but average overall. Plus, his offensive line has not sucked in all the games. Against BSU and Central they did not suck, and Bell still could not average over 5 yards per carry. He has zero break away speed. His longest carry against any team not named Eastern Michigan is 35 yards. His longest carry against Central was 8 yards. 8 freaking yards, and his offensive line was not completely awful. Not good, but great backs find a way even with poor blocking, especially against bad competition.

He is at best a good college power back. Certainly no Heisman candidate, and I am baffled by some people claiming he is a 2nd round pick. Yes, the draft is weak for RB's this year, but teams don't reach for RB's out of need. It is one position teams are more than happy to pick pieces off the scrap pile instead of reaching in the draft.

 

[jwinslow]

Slight hyperbole there. He is not breaking 1-3 tackles half of his runs.

So you're arguing that he has good running lanes on most of his runs? Because i'm seeing a ton of contact at the LOS or him dodging multiple defenders breaking into the backfield, like my 2nd & 3 pattern comment.

. Plus, his offensive line has not sucked in all the games.

They were the worst rushing offense in the league last year with a strong passing game. They lost OL to graduation and then lost even more to injury, not to mention being asked to run in a phone booth with laughably bad receivers dropping pass after pass (before Burbridge finally replaced the woeful Fowler - who redeemed himself a bit today).

Against BSU and Central they did not suck

Actually they were very poor, not sure what game you were watching. Their protection was as bad if not worse than against ND and Bell was getting hit at or behind the LOS quite often.

He has zero break away speed.

Wonderful. That's not why they are struggling to run the ball.

I take it you don't like Lattimore either?

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Bell is fucking slow, no way around it...

 

[scott91575]

So you're arguing that he has good running lanes on most of his runs? Because i'm seeing a ton of contact at the LOS or him dodging multiple defenders breaking into the backfield, like my 2nd & 3 pattern comment.
They were the worst rushing offense in the league last year with a strong passing game. They lost OL to graduation and then lost even more to injury, not to mention being asked to run in a phone booth with laughably bad receivers dropping pass after pass (before Burbridge finally replaced the woeful Fowler).
Actually they were very poor, not sure what game you were watching. Their protection was as bad if not worse than against ND and Bell was getting hit at or behind the LOS quite often.
Wonderful. That's not why they are struggling to run the ball.

I take it you don't like Lattimore either?

I am also not saying he had a lot of running lanes. He also was not breaking 1-3 tackles. He was getting tackled. Hence why he could only muster 3.3 yards per carry. He would get hit and fall forward for a couple of yards. He also missed some wide open lanes. The OL in the second half of the game did create some holes for him, and is the only reason he was able to get near 3.3 yards per carry.

As for the breakaway speed, it's another factor. It's not the only reason, and it's not the only thing I mentioned. Please stop creating straw man arguments. It is once piece of a rather large puzzle, and worth mentioning. When he does get a big hole, he normally manages 6-8 yards at best where faster and more agile backs get much more.

So you think he is a great back deserving of Heisman talk and a second round pick? Like I said, he is a good power back. Nothing more.

 

[jwinslow]

I think we are talking past each other due to poor word choice by Me. Against Boise he was frequently breaking multiple tackles just to get the run started. I thought that performance was pretty impressive especially considering the dumpster fire around him. Maxwell had not settled down yet.

Against Notre dame and IU, he had to sidestep or fight through tacklers just to gain a yard or two.


When I have watched Sparty play Boise, ND and Indy freaking ana, the opposing line is dominating Sparty, shoving the line backwards at multiple spots if not beating their man altogether before Bell can do anything.


I did not watch their performance against a directional Mac team. I doubt that would be a very compelling rebuttal given their talent level, let alone when you hedged your rebuttal by saying they weren't very good.


Do I think he is still a heisman candidate? No.

But he is far from a mediocre back.

 

[scott91575]

I think we are talking past each other due to poor word choice by Me. Against Boise he was frequently breaking multiple tackles just to get the run started. I thought that performance was pretty impressive especially considering the dumpster fire around him. Maxwell had not settled down yet.

Against Notre dame and IU, he had to sidestep or fight through tacklers just to gain a yard or two.


When I have watched Sparty play Boise, ND and Indy freaking ana, the opposing line is dominating Sparty, shoving the line backwards at multiple spots if not beating their man altogether before Bell can do anything.


I did not watch their performance against a directional Mac team. I doubt that would be a very compelling rebuttal given their talent level, let alone when you hedged your rebuttal by saying they weren't very good.


Do I think he is still a heisman candidate? No.

But he is far from a mediocre back.

I said he was a good college power back. I just don't like his hype, especially the "Ohio State passed on this guy and look how great he is!" Add in the suddenly vocal MSU fans who think he is Adrian Peterson (seriously), and I suppose I go a bit over the top with pointing out Bell's flaws. Yeah, he is a good power back, yet there are a lot of "good" power backs in college. He simply is not that special, and I really don't understand some of the hype he gets showing he might go in the 2nd round of the draft.

I do have to point out one more thing. Caper averages more yards per carry and it's not like he is getting a special offensive line. Of course he doesn't see the ball much so the sample size is low. Yet I bet if he would see the ball more his numbers would be similar to Bell. Not quite as good, but close enough to show that Bell is not that great.