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All these 5* RB but.....

Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:06 pm
Posted by mistaken4193
Member since Jan 2017
25476 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:06 pm
I think Josh Jacobs needs to be our feature back this year. I really like him, he runs with a purpose. Plus we need to limit Bo's touches until the playoffs IMO.
Posted by Cobrasize
Birmingham
Member since Jun 2013
49680 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:09 pm to
I'm not sure he is a "feature" back. He's very good, but I see him more as a Sproles type back.
Posted by Huddie Leadbetter
Member since May 2016
3822 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:12 pm to
quote:

mistaken4193


Perhaps, but then again, you could be mistaken. Yes, no, maybe?
Posted by Cobrasize
Birmingham
Member since Jun 2013
49680 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:20 pm to
Posted by mistaken4193
Member since Jan 2017
25476 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:24 pm to
Bo wont hold up if he is the feature guy, he is too injury prone. I like Damien and he had a great year last year but after the aTm game he really fell off IMO.

Edit:Granted our whole offense did.
This post was edited on 3/21/17 at 9:28 pm
Posted by Bamafan15
Member since Jan 2016
6820 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:31 pm to
I think the reason he fell off is bc Kiffin was determined to throw, throw, throw to make Jalen better instead of easing him into it
Posted by 14&Counting
Eugene, OR
Member since Jul 2012
37575 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:33 pm to
I just want us to find our groove again with the running game.....take the pressure of Hurts
Posted by Cobrasize
Birmingham
Member since Jun 2013
49680 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 9:33 pm to
Not to mention Bo started getting more carries
Posted by RollTide1987
Augusta, GA
Member since Nov 2009
64930 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 10:01 pm to
I'm fine without a featured back. You look back at those dominant Bryant teams from the 70s and it was strictly running back by committee. Johnny Musso in '71 was the only RB we had eclipse the 1,000-yard mark that decade.



Posted by phil4bama
Emerald Coast of PCB
Member since Jul 2011
11454 posts
Posted on 3/21/17 at 10:34 pm to
B J Emmons and Josh Jacobs looked pretty good last year. I'm not sure where to place Harris. He looked really good early last year, then really became average late in the season. A lot of reasons could factor into that. Then there's Bo. No doubt he's special, but he's fragile. He's not King Henry who you could just feed all night long. Then there's Najee. If he's as good as advertised, no way he doesn't see at least some spot duty this year. Man, what a backfield. We just need to make sure these guys are involved in the passing game too to get them as many touches as possible.
Posted by harmonics
Mars Hotel
Member since Jan 2010
18614 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 3:33 am to
quote:

I think Josh Jacobs needs to be our feature back this year.


I like Josh Jacobs, but I disagree with you. The guy who rushed for 1,000 yards should be the feature back. The guy that should have been given the opportunity to carry Alabama to a win over Clemson. The guy that still seems to have not earned the respect of some of our fans. That guy is Damien fricking Harris.
Posted by Funky Tide 8
Tittleman's Crest
Member since Feb 2009
52628 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 7:29 am to
quote:

. I'm not sure where to place Harris. He looked really good early last year, then really became average late in the season. A lot of reasons could factor into that


He didn't fall off, he just didn't get a lot of carries in the playoffs. He was our best running back over the course of last year, and I bet he will be the starter going into the 2017 season.
Posted by SummerOfGeorge
Member since Jul 2013
102699 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 7:35 am to
I don't really think we even necessarily need a feature back per say, but I certainly wouldn't say it would be Jacobs.

Harris, Bo, Jacobs, Emmons and Harris will have opportunities to figure out roles and pecking orders.
Posted by South Alabama Tide
Member since Feb 2015
3156 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 8:21 am to
We need to start Bo. Limit carries until 4th quarter.

Damien needs to carry load in 2nd and 3rd.

Jacobs needs to be 3rd down back and catch out of backfield.

Najee needs Yeldon freshman year touches.

Bo- 18 carries
Damien- 12 carries
Jacobs- 5 carries/5 catches
Najee- 10 carries in ideal open field plays like Yeldon

45 carries
Posted by Riseupfromtherubble
You'll Never Walk Alone
Member since Jun 2011
38363 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:59 am to
Ride the hot hand and spell him with the guy that best fits what the situation calls for. I love D. Harris but he's not as good as Bo. Great back in his own right but Scarbrough is a monster, defenders want nothing to do with him one on one. When it finally clicked for Bo you saw him getting the bulk of the carries despite what Harris had done all season. Tells me all I need to know. I expect a 2010 type of rotation. We're not going to give player C the ball just to keep him happy if player A and B are better options. Eddie Lacy saw very few meaningful carries that season when Mark and Trent were healthy and we know how good he was. Same with Upchurch. I think if Saban had his druthers we would have two bell cows and solid depth behind them in the event of an injury. Depending on health I think Bo has one of those spots locked up. The other is up for grabs between about 5 really talented backs in their own right. Ideally we'll get the puppies in earlier if we have a good lead in the third.

You can't limit a guy on crucial snaps because you're scared of injuries. This is football. Derrick Henry snapped his leg like a twig in spring ball one year and was averaging 40 carries per game towards the end of his career. Ride Bo, spell him when he needs it...but don't put him on a pitch count when he's the best option available
This post was edited on 3/22/17 at 11:02 am
Posted by tider04
North Carolina
Member since Oct 2007
5606 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 2:09 pm to
The reality is we have 6 backs that are really very good. It's a good problem to have. The problem with Jacobs and Harris (they seem like similar runners to me) last year is that if they had a hole, they both had great vision and "wiggle" to pick up chunks of yards. BUT, they lacked home run speed (Harris got chased down from behind several times) and neither of them was big and strong enough to pick up yards when there wasn't a hole.

That's why Bo became so valuable towards the end of the season. He could pick up 2-3 yards even when hit in the backfield and had great top end speed to pull away. He's a lot like Henry, except he seems to be injury prone.

If it were me...Bo would be the starter with Harris/Jacobs as the change of pace backs and I'd try to find one more power runner like Bo who could rotate in. That could be BJ or one of the two new guys.
Posted by Commander Data
Baton Rouge, La
Member since Dec 2016
7289 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 3:38 pm to
Am I the only one that thinks Najee will be in the 2 deep by midseason? He had a 3000 yd season on a bum knee and ranked as overall #1 by scout and with great reason.

I know we have a logjam of elite runners but guys like Najee don't ride the pine gentlemen.
Posted by Funky Tide 8
Tittleman's Crest
Member since Feb 2009
52628 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 4:25 pm to
quote:

Am I the only one that thinks Najee will be in the 2 deep by midseason? He had a 3000 yd season on a bum knee and ranked as overall #1 by scout and with great reason.


I will admit that I haven't watched much film on Najee, but if his hype is warranted, I could see him getting RB2 carries at some point, especially if there are any injuries.

It certainly will be interesting. We have three backs returning with 6.5 ypc or more(one with 7.2 ypc), and all three had at least 85 carries. Not to mention our QB who is an incredible runner himself. Unreal production. It's kind of insane.
Posted by uofarolltide
Member since Sep 2016
1830 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 5:53 pm to
Our RB situation is CRAZY right now.
I think it helps to group guys into styles.

Bo is a unique back on our roster. Nobody can do what he does, and when healthy he's by far our best option.

You have Harris, Jacobs, and Emmons all with similar body-types, speed, agility, and vision. All three of these dudes can be deadly options with Emmons and Jacobs being more explosive and better athletes, and Harris having better vision.

Najee Harris. In terms of body type, imo he has the highest ceiling of all our backs, and the best potential to be an every-down injury-free type of back. He's got it all, and I think he'll quickly show that he can be a Heisman winner somewhere down the line.

KEY POINT: Under Burns, our backs have always made MAJOR strides from year 1 to year 2. idk how that will shake out on the depth chart, but from a purely athletic standpoint, Harris is in 5th place.
This post was edited on 3/22/17 at 5:55 pm
Posted by thatdude1985
Oxford, AL
Member since Oct 2011
27038 posts
Posted on 3/22/17 at 6:02 pm to
Hurts will have more rushing yards this year than any of our RBs.
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