Is Chubb back?

This won't be popular, but he just doesn't look as fluid athletically as he used to. Just a little stiff and isn't as good at avoiding direct contact.

The difference now is that defenses key on him. His freshman year he came off the bench literally 4th string.

Defenses are more worried about not covering him than they ever were about not covering Eason, and Fromm hasn't earned that fear either.

Chubb looks great in my opinion. Fast, shifty, and I noticed excellent vision in the first two games.

Sometimes I think it's a damn crime that Chubb doesn't see 20+ carries a game. History has shown that he just gets better as the game goes on.

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The difference now is that defenses key on him.

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I'm not even talking about in traffic. Defenders seem to make a lot more tackles on him 1on1 in space than they used to.

May I also add...

Regarding running backs in general..

Avoiding contact has never been Chubb nor Michel's schtick.

They seek contact.

That's what makes them awesome.

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Is it possible that your memory has glorified him, martyred him, to an unfair unreachable elevated point in your mind? You remember the Clemson run where he lost his shoe, you remember the Auburn run where he gimped their DB's, all great runs... and now you are expecting, subconsciously, all of his runs to be highlights like that?

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I don't think so. I've watched a good bit of his 2014 and 2015 highlights because I've wondered about this. I realize those are highlights, but he just seemed to move a little differently. I think he's powerful, fast, quick and all that still. He just seems a little less graceful, almost like he's a little more muscle-bound. It's like his knee is healed but he over did it on the muscle build-up.

He's still really good, but I'm not sure he's what he was pre-injury.

Michel is our best offensive weapon. Go watch that first third down on the go ahead drive. He makes a move in a 1-on-1 on a toss sweep that no other player on our offense makes. It's that level of on-the-fly shiftiness that can bail out a bad play call that Chubb never had before the injury, let alone now.

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The one specific move I haven't seen from Chubb is when he'd get through the hole, drop his hips and cut hard at 45 degree angle while simultaneously hitting the afterburners to clear the safety.

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Agreed. And I've seen Michel do it several times in that span.

I still think Chubb is a top-10 or top-5 back in CFB

He is two games backs. He is close to back. Give him a bit more time. He deserves it.

If Chubb isn't good enough for you, which running back in the SEC do you trade him for?