We NEED Donald Brown

[superman]

Originally Posted by RideTheBlue1989

Ridetheblue1989

I hate when people respond to posts like that. Just drives me nanners.

I did ask myself that,

I sat and looked at it and said that without film, it's hard to make any realistic speculation. when you watch a football game live, you don't really watch it from a analytical perspective. You're watching the game, not hte offensive line's play and the runningbacks vision, What holes are opening up and how the linebackers are shedding blocks, etc.

When I watched Joe play against one of the most physical defenses in the NFL, with a great front 7 that is pretty **** stout against the Run, I watched a guy bust his *** every play to try and make something out of nothing. And when something WAS there, I saw him hit it and pop some good runs.

I'm not falling into this delusion that somehow Brown is proving to be this mega explosive back. He's had 2 runs over 20 yards, not 3, not 5, not 10, 2.

I really only give him credit for one of them, and I don't think 1 - 0 is enough evidence to say somehow Brown is proving to be this explosive back and Joe simply doesn't have it.

It's back in the same sense I've said earlier, We're colts fans, we want to see our players do well, and we pretend they're something they're not. We Believe Marvin Harrison was a better receiver than Randy Moss, We believe our defense is better than it really is, we believe Brown is this explosive back who's doing everything Joe isn't. and the fact is, it just isn't true, but because we WANT it so bad, we make it true to ourselves.

We've sort of parsed this to death, and I think it seems like I'm arguing something I'm not. I don't think there's anything super explosive about Brown; I do think he has a little more kick that Joe, but he's not Adrian Peterson or MJD or anything. And we did fine for three years with Edge, who had virtually no big play potential after his knee injury. It's not like we need to have 20 and 30 yard carries in order for the run game to be effective. We don't need to bench Joe because he's not getting big gains.

The reason I latched on to your comment is because you presented it from the same angle that we've been presenting it since last season: it's all about the line. But I don't think it's all about the line. I think the line is substandard in the run game, but we've also seen their ability to pop a couple big ones this year. We've also seen Joe dance around when he should be getting vertical, a little more than he should. I'm simply saying that it's getting hard to keep banging on the offensive line without looking at Joe and wondering why he gets the bulk of the touches but never springs a big play, either on a carry or a pass.

[doctorhay53]

Originally Posted by superman

I hate when people respond to posts like that. Just drives me nanners.





We've sort of parsed this to death, and I think it seems like I'm arguing something I'm not. I don't think there's anything super explosive about Brown; I do think he has a little more kick that Joe, but he's not Adrian Peterson or MJD or anything. And we did fine for three years with Edge, who had virtually no big play potential after his knee injury. It's not like we need to have 20 and 30 yard carries in order for the run game to be effective. We don't need to bench Joe because he's not getting big gains.

The reason I latched on to your comment is because you presented it from the same angle that we've been presenting it since last season: it's all about the line. But I don't think it's all about the line. I think the line is substandard in the run game, but we've also seen their ability to pop a couple big ones this year. We've also seen Joe dance around when he should be getting vertical, a little more than he should. I'm simply saying that it's getting hard to keep banging on the offensive line without looking at Joe and wondering why he gets the bulk of the touches but never springs a big play, either on a carry or a pass.

Not exactly to your point, but how many times has Joe tried to juke someone and just tripped and fell this year? He doesn't look very fluid out there. What I like about Brown is the 'hit the hole' mentality. He has a higher probability of breaking big plays simply because he doesn't hop around looking for the 'perfect' hole. Physically he isn't that much better than Joe....he has a more fluid running style and a little higher top-end speed, but it's not night and day. It's his mentality that gives him a better opportunity for big plays right now.

[BlueTide]

Originally Posted by Indy Lombardi

This is not a Super Bowl offense with Addai as your workhorse. Like today, if Manning is just slightly off, it will be a battle every time. And against a playoff team, you will lose. Brown is the key to making the offense a Super Bowl offense.

I mostly agree. Everyone talks about which back is better -- personally I think it's Brown -- but the real question is which back is better suited to our blocking abilities or lack thereof. Brown neither hesitates nor dances and has better equilibrium after contact than Addai. That makes him better suited to our style. Even then, there's only so much he can do if the opportunities just aren't there.