Goalline running

[skins74]

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't Rock pretty good for those 1-2 yard goalline runs? So why wasn't he given a chance to get it in there when CP couldn't? I guess that would have made CP mad.

[smoak]

He was ok, but the problem (IMO) is that everyone in the building knew when Spurrier brought in the Rock that he would give him the ball up the gut. It came after a game ... (preseason I think) ... where Rock picked up a bunch of short yardage conversions.

[Spence]

Rock fumbled in the preseason. Gibbs tends to remember those things. He once had a tailback named Mike Oliphant, who was a favorite of GM Bobby Beathard. Oliphant was a little scatback in the mold of Dave Megget. Oliphant fumbled on a kickoff return in the preseason. Before the regular season began, Oliphant was traded to Cleveland and Ernest Byner was wearing the burgundy and gold. [Ironically, Byner--a much better player than the soon-to-be-forgotten Mike Oliphant--was only available because of Byner's disastrous goalline fumble in the AFC Championship game against Denver the year before.]

Gibbs doesn't like fumblers. Besides, Rock probably doesn't run any better near the goalline than Ladell Betts does. And Betts has the speed to get outside, if necessary.

[Spence]

By the way: No, you're not going nuts. The title of the thread did change. I edited it for spelling. Carry on.

[dj_stouty]

Portis can punch it in from the goal line. I've seen him do it many times in Denver. He did it here too...just not as much.

You don't pay a guy 55 million to walk off the field and be replaced on the 1 yard line...

[Skins57]

I think if the oline is opening holes even I could score from the one. I believe that when a team (Bears) needs a guy named the refrig to punch it in the end zone, told me that mabe the line needed to block a little better

[techskinsfan]

rock was good at that but dont forget he lost weight to play rb

[Jimreaper007]

I think Betts can do it if he adds some weight or we can simply sign or draft a real fullback.

I think Rock is out (sadly)

[riskus]

why didnt Sellers ever get the ball in a situation like this?

[Canes & Skins]

I think Betts can do it if he adds some weight or we can simply sign or draft a real fullback.

I think Rock is out (sadly)


Betts adding weight wouldn't be a bad thing, but adding a real fullback does not make sense unless Gibbs is going to start using a FB in his offense. A bruising RB like Greg Jones would be nice. I saw him flat out run over Taylor in the Orange Bowl last year.

[PennSkinsFan]

Betts should be used to punch it in. He does not dance around, he barrels straight forward.

[smoak]

Where did Greg Jones end up and how did he do this season?

[redwolf1218]

i think it's more a function of the line opening the hole than the guy carrying the ball, but if the guy runs into a linebacker, it would be nice if he could knock him back and fall forward for a yard. Portis and Betts are both pretty tough, just not all that big. remember early in the year Portis ran helmet to helmet right into Ian Gold, but that was pretty much a dead stop right there for both guys and Portis had to leave the game for a couple of plays, i assume to clear some cobwebs, but he showed some toughness. Walter Peyton was not very big but he was one of the toughest guys ever.

[lakeskin]

why didnt Sellers ever get the ball in a situation like this?

Cuz he prolly would have late hit someone after he scored and wed be kicking from the 15 yard line every time.

[riskus]

Cuz he prolly would have late hit someone after he scored and wed be kicking from the 15 yard line every time.

that stuff didnt happen to well into the season. So I doubt that had much to do with anything.

[lakeskin]

that stuff didnt happen to well into the season. So I doubt that had much to do with anything.

It was a joke. :)

To answere your question seriously, look at Shaun Alexander. How would Portis or Betts feel if their TD's were going to Sellers? I think thats a part of it too. Also Im sure they thot about it but Gibbs prolly didnt trust the guy to be able to carry the ball.

[truant]

Greg Jones backed up Fred Taylor in Jacksonville and had an okay year. A few TDs but a low YPC.

The biggest problem is the line. You gotta give the runner some momentum. If they cannot change this then you use the offseason to see if Rock can bulk up and if Mike Sellers can hold onto the ball.

It shouldn't really come to that, but when you have 350lb softies up front getting pushed back like teenage girls at a Justin Timberlake concert, we're going to have problems.

[riskus]

i guess he saw stuff in practice then. I see the TD point but he never even tried him out in any short running situation.

[Spearfeather]

3rd and short and 3rd and Goal was a big problem this year I thought, and a lot of times in those situations, Portis was the only one in the backfield, so there wasn't any question who was going to get the ball. I never understood why Gibbs didn't bring in Cartwright at fullback or even Cooley and occasionally hand it to them just to keep the defense guessing a little bit. I thought Portis was below average in goal line situations this year and wouldn't be surprised to see Gibbs get a goal line back or use a Cooley/Portis Cartwright/Portis combination next year.

[redwolf1218]

i was even kind of hoping to see a Sellers / Cooley combination for short yardage. both those guys can catch, and both can run and block, so it seems to me you'd never know what was going to happen with a formation like that. but i'm sure they thought if it already and for whatever reason it wasnt an option.

[CowboyKilla]

Oline Oline Oline. Portis had 15 td's in both first seasons. He can do it.

[LATrueRedskin]

I never thought Rock was good enough to begin with, even before this season. I think our RB position is more than adequete for either power or speed with Betts and Portis.

[skins74]

By the way: No, you're not going nuts. The title of the thread did change. I edited it for spelling. Carry on.

Thanks. I was good at spelling until I moved to Texas. I don't know what it is but after a couple of years you start talkin different and you can't spell no more.

[sdredskinsfan]

In the Redskins last Super Bowl year Riggs was used primarily as a short-yardage back. The problem is that Riggs was also Byner's back-up, and Betts does not have the same short-yardage ability Riggs had. So, I wonder if Gibbs will try to cultivate a current roster member such as Betts (perhaps by asking him to gain a lil bit of weight and strength), Cooley or Sellers; or will Gibbs try to find a guy who simply can accomplish the specific job of picking up essential short-yardage.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Where did Greg Jones end up and how did he do this season?

Jacksonville Jaguars, doing exactly what he did in college, trucking DB's when Fred Taylor wasn't in the game.

[techskinsfan]

Where did Greg Jones end up and how did he do this season?
played well in jax

[2Cooley]

Where did Greg Jones end up and how did he do this season?


Jags dont know how much play time he got but now i want to find a clip of that NC state game

[2Cooley]

Oline Oline Oline. Portis had 15 td's in both first seasons. He can do it.

I agree but we need a short yard back, he can get in the endzone but it is harder to convert a 3 & 1 for some reason

[skins111111]

Hey I'm with you..........and a big Rock fan........not to often he got rejected