i wonder about alec ogletree. he showed up out of shape last season and took like half the season to get back in shape. i loved the pick a couple years ago, but now i’m expecting him to put it all together this season. i hope he does, and i hope it results in a long career with the rams. his versatility and playmaking ability could be huge in this defense.

yeah. it has been reported. but not confirmed. that he beat conley in a race. long speed. yeah. no way he catches peterson. he is on another planet i would think. there’s no shame in that. what i would like to see on paper is his initial burst. that 10 yard split. on film. it looks great.

another note. he carries more weight than either marshawn lynch or peterson did coming out of college. coming out of college they were both listed at 215 pounds. gurley has been listed at a hefty 226 pounds. he weighed in at 222 pounds at the combine.

and the thing i always harp on is his receiving skills. i don’t know what lynch or peterson’s skills are in that department. but gurley was heavily featured in the receiving game his sophomore year. 37 receptions for 441 yards. in my wildest dreams, i see him as also being a cerebral player like a faulk. where he knew not only his responsibilities but the responsibilities of all his teammates on any given play. where he learns to run routes like a receiver. and he can impact the game besides just running the ball.

the promising thing is in that waldman video the hosts do see hints of that already in his game. the blocking. the receiving. knowing when to play smart and when to take a gamble. let’s hope that holds true in his pro career.

What amazes me is what he was able to do behind that Georgia OL. It wasn’t much. Gordon rocked behind that Wisconsin OL and we know that they dominated… but the Georgia OL… did anyone of them even get drafted? I don’t think so. And yet, their RB went first overall. What I’m getting at is Gurley’s Yards after Contact is crucially important.

the only thing i have to say is that freshman nick chubb, at least statistically, had as impressive a season if not more.

are they both that good? actually nick chubb really does look that good. he’ll be one to watch in a couple years.

similarly chubb had 3.3 yards after contact to gurley’s 3.9.

i just wonder how much of it was the offensive system, and how much of it was due to their individual talents.

also. gordon wasn’t so shabby himself in the yards after contact department. 3.6 which ranked third in this draft class right behind gurley. coleman led all running backs in that department with 4.0. some think coleman might end up being the best running back in this draft. i hope they’re wrong of course.

also. yeah. as far as acl tears go. this would have to rank among the less traumatic. unlike a lattimore. or a willis mcgahee. or a robert edwards. shoot. not even an adrian peterson if reports are to be believed. ap actually tore two ligaments in his knee.

so. we’ll see. i happen to believe in the sec backs more than i do the big ten backs. which is why i tend to favor gurley. better competition. better athletes. still wondering though whether gordon was the safer bet. or maybe a tevin coleman. but i’m not sure they have the power that fisher was probably wanting from that position.

so much of this offense is tied not just to new guys coming in but young players already on this team with massive potential.

robinson is definitely one of them. one could argue being the left tackle that he could have the biggest impact on this offense outside of nick foles.

last year he was up and down but if he can be that dominant left tackle in 2015 it will have a ripple effect on every other position on this offense.

i’d definitely say he’s an x factor. i don’t think there’s anyone on that unit with more untapped potential than greg robinson.

i mean the one guy with the most room for improvement combined with maybe the highest ceiling playing one of the most important positions on offense?

that could transform this offense.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by InvaderRam.

i also like the comment about the iowa and wisconsin systems. obviously was a factor when picking linemen as they anticipate needing them sooner than later. havenstein? hopefully he’ll be closer to pro ready than most rookies. they also picked that iowa lineman. can’t remember his name.

if gurley had gone and scherff was still on the board i think there would be a good chance of seeing both scherff and havenstein on this team.

well that’s the one thing we don’t know about. is gurley’s intelligence. that was one thing that stood out about faulk outside of his athletic talent. and while gurley may not possess the elite speed of peterson it may be what’s inside his head that could give him an edge.

how fast can gurley process information. his field vision. as well as his dedication to film study and learning the playbook.

wow. i’m really excited guys. it’s gonna be fun watching this young man grow each game.

not just seattle but tampa bay as well. i don’t believe they interviewed the victim at all. pretty disappointing but not the least bit surprising.

well i’m only basing my rankings on production and experience but yeah. they all bring different elements to the receiving corps. hopefully they are all able to complement each other.

one thing about adrian peterson. i don’t know if this was talked about, but he did not have a straight acl tear. he actually tore both his acl AND mcl. so it would appear at first glance that his knee injury was more traumatic than gurley’s which was only an acl tear.

this makes peterson’s recovery all the more miraculous in my opinion. but i also take a little bit of comfort in that i don’t believe that gurley’s climb to recovery is quite so steep.

of course, bradford had a straight acl tear, and he reinjured it on a freak hit to the knee. so no one can predict these things.

frank gore had two acl surgeries in college. he’s gone on to have a productive nfl career with little disruption due to injury. i think he had hip surgery but has otherwise been relatively healthy. of course there’s no telling how much he lost physically due to those two knee surgeries.

also.

i was thinking about gurley’s long speed. i’d venture to guess it’s around 4.5. not elite. but very solid. i estimate this partially based on his 100 meter time as a track and field star. he ran a 10.7 in the 100 meters. by comparison chris johnson ran a 10.38. adrian peterson ran a 10.26!!! i realize it’s hard to extrapolate based on this distance, but my point is that his long speed is probably not elite rather it is most likely very good. out of high school this one website listed gurley’s 40 time at a ridiculous 4.33. even if this is true (which i don’t think it is), it was done at 215 pounds. he’s added some weight since then, and i would expect his speed to go down some.

i don’t this is as important as his initial burst anyway. that’s what i’m really curious to know. it looks good on film, but it’d be nice to have a real number for comparison.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by InvaderRam.

laram wrote:

Derrick Mason didn’t have Quick, Austin, Bailey, Cook, & Britt to take balls from him either Invader.

WV’s point is valid!

true. but i do think he can reach 900 yards. i think that’s reachable. even with the ball being spread around. he’s got the most reliable hands, and when foles needs a first down, i’m thinking he’ll be looking for bailey.

curious as to what you think of gurley. luxury pick? too risky? ceiling? floor?

i don’t know. derrick mason had 1000 yard seasons from 2001-2004 with the titans.

i think it can be done. as long as foles stays healthy.

it depends on the fans. it depends on if the fans care enough. my guess is the nfl will be able to sweep this under the rug.

if the fans announce their displeasure though. the league will do something about it.