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Why is Paul Perkins better than Orleans Darkwa?

Beezer : 9/11/2017 8:46 am
Before you say anything, I completely understand that the coaches see these guys every day, in all situations, so there must be something. What is it? Blocking, perhaps? Is Darkwa a sub-par blocker?

Perkins last night showcased why I was not a fan of his last year, and still cannot fully understand why he is the No. 1. How many of you, like me, yelled at the TV screen last night for Perkins to stop dancing, and to attack seams?

The one replay where they showed the play from the defensive side, and above, there was a gigantic hole and just a linebacker (I believe it was Smith) anywhere near the back side of it. Instead of attacking the seam and gaining what may have been 3-4 extra yards if he had finished strong through or into Smith, it was what & gt; A 2-yard gain, at best, after Perkins jitterbugged behind the line of scrimmage as soon as he saw the LB. Very frustrating.

Other plays showed Perkins' happy feet, which amounted to absolutely no difference, as he was often tackled for little gain. He gained just 16 yards on 7 carries and his long was 3 yards.

I have never claimed to be a football expert here, or anywhere. I'm a big fan. Played in high school. Love the game and watch, read, attend, all of it. I'm a junkie.

Am I alone in this: I don't believe you need to be a football expert to SEE the difference in just how a running back carries the football. A difference in how they attack holes that are there, or are intended to possibly open by the time they arrive. How they finish. The "violence" with which they run.

This is full year 3 for Darkwa, and he's 25. He's been allowed to carry the ball 78 times total (3.9 average). While Perkins does have a 4.1 average, and he showed improvement as the season went last year, last night was a red flag to me.

Anyone else feel similarly?
You need them both  
jcn56 : 9/11/2017 8:48 am : link
I think Darkwa is better in short yardage situations, Perkins a bit better from a hands/rec threat standpoint.

I do think they could have been used better last night, in particular in the red zone, where Darkwa should have gotten the call.
Perkins was drafted  
BlueHurricane : 9/11/2017 8:49 am : link
Like Banks says......... He is on scholarship. Will take a while for Darkwa to supplant him.
the happy feet  
gmenatlarge : 9/11/2017 8:54 am : link
as you say is a direct reflection on the piss-poor O-line play, the backs can't trust a hole to be where it should.
Fair answer ...  
Beezer : 9/11/2017 8:54 am : link
But Darkwa is a solid receiving threat. What makes Perkins better in that category?

Vereen, most of us would agree, is our best receiver out of the backfield and he got plenty of plays last night.

Percentage-wise, Darkwa stacks up just fine as a receiver. Targeted 15 times, 11 receptions (73 percent) and an 8.2 ypc average. Perkins 24 targets, 15 catches (62.5 percent) and a 10.8 ypc.

Who is more "reliable?"
He's not better  
RetroJint : 9/11/2017 8:55 am : link
Darkwa is not Rodney Hampton back there, either. Their backs are journeymen . But Perkins was tentative and slow again last night. I thought on his run the play before the sack during the one scoring drive, Perkins should have taken that run in. It was a shitty, slow , awful effort . Then disaster happened on the next play .
RE: the happy feet  
Beezer : 9/11/2017 8:55 am : link
In comment 13593470 gmenatlarge said:
Quote:
as you say is a direct reflection on the piss-poor O-line play, the backs can't trust a hole to be where it should.


Not on the one highlighted play, at least. A small truck could have driven through that hole.
I think Perkins shows why  
Gman11 : 9/11/2017 8:56 am : link
he lasted until the fifth round. He doesn't make guys miss. He doesn't seem to hit the hole quickly. He's got some good attributes - can catch, has some quickness - but he's not a feature back.

Perkins is a patient runner  
UberAlias : 9/11/2017 9:03 am : link
The problem is he sees an opening but doesn't have the burst to get there fast enough. Or so was my observations from last night.
We didn't try to run last night  
BigBlueDownTheShore : 9/11/2017 9:10 am : link
We were pass happy.

Perkins or whoever runs the ball needs more carries then we gave out last night. The sad thing is that he didn't do half bad on most runs. We just had no intent on continuing to run.
of the 32 teams  
GmeninPSL : 9/11/2017 9:10 am : link
I think Perkins ranks in the bottom 5!! I've never, never been impressed the way he hits the hole. I see nothing special about Perkins from the way he hits the hole to his break away speed. The Giants are seriously in trouble when it comes to a 3-down RB, and this committee is no better.

You can sit there and blame the offensive line all you want but I'm not a Perkins fan. I feel many good to better RB's would be able to make something happened even with this offensive line!!
Perkins  
AcidTest : 9/11/2017 9:12 am : link
was very good last season. There were no holes to run through because the OL was so poor. So he looked indecisive. Perkins has no breakaway speed, but he is shifty with quick feet. He isn't the problem. The OL is.
prefer Darkwa right now  
idiotsavant : 9/11/2017 9:14 am : link
he is an NFL back and takes what you give him.

But none of these guys are doing pass protection as far as I can tell.

Give me 13 personell (3 TEs 1 back) with the fullback, if the kid can do pass pro, I will take that.

short power runs out of 13 both right and left (falcons) and any wide variety of passes to TEs, whom you can move pre-snap if you like. (gives you a 12 or even an 11 look, albeit with taller mostly slower players)

that leaves you one true wr, maybe its a redzone set.
Many teams in the NFL  
27 : 9/11/2017 9:57 am : link
have a RB of Perkins ability on their roster. He is and will not ever be an above average starter or a solidified RB1. I long hoped and believed otherwise, but he has no elite part of his game and certainly, other aspects of this offense can be blamed for his lack of opportunity. But Neither Darkwa or Perkins are much above-average, and I would prefer Darkwa at this point.

Hopefully this doesn't become a similar share as early last year, where we switch them out constantly and play different RB's all game. We are not the Patriots, or anything close. More barely capable RB's continually splitting reps drains an offense, does not help it. We have seen that first hand.

Eventually maybe Gallman will get his shot as well. But knowing McAdoo, it will probably have to wait until the many slow, mostly untalented RB's before him embarrass our offense for weeks, right there along with Eli's inaccuracy and our O-Line's inconsistency.

As badly as I don't want to believe it, these are our same Giants.
RE: Perkins was drafted  
EricJ : 9/11/2017 10:04 am : link
In comment 13593459 BlueHurricane said:
Quote:
Like Banks says......... He is on scholarship. Will take a while for Darkwa to supplant him.


...and right there is a red flag for me if true. Do you think the coach in New England would play a guy vs someone who may be better simply because he was one of their higher draft picks?

When I was watching the game last night. I also was thinking Darkwa looked better. However, I was also thinking that last year too.

Regarding Perkins being a patient runner....
We do not have an O-line that opens holes as the seconds tick. If the holes are there, they are closing quickly. We need someone who is going to get through them before they close...not someone who is patiently waiting for it all to collapse around him.
I think Darkwa should be starting  
Emil : 9/11/2017 10:10 am : link
Perkins might be more dynamic, but Darkwa is the more consistent runner. He can get you to 2nd and 6. The team has no running game. Better to go with the power back and at least get some positive yards.
In hindsight  
Gman11 : 9/11/2017 10:45 am : link
the Giants should have made a play for Adrian Peterson. What would have been the down side if he's done? You cut him and then go with the bums they have on the team now.

Perkins? Darkwa? Come on.
Don't they say the most important ability is AVAILability?  
Big Blue Blogger : 9/11/2017 11:01 am : link
Every time Orleans Darkwa has received substantial playing time, he has gotten injured. Based on that history alone, I can understand the staff's reluctance to give him a bigger role, and their inclination to give Perkins the first shot at the #1 job. Also, Perkins is cap-controlled through 2019. So if he blossoms, the Giants reap the benefits for two extra seasons.

The coaches may simply think Perkins is better. But even if it's a toss-up, there are reasons to favor Perkins.
He isn't. Darkwa is the superior running back  
NYGmen58 : 9/11/2017 12:52 pm : link
The Giants won't play Darkwa over him because he was undrafted while a valuable 5th round draft pick was used to select Perkins
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