incredibly. It seems a little childish to say this one or that one is better. PFF is trying to get clicks, but Cleveland looks to have a great core to build with.
Lindsay has been outstanding. Can't believe this guy went undrafted.
One of those guys that makes me wonder how the hell all of these NFL scouts missed him. It's one thing to not take him early - but it's crazy to me that all 32 teams had scouts out trying to unearth talent and no one thought this guy was worth taking at any point in the draft.
He's a smaller dude and he played for Colorado so I can see how he'd fly under the radar - but he was still really productive in college. It's not like there was no tape on him running the football. He showed ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, too.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
Gimme a break if you think Lindsay is better than Chubb. You guys wseriously have no clue. Before his injury Chubb was a freak athlete who was on a par with barkley. He is still making his way back from that injury. Lindsay is a nice player but does not belong in the convo with Chubb, sorry. If you don't think Chubb has a chance to be the best back in the NFL then you don't know what kind of player he was. You are misinformed.
RE: Lindsay had 14 rushing attempts and gained 30 yards. Â
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
You are being ridiculous. You are comparing a 5-8 190lb back (at best) to a guy who is 5-10 230 who also possesses elite athleticism. YPC means absolutely nothing when comparing these two backs.
RE: RE: RE: Lindsay had 14 rushing attempts and gained 30 yards. Â
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
You are being ridiculous. You are comparing a 5-8 190lb back (at best) to a guy who is 5-10 230 who also possesses elite athleticism. YPC means absolutely nothing when comparing these two backs.
LOL.. okay. Production doesn't matter because one guy is bigger than the other and possesses "elite athleticism".
Great argument.
RE: RE: RE: RE: Lindsay had 14 rushing attempts and gained 30 yards. Â
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
You are being ridiculous. You are comparing a 5-8 190lb back (at best) to a guy who is 5-10 230 who also possesses elite athleticism. YPC means absolutely nothing when comparing these two backs.
LOL.. okay. Production doesn't matter because one guy is bigger than the other and possesses "elite athleticism".
Great argument.
Dude.. Chubb's production is great. According to your argument Lindsay is better than Barkley. See the problem with your position. YPC, especially in a single season, is drastically affected by one or two big carries. It is a bad stat to compare two rbs in a single season and subject to distortions. According to YPC Crowell was better than Gurley two years ago. Still think that's true? Lindsay is a nice player but it is stupid to compare him to Chubb.
90 percent of the snaps played by the three backs for fantasy reasons. 1) I wanted darnold so I can say this without bias comparing Barkley to Chubb is utterly ascinine. Not even close and frankly isn’t a discussion. Lindsey v Chubb is a much more interesting comparison. As someone mentioned above Chubb was on Barkley level before his knee injury, he will never be the same back so silly to say he is on way back, you just don’t recover 100 percent from that. All that said Chubb has a much higher ceiling inside tackles than Lindsey does. Linsey has far superior skills in play action and in passing game, but inside tackles on first down will never be his strong suit. Chubb and Lindsey totally different rookies, will be fun to see who thrives more, my money is on Chubb if only cause of mayfield giving him more opportunities, but given same qb talent I would prob take Lindsey for pure production.
But they aren’t the end all be all. I don’t think PFF or any of their robot stat nerds would disagree with the assertion that Barkley is the better talent. They just go with unique analytics that yield interesting or controversial results, even if they are misleading at times. Sort of like qb rating. What the PFF results and conclusion tell me is not that Chubb is better but that he’s an awesome talent in his own right. Chubb is the goods. The eye test and the analytics aren’t lying. But Barkley is ridiculous. His great numbers won’t ever tell nearly enough. You have to watch Barkley to appreciate him.
Gimme a break if you think Lindsay is better than Chubb. You guys wseriously have no clue. Before his injury Chubb was a freak athlete who was on a par with barkley. He is still making his way back from that injury. Lindsay is a nice player but does not belong in the convo with Chubb, sorry. If you don't think Chubb has a chance to be the best back in the NFL then you don't know what kind of player he was. You are misinformed.
Who said anything about best back in the NFL?
You may not like it, but Lindsay is having a better year than Chubb. And for the uninformed, go look at his college career at Colorado. The guy was a stud.
Chubb is a very good prospect and he may be better over the long run. But to dismiss what Lindsay is doing as somehow irrelevant reflects poorly on you...
My point was a bit more sophisticated than you gave it credit for arcs...
Behind the obvious great day that SB had, it's simply way too early to make judgments among SB, Chubb, and Lindsay via statistical analysis.
Which is to some extent what Sy was saying, and the other guy who noted that Chubb was RIDICULOUS as a freshman and sophomore until he tore up his knee. Averaged well over 7 ypc in the SEC conference, which has tougher defenses than the Big 10...
Gimme a break if you think Lindsay is better than Chubb. You guys wseriously have no clue. Before his injury Chubb was a freak athlete who was on a par with barkley. He is still making his way back from that injury. Lindsay is a nice player but does not belong in the convo with Chubb, sorry. If you don't think Chubb has a chance to be the best back in the NFL then you don't know what kind of player he was. You are misinformed.
Who said anything about best back in the NFL?
You may not like it, but Lindsay is having a better year than Chubb. And for the uninformed, go look at his college career at Colorado. The guy was a stud.
Chubb is a very good prospect and he may be better over the long run. But to dismiss what Lindsay is doing as somehow irrelevant reflects poorly on you...
I don't dismiss Lindsay. I have said he is a nice player. IMO it is foolish to compare him to Chubb. Of course Chubb can still come all the way back. He has looked phenomenal at times this season. Thereis a non-zero chance he will have a better career than Barkley. And I'm quite certain that there is not a GM in the league that would take Linsdsay over Chubb. And there are probably many that would rather spend a high 2nd on Chubb than a high first on Barkley.
I saw Chubb @ UGA.. before he was hurt. I know he can play. He was a fantastic college RB when he was healthy.
Literally the only argument I made was that in 2018 - to date - Saquon Barkley is clearly the better RB. I don't know how anyone could argue that. Barkley is a fucking animal. He has no weakness.
I never compared Barkley OR Chubb to Lindsay. I simply responded to bw's comment about PL and agreed that he was having a fantastic year - which he is.
The only RBs I compared here were Barkley and Chubb. I like Chubb a lot. Barkley is better right now.
I saw Chubb @ UGA.. before he was hurt. I know he can play. He was a fantastic college RB when he was healthy.
Literally the only argument I made was that in 2018 - to date - Saquon Barkley is clearly the better RB. I don't know how anyone could argue that. Barkley is a fucking animal. He has no weakness.
I never compared Barkley OR Chubb to Lindsay. I simply responded to bw's comment about PL and agreed that he was having a fantastic year - which he is.
The only RBs I compared here were Barkley and Chubb. I like Chubb a lot. Barkley is better right now.
Would any NFL GM take Chubb over Barkley today?
I'd be pretty stunned.
All things being equal Barkley is clearly ahead of Chubb. But if you factor in draft position/equity there may be some who would rather have Chubb for what Cleve spent rather than SB for what the Giants spent.
Is this true? Who do they have ranked ahead of him? If this isn't a great indicator that they need to re-evaluate their rankings then I dont know what is.
The difference between Barkley and everyone else is Â
Barkley might end up retiring as one of the greatest RBs in NFL history. It sounds crazy to put that on a 1st year player but he just looks it. DG wasn't using hyperbole to describe him. He is built for that 12+ year career which is rare for a RB. That will be the difference between him and Nick Chubb especially considering his knee injury. I don't think anyone expects someone like Gurley to last more that 7 or 8 years. Players like Chubb fade away due to the rigors of the NFL.
Barkley is basically the perfect back. He is Barry Sanders but 4 inches taller and 30lbs heavier with the same speed, quickness, vision, and agility. He is a bigger and stronger version of Marshall Faulk and LaDainian Tomlinson. He is also maybe the best receiving RB to ever come into the NFL. He has no weakness.
RE: FranchiseQB, I appreciate your comments and level headed observation, Â
But how much of Gurley have you watched the past 2 years?
Not to mention his lack of production his 2nd year w the rams under Fisher...
Gurley is excellent, but not "amazing", IMO. He simply isn't a creator the way SB is, and doesn't have nearly the agility to make people miss.
He is a beast, a workhorse, and big, strong, powerful and fast. But one would never compare him with Sanders or Gayle Sayers, IMO.
I have watched a LOT OF Rams games the past 2.5 years.
Hey BlueLou.. I have watched a lot of Rams games since Gurley joined the team. I think he is very special. In my opinion he has elite acceleration into the hole, great vision, he's very decisive and he has great (yes great) moves and agility for a back his size. Until Barkley came into the league he was hands down the best back in the league. He is also an excellent receiver who makes a lot happen in the open field and is tough to bring down.
I agree that Barkley has better overall athleticism. Barkley is quicker and has otherworldly moves and lateral agility for a back his size (Barkley and Gurley are about the same size. But Gurley is no slouch in that area. And at this stage of their careers Gurley is a superior back between the tackles. It is just his style. He is instinctive finding and hitting the hole with power and acceleration. And he does a very good job of making things happen if he is not tackled in the backfield.
IMO these two backs are not directly comparable. They do different things well, but they are both great at this stage of their careers.
Why was Gurley poor in 2016? He was stuck on an inept offense facing stacked boxes. The coaching situation in LA in 2016 was worse than the Giants this season. Gurley famously called it a middle school offense:
It is no surprise that as soon as they got a new coach things turned around.
In 2016 he was really in a difficult and moribund situation. One observer said he was hit behind the line of scrimmage on half of his carries.
That's my opinion anyway. 2016 is an outlier. Todd Gurley certainly looks amazing to me. Will Barkley be better? I think it remains to be seen - but he's looking great so far.
people just look at it from fantasy football stats. Look Barkley is by far the better RB. His ceiling is much higher. Hell he could be the best RB ever to play by the time this is over. Chubbs talent is not close to Barkley just go by what your eyes see. Barkley is a crazy athlete. If you would tell me that the Giants traded Barkley for Chubbs and a first I would be pissed off.
Hey BlueLou.. I have watched a lot of Rams games since Gurley joined the team. I think he is very special. In my opinion he has elite acceleration into the hole, great vision, he's very decisive and he has great (yes great) moves and agility for a back his size. Until Barkley came into the league he was hands down the best back in the league. He is also an excellent receiver who makes a lot happen in the open field and is tough to bring down.
I agree that Barkley has better overall athleticism. Barkley is quicker and has otherworldly moves and lateral agility for a back his size (Barkley and Gurley are about the same size. But Gurley is no slouch in that area. And at this stage of their careers Gurley is a superior back between the tackles. It is just his style. He is instinctive finding and hitting the hole with power and acceleration. And he does a very good job of making things happen if he is not tackled in the backfield.
IMO these two backs are not directly comparable. They do different things well, but they are both great at this stage of their careers.
Why was Gurley poor in 2016? He was stuck on an inept offense facing stacked boxes. The coaching situation in LA in 2016 was worse than the Giants this season. Gurley famously called it a middle school offense:
It is no surprise that as soon as they got a new coach things turned around.
In 2016 he was really in a difficult and moribund situation. One observer said he was hit behind the line of scrimmage on half of his carries.
That's my opinion anyway. 2016 is an outlier. Todd Gurley certainly looks amazing to me. Will Barkley be better? I think it remains to be seen - but he's looking great so far.
We'll agree that until Barkley entered the League Gurley was the best RB. Qualitatively I see a bigger difference between the two than you do, but I could be wearing blue tinted lenses when I see that.
Check out NFL.com's 2018 rushing leaders board. One stat of Saquon's really sticks out like a sore thumb, especially after today's games: runs > 40 yards. SB has 6 of 'em, TG has 0. Runs > 20 yards, SB has 14, TG 10.
I dunno if the runs greater than 40 also count amongst the greater than 20 or if they are pulled out... If they are not double counted, that makes SB with 20 runs over either 20 or 40 yards. Nfl rushing leaders - ( New Window )
That PFF ranking is garbage. Chubb and Gus Edwards have only played just recently, how do they justify those ratings without taking volume into account?
That debate does not have an answer
What?
I don't think that's true - I'm pretty sure Barkley has more.
Barkley better than Chubb
Chubb better than 2nd pick in the draft
Lindsay has been outstanding. Can't believe this guy went undrafted.
One of those guys that makes me wonder how the hell all of these NFL scouts missed him. It's one thing to not take him early - but it's crazy to me that all 32 teams had scouts out trying to unearth talent and no one thought this guy was worth taking at any point in the draft.
He's a smaller dude and he played for Colorado so I can see how he'd fly under the radar - but he was still really productive in college. It's not like there was no tape on him running the football. He showed ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, too.
I think he ran great at his pro day, too. I recall reading he broke 4.4.
He's been quite a find for sure. It's just sooooo Denver...find a late round/undrafted gem.
I think he ran great at his pro day, too. I recall reading he broke 4.4.
He's been quite a find for sure. It's just sooooo Denver...find a late round/undrafted gem.
Those Denver RB's!
Olandis Gary... Mike Anderson... Tatum Bell...
They always seemed to be able to find guys to tote the rock.
With the above guys, it was more about their scheme - all those cut blocks and Shanahan's offense - Lindsay is legit, though.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
Quote:
But I think Chubb led the league in rushing since being named the starter.
I don't think that's true - I'm pretty sure Barkley has more.
Barkley just passed him today. Chubb was leading 521 to 516 before the Redskins game. Wasn't home to do the math.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
Quote:
Barkley also had 14 attempts and gained 170.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
You are being ridiculous. You are comparing a 5-8 190lb back (at best) to a guy who is 5-10 230 who also possesses elite athleticism. YPC means absolutely nothing when comparing these two backs.
Quote:
In comment 14211936 BlueLou'sBack said:
Quote:
Barkley also had 14 attempts and gained 170.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
You are being ridiculous. You are comparing a 5-8 190lb back (at best) to a guy who is 5-10 230 who also possesses elite athleticism. YPC means absolutely nothing when comparing these two backs.
LOL.. okay. Production doesn't matter because one guy is bigger than the other and possesses "elite athleticism".
Great argument.
Quote:
In comment 14211964 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
In comment 14211936 BlueLou'sBack said:
Quote:
Barkley also had 14 attempts and gained 170.
I think (not sure) the Skins had a higher ranked rush defense than the 9ers before today.
Chubb, BTW, had 13 carries for 66 yards, a nice day at 5.1 YPC. Mayfield's production was insane today, vis a vis efficiency. Over 10 yards per attempt.
One game isn't really a smart way to evaluate a player.
Lindsay was leading the league with 6.1 YPC before today and rushed for 157 yards and 2 scores just last week.
You are being ridiculous. You are comparing a 5-8 190lb back (at best) to a guy who is 5-10 230 who also possesses elite athleticism. YPC means absolutely nothing when comparing these two backs.
LOL.. okay. Production doesn't matter because one guy is bigger than the other and possesses "elite athleticism".
Great argument.
Dude.. Chubb's production is great. According to your argument Lindsay is better than Barkley. See the problem with your position. YPC, especially in a single season, is drastically affected by one or two big carries. It is a bad stat to compare two rbs in a single season and subject to distortions. According to YPC Crowell was better than Gurley two years ago. Still think that's true? Lindsay is a nice player but it is stupid to compare him to Chubb.
""However, in Weeks 10-13, Barkley had an Overall Grade of 85.9 which is 11.4 points higher than Chubb's 74.5.""
Let me know when you figure that out.
Who said anything about best back in the NFL?
You may not like it, but Lindsay is having a better year than Chubb. And for the uninformed, go look at his college career at Colorado. The guy was a stud.
Chubb is a very good prospect and he may be better over the long run. But to dismiss what Lindsay is doing as somehow irrelevant reflects poorly on you...
Gurley wasn’t even in the conversation when Jeff Fisher was running the show. OL and scheme matters.
Put a quality line in front of Barkley and he’s the best back in the league without question. He already is, just not in the eyes of stat dorks.
Behind the obvious great day that SB had, it's simply way too early to make judgments among SB, Chubb, and Lindsay via statistical analysis.
Which is to some extent what Sy was saying, and the other guy who noted that Chubb was RIDICULOUS as a freshman and sophomore until he tore up his knee. Averaged well over 7 ypc in the SEC conference, which has tougher defenses than the Big 10...
Quote:
Gimme a break if you think Lindsay is better than Chubb. You guys wseriously have no clue. Before his injury Chubb was a freak athlete who was on a par with barkley. He is still making his way back from that injury. Lindsay is a nice player but does not belong in the convo with Chubb, sorry. If you don't think Chubb has a chance to be the best back in the NFL then you don't know what kind of player he was. You are misinformed.
Who said anything about best back in the NFL?
You may not like it, but Lindsay is having a better year than Chubb. And for the uninformed, go look at his college career at Colorado. The guy was a stud.
Chubb is a very good prospect and he may be better over the long run. But to dismiss what Lindsay is doing as somehow irrelevant reflects poorly on you...
I don't dismiss Lindsay. I have said he is a nice player. IMO it is foolish to compare him to Chubb. Of course Chubb can still come all the way back. He has looked phenomenal at times this season. Thereis a non-zero chance he will have a better career than Barkley. And I'm quite certain that there is not a GM in the league that would take Linsdsay over Chubb. And there are probably many that would rather spend a high 2nd on Chubb than a high first on Barkley.
Literally the only argument I made was that in 2018 - to date - Saquon Barkley is clearly the better RB. I don't know how anyone could argue that. Barkley is a fucking animal. He has no weakness.
I never compared Barkley OR Chubb to Lindsay. I simply responded to bw's comment about PL and agreed that he was having a fantastic year - which he is.
The only RBs I compared here were Barkley and Chubb. I like Chubb a lot. Barkley is better right now.
Would any NFL GM take Chubb over Barkley today?
I'd be pretty stunned.
Gurley wasn’t even in the conversation when Jeff Fisher was running the show. OL and scheme matters.
Put a quality line in front of Barkley and he’s the best back in the league without question. He already is, just not in the eyes of stat dorks.
I am a Giants fan but it is sort of ludicrous to suggest that it isn't close between Barkley and Gurley. Gurley is amazing too.
Literally the only argument I made was that in 2018 - to date - Saquon Barkley is clearly the better RB. I don't know how anyone could argue that. Barkley is a fucking animal. He has no weakness.
I never compared Barkley OR Chubb to Lindsay. I simply responded to bw's comment about PL and agreed that he was having a fantastic year - which he is.
The only RBs I compared here were Barkley and Chubb. I like Chubb a lot. Barkley is better right now.
Would any NFL GM take Chubb over Barkley today?
I'd be pretty stunned.
All things being equal Barkley is clearly ahead of Chubb. But if you factor in draft position/equity there may be some who would rather have Chubb for what Cleve spent rather than SB for what the Giants spent.
As good as Barkley has been, a 1-2 of Darnold/Rosen/Allen/Jackson and Chubb would have been special.
Not to mention his lack of production his 2nd year w the rams under Fisher...
Gurley is excellent, but not "amazing", IMO. He simply isn't a creator the way SB is, and doesn't have nearly the agility to make people miss.
He is a beast, a workhorse, and big, strong, powerful and fast. But one would never compare him with Sanders or Gayle Sayers, IMO.
I have watched a LOT OF Rams games the past 2.5 years.
Is this true? Who do they have ranked ahead of him? If this isn't a great indicator that they need to re-evaluate their rankings then I dont know what is.
Barkley is basically the perfect back. He is Barry Sanders but 4 inches taller and 30lbs heavier with the same speed, quickness, vision, and agility. He is a bigger and stronger version of Marshall Faulk and LaDainian Tomlinson. He is also maybe the best receiving RB to ever come into the NFL. He has no weakness.
Not to mention his lack of production his 2nd year w the rams under Fisher...
Gurley is excellent, but not "amazing", IMO. He simply isn't a creator the way SB is, and doesn't have nearly the agility to make people miss.
He is a beast, a workhorse, and big, strong, powerful and fast. But one would never compare him with Sanders or Gayle Sayers, IMO.
I have watched a LOT OF Rams games the past 2.5 years.
Hey BlueLou.. I have watched a lot of Rams games since Gurley joined the team. I think he is very special. In my opinion he has elite acceleration into the hole, great vision, he's very decisive and he has great (yes great) moves and agility for a back his size. Until Barkley came into the league he was hands down the best back in the league. He is also an excellent receiver who makes a lot happen in the open field and is tough to bring down.
I agree that Barkley has better overall athleticism. Barkley is quicker and has otherworldly moves and lateral agility for a back his size (Barkley and Gurley are about the same size. But Gurley is no slouch in that area. And at this stage of their careers Gurley is a superior back between the tackles. It is just his style. He is instinctive finding and hitting the hole with power and acceleration. And he does a very good job of making things happen if he is not tackled in the backfield.
IMO these two backs are not directly comparable. They do different things well, but they are both great at this stage of their careers.
Why was Gurley poor in 2016? He was stuck on an inept offense facing stacked boxes. The coaching situation in LA in 2016 was worse than the Giants this season. Gurley famously called it a middle school offense:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/12/12/rams-todd-gurley-middle-school-offense
It is no surprise that as soon as they got a new coach things turned around.
In 2016 he was really in a difficult and moribund situation. One observer said he was hit behind the line of scrimmage on half of his carries.
That's my opinion anyway. 2016 is an outlier. Todd Gurley certainly looks amazing to me. Will Barkley be better? I think it remains to be seen - but he's looking great so far.
Quote:
Plays behind a far inferior line than Gurley, any Saints back, Zeke, McCafrey, and even Chubb.
Gurley wasn’t even in the conversation when Jeff Fisher was running the show. OL and scheme matters.
Put a quality line in front of Barkley and he’s the best back in the league without question. He already is, just not in the eyes of stat dorks.
I am a Giants fan but it is sort of ludicrous to suggest that it isn't close between Barkley and Gurley. Gurley is amazing too.
Gurley is a good back but he’s not as good as Barkley.
If they devised a ratings system that results in Gurley being ranked 12th, it's time to scrap that system and call it a day.
Hey BlueLou.. I have watched a lot of Rams games since Gurley joined the team. I think he is very special. In my opinion he has elite acceleration into the hole, great vision, he's very decisive and he has great (yes great) moves and agility for a back his size. Until Barkley came into the league he was hands down the best back in the league. He is also an excellent receiver who makes a lot happen in the open field and is tough to bring down.
I agree that Barkley has better overall athleticism. Barkley is quicker and has otherworldly moves and lateral agility for a back his size (Barkley and Gurley are about the same size. But Gurley is no slouch in that area. And at this stage of their careers Gurley is a superior back between the tackles. It is just his style. He is instinctive finding and hitting the hole with power and acceleration. And he does a very good job of making things happen if he is not tackled in the backfield.
IMO these two backs are not directly comparable. They do different things well, but they are both great at this stage of their careers.
Why was Gurley poor in 2016? He was stuck on an inept offense facing stacked boxes. The coaching situation in LA in 2016 was worse than the Giants this season. Gurley famously called it a middle school offense:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/12/12/rams-todd-gurley-middle-school-offense
It is no surprise that as soon as they got a new coach things turned around.
In 2016 he was really in a difficult and moribund situation. One observer said he was hit behind the line of scrimmage on half of his carries.
That's my opinion anyway. 2016 is an outlier. Todd Gurley certainly looks amazing to me. Will Barkley be better? I think it remains to be seen - but he's looking great so far.
We'll agree that until Barkley entered the League Gurley was the best RB. Qualitatively I see a bigger difference between the two than you do, but I could be wearing blue tinted lenses when I see that.
Check out NFL.com's 2018 rushing leaders board. One stat of Saquon's really sticks out like a sore thumb, especially after today's games: runs > 40 yards. SB has 6 of 'em, TG has 0. Runs > 20 yards, SB has 14, TG 10.
I dunno if the runs greater than 40 also count amongst the greater than 20 or if they are pulled out... If they are not double counted, that makes SB with 20 runs over either 20 or 40 yards.
Nfl rushing leaders - ( New Window )
I disagree. He makes it look hard, but he's simply doing it easily!