1. Adrian Peterson- And you thought I was going to put DeMarco Murray here. Seriously though, there is no back out there better than Peterson. He's everything you want in a pure rusher with his versatility in that he can blow by you, juke you out, and run you down 'till you fall flat on your face (the song is Madden 2003's "Suck It Up").

2. Jamaal Charles- The ACL tear sucks, and Charles is a monster who averaged only about six yards per carry last year.

3. Darren McFadden- Yeah, I'm boarding this train until it hits 'Frisco, cause he is tearing it up. He's nicked up too, but that doesn't deter from his overall value.

4. Arian Foster- He doesn't give a damn about your fantasy team either.

5. Chris Johnson- He's still top 5, but I've always thought he was a tad overrated.

6. Maurice Jones-Drew- A versatile back to say the least.

7. Ray Rice- Does a ton of damage with his hands and can make cuts inside; top back.

8. DeAngelo Williams- Too elusive for their not to be a bounce-back.

9. Fred Jackson- Good hands, and great overall ability. Finally getting some press thanks to a line that suddenly figured out how to block.

10. LeGarrette Blount- This is all purely based on skill, and Blount is extremely talented. He is so agile and strong that he's a new beast to defend against; it's amazing to think what he could do with an average line in front of him.

11. Matt Forte- While catching is his forte, he can run and is the team's focal point offensively; pay him.

12. Michael Turner- I wish I had him higher, but 12 is still really good.

13. Ryan Mathews- I am fully on the bandwagon.

14. Ahmad Bradshaw- Catches, blocks, and runs well.

15. Frank Gore- Is more effective when he doesn't get too many carries, as he is extremely explosive should get 15 carries to have optimal impact. He can't take the wear and tear very well, but he does add value in the receiving game.

16. Peyton Hillis- Has been invisible this year (not in a good way) and fumbles too much because of an unbalanced rushing style, but he does possess great blocking and has surprisingly good hands out of the backfield.

17. LeSean McCoy- Brings so much to the table as a pass-catcher and runs effectively.

18. Jonathan Stewart- Could afford to be a little higher, but he is an elusive back who is among the best ten pure rushers in the league.

19. Brandon Jacobs- Was insane last year and is one of the most punishing backs out there.

20. Steven Jackson- Workhorse.

21. Rashard Mendenhall- A little overrated but still an effective back who plays behind a horrible line.

22. Ryan Grant- The statistics don't always favor him, because people don't always look at the right stats. He is a solid player who gets the yardage his team needs.

23. Tim Hightower- Showing that my running back stat isn't full of crap.

24. Cedric Benson- He is an overrated back who is still solid but not as good as people think.

25. Joseph Addai- Underrated back who struggles with injuries but plays pretty well on the field. He is their only hope in the running game.

26. Chris Wells- I'm not ready to bring him into the top 20 yet, as he needs to show me some consistency first.

27. Michael Bush- Solid, bruising back.

28. James Starks- He really likes making me eat crow.

29. Chris Ivory- I think this guy can play and needs to get some time.

30. DeMarco Murray- I'm in but not all in.

31. BenJarvus Green-Ellis- Sold, albeit unspectacular moving-chains back.

32. Ben Tate- Explosive but not there yet.

33. Ryan Torain- Mike Shanahan and I know that he is better than people thought last year.

34. Mike Goodson- Man, the Panthers have a lot of wealth at the position.

35. Felix Jones- This is on the basis of his receiving skills and ability to break off the big play.

36. Mark Ingram- Better than the stats indicated.

37. Isaac Redman- Finally breaking out of the underrated shell.

38. Jackie Battle- Believe Chiefs, believe. No more Thomas Jones.

39. Marshawn Lynch- When he goes beast mode; it's over. Unfortunately, he doesn't go beast mode enough.

40. Pierre Thomas- New Orleans hasn't been treating him well recently.

253

Vote

Comments (2)

Add Comments

Email this Post to a Friend

9/2011 Top 20 on Tampa Bay Bucs

September 30th 2011 16:58

1. QB Josh Freeman- Uh...the reason why they were above .500 last year. Talk about clutch performers, this guy can ball with the best of them in crunch time.

2. RB LeGarrette Blount- Elusive as hell, you gotta give this guy more credit. I mean, you've punched someone in the face before, right? I hope so, because you've devoided yourself of all manliness if not.

3. WR Mike Williams- The Bucs have a great young core on offense indeed

4. CB Aqib Talib- Mel Kiper Jr. was right on with this guy when he said he had all the tools to make big plays, but lacks the technique and can get beat rather easily. That's not to mention the off-the-field concerns with this knucklehead.

5. DT Gerald McCoy- No offense Mr. McCoy, but you know there's something wrong with the talent level on your team when he is one of your top five best players.

6. LB Quincy Black- An underrated linebacker, but it seems like he is rather high. He isn't, that's the Bucs for you.

7. TE Kellen Winslow- Hey Freeman, buddy, please throw it at this guy some more. He can play some damn good football.

8. SS Sean Jones- Has played great this season after a disappointing year in 2010.

9. DT Brian Price- He and McCoy are pretty good at bringing the heat up the middle.

10. LT Donald Penn- No matter how overrated I think this guy is, he's still not all bad.

11. WR Arrelious Benn- This ranking is based on potential all alone. He's gotta put it together himself so that the picture connects.

12. CB Ronde Barber- Was huge last game and is showing us that he still has some talent left.

13. DE Adrian Clayborn- Was last week his rookie breakout game? He was incredible after two poor weeks to begin the season. Although that game was against the lowly Sam Baker, he was still absolutely dominating.

14. LB Geno Hayes- Yeah, it's the Bucs.

15. WR Sammie Stroughter- No, your mom doesn't play for the Bucs.

16. DE Da'Quan Bowers- Remy Zero, please save me; this job is too tough for Superman.

17. TE Luke Stocker- I think I should just give up on these write-ups.

18. FB Earnest Graham- Party like it's 2007; it ain't the end of the world.

19. LB Mason Foster- You know your bad when I'm temped to put Kregg Lumpkin on this list. I think most of the Bucs best 20 players are young players with potential and nothing else.

20. WR Preston Parker- Now this guy I like as a potential darkhorse. He can play some ball.

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Rankings, NFL Team Top 20s, Mike Williams TB, Sean Jones, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Sammie Stroughter, Kellen Winslow, Donald Penn, Arrelious Benn, Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Geno Hayes, Aqib Talib, Ronde Barber, Adrian Clayborn, Mason Foster, Luke Stocker

Email this Post to a Friend

2011 Week 1 Preview: Lions and Chiefs

September 9th 2011 15:36

While the best game on Sunday is between the Ravens and Steelers, there are still some other noteworthy matchups coming up. One of these games that you should tune into involves the Bucs and Lions.

Both of these teams were once regarded as two of the worst teams in the NFL, but they have both made remarkable turnarounds and have become solid teams. The Bucs were last year's feel-good story, and many people have tabbed the Lions to make the playoffs. While I think the Lions are overrated and there are far too many people saying that they are a sleeper team for them to actually be a sleeper team, they are much-improved.

I think Calvin Johnson is going to have a fun day against a Bucs secondary that doesn't have a cornerback who can keep up with him. Aqib Talib isn't a bad player by any means, but coverage isn't exactly his forte. He's more of a big-play corner, and those are the kinds of guys that Johnson can beat. I think the play of the Bucs safeties will be key, but the secondary won't get much help from an awful pass rush.

Honestly, I don't have high hopes for Jahvid Best as a starting running back. Best is an extremely inefficient rusher who only provides tangible value as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Jerome Harrison should be their starter, with Keiland Williams getting some carries here and there. Harrison is a pretty good back overall, and the Lions need to take advantage of a very weak opposing run defense.

This is going to be fun. Like, for real. The Lions defensive line is going to just bash an offensive line that downright sucks. Detroit possess one of the best defensive lines in the game, while the Bucs O-Line is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Even if Nick Fairley doesn't play, the Lions have six legit defensive lineman who are all capable playing at a more than adequate level.

On the bright side for Tampa, this passing game could really do some damage if Freeman doesn't led the pressure affect him too much. The Lions linebackers are all superb against the run, but none of those guys can cover anybody. Kellen Winslow and Mike Williams could potentially have monstrous days against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. Eric Wright is the only cornerback on their roster worth starting, and I could also see Arrelious Benn beginning a potential breakout season with a nice game on Sunday.

To me, it is amazing how great LeGarrette Blount was last season with such a great line. However, I think he has a down week against a top run-stopping unit, even though he has tons of talent and moves. Blount is already one of the better backs in the league, but this is going to be a passing game.

This is going to be another tightly contested game, but I have the Lions taking this game 27-20 with Cliff Avril having a huge game against a far inferior opponent in Jeremy Trueblood.

Facing the Bucs

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Predictions, Mike Williams TB, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Kellen Winslow, Jeremy Trueblood, Arrelious Benn, Aqib Talib, Calvin Johnson, Nick Fairley, Jerome Harrison, Cliff Avril, Eric Wright

Email this Post to a Friend

8/2011 Player Profile: Jeremy Trueblood

August 20th 2011 14:06

The Tampa Bay Bucs have one of the worst and most overrated lines in the league. Players such as Donald Penn, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Trueblood, and Davin Joseph are players who are considered to be good; but they are in fact among the worst offensive linemen in the league. Penn is considered by some to be a top ten tackle, but he is a major liability at left tackle. Jeff Faine signed a massive deal to play for Tampa, but he is one of the worst centers in the game. Davin Joseph recently re-signed and was given far too much money, and Trueblood is the player I will examine in this post.

To illustrate how poor Trueblood is as a run blocker, the Bucs were the 25th worst team at runs to the right tackle and the 26th worst at runs to the right end. These numbers are according to Football Outsiders. While Trueblood was excellent in 2008- the same with fellow tackle Donald Penn, he was absolutely awful in 2007, 2009, and 2010. Although Penn still has some value, Trueblood is a player who really shouldn't be starting at this level. He's really only a depth-guy at best.

While Trueblood is a poor run-blocker, he is even worse in pass protection. He is arguably the worst pass-blocking right tackle in the NFL, and he was beyond putrid last season. According to the Pro Football Focus, the Bucs had the 2nd worst Pressure Per Play percentage. The Pro Football Focus's Pass Blocking Efficiency statistic rates Jeremy Trueblood as the 5th worst pass blocking right tackle in the NFL; I couldn't agree more with that statement.

See, Trueblood struggles mightily in pass protection, and this is especially true against speedy edge rushers. In short, he is one of the worst tackles in the league and does not deserve a starting spot on the Bucs offensive line. It's amazing how Josh Freeman and LeGarrette Blount can succeed with such an inferior line "protecting" them. It's also amazing how people say that Jeremy Trueblood is an underrated player; he's not. If anything, he's overrated and is a lousy right tackle at that.

5th worst PBE among RTs

Sources:

www.footballoutsiders.com
www.profootballfocus.com

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Bucs, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Davin Joseph, Donald Penn, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Trueblood

Email this Post to a Friend

New Running Back Stat 2010 Full Rankings

August 11th 2011 13:38

To qualify a running back must have at least 100 carries. Thanks guys for your feedback, and feel free to comment and criticize. Do you think I should give an extra bonus to the guys with more carries? It seems as if the players in the 100-199 range have the advantage, but this is- after all- and efficiency stat. (The groupings should not be interpreted as tiers, as they are only used to make it look less messy)

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (2)

Add Comments

Email this Post to a Friend

Breakthrough: A New Running Back Stat

August 9th 2011 14:08

I have finally formulated a decent looking total efficiency statistic to evaluate running backs. There is a huge craze over quarterback stats, but I decided to come up with a simple, yet efficient running back stat. It isn't great, but I think it is better than what we've had. It isn't objective only because of the way I account for the run blocking variable.

Yards per carry is the single most important statistic for a running back, and it's efficiency in its simplest point. However, running backs who carry the rock more tend to have lower yards per carry totals. Also, backs with poor lines- in terms of run blocking- in front of them take hits in that department. YPC also doesn't take into account fumbles or touchdowns either. Although both of those factors aren't as important as once thought, they are necessary to come up with a running back stat that can actually work

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (15)

Add Comments

Email this Post to a Friend

3/2011 Team Scope: Tampa Bay Bucs

March 12th 2011 14:35

I realize that there is a lockout, and it obviously both angers and disappoints me that both sides were more concerned in their own pride instead of trying to actually bargain. I know that there were a few people that kept their integrity in all of this, but I also know that there were those that didn't. Regardless, after much deliberation I have decided to continue to write about football. This is another team scope that thoroughly reviews a team's roster and their strengths and weaknesses. Enjoy.

Davin Joseph and Jeff Faine are mainstays in the interior, and I really like Donald Penn at left tackle. The problem with this team is the right side of the offensive line. Their right guard isn't so good, and they desperately need a right tackle. The combination of Jeremy Trueblood and James Lee doesn't cut it. LaGarrette Blount is a good running back that really breaks out of the hole extremely well. He is a physical runner that is extremely explosive. Cadillac Williams has almost the same kind of skill-set, so the Bucs are set with their running game

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]