I wonder…if you give each RB 10 carries…

who has the best YPC?

I love Best…it almost seems like he’s out-of-control because he’s so damn fast so hits cause him to lose his balance. With T-Slo (better than using the last 3 letters of his last name!) it seems as if he, like you said, has balance and power.

I’d like to see more Best touches in non-running back situations…

and more of a rotation between Vereen and Slocum.

Perhaps this is a conversation from next year…we could use all the continuity possible on O…

I don’t think Best lacks balance… I’d rate them all about the same in that category from what we’ve seen. It’s tough to compare anybody to Lynch.

I do agree that- most of the time- he lacks short yardage power. I hope he lifts like Forsett. He got considerably more powerful in a hurry.

I had the same thought after that game… Shane was getting worked and was tiring towards the end of the game when we needed to kill the clock. I really wanted to see Tracy or Guerts to get 3 yards per shot. Consistency has been our killer when trying to run out the clock. We need a power run game for when we’re in the lead.

BTW: Rishi, i reposted MSU, thanks for the FYI
http://www.vimeo.com/2206216

also, is this you?
http://thebearwillnotquit.blogspot.com/

He’s passable as far as I can see. All three of our backs weigh the same (198ish), with Best and Tracy having proportional bodies and Shane having skinny legs. As far as pass blocking, I’d say Jahvid is the best, but we haven’t seen much of Tracy. Shane has missed some key blocks in pass protection.

None of them are as good as Marshawn or Justin. Shane’s downfield blocking leaves something to be desired too.

Struggling to think of something for Yarnway. Yarn? Way?

KNITMODE BITCH.

The Wild Wild Best?

We shoulda run the WildBeast formation more often when #10 was here.

?

Cal RB = NFL roster spopt

I remember that, but I doubt riding a scooter with a bum license is reason enough to sit him out. He’s sitting because the coaches think Vereen/Best can get the short yardage… All I’m saying is to give Tracy a shot… he’s prob not that impressive in practice, but sometimes players really turn on during live action.

I’m not disagreeing with you, but all these videos were compiled during garbage time against pretty terrible teams and their second units. Any of Cal’s running backs would’ve looked good against them. It’s like using Longshore’s second half performances against CSU and Wazzu as a basis for evaluating who should be the starter.

I agree Slocum should get some reps because of the Best injuries though.

Huh? It’s not like I’m advocating firing everybody… I just want 3-5 more touches per game for Tracy or Geurts. Our offense is our weakness and part of that has to do with short yardage rushing… This isn’t controversial. I’m not asking for much here.

Based on what I’ve seen, we need to do something to fix the problem we have. Our short yardage rushing is inconsistent and unreliable… and with totally green WRs, and rotating QBs…our run game needs to be the strength of our team.

There is no reason for Slocum to get more touches than he’s getting. He’s the exact same size as Best/Vereen, and less explosive. He isn’t going to push the pile any more effectively than our current RB’s just because he had a couple of good rushes against Washington St. and CSU.

1) Well, first we know there is a reason to switch to more of a power back… our OL is decimated and our RBs are not getting wide open lanes, there will be contact. We need to get 3-4 yards regardless of good blocking.

2) Secondly, our staring back Jahvid has an elbow injury and an ankle injury that both Tedford and Jahvid acknowledged was affecting his cutting ability. Exact quotes at the end of Crawford’s podcast:
http://excusemeformyvoice.com/blog/podpress_trac/web/1007/0/pod-usc-2008.mp3

3) I know Tracy is the same size as the others… but I think he runs with more power (see my video)… even the coaches said so all of pre-season. Plus size does not mean power… take a look at Antolin (AZ) and Rodgers (ORst)… their balance and driving legs make them behave like power backs.

4) You can’t always trust what you see during practice. Let’s face it, we know tons of examples of players that don’t play well in practice but turn it on during live games. Why did McCants start for OrSt instead of Jaquizz Rodgers at the start of the year? Why did Grigsby start instead of Antolin? Damien Williams and Ronald Johnson are USC’s best WRs… then why did Turner, Hazelton and Ausberry get so much playing time last year? On our team… take a look at Hagan over Hampton/Conte… Cathouse over Hicks…Riley over Longshore… I can go on. We need to find out what Tracy’s got.

Bottom line: all good coaches make changes if things aren’t working… and JT is a GREAT coach and I believe he will give Tracy/Geurts more touches…especially since our OL is decimated and there won’t be open lanes… JT himself characterized Tracy as more of a power back during pre-season… now that we need one… I believe he will play Tracy more.

Do you need more proof than Maryland…1H of Colorado St…2H of ArizonaSt…3Q of Arizona…first 3 quarters of UCLA… all of Oregon and all of USC? We need a power running game and Tracy is worth a shot.