Insiders rates the ACC RBs

G

GT Ace

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Insiders usually has quite good insight into the ACC in all areas, but I've got to argue with this ranking. How can they put the returning ACC rushing leader @ #6??? That's totally absurd. Tech will run the ball a lot & Daniels has proven that he can stand up to the workload. He'll have a huge amount of yds no matter what & won't even play past the 1st series of the 2nd half vs Samford. The Yellow Jackets will probably lead the ACC in rushing & PJ will, again, lead the league in running.
Everybody makes goo-goo eyes @ NC St in the preseason & the Wolves just don't hold up. FSU, w/Rix, won't even run a third of their plays with a RB. Miami will push Tech for the top spot as they'll pass for a big lead & run, run in the 2nd halves. Virginia, huh, only if u count swing passes to RBs as rushing.
Anyhow, it's a fun read;

The RBs of the ACC
 
I know...it says Daniels should contend for the ACC rushing title.

Then why is he at #6? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Re: Aah, this is more like it

I have yet to see PJ take over a game against a big time defense. He's responded when called and earned what he has recieved and he's a wonderful person, athlete, and team leader, but he has yet to put a team on his back and carry them against a very good defense.

These other backs have:

Justin Vincent
Carnell Williams
TA McLendon

and some not mentioned are close:
Leon Washington (and maybe Lorenzo Booker) - 'both' will accomplish more than Greg Jones - these 2 guys will be another of the famous FSU types
Demetrius Summers (USC)
Kregg Lumpkin (it pains me to say this)

PJ is big time, but so are these other guys.

I like PJ better and want the best for him more. I have gold-colored glasses like the next guy, but Vincent, TA, and Carnell are simply incredible. I've seen TA healthy in person 2 times now (neither GT games he's been eligible) and the guy is from another planet.

I've seen Summers live. He might be the 'best' of the bunch, Williams and Vincent included.

Summers and TA 'are' as good as the pundits say.

PJ has proven more durable, but he has 'too' much body lean (which is never happens and is much better than not enough). He accomplishes what he accomplishes at the point of impact because he has great body lean, but he falls down after he breaks the line of scrimmage for the same reason.

How many times did you see PJ break through to open space and just fall down? How many times did he get caught from behind?

PJ is a great tailback, but he also benefitted from not having capable back ups to share the load, a run happy coach, a young QB to keep the plan simple, and a big time line in Reilly, Dorsey, Wallace, Neal, Honeycut, Robinson, and Johnson.

PJ will do well this year, and if he continues to grow, he will be as good as what you all say; but right now he's a very good RB. He is not on the level of Kregg Lumpkin or Demetrius Summers, much less the others mentioned.

If he can learn to regain his balance after the line of scrimmage or increase his speed a bit, he'll make the big time. I hope he does. PJ is one of my favorite players, and clearly one of yours, and he should be, but putting him behind Williams, Summers, Vincent, and TA is not insult. Those guys are on an entrely different level.

Don't let the fact that TA has played us hurt or not played us at all; and the fact that we beat Auburn and NC State after both abandoned their running game, impact what you think about these quality backs.

The Insiders is pretty weak - period. PJ is better than what's listed. Pigskin Preview is pretty generous. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
 
Re: Aah, this is more like it

Best Moves: P.J. Daniels – GT

I disagree, he's a straight ahead runner. He gets into trouble when he tries to put the moves on.
 
Re: Aah, this is more like it

[ QUOTE ]
PJ will do well this year, and if he continues to grow, he will be as good as what you all say; but right now he's a very good RB. He is not on the level of Kregg Lumpkin or Demetrius Summers, much less the others mentioned.


[/ QUOTE ]

What may I ask has Kregg Lumpkn ever done to be considered a better back than PJ? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wtf.gif
 
Re: Aah, this is more like it

I'm not saying he is. He is only a sophmore and if you have ever seen him up close, he is a beast. He has the build to "become" a great back, and my opinion is he will. PJ is a good back, but I think he has overcome his lack of size to play some great football. I don't want to do too much brown nosin, but as much as I hate UGA, Lumpkin is going to be a great one.
 
Re: Aah, this is more like it

A great back can put a team on his shoulders and carry them to a win. He can take over a game regardless of what the QB and recievers do. He can beat a team when the team says, 'we are going to shut down the pass and force you to beat us with the run.'

PJ has done that against Tulsa and UNC. He had his moments against FSU.

That makes him a great back.

When he does it against teams like UGA, Clemson, UVA, Maryland, Auburn, or Miami, I'll view him on a different level. He may do it. He was hurt against UGA, so maybe he had developed enough to have done it to them also. We didn't get to see it. Right now it's like the tree falling in the forest.

This is not a slam on PJ. It is a wake up call to those who say that TA, Vincent, and Carnell are not worthy of being rated above PJ.

Kregg Lumpkin put it down against Auburn and GT. Demetrius did it against UT and UGA both - without a QB to give him any help. PJ hasn't done it against teams like us or them yet.

PJ, for all practical purposes was a freshman last year. He is a junior, but hardly played at all his freshman year - at tailback. He was thrown to the wolves in a 51-7 route against UGA after Clinkscale went down.

He has 2 years - this one included - to be the guy some GT fans are calling him right now - and he may well be that guy this year. He is already close.

The guy has one quality that will help him above all. He still runs like a beast in the 4th Quarter when everybody else can't take another step. That trait PJ has - hands down - over every back I mentioned. It's a huge and rare trait, and the one that helped Joe Burns win a ton of games for us also. The rest of what PJ brings to the table is big-time, but (as of right now) not on the next level.

PJ probably blocks better than all these guys and I also can't imagine a guy with a more positive attitude for our players to be around. He picks up every one around him.

The guy is GOOD. He is one of the best in the ACC and one of the best in the Southeast. I believe in PJ. That being said, a high percentage of the best backs in the 'country' are in the southeast also.

Don't take it so personally when PJ falls under another guy that is also a great back. That's all I'm saying.

PJ is 'much' better than the Insider rating. He's not as good as the Pigskin Preview rating, but he's close.

He may be better than some of those guys - we just haven't seen him accomplish what some of them have 'yet'.

He will benefit this year from more rest (less injuries and more umph each play), a better QB (about 5 weapons with all the dump men to defend vs. 1), and a better deep threat to spread the defense. He will be a better back this year and also have less to overcome. He will probably have a better Yard Per Carry stat with a much lower season total yardage, if I had to guess.

He was asked to carry our team last year and he did it. The guy is a stud. When we ask him to carry the team and he beats better teams, consistently, he'll be ranked like the other guys you don't like. You're not going to be ranked tops in the ACC when your offense was ranked below Duke in most stats last year. It's just the way of the world.

We want Reggie and we want PJ to both be ranked highly, but we ranked last in total offense in the ACC last year. Somebody has to be the guy that held us back, and Jonathan Smith is in the NFL and Nate 'might' be on his way. We had one of the best lines in the ACC last year as well, so who gets the blame?

I'm just explaining how the guru's look at it.

Please don't take this as a slam to PJ. It's a wake up call to the GT homers that 'only' know GT players and and talk out their butt about teams and players they know nothing about.

It's not even directed at the posters on this thread as much as it's directed to all the homers who say guys like TA or Pollack or Whitehurst or Greene or Rivers or Greg Jones or EJ Henderson or Darian Durant "aren't that good," or are, "overrated." They are that good and they are not overrated.

That does not say GT doesn't have equally or more talented guys depending on the position or that we can't or won't beat them. It just means get your head out of the sand and call a spade a spade (to those posters).
 
Re: Aah, this is more like it

That's not slammin. Good post. We all want PJ to do great! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif
 
PJ is not the most exciting back around but he is one tuff dude.Rolling in the 4th qt when others drag.He also now is an excellent blocker,a very underapprciated capability for RBs (except by the QB)
I would not be surprised to see him at FB sometime (like Joe Burns)in the future as others progress.
 
PJ at FB getting 15-20 carries a game and

Rashaun Grant at TB scooting outside and catching the pass in the flats stretching the field. Add the triple option with Reggie totting the pig several times a game.

We may never have to throw the ball downfield...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blue.gif
 
Re: PJ at FB getting 15-20 carries a game and

[ QUOTE ]
Rashaun Grant at TB scooting outside and catching the pass in the flats stretching the field. Add the triple option with Reggie totting the pig several times a game.

We may never have to throw the ball downfield...


[/ QUOTE ]

Heh, while I don't see that happening too often with us, I have to say that there are few things sweeter than a well executed option offense. The perfect last second pitch is just /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif
 
Re: PJ at FB getting 15-20 carries a game and

I'd have to say that an option offense only works well when it is backed up by a capable passing threat ala Joe Hamilton. Nebraska did their dirty-work with defense and size.
 
Re: PJ at FB getting 15-20 carries a game and

[ QUOTE ]
Rashaun Grant at TB scooting outside and catching the pass in the flats stretching the field. Add the triple option with Reggie totting the pig several times a game.
We may never have to throw the ball downfield...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]\

I dont see Chan putting any triple option into his pro style single back offense. But thats just my /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twocents.gif
 
AlaGOLD, I like that backfield too

PJ blocks well and is a dangerous runner and a good short pass receiver. I'd love to see him at fullback and Grant at tailback. But I never see this mentioned in any practice reports, so I think there must be some reason why the Coach Gailey doesn't like it.
 
Techfowl, agree or disagree that is excellent...

...analysis on your part. I'm not sure yet whether I agree or disagree with what you've said in the two excellent posts you made in this thread, but I respect greatly the fact that you obviously have put a great deal of thought and research into these posts. And FWIW none of it came across as a slam on PJ, at least not to me.

Again, whether I agree or disagree is one thing, but your two posts are terrific stuff. Nicely done.
 
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