It's clear the RB position has never been valued less, but it doesn't change the fact that RBs still must have elite skills/traits: vision/timing, be able to set up blocks, have juke and burst, and learn to deflect hits (make yourself small through a hole) then break tackles. Those abilities take years to develop, it's very rare to see players swith to RB position late in football and play in college, let alone the NFL, because it takes a certain body type, skill set, and hundreds of carries. A long way of saying LRZ has ZERO chance of being an NFL RB. Cool story, but he couldn't crack Ohio State's RB room this year.
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Per Jesse Newell, LRZ is not at practice today.
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So many studies have been done on RBs that its almost boring to talk about it anymore because the book is damn near closed.

90% of RBs are a product of their blocking. In any given year there are 2-3 guys who might give you more than you block up for them over any large enough sample size.

But most of them give you roughly what you block. And surprisingly, MORE things have to go right in blocking up a run play than a pass play. The correlation between a single blocker failing in his assignment and the play then failing is substantially higher for a run play than it is for a pass play.

Bottom line is that the league, under these rules, is simply a really damn tough place to make your bones running the football. You need 5 guys on the line who are all competent run blockers and, more critically, consistent. An erratic run blocker (Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor are good examples) are as big a problem in your run game than they are your passing game, if not moreso.

And we emphasize pass pro with our OTs.

So the running game here is always gonna be somewhat sketchy because we don't emphasize consistent run blocking in our roster construction.

Just figure out a way to get what's blocked up and improve in short yardage. The rest...well, it probably ain't gonna happen for us. It's just not that important and the juice isn't worth the squeeze when a successful run play is worth 5 yards and a successful pass play is worth 12.

Running is situationally important and that's it. And so it's not worth adjusting a roster around or altering your player personnel philosophy to attack.
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What about playing TE?

The basketball to football switch has been made a few times.
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I don't mind keeping Steele as a potential STs standout, short-yardage runner and FB conversion.

But I'd like to get a better 3rd (and maybe 4th) RB in the room.
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Man. Carolina is cutting Terrace Marshall.... I remember loving that dude coming out, but apparently he was a bust?
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Does anyone want to come to BWillies Toney Got Cut Bash Party? If Skyy also gets cut Ill buy a second keg free
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Here’s one of my favorite ways of looking at it.

5+ yards per carry is incredible. But that doesn’t mean it goes: 5, 5, 5, 5,5

It’s more like: 11, 6, 4, 2, 2

Which means, you’re now at 3rd and 6. You have to throw.
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Noah Brown just cut, had 567 yards receiving last year with the Texans
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He won't be unemployed long.
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Different skill set. The ability to grab a rebound in traffic and body out other players translates better to football than at RB. There is no blocking allowed in rugby therefore no practice in setting up blocks, following pulling linemen or fullbacks. There are far fewer blindside hits in most rugby player, as defenders have to still cover the field as possession can continue even after a tackle...for the runner, he doesn't break tackles with the same ferocity because he can pass the ball to a teammate even when tackled...no 1st down marker to worry about.
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Did Toney get cut? I can't find anything on it.
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The Jaguars have already cut 35 players. Our old pal Breeland Speaks being one of the casualties.
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Chiefs released former second-round pick, tight end Irv Smith.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2024

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3 TE's means 7 WR's... or 4 RB's, right?
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