With all the justifiable sweat over EL`s status, there`s been lots of speculation and talk about the RB hierarchy with him/without him. Nowhere have I seen Kenyan Drake`s name mentioned as a potential contributor. Anybody think that he`ll play, especially if EL can`t go?
Kenyan Drake and RB Depth?
- Thread starter Tideflyer
- Start date
Yeldon was able to enroll early. I'm not sure if Drake wanted to or had the opportunity to, but he would have benefited from enrolling early.
This is the RB depth:
Eddie
Fowler
Dee Hart
Yeldon
Blake Simms
Drake
In the situation Eddie cannot play, Bama is left with Fowler and Simms as the only RBs with game experience followed by Hart with two spring practices under his belt then Yeldon and Drake at the end of the line. I'm not sure Drake will get much, if any, playing time because of what is in front of him. No telling what happens if the injury bug strikes, though...
This is the RB depth:
Eddie
Fowler
Dee Hart
Yeldon
Blake Simms
Drake
In the situation Eddie cannot play, Bama is left with Fowler and Simms as the only RBs with game experience followed by Hart with two spring practices under his belt then Yeldon and Drake at the end of the line. I'm not sure Drake will get much, if any, playing time because of what is in front of him. No telling what happens if the injury bug strikes, though...
It's my understanding that Drake could play running back or receiver. For that matter if he has the ability at receiver he could end up on defense too. I'm sure they will give him a long look at running back but it's really what Drake's abilities are that determine where he ends up.
funny now we have so many great players we can't figure out where to put them, how times have changed
Likewise. My favorite overall recruit in this class (not my highest ranked..just my favorite on & off the field)
I don't know for sure, but Hart looks to have lost a step or two after the knee surgery. He is not an every down back. He'll have to be a 3rd down specialist if he can manage to block at all. Depth at RB is the area that concerns me most. If Eddie is limited at all, I expect Yeldon will be the every down guy. Fowler is a beast, but he is probably not a game changer. Yeldon could be. I have no idea about how good Drake could be, but if Eddie is not able to go, I see him getting some snaps this year.
Earle is the expert of every injury known to man around these parts. But generally speaking, it normally takes a full 1.5-2 calendar years to regain the same explosiveness prior to one of those injuries/procedures.
As far as the status of our running back department in general, I've had to come to grips over the summer that there just isn't an Ingram or Richardson type back on the roster. Lacy CAN be that, but we have yet to see him do it over the course of a season without either nagging injuries or fumbling issues. Fowler can definitely break tackles, but he's not outrunning anyone. In Yeldon, I see more of a Glen Coffee type in that aspect. HE CAN break a tackle, but he's not seeking contact. And Dee Hart..I have no idea what to expect. When I first saw him, he was an elusive scatback with break-neck quickness. But everything I've seen of him in the 2 spring practice games has been him trying to be that Trent Richardson type back. But if I've learned anything in my 30 years of living, it's that you simply can't be something you're not. We'll see how it works out though.
All that seems grim, but the running back position has been the least questionable one on our roster(s) since Coach Saban and his staff have been here. His first year, Terry Grant looked like a world beater. After that, Glenn Coffee, who was all potential/no production in Shula's system turned into a legitimate NFL back. Roy Upchurch reached the potential that he came in hyped with. Mark Ingram & Trent Richardson....you saw how that went..
And most, if not all, of that credit should go directly to Coach Burton Burns. He doesn't get nearly the amount of kudos that he should,but God bless him. We see his work every game. He always puts his guys in a position to be successful. And I have no doubt that he can pull off a masterful job this season.
We may be in for a four horsemen type deal. When Coach Saban won at LSU in 2003, he had a 3 back system with Addai, Vincent, and Broussard. This past season, The Hat used 4 RBs to wear down opponents over the course of the game and to deodorize stinky QB play. It worked for 12 of their 14 games. Not bad.
I doubt we'll have a 1500 yard rusher on this team, but it won't shock me at all to see us have 3000 yards rushing as a team. Doesn't matter who does it, as long as it gets done
All that seems grim, but the running back position has been the least questionable one on our roster(s) since Coach Saban and his staff have been here. His first year, Terry Grant looked like a world beater. After that, Glenn Coffee, who was all potential/no production in Shula's system turned into a legitimate NFL back. Roy Upchurch reached the potential that he came in hyped with. Mark Ingram & Trent Richardson....you saw how that went..
And most, if not all, of that credit should go directly to Coach Burton Burns. He doesn't get nearly the amount of kudos that he should,but God bless him. We see his work every game. He always puts his guys in a position to be successful. And I have no doubt that he can pull off a masterful job this season.
We may be in for a four horsemen type deal. When Coach Saban won at LSU in 2003, he had a 3 back system with Addai, Vincent, and Broussard. This past season, The Hat used 4 RBs to wear down opponents over the course of the game and to deodorize stinky QB play. It worked for 12 of their 14 games. Not bad.
I doubt we'll have a 1500 yard rusher on this team, but it won't shock me at all to see us have 3000 yards rushing as a team. Doesn't matter who does it, as long as it gets done
Given our veteran, road grader offensive line, a new and proven QB coach/Offensive Coordinator and the tremendous confidence we have in our starting QB I certainly believe that we have more than enough horsepower in the backfield. In fact, I would bet that a Fowler - Yeldon duo could be equally effective this year as the Ingram - Richardson Juggernaut of a couple of years ago.
Lots of folks that have seen both Yeldon & Drake play ball..Have said Drake is every bit as good as Yeldon(a couple friends told me they think Drake will be the better RB before they leave TTown)..So we shall see..I wish Drake could have enrolled early like Yeldon did..
I had the pleasure of meeting Kenyan Drake. What a great kid with a great attitude. His high school is about 1-1/2 miles from my house so I also got to see him play. What a great talent!!
Nice
I just think Fowler is much better than he is given credit for AND we are going to make big plays in the passing game that will open up running lanes. We'll see...I know Drake wants to play RB, but when God/nature/genes/whatever put you at 6'0, 195 pounds, with speed to burn and a 38 inch vertical, you should probably be playing a position where you play the ball in the air.
He has Kenny Bell's speed and athleticism but with the size of a safety. Sounds like a born slot receiver.
He has Kenny Bell's speed and athleticism but with the size of a safety. Sounds like a born slot receiver.
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