Pick One - RB
- Thread starter JM4CY
- Start date
Barry Sanders had an absolute stud game in the rain in Ames.
If I am picking one who is the most well-rounded talent, it is Breece.
If I am picking one who accomplished the most against the odds (2 successive years rushing for 2k + yards, fewer complementary offensive weapons so play calls are more predictable, standing up to all the contact and continuing to play) it is Troy.
He lacked NFL speed. Also, everyone that wasn't an ISU fan attributed his ridiculous yardage amount to high usage.
Beyond that, teams weren't going to take a "flier" on a kid from a bad ISU program.
Big Eight Roundup : Sanders Has 293 Yards, 4 Touchdowns to Lead Oklahoma State
Trailing 28-21 early in the fourth quarter and frustrated by Iowa State's ball-control offense, Oklahoma State needed a big play.
He was the 2nd pick in the 3rd round, so it wasn't really an issue of not getting an opportunity. He was a great college player that wasn't all that suitable for the NFL. 185 lb guy with mid- 4.7s speed and not a lot of tread left on the tires after his college career. Didn't display much in the passing game as a receiver or in pass protection.
He made a lot of hay in the CFL, though. Passing offenses and wider field = more lanes.
I look at it like this:
If you swap them onto each others teams, what does that look like? I think Breece does far better on those Davis teams than Davis does on Breece teams. Breece is just so much more complete. IMO Davis didn't do anything in the NFL because once he was facing a whole team of NFL tacklers, his greatest attribute was severely diminished due to his lack of raw physical talent. That's not to mention the mileage he had on him. Who knows what Breece will do, but there isn't a measurable deficiency that he has. He has everything you want, especially in the modern game.
If you swap them onto each others teams, what does that look like? I think Breece does far better on those Davis teams than Davis does on Breece teams. Breece is just so much more complete. IMO Davis didn't do anything in the NFL because once he was facing a whole team of NFL tacklers, his greatest attribute was severely diminished due to his lack of raw physical talent. That's not to mention the mileage he had on him. Who knows what Breece will do, but there isn't a measurable deficiency that he has. He has everything you want, especially in the modern game.
I think there may have been an intelligence factor regarding the playbook too.
I’m not going to pick because they were both studs. But anybody discounting Troy just has youth against them. Everybody knew who was getting the ball and Troy is still the only guy with TWO 2000 yard seasons(I believe). His size was a factor in the NFL but if I need 3 yards on 3rd and 3 I’m giving it to Troy.
I'd honestly forgotten he was drafted in the third round. RBs that were picked before him:
Warrick Dunn
Antowain Smith
Tiki Barber
Byron Hanspard
Corey Dillon
Marc Edwards (fullback)
Sedrick Shaw (yuck)
Ron Dayne also had 2 seasons of over 2000 yards ('96 and '99), but Troy is the only one to do it in back-to-back seasons if that counts for anything.
Crutchfield, Blaise Bryant, Dexter Green, Darren Davis and ARob (just off the top of my head) were all at least as good as Haywood. He was a good back, but I never understood why people overinflate him.
Shoot, I would have liked to see Stevie Hicks with a decent OL.
