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Is Alvin Kamara the best Running Back in the NFL?


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The toughest RB Luke Kuechly has had to defend...

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

Slippery.

That’s the best way I can describe Alvin Kamara.

He’s one of the most unique guys to tackle because it’s almost like he invites contact, but not in a way where he’s trying to run you over. He kind of sets you up because he’s very good at twisting and contorting his body to make himself into a smaller target. When he’s in the open field, he’ll come right at you — he’ll let you square him up — and then, right at the point of contact, he’ll twist his body. And instead of putting your helmet in his chest and stopping his momentum, all of a sudden you’re off to his side, trying to make an arm tackle. 

The key is that he does all this without sacrificing his momentum. He’s running downhill, full speed, still making guys miss. So when you watch the film, he always looks so smooth. Like he just kind of glides. It looks effortless.

I remember the first time we played against him back in 2017. It was early in his rookie year, so we didn’t have a lot of film and didn’t know much about him. Then, in the fourth quarter, he broke a 25-yard run for a touchdown.

 

That was the play where we all kind of looked at each other and were like, Whoa … this guy’s pretty good. 

And it’s not like it was some highlight-reel run. He didn’t do anything crazy. It’s just the way he slid through all the traffic at the line of scrimmage, and then had the burst to get to the sideline, and the strength to break a tackle and get into the end zone.

Like I said, he just makes it look easy. 

And that was an inside run, too. Which is another thing. Because I think the Saints have always had guys who are great out of the backfield — backs who are either really good on screens, can catch the ball, run great routes, and are good outside on the perimeter or between the tackles.

But I don’t think they’ve ever had one guy who could do it all.

Back in the day, they had Darren Sproles. And when he was on the field, you knew you were going to get a little bit of outside run, a lot of screens, some gimmicky plays … but you knew you weren’t going to get a lot of downhill direct runs or between-the-tackles stuff. That wasn’t his game. So you could basically eliminate a big chunk of the playbook presnap.

With Kamara, you have to respect the whole playbook.

And he’s actually bigger than you think. On paper, he’s only 5′ 10″ and like 215 pounds. But he’s rock solid. He plays big. And a guy who plays big like that, and who can still move laterally and shake guys in the open field — it’s fun to watch. 

But man … it’s tough to play against.

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On 9/30/2019 at 4:49 PM, GSUeagles14 said:

so, youre admitting it wasnt wrong and you needlessly changed it? Thank you JESUS!  Lock this baby up, Tyler finally admitted what weve all known for the last  80 something pages. Lock it up.

The mods apparently think it's amusing to watch this thing spaz around. Not what mods should be doing--abstracting their own smug comedy out of a bull****, played out topic. But I guess they feel like they need to make their own fun, and we have to suffer for that...

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15 minutes ago, Heinz D. said:

The mods apparently think it's amusing to watch this thing spaz around. Not what mods should be doing--abstracting their own smug comedy out of a bull****, played out topic. But I guess they feel like they need to make their own fun, and we have to suffer for that...

Actually why lock it up?  Although there have been quite a few comments dripping in sarcasm/memeage, there is quite a bit of football discussion going on, not just about AK and his position on the RB rankings, but other RBs and their positions on the list as well.  Although the thread's title is controversial to some, it has definitely created quite a bit of discussion and what is this site for if not to discuss football?

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1 hour ago, Raves said:

Actually why lock it up?  Although there have been quite a few comments dripping in sarcasm/memeage, there is quite a bit of football discussion going on, not just about AK and his position on the RB rankings, but other RBs and their positions on the list as well.  Although the thread's title is controversial to some, it has definitely created quite a bit of discussion and what is this site for if not to discuss football?

Are you serious? 

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2 hours ago, Heinz D. said:

The mods apparently think it's amusing to watch this thing spaz around. Not what mods should be doing--abstracting their own smug comedy out of a bull****, played out topic. But I guess they feel like they need to make their own fun, and we have to suffer for that...

You know what is great about a forum? If you don't like a topic, you can move along and not post in it. If you are "suffering" from this, you have bigger problems to worry about than a random football thread. 

As for the thread, it's a perfectly valid thread as Kamara to many people is in the conversation for the best in the NFL, which has been discussed in here. Now if you don't have anything to add in regards to the topic, it would be nice if you could not derail the thread.

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2 hours ago, Heinz D. said:
3 hours ago, Raves said:

Actually why lock it up?  Although there have been quite a few comments dripping in sarcasm/memeage, there is quite a bit of football discussion going on, not just about AK and his position on the RB rankings, but other RBs and their positions on the list as well.  Although the thread's title is controversial to some, it has definitely created quite a bit of discussion and what is this site for if not to discuss football?

Are you serious? 

Yes.  What is the reasoning to locking it?  Because you disagree with the premise of the thread?  This thread doesn't break any rules on the forum.  It actually generates discussion.  For example, you might think Tom Brady is the unquestionable GOAT, meanwhile I disagree that he is depending on the criteria used to describe the GOAT.  So should a thread discussing the GOAT QB be locked if someone said they think Joe Montana or Steve Young for example were the GOATs?

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If this thread was “Todd Gurley is the best RB in the NFL” it would have died about a year ago. At the time it was widely regarded that Gurley was the top back. 

Saying Kamara was the top back wasn’t popular but it also wasn’t hyperbole, so it worked for a discussion piece. And it appears that Kamara has outlived Gurley. But Barkley and CMac have also ascended. It’s definitely a moving target which keeps the top fresh. 

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This thread would be like if I created a topic of is Cooper Kupp the best WR in the NFL. The question sounds crazy but when you actually think about it and look at the production it becomes less crazy with the answer still being no. But if that thread lives for a year then maybe the answer becomes closer to a yes if production holds and players fall off. 

I'd have Kamara right now at 3 or 4. I will take Barkley and CMAC over him and I'm on the fence with Zeke. 

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57 minutes ago, LeotheLion said:

This thread would be like if I created a topic of is Cooper Kupp the best WR in the NFL. The question sounds crazy but when you actually think about it and look at the production it becomes less crazy with the answer still being no. But if that thread lives for a year then maybe the answer becomes closer to a yes if production holds and players fall off. 

I'd have Kamara right now at 3 or 4. I will take Barkley and CMAC over him and I'm on the fence with Zeke. 

Hardly an equal comparison. This thread was created after Kamara finished his rookie year as a Pro Bowler/All Pro, and was about a quarter of the way through his 2nd season in which he was leading the NFL in scrimmage yards and was also 1st or 2nd in touchdowns. Kupp is coming off a year in which he was injured most of the year, has never had a 1,000+ yard season, or 10+ touchdowns in a season, and no big accolades like an All Pro. Hardly a similar comparison.

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1 hour ago, tyler735 said:

Hardly an equal comparison. This thread was created after Kamara finished his rookie year as a Pro Bowler/All Pro, and was about a quarter of the way through his 2nd season in which he was leading the NFL in scrimmage yards and was also 1st or 2nd in touchdowns. Kupp is coming off a year in which he was injured most of the year, has never had a 1,000+ yard season, or 10+ touchdowns in a season, and no big accolades like an All Pro. Hardly a similar comparison.

That's just because he was hurt though. Kupps numbers pre injury were great and they are great post injury. There's not more than 10 WRs right now playing better. It's funny that with Goff people feel the need to post last 12 games to make a point but with Kupp it only matters what you do in one season. Kupps last 12 game stats would rival anyone. 

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11 minutes ago, LeotheLion said:

That's just because he was hurt though. Kupps numbers pre injury were great and they are great post injury. There's not more than 10 WRs right now playing better. It's funny that with Goff people feel the need to post last 12 games to make a point but with Kupp it only matters what you do in one season. Kupps last 12 game stats would rival anyone. 

Maybe? But the injury alone is enough reason for that thread to not be created for Kupp like it was Kamara. The lack of accolades is also a huge reason. I'd also argue Kamara has simply shown elite/rare traits that give him an argument over a guy like Kupp for this type of thread. Few people have the combo of balance, versatility, explosiveness, and tackle breaking ability that Kamara posseses. This isn't a slight on Kupp who I do think could be a fringe top 5/top 10 WR. 

I think even Rams fans are starting show concern with Goff's performances as of late. His last 15-20 games have been wildly inconsistent, but I'm not going to delve into that any further in this thread, but would gladly debate this in the appropriate "Is Goff good thread".

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16 hours ago, Bearerofnews said:

Thats kinna crazy that 1 player would say that much about an opponent. Wtf was kuechley doing, reading his Saintss autobiography

 

Game recognize Game.

Great players respect other great players.

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3 hours ago, LeotheLion said:

This thread would be like if I created a topic of is Cooper Kupp the best WR in the NFL. The question sounds crazy but when you actually think about it and look at the production it becomes less crazy with the answer still being no. But if that thread lives for a year then maybe the answer becomes closer to a yes if production holds and players fall off. 

I'd have Kamara right now at 3 or 4. I will take Barkley and CMAC over him and I'm on the fence with Zeke. 

I’d say that Hopkins in 2017 would be a better comparison. You could see the elite upside...it only needed to get realized. 

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