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Running Back Committee, or Will There Be a Standout?


vike daddy

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4 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

The Vikings mostly used a rushing attack of Alexander Mattison and recently acquired rusher Cam Akers and were able to move the ball well against Carolina. The duo carried the ball 22 times for 126 yards but didn't get in the end zone.

Mattison averaged 5.6 yards per carry on his 17 attempts while Akers averaged 8.0 yards per attempt on his five tries. These two running backs helped to keep the defense honest and give the team some tempo.

https://thevikingage.com/posts/takeaways-minnesota-vikings-win-carolina-panthers-week-4/4?fbclid=IwAR3LQisX50ztV73P52G0JnAx6QmGcArnx45KnwAX0X_QFlgfX2sQMJfCXEE

It was amazing at how much more burst there was in the rushing attack from both of them.

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13 minutes ago, swede700 said:

It was amazing at how much more burst there was in the rushing attack from both of them.

That might have a lot more to do with the opponent than anything. They looked better, sure. But I think it's because Carolina's front seven just aren't great. I also don't think they are as bad as the first couple of weeks. With Bradbury and Risner, I think there is some improvement to be had. 

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I haven't been shy about complaining about the Vikings running game.  Part of it has been execution and a lot of it has been play calling.  The ineffective run game has led to the offense being one dimensional...with JJ on IR, the passing game can't help but suffer.  

It's time to get the RB's the ball at a minimum 25 touches a game.  O'Connell has to call a more balanced game. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
6 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

let's use this older thread to discuss RB possibilities moving forward....

 

Akers with a blown Achilles.... Mattison getting a yard or two a carry, pretty much... Kene is often injured... Chandler is...?

who's out there somewhere we can make use of?

Sounds like we should just stop running the ball, especially with Jefferson hopefully returning soon. Just seems like a problematic thing to force.

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There are just no running backs out there. The most notable one is Ronald Jones.

I'm not sure who is out there on a practice squad that we could poach. Fournette?

James Robinson is in Green Bay. Melvin Gordon is in Baltimore. 

We also have McBride, who we drafted.

Edited by SteelKing728
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13 hours ago, vike daddy said:

let's use this older thread to discuss RB possibilities moving forward....

 

Akers with a blown Achilles.... Mattison getting a yard or two a carry, pretty much... Kene is often injured... Chandler is...?

who's out there somewhere we can make use of?

They should just use Powell in a Cordarrelle/Deebo role. 

Edited by swede700
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This is THE most important issue with this offense. I used to think that O'Connell moved away from the running game to quickly because he's more comfortable calling passing plays.  Now, I believe it's because he doesn't trust the talent in the RB room.  Akers was the best we had, and he was not going to be a workhorse clock eating back.  They lack of a running game will mean that our opponents will always be in the game, unless... you know...they are led by Jordan Love.  For the foreseeable future, Dobbs and/or Hall will be the Vikings running attack.

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35 minutes ago, swede700 said:

That was probably the worst running game this season yesterday...and that is saying a lot. 

Crazy since we had what? Almost 150 yards rushing?!?

I like to imagine us making the trades we did in the 2022 draft, but taking Breece Hall instead of Lewis Cine.

We need a longterm QB and RB in the worst way.

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4 minutes ago, SteelKing728 said:

Crazy since we had what? Almost 150 yards rushing?!?

I like to imagine us making the trades we did in the 2022 draft, but taking Breece Hall instead of Lewis Cine.

We need a longterm QB and RB in the worst way.

That's why stats lie.  I don't care that they got 68 yds on 13 carries in the 2nd half, that was almost dumb luck rather than effective running.  At one point, Mattison had 10 carries for 17 yds.  We've seen some ugly running performances this season, but when you lose 7 yds on first down running the ball, I don't think there's any explanation you can come up with to justify that. 

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39 minutes ago, swede700 said:

That's why stats lie.  I don't care that they got 68 yds on 13 carries in the 2nd half, that was almost dumb luck rather than effective running.  At one point, Mattison had 10 carries for 17 yds.  We've seen some ugly running performances this season, but when you lose 7 yds on first down running the ball, I don't think there's any explanation you can come up with to justify that. 

True. And, it's not all the fault of the online.  Let's face it, Mattison is not a lead running back.  He jas terrible vision, and no patience.  He hits a hole with authority...but thats all.  He might as well run into a stone wall.  He'd have the same success. Akers, at least, had some shiftiness and  some vision.  However, now with his second Achilles tear, I imagine his career being in jeopardy. 

In some ways, finding a starting running back is probably as crucial, if not more so, then finding the QBOTF. 

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