Am I Seriously The Only One Not Impressed With Morris?

[stevenaa]

Save the crap about the oline. Not only did they play phenomenally better than they were expected.

I don't agree with this at all. Their ills were completely masked by the game plan and Griffins elusivness. They are the achilles heal of this team. Barely above average IMO.

 

[Bulldog]

There wasn't much room in the running game. When Morris did have a crease he got 17 and 8 yards. The play where he was stopped and spun around and took the edge against the defense shows that he has good instincts and decent quickness even if he is not a 'fast' back in re a threat to go 80 yards like Helu may be.

 

[Om]

I'm not sure AM is a fixture kind of feature back in the NFL. What I've seen to date from both his college days and so far in DC is a guy I think can be a solid change-of-pace back and occasional potential sledgehammer. I thought he was pretty damn solid Sunday--not spectacular, but steady and productive given the general lack of running room.

How he fares in weeks to come as the offense matures and defenses start adjusting remains to be seen. AM could definitely surprise and become a feature back, but my impression remains at least for now that he'll settle into a situational and rotation guy over the next couple of years.

Hard not to smile at the notion of beating New Orleans in the Dome with rookies at both QB and RB though.

 

[Goaldeje]

Save the crap about the oline. Not only did they play phenomenally better than they were expected to, but Barry Sanders was in my opinion the greatest back of all time. And he ran behind the worst lines in NFL history.

Agree with all that. But to compare a rookie 6th round draft pick with Barry Sanders is absurd, imo.

 

[Henry]

He ran the ball 28 times. For 28 carries, you'd think we would certainly break 100 yards, but that isn't my only gripe with the kid. It's the lack of excitement. TDs aren't what I'm talking about, I'm talking about yawning nearly every time he ran his 1/4 yard runs.

Lack of excitement? Who cares about excitement? I care about wins.

If you can run the ball 28 times, you'll win more than you lose. 1 to 4-yard runs should be a team's bread-and-butter, and if you don't have the patience to soften up defenses with that you don't deserve to win. Look at the Saints. 10 rushes all day. Sure, their starter averaged over 4 yards a carry, but who cares? If you can't sustain a running game you become one dimensional and you lose. With Morris we could keep it going, and we won.

I'm not thrilled with Morris. I don't get the love that the coaching staff has for him. Not yet. But he did what he was supposed to do on Sunday. I don't care if it looked pretty or not.

People can say all they want about holes not being there, but this is the NFL, you should be making your own moves, not always relying on other to do it for you. Playmakers make things happen. Any count on how many times Morris was stopped after plowing into his own guy Clinton Portis style like he didn't see a 300 lb ass in front of him? It happened on most of his runs. There was a hole alright, he was just trying to hit the wrong kind.

There are backs that dance around, create space and get yards and look all pretty doing it, and there are backs that run forward and take what they are given. 'Downhill runners' if you will. Clearly Morris is the latter, like Riggins. He's a grinder. He runs forward and gets what he can. That type of runner may not be as fun to watch as Barry Sanders, but if you are trying to wear out a DL that's the type of running you want. If you are trying to soften up a pass D for your rookie QB, that's the type of runner you want.

... did you just compare Morris to Portis as if that's a BAD thing? Maybe I read that wrong ...

And seriously, 2 TDS that combined for 4 yards? I love touchdowns in any form, but using the fact he got 2 TDS to somehow proclaim that made him great and/or exciting, when they were plays almost any guy on the team could have squeezed in doesn't do it for me. If a halfback scored 30 TDs, but they were all 1 yard runs, and gained only another 10 yards all season, would it be the greatest season ever?

Are we talking about the Redskins or some other team? We scored a grand total of EIGHT rushing TDs last year. All of last year. And only six of those were scored by RBs. When during this millennium has this team EVER been able to just run the ball in from 2 yards out? Is it just me or for the past ten years have we not watched a DB make an interception and think 'if he doesn't get into the endzone we're kicking a FG'? You know what? I didn't think that yesterday. I KNEW we were going to score a TD from inside the five. I didn't even realize it until just now, but that's something we haven't had here in a LONG time. If Morris can be a guy that we can count on to get the ball into the endzone I say start him until he drops.

I was elated at the win. I loved that we put up so many points. But I can't be the only one who felt like it was the most boring 40 points ever scored. Outside of Griffin and the fact we beat a great team, there wasn't much to the game. I can't quite put my finger on what it was, but it just feels like the drudging running of Morris was a culprit. It just felt like halfway through the third quarter, Shanny decided to let off the gas and almost gave the game away. The 4th quarter was a total bore.

Ex, I love ya, ya crazy bastard, but this paragraph has to be one of the most ridiculous string of sentences I've ever read from a Redskin fan, ever. We were 5-11 last year. Are we REALLY going to complain about style points after a win this impressive and momentous?

The one thing I will say is the game did seem to go on forever. But that's certainly not the RUNNINGBACK'S fault. If anything, the more runs the faster the game goes. No, that was the scab refs taking too long to do just about everything. It was apparently a problem throughout the league on Sunday, so get used to that. I don't think Morris starting had anything at all to do with it.

 

[burgold]

One other thought, we haven't seen Morris' ceiling yet. This was one game. How can you predict exactly who he is or who he'll become?

You don't like him after one game? A rookie making his first start who scores twice, gets the tough yards, converts third, fourth downs, and goal lines?

Remember your first day on the job? Have you gotten better? 96 yards, no turnovers, and some great power. That's a good first day at the office.

Give him a couple of games before you define him. Let him get comfortable with the line, with NFL speed... heck, this was the first game he got to see the Shannahans even call a game. It looked nothing like what he was asked to do during preseason.

 

[Neophyte]

The one thing I will say is the game did seem to go on forever. But that's certainly not the RUNNINGBACK'S fault. If anything, the more runs the faster the game goes. No, that was the scab refs taking too long to do just about everything. It was apparently a problem throughout the league on Sunday, so get used to that.

The refs and the fact that NO threw the ball as much as they did with only a forty some-odd % completion percentage. A lot of Brees balls hit the turf yesterday stopping the clock.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I'm still boggled by the fact that a 6th round rookie could rush for 98 yards and 2TDs, and people would be "unimpressed."

Here's the bottom line: in his two goal line situations, he came away with two TDs. With the red zone struggles this team has had in the past 2 decades, THAT should be enough for any Redskins fan to want to go buy this kid's jersey. You know what else? He carried the ball 28 times, and the Redskins dominated time of possession.

What else do you want from a RB?

Here's more, and shows what Goaldie pointed out:
Attempts 1-Through-10, he was 10 for 27 (2.7 ypc, long of 6). The Saints were geared to stop the run early. Also, part of this is on Bob - there were at least a couple times the Saints line shifted to the direction we were running, and he did not audible out of it.

Attempts 11-Through-20, he was 10 for 62 (6.2 ypc, long of 18) w/ 1TD. Saints figured out they had to focus on Griffin, running lanes opened up, and voila; a productive RB.

Attempts 21-28, he was 8 for 7, with 1 TD. This included the goal line run of 3 yards, as well as 4 or 5 carries when everyone on earth knew the Redskins were going to run, as they were grinding out the clock.

Oh, one more little stat that is kind of important: ZERO fumbles.

EDIT: Here's Al's total 2nd-half stats -
19 carries for 75 yards (3.9 ypc), long of 18 with 2TDs & 4 first downs. Not too much to be unhappy about there.

 

[RG3 Fan]

IMO he is a steady runner. In the open field he seems to not make good judgment, but across the line he does a great job finding the seam. Regardless, you need more than one solid back in the NFL these days. Nice to have some solid backs to choose from. I am with Extreme in regard to Hulu.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Luck is the next Ryan Leaf.

Well, there's that, and your insistence that Danny Smith is a good special teams coach; that's enough for me to know that Alfred Morris has a long, fruitful NFL career ahead of him.

 

[ntotoro]

I truly can't believe that so many people actually have to defend the asshattery of a notion that suggests a rookie RB who ran for almost 100 yards and had two rushing TD's had anything other than a great debut.

He may be called upon more in the future to spell rather than start, but the kid did what he was asked two do and contributed 12 points.

Nick

 

[RG3 Fan]

I think you have to give kudos to Morris for a solid game.

 

[Bulldog]

And the Redskins leading rusher last year had how many yards and TDs?

Exactly my point.

There was room for improvement both in terms of yards, carries, time of possession and TDs.

Now, at least in Game 1 we are seeing some of that improvement.

No way to wallpaper over that.
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[Neophyte]

BD, you don't think Royster could have put up pretty much those same numbers this last Sunday?

 

[Bulldog]

No. Royster goes down easier than Morris whose center of gravity allows him to slip tackles.

No way Royster bowls over Hawthorne for that rushing TD.

Then there is the issue of durability. Would Royster have been able to sustain with 28 carries and the number of hits Morris took?

I agree with others here that outside of a couple of breaks and seals, the offensive line didn't own the line of scrimmage and a lot of Morris' yards were on his own.
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[Nobody]

Well, there's that, and your insistence that Danny Smith is a good special teams coach; that's enough for me to know that Alfred Morris has a long, fruitful NFL career ahead of him.

You think Danny sucks. I think he does great with the mess he has to work with. Your gripe with him forever has been the kicking game. I stated clear as day that the ST coach can't make a **** kicker good, and that if we had a great kicker, you'd find another reason to bitch, because you just hate Danny for no reason. This confirms that.

Besides, all of the people who actually play football, coach football, and get paid for their opinions agree with me. You're just like me - a guy on a message board who doesn't know squat

 

[SkinsOrlando]

He fought for every extra yard, he kept drives going by fighting for every inch, so yeah, I'm pleased.
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[Fear The Spear]

I LOVE Morris.

Partially because he reminds of another great running back with the same surname.....who used to terrorize us years ago with the Giants......Joe Morris.

Although, he's obviously bigger and stronger than Joe. It's just his low center of gravity they have in common, that makes him hard to tackle, just like Joe

 

[Nobody]

Yeah, so about this Alfred Morris guy.....I'd have to say the OP is clearly an idiot. Morris was running guys over the entire first half. He kinda vanished in the second half, but that's because of the patented Shannahan "abandon whatever is working" style of coaching.

I have a hankering for some crow, anybody got some they'd like to share? El, I know you have some leftover from the RGIII thread.

 

[Bulldog]

Let's face it. Griffin AND Morris are making the Redskins look good right now.

There are enough veteran players like Josh Morgan, DeAngelo Hall, Madieu Williams and OL like Polumbus that have been clear disappointments.