Alex Collins

[Thepeelsessions]

I'm done with Rawls. I'd like to see AC more in the playoffs. After the draft and during camps, I thought he'd get a lot of playing time this year. I'm excited his minutes are increasing right now. Now is a good time when teams don't have a lot of film on him. He might run wild.

 

[ACFan]

he's not high end and nor will he be. If that were the case, he'd have been starting quite some time ago.

So if you aren't a world beater in your first 24 carries as a RB, you can't be "high end? I don't think that holds up. I bet there are many RB greats that disagree.

I wouldn't worry much that Collins wasn't able to come into a completely different system than he ran in college, and immediately beat out every back that has been in the league and system for a while. That's no strike against him in any way shape or form. That in itself is not a definition of his "ceiling"

 

[chris98251]

I think with all the inconsistencies on the Line and play calling you really can't discount any of the backs, I am one that believes a Back gets better when he gets a feel for the game and the turf and gets better as the game goes on. Too many moving parts make all that hard to happen, I don't think Prosise is a every down back and he wasn't brought here to be one, AC I think was, he was running like he was comfortable tonight and noticed he is picking his feet up more and striding versus a shuffle run.

I think a true running back needs about 20 carries a game or so to really contribute and also wear down a defense, 3rd down and special plays aside from that.

 

[ACFan]

I think with all the inconsistencies on the Line and play calling you really can't discount any of the backs, I am one that believes a Back gets better when he gets a feel for the game and the turf and gets better as the game goes on. Too many moving parts make all that hard to happen, I don't think Prosise is a every down back and he wasn't brought here to be one, AC I think was, he was running like he was comfortable tonight and noticed he is picking his feet up more and striding versus a shuffle run.

I think a true running back needs about 20 carries a game or so to really contribute and also wear down a defense, 3rd down and special plays aside from that.

If I'm grading posts about our RB situation this season, this one just made the top of the list.

 

[ACFan]

Last comment on "ceilings".

I think it's debatable on who has the higher ceiling, Prosise or Collins, but for arguments sake, we'll say Prosise has a slightly higher ceiling.

Here's my point, either one of them hitting their ceiling would be more than adequate for what we need from the run game.

So to me, it's not about if one ceiling is a little higher than the other, it's about the probability of actually reaching their ceiling.

The guy who averages 2-3 injuries a year? Or the guy who hasn't been sidelined by an injury in the last 5 years?

easy answer.

 

[Seanhawk]

We'll see how it carries over into the post-season, but I think it's telling how the coaching staff felt about Collins' "big" game last week when some guy who had never seen the field before, got on the field a lot before Collins even saw the field yesterday.

Then again he didn't see the field much last week after he tapped himself out of the game after a couple of nice plays.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

We'll see how it carries over into the post-season, but I think it's telling how the coaching staff felt about Collins' "big" game last week when some guy who had never seen the field before, got on the field a lot before Collins even saw the field yesterday.

Then again he didn't see the field much last week after he tapped himself out of the game after a couple of nice plays.

After falling behind 14-3 they may have wanted McKissic to be in there more (sometimes split wise) but:

In the 'time to burn the clock' fourth quarter AC carried 5 times for 29 yards - not bad

 

[HawkerD]

you cannot evaluate the talent of an RB behind this shit show of an OL.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

you cannot evaluate the talent of an RB behind this shit show of an OL.

True to a large degree but you can watch what happened once AC made a good cut and got past the LOS. And on his two big-big runs, especially the one down to the SF 26, he looked fast and strong. PRich must be one of the guys still feeling the effects of that one today, since amongst all the contact was AC's banging him into a better block. Pretty impressive on replay.

 

[scutterhawk]

Last comment on "ceilings".

I think it's debatable on who has the higher ceiling, Prosise or Collins, but for arguments sake, we'll say Prosise has a slightly higher ceiling.

Here's my point, either one of them hitting their ceiling would be more than adequate for what we need from the run game.

So to me, it's not about if one ceiling is a little higher than the other, it's about the probability of actually reaching their ceiling.

The guy who averages 2-3 injuries a year? Or the guy who hasn't been sidelined by an injury in the last 5 years?

easy answer.

Correct, if you have durability issues, you'll never really reach your FULL potential (ceiling)
I think that through it all, Pete held onto AC for that very reason.
I also believe that some folks are fooling themselves by trying to use Marshawn Lynch as a comparison to any available RB out there, as "The Beast" was a once in a generation find.
I believe that Pete still wants to feature a Run First Offense, but without Lynch, he will need to establish a RB by committee, AND, he will need to re-establish the Run Push O-Line, as you cannot "Pound The Rock" without it.
The O-Line is being compared to "A Shit Show", because they can neither open up a running lane for a RB ukeface: , nor can they provide for minimal Pass Protection :177692: , so BOTH phases of the offensive attack are Gawd Awful, SO, it's imperative that we find some semblance of a run game with the RB's at hand, and I believe that Collins has shown the most promise, and until we get CJ Prosise back as the change of pace RB, we need to go with Marcell Reece to fill the void, + whoever we use as our feature Backs, will need to show that they can BLOCK.

 

[ACFan]

The O-Line is being compared to "A Shit Show",

I'm trying to come up with a more unfavorable sounding metaphorical comparison, and I'm drawing blanks.

It certainly implies "push" and "movement", so perhaps there is hope after all.

 

[SeaChat]

I was hoping I wasn't the only seeing what is happening with Alex Collins. I am not throwing in the towel on Rawls, but let's get real for a couple of minutes here. Rawls simply hasn't been able to get his old self going again so far this season. Maybe getting busted up a couple times has made him gun shy, to put it all out there like he used to. It happens to the best. Some players realize you have to put it all in the line if you want to be successful in the NFL, others start trying to play concervative and eventually teams have to accept the magic is gone and deal with it.

Reality is, that if we want any kind of chance of getting our asses to a Super Bowl party, we are going to need a running game. Rawls hasn't been able to deliver, and blaming the oline doesn't cut it when Collins is able to get meaningful yardage behind the same oline Rawls isn't.

I say we let Alex have the lead running back position, at least until Rawls can find his way out of this funk he's in. With the possibility of CJ being back in the line up we would have a formadble running game arrangement, that might just get us to the big dance.

The definition of insanity is when you continue doing the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result, which is what we have been doing with Rawls. Since we're already acting insane, lets act slightly less insane, and put Collins in there as the lead RB for awhile and see if we don't keep getting the same or better results from him.

I don't want to go to far out on a limb here, but I know I'm not the only one whose seeing flashes of Marshawn Lynch in Alex's running style. We don't have a lot of options here. I'm not saying the Seahawks can't get thru to the end keeping Rawls in, I just think we make it a lot easier on ourselves if we go with Alex right now.

 

[ACFan]

I was hoping I wasn't the only seeing what is happening with Alex Collins. I am not throwing in the towel on Rawls, but let's get real for a couple of minutes here. Rawls simply hasn't been able to get his old self going again so far this season. Maybe getting busted up a couple times has made him gun shy, to put it all out there like he used to. It happens to the best. Some players realize you have to put it all in the line if you want to be successful in the NFL, others start trying to play concervative and eventually teams have to accept the magic is gone and deal with it.

Reality is, that if we want any kind of chance of getting our asses to a Super Bowl party, we are going to need a running game. Rawls hasn't been able to deliver, and blaming the oline doesn't cut it when Collins is able to get meaningful yardage behind the same oline Rawls isn't.

I say we let Alex have the lead running back position, at least until Rawls can find his way out of this funk he's in. With the possibility of CJ being back in the line up we would have a formadble running game arrangement, that might just get us to the big dance.

The definition of insanity is when you continue doing the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result, which is what we have been doing with Rawls. Since we're already acting insane, lets act slightly less insane, and put Collins in there as the lead RB for awhile and see if we don't keep getting the same or better results from him.

I don't want to go to far out on a limb here, but I know I'm not the only one whose seeing flashes of Marshawn Lynch in Alex's running style. We don't have a lot of options here. I'm not saying the Seahawks can't get thru to the end keeping Rawls in, I just think we make it a lot easier on ourselves if we go with Alex right now.

great post from start to finish

I say we let Alex have the lead running back position, at least until Rawls can find his way out of this funk he's in. With the possibility of CJ being back in the line up we would have a formadble running game arrangement, that might just get us to the big dance.

Rawls greatest chance of busting out of his funk right now is to be replaced by Alex Collins in the starting line up.

Whatever he's got left in the tank, I bet we'd see every ounce of it his first carry in to spell AC.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

I think CPC was telling us the truth a few weeks back when he said the light had come on for Collins.

He said something similar about Christine Michael. Time will tell.

 

[ACFan]

I am not throwing in the towel on Rawls, but let's get real for a couple of minutes here. Rawls simply hasn't been able to get his old self going again so far this season. Maybe getting busted up a couple times has made him gun shy, to put it all out there like he used to. It happens to the best. Some players realize you have to put it all in the line if you want to be successful in the NFL, others start trying to play concervative and eventually teams have to accept the magic is gone and deal with it.

Here's my take on this, guys with great 40 times, and great quickness, but not a lot of natural instincts, have to rely on their athletic ability to produce.

That means they have to run with reckless abandon, and I mean out of control, they can make big plays at times, but they can get hurt a lot. by eventually zigging when they should have zagged, or just the ankle and hamstring problems that occur when you are always over extending.

You think of the great RBs, guys with great vision and instincts, they don't look like they are running out of control, always seem in control of themselves. Even the crazy stuff Barry Sanders would do, he always looked in control of himself.

That's why backs with great vision can play 10+ years in the league, and guys who get by with great physical attributes and measurables are out in 3 years.


Early on, I could see most of the RBs we had were the kind of guys that use their raw athletic abilities to get by.

I figured Collins would beat them all out eventually, surprised it's taken so long, but maybe he's at the cusp of it now.

He is definitely an instinct and vision guy, that's how he's always produced, but those abilities don't come into play until you are really familiar with the offense, and that's taken longer than I thought it would.

 

[ivotuk]

I'd like to see AC become the lead back, with Rawls coming in on 3rd downs of to give AC a break. I think Rawls quickness and speed could bust some big runs, but AC is the bruiser that will wear defenses down.

 

[chris98251]

I think he needs the off season and meaning Rawls to get his leg strength back, healing is one thing but getting his quick muscle twitch and strength well that conditioning and repetition, muscle memory if you will not conscious thought.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

Rawls provided ample reason for hope last year but after all the injuries it could be next year before he gets another chance to show that again.

Had hoped he might recover from the shoulder injury in the Cards game enough to get going in SF but on his TD run he got hit by 3 guys and the hardest hit looked to be right into that same right shoulder. I suspect it ended his day.

 

[jammerhawk]

I agree on Rawls but think he's trying to play hurt and he has lost his effectiveness as a result.

 

[jake206]

He's lighter and therefore quicker to the ball. Explosion to that hole is key. We all knew he was a good one cut runner, but he was out of shape. So its no surprise he's more productive.
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