CJ Procise thoughts

[kearly]

Seemed like his instincts were totally lacking in game four. He missed some reads and hesitated a lot. The lack of between the tackles instincts that jumped out like a sore thumb at Notre Dame were evident once again in the preseason finale.

He seems like the kind of back that is going to really struggle to get 20+ yard runs in the NFL. He seems to lose a lot of speed when he changes direction or makes a big cut. He's good at spinning forward for the extra yard, but he really struggles with elusiveness. I think for a back like him having vision and decisiveness is critical because once he starts dancing you can pretty much end any hopes of a big run.

I'm sure Procise will make the team, but at this point I don't think he's yet ready to see significant NFL snaps. I hope they save him more for garbage time until he gets a better feel for Cable's system.

 

[HawkGA]

I kind of think his main purpose on the team will be to be the running back when the team then shifts into an empty backfield. So I'm not really sure he's going to be judged on his running ability.

 

[nanomoz]

I think you're spot on. Luckily, I think there's enough talent ahead of Procise to justify stashing and teaching him. His only real skill where he might be ahead of the curve is motioning out wide.

But, I'll retain hope. Marshawn had it click in his second year here, he became 5x the player seemingly overnight. Holding out hope.

 

[FlyingGreg]

I think he will be used as mostly a receiving option. I doubt he gets many carries.

 

[DJrmb]

I agree with the others. Procise was brought in for a very specific role. Something specific I think the coaching staff wants to exploit mainly on 3rd downs. I don't think he'll need to run between the tackles much. That's not to say that he doesn't need to get better at the more traditional RB skills though. They will definitely try to coach him up in those areas too but in the mean time use his unique skillset to exploit defenses on 3rd downs.

 

[TwistedHusky]

His college tape is really good.

There was a game where he just carried ND, but he did have a pretty imposing ND line to run behind.

My first inclination was to be really excited to have a guy that was pretty much a WR but could also run the ball. Sort of a reverse Tate, instead of WR that turns into a RB - as RB that turns into a WR.

But my god.

He isn't quick through his gears. I do not like his quickness AT ALL. He isn' slow, but frustratingly average. Maybe worse.

He doesn't seem to have great instincts with the ball once he catches it, but he has good balance. His power sucks though so he isn't going to break many tackles.

I cannot tell if he is fast at top gear because we never saw it on the field. In college, he looked fast but he doesn't look faster than any other Johnny NobodyKnows WR you can get off the waiver wire.

He supposedly has soft hands, but what good is that if he cannot do anything with the ball once caught? As a patch catching back, he is going to need to catch it in the flat and run with it. And unless he has an open field with few or terrible defenders he is going to get caught.

I was hoping for him to turn into that guy for the Eagles, or Ricky Watters (who played for us and the Eagles) but that guy was quicker, more able to adjust.

Maybe the game will slow down for him as a WR and we can get something out of him. Maybe he is still fighting injury or rust, but if what we see is on the field is him at full health? We have a lot of waiting before he does anything IF he does anything - his upside is basically some guy on the Browns you don't know the name of or care about.

What just baffles me is the all the hype and why, when we need depth at key positions so much and have positions where guys are trying to separate but the line is thin so we almost need to keep both of them, we would think keeping a roster slot for a non-producing back at a position where getting replacement is easy.

I get he was injured but nothing he has shown on the field should have earned him a slot.

 

[ACFan]

It's hard to interpret why the RBs were used in preseason the way they were.

Was CJ in the game ahead of AC, put in better situations, because he's considered ahead of AC?, or because they needed to evaluate him harder? had more questions?

It's understood he'll very likely make the cut, because he was a 3rd rounder, even though they had him and AC graded about the same.

Then you have Pope, who may have outplayed them both, also in the game ahead of AC and put in pretty good situations.

Then consider the differing roles they have, and that CJ and Pope are probably more similar than AC is to either.

I'm so confused.

FWIW, CJ had a slightly less YPG than AC, even though AC was put in multiple tough situations in short yardage where he's faced a totally clogged line with no O-line push. and CJ had a couple of 3rd and long opportunities.


I still see Rawls, C-Mike, CJ and AC, with Pope on PS, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised by anything, the coaches see so much more than we do.

 

[Ozzy]

I loved his college tape and who knows where he's at after being injured and getting very little practice time and not much work in the preseason. I'm still a believer and we will see what he is capable of in the coming weeks for sure. I'm just not ready to say he's a bust or a lackluster talent before we see more of him.

 

[morgulon1]

Average speed and hesitation will make your worst fears come true in the NFL. What if Pope could catch passes out of the backfield? I see him getting picked up and doing well elsewhere.

 

[ACFan]

I get he was injured but nothing he has shown on the field should have earned him a slot.

forgetting where everyone was drafted and how long they've been here, just going off what they've shown in preseason, AND considering the situations and opportunities they were given, I felt Pope and AC were the most impressive, followed closely by C-mike, then Rawl's 1 carry, then CJ.

that's not to say the day 1 roster should read that way, but just what I've seen, or better said, what we've been allowed to see.

 

[mikeak]

We know Bevell wants to run sweeps......................just saying

 

[FlyingGreg]

It is clear to me CJ is not 100% back from the hamstring.

Will see what it looks like when he is healthy and fully involved in the offense.

 

[kearly]

It's hard to interpret why the RBs were used in preseason the way they were.

FWIW, CJ had a slightly less YPG than AC, even though AC was put in multiple tough situations in short yardage where he's faced a totally clogged line with no O-line push. and CJ had a couple of 3rd and long opportunities.

I still see Rawls, C-Mike, CJ and AC, with Pope on PS, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised by anything, the coaches see so much more than we do.

There's a great stat on football outsiders that measures the value of a RB far better than yards per carry. It's called "success rate." Basically, any run that goes for 4+ yards on first or second down is a success. And only carries that pick up a 1st down / touchdown on 3rd or 4th downs are considered successes. That means that even on 3rd and inches, if you run for half a yard and got the first, you were a success that play even though it hurt your YPC.

When evaluating RBs success rate is what you look for. Do they keep the offense on schedule with 4+ yard runs on 1st and 2nd down? Do they convert the short yardage plays? Pretty much ANY game situation is a chance for a RB to prove his worth.

Collins dramatically improved his success rate last night, though for him the real concern is that he only looks capable of doing anything when getting a running start before the handoff out of single set back formations. Seattle is a read option team that only does single set back and I-formations as a change of pace.

If it makes you feel better, I think Collins definitely looked better than Procise did last night. Collins is limited, but he at least is capable of looking good in very specific situations. For another team that runs a lot of single set back formations, like maybe the New York Giants, I could see Collins having a degree of NFL success.

As far as Pope goes, there is zero chance he will clear waivers if Seattle cuts him. The other 31 teams watch Seattle's roster like a hawk.

 

[kearly]

I loved his college tape and who knows where he's at after being injured and getting very little practice time and not much work in the preseason. I'm still a believer and we will see what he is capable of in the coming weeks for sure. I'm just not ready to say he's a bust or a lackluster talent before we see more of him.

I hated the pick personally. Part of that was because there were a couple of available RBs who's tape was soooo much better (namely, Kenneth Dixon). Procise looked very raw as a RB at Notre Dame to my eyes and it felt like the kind of pick where you hoped Seattle knew something we didn't. Rees Odhiambo... same story.

That said it's way too soon to judge Procise's NFL career. If he learns the system and stays healthy he can emerge as a nice player. It's worth remembering that Golden Tate stunk up the joint in his first two preseasons before putting everything together. Tate plays a different position, but physically he and Procise share some similar traits.

 

[jammerhawk]

Prosise looked like a player who had missed most all of TC and very unready to play NFL football.

 

[TwistedHusky]

The larger question is, if the guy is hurt, or recovering, why not put him on IR and save the roster spot?

Or better yet, PUP? It isn't like we are going to be in dire need of the guy in Game 4 or something - so what gives?

 

[Natethegreat]

I loved his college tape and who knows where he's at after being injured and getting very little practice time and not much work in the preseason. I'm still a believer and we will see what he is capable of in the coming weeks for sure. I'm just not ready to say he's a bust or a lackluster talent before we see more of him.

I hated the pick personally. Part of that was because there were a couple of available RBs who's tape was soooo much better (namely, Kenneth Dixon). Procise looked very raw as a RB at Notre Dame to my eyes and it felt like the kind of pick where you hoped Seattle knew something we didn't. Rees Odhiambo... same story.

That said it's way too soon to judge Procise's NFL career. If he learns the system and stays healthy he can emerge as a nice player. It's worth remembering that Golden Tate stunk up the joint in his first two preseasons before putting everything together. Tate plays a different position, but physically he and Procise share some similar traits.

Dixon was the back I was really hoping for as well. Prosise just hasn't had much time yet and he has the physical skills to be successful. I do wonder what Popes receiving skills are. I could see him being successful as a third down back

 

[hawknation2016]

I agree with the OP at this moment in time. He's still learning the position and is as likely to be a bust as he is to become a viable 3rd down back. We'll see.

 

[Seafan]

The larger question is, if the guy is hurt, or recovering, why not put him on IR and save the roster spot?

Or better yet, PUP? It isn't like we are going to be in dire need of the guy in Game 4 or something - so what gives?

No one on the roster is eligible for PUP.

 

[sc85sis]

Guys can't be put on PUP unless they go through all of training camp on PUP.