Rawls not guaranteed the job.

[vin.couve12]

Pete has to keep the hunger pangs on his roster so doesn't concede anything to players, yes certain situations like Lynch are there but tell me who ran harder and worked harder when he was on the job then he did, he was given his days off to keep him healthy.

Rawls will have to prove he is back, thankfully if the story is true it was a break and not a tear and he can rehab quickly.

We don't need retread backs that have a lot of carries and hits on them, we need fresh and hungry, third down back yeah that stability is nice with a Vet, there will be plenty of them available looking to contribute on a winner.

FB, I don't see Coleman back, Tuk is getting up there, we may watch and wait on this or convert Cottom back to a FB. The Chip situation as stated may make one available as some of the other changes in the league as well.

I don't know why they have Cottom listed as a TE. He was on the PS last year as a FB so, if anything; they probably want him to play a little bit of both.

In a perfect world, on gameday it's nice to have a player who can play FB, H-back, and be a 3rd TE when you're looking at your 46 actives. As we all know though, your listed position doesn't mean much on the Hawks roster. You might wind up playing on the opposite side of the ball than when you started.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him reps at SAM. A 6'2 260 pounder running a 40 in the high 4.5s/low 4.6s? Shooooooooooot....

Kind of joking.

Kind of not. :evil:

 

[RichNhansom]

Can someone explain the difference between a TE, FB and an H-back?

I get TE: Pass catching and Pass protection.

FB: Lead run blocking and pass protection.

What makes the H-back different from those roles unless it is someone who does all of it?

 

[morgulon1]

Rawls advanced stats were even more impressive which is scary. His yards after contact, yards over expected rushing yards(some nerd metric) were off the charts, league best numbers. Pete loves to keep adding to the stable.

Agreed, it would be wise to have 2 maybe even three backs in the fold for situational football. Keep everyone fresh and healthy.

 

[morgulon1]

Can someone explain the difference between a TE, FB and an H-back?

I get TE: Pass catching and Pass protection.

FB: Lead run blocking and pass protection.

What makes the H-back different from those roles unless it is someone who does all of it?

I think the H back is probably a tight end/fullback hybrid.

 

[TwistedHusky]

I would like to see Rawls go out of bounds when it makes sense though.

Hopefully without ruining some of the mentality that makes him so good, but RBs have such a ridiculously short effective playing lifetime anyway because of the amount of hits they take and Rawls takes extra hits just to get those few extra inches. In fact, it was a play where he was hit, dead to rights, refused to go down and ended up with a guy on his back that injured him.

I know he takes a lot of pride in his willingness to fight for every extra yard and not go out of bounds, but that is going to chew years off his effective lifespan for us. And potentially put him in positions to get injured that are needless, while we are clearly going to need him.

We got really fortunate everyone missed on him (or cared that he committed some petty crime), and I was dead wrong about the guy in my evaluation of him in the preseason. I still believe that if we had him last year the whole year, we beat Carolina in the playoffs.

I really hope he comes back full strength, because he was exceptional.

 

[vin.couve12]

Can someone explain the difference between a TE, FB and an H-back?

I get TE: Pass catching and Pass protection.

FB: Lead run blocking and pass protection.

What makes the H-back different from those roles unless it is someone who does all of it?

A true TE is "in-line," meaning; lined up "tight" to the OT....hence where the name comes from.

A FB lines up behind the QB, whether that's directly behind the QB or off-set strong or weak.

An H-Back is sort of something in between. They line up off the LOS at the hip of the OT or sometimes even behind them. They can also line up almost like a FB and be used as a motion player. The Hawks generally refer to this as their "move TE." We often see Willson as the "move TE", but we've also seen Tukuafu fill that role at times in the latter half of the year when we were short on bodies at TE and were trying to have some greater success running the ball.

The problem with a player like Tuku filling that role is that you tip your hand in that it's an obvious power set where you know he might get the ball maybe once or twice a season and defenders might be inclined to cheat up expecting a run, ignoring Tuku entirely, which is how he got his touchdown this year. Really, you want as much versatility out of that guy as you can get. Willson is really pretty good in this role, except that he's probably our best in-line blocker at TE AND he doesn't have a lot of experience as an "impact blocker" (like a FB or pulling gaurd) and he's also 6'5 (closer to 6'6 actually) and bending low for an impact block is at a disadvantage for him. A highly athletic, highly versatile 6'2 260 pounder is about precisely what you would want.

Enter Cottom.

Hopefully.

 

[Tech Worlds]

I would like to see Rawls go out of bounds when it makes sense though.

Hopefully without ruining some of the mentality that makes him so good, but RBs have such a ridiculously short effective playing lifetime anyway because of the amount of hits they take and Rawls takes extra hits just to get those few extra inches. In fact, it was a play where he was hit, dead to rights, refused to go down and ended up with a guy on his back that injured him.

I know he takes a lot of pride in his willingness to fight for every extra yard and not go out of bounds, but that is going to chew years off his effective lifespan for us. And potentially put him in positions to get injured that are needless, while we are clearly going to need him.

We got really fortunate everyone missed on him (or cared that he committed some petty crime), and I was dead wrong about the guy in my evaluation of him in the preseason. I still believe that if we had him last year the whole year, we beat Carolina in the playoffs.

I really hope he comes back full strength, because he was exceptional.

Exactly.

Just look at Russell Wilson. He averaged over 6 yards a carry last year and almost always would slide to avoid contact. Hell he slid almost as much as SA back in the say.

 

[sutz]

Well, if we need 4/5 RB for the season, we should probably have 6-8 in camp, right?

There will be moves, whether FA, trade, draft, whatever.

 

[vin.couve12]

So it seems some people have something against UW around here, but don't be surprised if we end up with another player from there on offense as a UDFA. I had no idea Dwayne Washington was going to come out early, but apparently he is skipping his senior season to enter the draft....where he likely won't get drafted. He was supposed to be this bigtime star athlete recruit and he really is a hell of an athlete, but he's sort of high cut and a long strider for a RB. If you can give him a crease, he's gone; but those taller, longer legged RBs have a much harder time "creating" on their own. At any rate, those of you who had mentioned wanting Rod Smith back....well, you won't get him back, but Washington is very much the same kind of player (albeit with more long speed). Much the same kind of talent and we'll likely get him in camp by proxy.

For those of you who don't like UW because of your frat nonsense, you should hope that UW recruiting goes well in the future. They're a natural gateway for players getting a shot with the Hawks based on local workouts with them. Not that we haven't already seen that.....

[youtube]BVQhJxTUZiw[/youtube]

 

[Overseasfan]

Of course he isn't guaranteed anything. If he comes back out of shape or some other RB just straight out performs him then he doesn't start but both of those things are highly unlikely. I expect to see Rawls starting at RB and doing a hell of a job once again.

 

[Thepeelsessions]

I really really like Rawls. I hope he comes out singing hard next year. With him coming off the injury, what's everyone's opinion about going with a clear cut bell cow, or committee approach?

 

[Overseasfan]

I really really like Rawls. I hope he comes out singing hard next year. With him coming off the injury, what's everyone's opinion about going with a clear cut bell cow, or committee approach?

I'd just put Rawls in the Lynch role. Maybe a few less carries in the first few games to not overwork him. Going committee would mean underutilizing Rawls in my opinion

 

[Thepeelsessions]

I really really like Rawls. I hope he comes out singing hard next year. With him coming off the injury, what's everyone's opinion about going with a clear cut bell cow, or committee approach?

I'd just put Rawls in the Lynch role. Maybe a few less carries in the first few games to not overwork him. Going committee would mean underutilizing Rawls in my opinion

I agree. I think based on the small sample we saw last season, Rawls showed what he's capable of. I think if he comes back ready and looks good through camp, he should be the top back with 15-20 carries a game.

 

[Maelstrom787]

Wow. I thought most of you had crowned him. Some good, even keeled posts up in here.

It's not all knee-jerk around here, although we have our crew that should show up soon. :laugh:

As to the injury prone question, the play where Rawls got injured was pretty bad. He got rolled up on badly. That in itself screams "isolated incident" to me. He was pretty durable up til then. But one season does not a trend set either way.

Then again, in true Pete and John style, I expect them to add to the RB staff this off season and see some competition in camp and pre-season.

Ah, gosh. I was at the game and got a really depressing view of the play. He absolutely demolished the beginning of that game. I'm convinced he was going well over 200 that game. Baltimore had zero answer for him.

 

[RichNhansom]

Can someone explain the difference between a TE, FB and an H-back?

I get TE: Pass catching and Pass protection.

FB: Lead run blocking and pass protection.

What makes the H-back different from those roles unless it is someone who does all of it?

A true TE is "in-line," meaning; lined up "tight" to the OT....hence where the name comes from.

A FB lines up behind the QB, whether that's directly behind the QB or off-set strong or weak.

An H-Back is sort of something in between. They line up off the LOS at the hip of the OT or sometimes even behind them. They can also line up almost like a FB and be used as a motion player. The Hawks generally refer to this as their "move TE." We often see Willson as the "move TE", but we've also seen Tukuafu fill that role at times in the latter half of the year when we were short on bodies at TE and were trying to have some greater success running the ball.

The problem with a player like Tuku filling that role is that you tip your hand in that it's an obvious power set where you know he might get the ball maybe once or twice a season and defenders might be inclined to cheat up expecting a run, ignoring Tuku entirely, which is how he got his touchdown this year. Really, you want as much versatility out of that guy as you can get. Willson is really pretty good in this role, except that he's probably our best in-line blocker at TE AND he doesn't have a lot of experience as an "impact blocker" (like a FB or pulling gaurd) and he's also 6'5 (closer to 6'6 actually) and bending low for an impact block is at a disadvantage for him. A highly athletic, highly versatile 6'2 260 pounder is about precisely what you would want.

Enter Cottom.

Hopefully.

Thank you Vin, makes sense and now I need to pay attention to Cottom.

I'm a big believer that a good blocking TE and FB along with an elite (preferably veteran) center would be the smartest thing we could do to help our O-line. That and a quality 3rd down back like Jackson or maybe Forte to help with pass blocking and provide a quality dump off when needed.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Love me some Rawls, but I remain concerned about him staying off of IR. When Beast Mode himself recommends that Rawls be smarter about how he finishes his runs, I for one have to take notice.

 

[Ozzy]

Scratch Collins as a potential backfield mate. His combine wasn't good.

 

[Hawks46]

Perfect world we lure Matt Forte up here for a 1-year deal then draft someone in 2017 when the draft is absolutely loaded.. but I think this has about a 1% chance of happening.

This, times a LOT.

I'd love to see Forte end up here. He'd not only be a damn good backup, but he could mentor both Rawls and Micheal.

Also, that would push Michael to a 3rd down back. Imagine Michael getting swing passes and screens on 3rd down out of the backfield, giving him the ball in space. If he could remain consistent in blocking that is.

 

[Tech Worlds]

Perfect world we lure Matt Forte up here for a 1-year deal then draft someone in 2017 when the draft is absolutely loaded.. but I think this has about a 1% chance of happening.

This, times a LOT.

I'd love to see Forte end up here. He'd not only be a damn good backup, but he could mentor both Rawls and Micheal.

Also, that would push Michael to a 3rd down back. Imagine Michael getting swing passes and screens on 3rd down out of the backfield, giving him the ball in space. If he could remain consistent in blocking that is.

Why again does Rawls need mentoring? Isn't that what he says BeastMode did for him last season?

Rawls is locked and loaded. He's ready to roll. We don't need to waste money on an aging running back that's past his prime.

 

[Hawks46]

Wow. I thought most of you had crowned him. Some good, even keeled posts up in here.

It's not all knee-jerk around here, although we have our crew that should show up soon. :laugh:

As to the injury prone question, the play where Rawls got injured was pretty bad. He got rolled up on badly. That in itself screams "isolated incident" to me. He was pretty durable up til then. But one season does not a trend set either way.

Then again, in true Pete and John style, I expect them to add to the RB staff this off season and see some competition in camp and pre-season.

Good point on the injury. When he got rolled up, he got tackled by 3 guys and pushed over his ankle. Anyone gets hurt there. It speaks more to Rawls learning how to finish runs better. When you get in that position, get low and get your yard or two, then go down.

Then again, Lynch has broken those before, and we've never seen him get hurt that way.