ivotuk
Well-known member
It's funny, I used to watch more random games, and a few of them were the Giants when Tiki Barber was their running back. Tiki had a reputation for fumbling, but he overcame it by holding the ball "High and Tight." He also said the fix was about "awareness while running the ball. Aware of what part of the play you're in, when you're going down, and when there is the most opportunity to fumble, like when being tackled.
Chris Carson has been an absolute MONSTER in the running game, so much so, that my personal nickname for him is "Shadow Monster." Because you think you know where he's going, what he's going to do, and how you're going to stop him, and like a Shadow, he appears on the other side of the line, and scares the ever living shit out of defensive players that were getting ready to tackle him!
To me, it's kind of like turning around, and there's a Monster! Right, in, your face!
It's that monstrosity that I find so encouraging. Chris has played a lot, broken a lot of tackles, put the hurt on a lot of defensive players, yet he's never had the reputation as a fumbler. I think his fumbling has come around because his offensive line has not been opening up the holes that they were last year, so he's taking it all on himself. And he's perfectly capable of doing so,
Chris just needs to focus on how he carries the ball, in practice, on the sideline, and in the game.
I remember reading about a college running back that started fumbling, or maybe it was the NFL, either way, the coach made him carry that ball EVERYWHERE he went! And if another player could surprise him, and knock the ball out, the running back had to pay that player a fine. Hello Tre Flowers!
It seems that everyone at 710 and elsewhere, agrees that's it's a good thing to sit Carson. Not to punish him, but so that he can take mental reps. See how the other running backs carry the ball, and how they react when getting tackled. Watch how the defensive players are tackling, and how they are going for the ball.
I remember Shaun Alexander (the reason Tre Flowers changed his number from 37 to 21, respect) used to "fold up" when he got tackled. I know he was trying to preserve his body on some of those hits, but I wonder if the technique helped him hang on to the ball? Pete said that some running backs fumble because they're trying to bust through tackles, and their focus is on the guys in front of them, and not on the ball or the players coming in from the side. Probably just a pipe dream, or maybe Flashback, but it seemed like a good thought.
The following quote kind of gave me the idea. But then how much of trying to power through, is how our RB gets those great extra yards? Is it better for him to keep hitting that hole with power?I think the remedy is something in between, that needs to be decided on by the Head Coach, as it applies to each player:
As Barber described, “it’s an awareness thing.”
He credits the 2004 arrival of then-Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, and running backs coach Jerald Ingram, for helping to coach fumbling out of his game
“That extra half a yard doesn’t necessarily matter as much as I think it does. I got to the point, and this is what I would encourage young ball-carriers to do, you get to that point where you know what you’ve gotten, you wrap yourself up, get yourself high and tight, secure it with your off-hand like I was describing earlier, and then power your way for those extra couple yards.
https://washington.cbslocal.com/2016/06 ... g-problem/
Anyway, enough of me yammering, I wanted to put some quotes in here about other RBs, fumbling, especially Tiki Barber, who had his own fumbling issues. (HOWEVER, from what I've read, there are different techniques for different players, running back and receivers & David Krieg)(some of that below the Tiki quotes).
Chris Carson has been an absolute MONSTER in the running game, so much so, that my personal nickname for him is "Shadow Monster." Because you think you know where he's going, what he's going to do, and how you're going to stop him, and like a Shadow, he appears on the other side of the line, and scares the ever living shit out of defensive players that were getting ready to tackle him!
To me, it's kind of like turning around, and there's a Monster! Right, in, your face!
It's that monstrosity that I find so encouraging. Chris has played a lot, broken a lot of tackles, put the hurt on a lot of defensive players, yet he's never had the reputation as a fumbler. I think his fumbling has come around because his offensive line has not been opening up the holes that they were last year, so he's taking it all on himself. And he's perfectly capable of doing so,
Chris just needs to focus on how he carries the ball, in practice, on the sideline, and in the game.
I remember reading about a college running back that started fumbling, or maybe it was the NFL, either way, the coach made him carry that ball EVERYWHERE he went! And if another player could surprise him, and knock the ball out, the running back had to pay that player a fine. Hello Tre Flowers!
It seems that everyone at 710 and elsewhere, agrees that's it's a good thing to sit Carson. Not to punish him, but so that he can take mental reps. See how the other running backs carry the ball, and how they react when getting tackled. Watch how the defensive players are tackling, and how they are going for the ball.
I remember Shaun Alexander (the reason Tre Flowers changed his number from 37 to 21, respect) used to "fold up" when he got tackled. I know he was trying to preserve his body on some of those hits, but I wonder if the technique helped him hang on to the ball? Pete said that some running backs fumble because they're trying to bust through tackles, and their focus is on the guys in front of them, and not on the ball or the players coming in from the side. Probably just a pipe dream, or maybe Flashback, but it seemed like a good thought.
The following quote kind of gave me the idea. But then how much of trying to power through, is how our RB gets those great extra yards? Is it better for him to keep hitting that hole with power?I think the remedy is something in between, that needs to be decided on by the Head Coach, as it applies to each player:
As Barber described, “it’s an awareness thing.”
He credits the 2004 arrival of then-Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, and running backs coach Jerald Ingram, for helping to coach fumbling out of his game
“That extra half a yard doesn’t necessarily matter as much as I think it does. I got to the point, and this is what I would encourage young ball-carriers to do, you get to that point where you know what you’ve gotten, you wrap yourself up, get yourself high and tight, secure it with your off-hand like I was describing earlier, and then power your way for those extra couple yards.
https://washington.cbslocal.com/2016/06 ... g-problem/
Anyway, enough of me yammering, I wanted to put some quotes in here about other RBs, fumbling, especially Tiki Barber, who had his own fumbling issues. (HOWEVER, from what I've read, there are different techniques for different players, running back and receivers & David Krieg)(some of that below the Tiki quotes).