Rashaad Penny retires

[SoulfishHawk]

Yeah, ok

 

[AROS]

Nothing personal, I always found him to be a good kid but it was one big "whatevs" from me about him. Lacked that killer instinct, that drive to be the best he could be (until AP showed up which gave him a boost), and of course availability was the primary issue.

I wish him well in life. Just wish he would have panned out for us.

 

[IndyHawk]

Great talent but horrible injury luck, I defended him so many times
it just wore me out.
Some players bodies have a short shelf life in the NFL, the Hawks seem
to be cursed with more than usual under Pete.
Hopefully that all went out the door with him.

 

[knownone]

I've always liked Penny. He never quite found the consistency to live up to his potential, but he was excellent when he was healthy enough to showcase his talent.

Best of luck in retirement.

 

[Cyrus12]

Bust..horrible pick overall.

 

[Rat]

If you combine the peaks of Rashaad Penny and CJ Prosise, you have like half a season of league MVP-caliber rushing. If you throw Christine Michael too, you have like half a season of league MVP-caliber rushing.

 

[RiverDog]

Nothing personal, I always found him to be a good kid but it was one big "whatevs" from me about him. Lacked that killer instinct, that drive to be the best he could be (until AP showed up which gave him a boost), and of course availability was the primary issue.

I wish him well in life. Just wish he would have panned out for us.

I tend to agree. Yes, the majority of Penny's problems were injury related. But even when healthy, he couldn't beat out a 7th round draft pick in Chris Carson, a much more versatile runner who was a better blocker and better in short yardage situations, until Carson's career was cut short by injury.

And let's not forget that there was at least one occasion when Penny came to camp overweight and subsequently strained a muscle. Plus, why didn't he get more PT in Philly? It should have been the perfect place for a player like him, with a stud offensive line and a running quarterback.

So while there's no argument that Penny had talent and that injuries were his main bugaboo, he had problems that went beyond his health.

 

[toffee]

A few things that I remember of Penny:

1. I was surprised by picking a RB, but I liked him after reading up a bit about him,
2. I was surprised by how he showed up in OTA and TC chubby and out of shape.
3. I was even more surprised when Carson outperformed him in preseason.
4. I was saddened how he kept getting hurt.
5. I was ecstatic when he finally started to produce with help from AP.

 

[IndyHawk]

A few things that I remember of Penny:

1. I was surprised by picking a RB, but I liked him after reading up a bit about him,
2. I was surprised by how he showed up in OTA and TC chubby and out of shape.
3. I was even more surprised when Carson outperformed him in preseason.
4. I was saddened how he kept getting hurt.
5. I was ecstatic when he finally started to produce with help from AP.

Lets not fool ourselves, Penny was more talented than Carson
but Carson had more heart.
They both were injury machines, throw Procise with them
and I ask if you have ever seen three more injured RBs?

 

[JPatera76]

He had next to no injury history in college but had troubles staying healthy in the NFL. The amount of work it requires to be good enough to be in the NFL is ridiculous. The amount of work required to overcome an injury in the NFL, probably is sometimes unsurmountable. Constantly fighting through the pain can really make it no longer fun and enjoyable. I sure do appreciate the efforts these players put in to play this game.

And Chubb was oft injured in college and not so much it seems in the pros. Can't predict the future unfortunately, right?

 

[RiverDog]

And Chubb was oft injured and not so much it seems. Can't predict the future unfortunately, right?

Running backs are the most injury prone position on the field, and it's not even close. So in a sense, they are predictable, which is one of the reasons why I hate seeing us spend high draft picks on running backs.

 

[JPatera76]

Running backs are the most injury prone position on the field, and it's not even close. So in a sense, they are predictable, which is one of the reasons why I hate seeing us spend high draft picks on running backs.

how cute a graph to prove a point from a graph you took from an Atlanta falcons website and gave no credit to. straw man some more please. I don't understand why when people don't agree with you, you double down to prove some point that in this thread, no one is really arguing.

 

[RiverDog]

how cute a graph to prove a point from a graph you took from an Atlanta falcons website and gave no credit to. straw man some more please. I don't understand why when people don't agree with you, you double down to prove some point that in this thread, no one is really arguing.

When you said, "Can't predict the future unfortunately, right?", it seemed to me like you were saying that Penny's injuries were not predictable, which was the point I was arguing. As a running back, they are predictable, at least when compared to other positions, which is one of the reasons why I don't like spending high draft picks on running backs.

Sorry about the graph. I didn't notice until later that the data was about 10-15 years old. Besides, it probably wasn't necessary as I think it's an accepted fact that running backs are more injury prone than any other position.

 

[flv2]

There are pros and cons to using 1st round picks on certain positions. G & ILB are less likely to be injured but there's normally little value in having a 5th year option.

Penny was an explosive difference-making RB when healthy. Unfortunately he wasn't an all-round RB and it's hard to win with skills-limited RBs.

 

[chris98251]

Carson had a bad injury his Junior year and was in a mostly pass oriented offense, Pete hand picked him thinking in a better more balanced system he could showcase his tough running style. It panned out, in another system he would have been a higher pick easily Pete had said.

 

[Spin Doctor]

The big issue with Penny is he never seemed like he wanted to be the best. He had an "I don't care" attitude about him.

When Penny came in as a rookie for TC, he was overweight. He gained around 15 pounds of mostly fat before TC. He didnt put time to hone his craft and reports were that he was upset because he lost the starting position to Chris Carson.

For the first few years, Penny also had issues with toughness and even doing basic procedural stuff. I saw Russell Wilson have to correct Penny many times in formation. He didn't seem like he had a strong grasp of the offense. He also was dreadful going up the middle until AP got his hands on him.

I think part of Penny's injury issues stemmed from a lack of physical conditioning. There were several times where he just looked overweight throughout his career.

The crazy thing about Penny, is that even at times looking like he was 20 pounds overweight, he still had a crazy second gear. The guy had a lot of innate talent that he never really cashed in on. There was no reason that a guy as big as Penny should move like Penny did.

 

[Threedee]

A Penny saved is a Penny earned.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Running backs in the first round are like linebackers, as we all learned with Aaron Curry. You can do it, but the guy had better be able to do everything AND win the starting job by Week 1.

Too much draft capital for an injury hedge in Penny's case. Only way that pick was going to pan out was if he so forcefully took Carson's job that Carson got traded for a third-rounder, but you can't afford to let a backup that talented go even in THAT situation.

 

[King Dog]

I remember listening to an interview when he first came into town and he said something along the lines of he gains five pounds if he looks at a cheeseburger. Not ideal