Which QBs are surrounded by the most talent on offense?

Does Colin Kaepernick have more offensive talent around him than any other quarterback in the NFL?

He may.

According to Pro Football Focus, Kaepernick is surrounded by six high-quality players (Bruce Miller, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Joe Staley, Mike Iupati), and four good players (Frank Gore, Stevie Johnson, Alex Boone and Anthony Davis).

Nick Foles is surrounded by a lot of talent, too: Three elite players (LeSean McCoy, LT Jason Peters, LG Evan Mathis), one high-quality player (C Jason Kelce), and five good players (RB Darren Sproles, TE Brent Celek, WR Riley Cooper, RG Todd Herremans, RT Lane Johnson).

Teddy Bridgewater is surrounded by one elite player (Adrian Peterson), three high-quality players (C John Sullivan, RG Brandon Fusco, RT Phil Loadholt), and six good players (FB Jerome Felton, TE Kyle Rudolph, TE Rhett Ellison, WR Greg Jennings, WR Cordarrelle Patterson, LT Matt Kalil.)

If you assign elite players 3 points, high-quality players 2 points and good players 1 point, Bridgewater is surrounded by 15 points of talent on offense, and Kaepernick and Foles both are surrounded by 16 points. These three QBs are surrounded by more talent than any other QBs according to PFF.

Which QB do you think is surrounded by the most talent on offense? Explain your answer.

This article has 138 Comments

    1. Elite: Marshawn Lynch
      High quality: Percy Harvin
      Good: Zach Miller, Doug Baldwin, Russell Okung, Max Unger

      9 points.

      1. A defense that can produce points on its own and could single-handedly win any game without any offensive presence:

        Priceless.

        1. Haha Leo, that’s so funny. Don’t worry, that kind of a beatdown would never happen in our division. There was a good radio interview that Kevin Williams did on Fieldgulls and he was saying how fast the Seahawks are at practicing and the music is playing everywhere and he really enjoys being around a young bunch of guys. The commentators asked him to compare VMAC to the Vikings and he said the Vikings were like a nursing home. Oh dear, guess he won’t be invited back.

      2. What you neglected to mention Grant, is the Seahawks defensive secondary. We may not like some of them, might LIKE to forget them but they did an incredible job on the Broncos…..as well as our 49ers last year. I’d rate 2 of them high quality anyway. Chancellor and Sherman.

  1. I thought the Lions could come close and they did by my scoring but still not better then how you graded out the Niners:

    Detroit 15

    Calvin Johnson +3
    Reggie Bush +2
    Dominic Raiola +2
    Riley Reiff +2
    Larry Warford +2
    Joique Bell +1
    Brandon Pettigrew +1
    Golden Taint +1
    Rob Sims +1

    1. High quality: Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Clady, Louis Vasquez.
      Good: Wes Welker, Orlando Franklin, Manuel Ramirez.

      11 points.

  2. It’s hard to compare with the data above because the premise was “in the NFL” but you only provided 2 other players. We would need at least the top 10, maybe top 15 to truly compare.

  3. Under these terms the Niners are at least 2nd if not first. There is a lot of talent here and yet they rank near the bottom in total offense every year. I get the reasoning, but it’s time to make more use of the talent this team has in the passing game.

  4. The system and balance are the main factors here’s before looking at talent. The 49ers went out and acquired top shelf WR’s talent which looks good on paper, but they pass the least amount in the entire NFL.

    Sort of like driving a Ferrari around in residential neighborhoods. Acquiring Hyde and Lattimore make sense based on how they like to run the ball. Especially between tackles. Acquiring LMJ makes no sense since he does not run the ball between tackles well.

    The move to invest in and acquire WR’s tells me that they know that they need more balance, but are they really all in in terms of opening their offense up? My guess is that Harbaugh will not change his stripes. But if he tries that in the NFC West with Gore, he won’t find much success. Gore IMO is done as a bell cow. He should be playing the Randy Moss role and begin mentoring his fellow RB’s.

    1. Bay,
      I think we’re going to see a different offensive this year, mainly because Hyde and lattimore can run from the shotgun or pistol. Maybe more spread formations, with three wide, and moving the TE around.

  5. Should have done this as “Which QB’s are surrounded by the most talent?” and include the defense as well.

    1. We can do that, too.

      Kaepernick is surrounded by 27 point of talent including offense and defense.
      Foles is surrounded by 23 points of talent including offense and defense.
      Bridgewater is surrounded by 19 points of talent including offense and defense.
      Russell Wilson is surrounded by 29 points of talent including offense and defense.
      Drew Brees is surrounded by 23 points of talent on offense and defense.

          1. Rodgers and Cutler have only 13 points around them when you combine offense and defense, and Romo has 11. Ouch.

        1. 29 if I did the math right.

          Defense 20 pts:
          Elite – Sherman and Thomas (6 pts)
          High – Bennett, Mebane, Avril, Wright, Chancellor (10 pts)
          Good – McDaniel, Irvin, Wagner, Maxwell (4 pts)

          Offense 9 pts (see above)

          1. The Seahawks also have two good players on the bench — Malcolm Smith and Kevin Williams.

            PFF ranks Wilson as a high-quality player, so the Seahawks’ have 31 points of talent starting on offense and defense.
            PFF ranks Kaepernick as a good player, so the 49ers’ have 28 points of talent starting on offense and defense.
            Including Manning, the Broncos have 28 points starting.
            Including Brees, the Saints have 26 points starting.
            Including Brady, the Pats have 25 points starting.

            1. I reserve judgment for the Broncos and Pats. While they have accumulated many talented players individually how they play together remains to be seen. Richard Sherman said recently that it’s taken 4 years for the LOB to develop; they only get better the longer they play. Same goes for the offense.

              1. Hello! I guess I instinctively think in terms of Defense where the Hawks are concerned. Focus Mary.

            2. Grant, I prefer Coach Billick’s Toxic Differential Chart attached. It’s very simple, it’s based on 2 categories: #1 Takeaways and Giveaways subtract that figure and that’s your Differential + or -; then #2 Explosive Plays Made (20 yds or more) and Explosive plays Allowed, Subtract and that’s your differential + or -. Add the 2 Differentials and that’s your Point System. Billick says that 95% of the time the top 10 teams are in the playoffs. The only team that scored 25th out of 32 was the Broncos but we all know they were overrated.

              http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000281155/article/toxic-differential-favors-seattle-seahawks-philadelphia-eagles

    2. I’m not sold on the accuracy of this system. It seems like you’re trying to rank teams objectively by adding up arbitrarily-assigned numbers given to subjective evaluations of individual players. Moreover, the math is taken at face value with no accounting for systems, coaching, depth, or the “team effect” (cases where the whole is more [or less] than the sum of the parts).

      Given those issues, I don’t know how reliable this system is. I offer the Vikings’ #3 ranking on offense as Exhibit A.

      I’m not saying that I have a better way to do this, or that I have anything better to offer in the wasteland of late June-early July. It’s just that this exercise seems more likely to mislead than to inform.

      1. It also presumes that elite is 3x more valuable than good. Given the team nature of football you might be able to make the case that an elite RB is worth more than 3x a good RT for example. To arbitrary, although good for off-season banter.

      2. Claude wrote, “It seems like you’re trying to rank teams objectively by adding up arbitrarily-assigned numbers given to subjective evaluations of individual player.”

        Very nicely put, Claude. The precision of mathematics is undermined by the introduction of subjective values for variables in an equation (aka GIGO — Garbage In, Garbage Out). The result obtained by an equation in which a subject value is included is not a precise result. When multiple subjective values are included, the precision issue is compounded.

        1. Having fun making a mountain out of this mole hill?

          All he did was assign a numerical value to a named generality in this case your own opinion of whether the player was elite, great or good. That’s all. It’s not an official player ranking that assumes the value system is accurate, that wasn’t even the point of the exercise.

          Don’t make it more complicated then it needs to be.

          1. Cfc:

            I thought I went out of my way not to make a mountain of it. I’ll try to do better next time.

            And what was the point of Grant’s exercise? He used the numbers to compare players/teams; what is the point of doing that if you don’t assume the numbers are accurate?

          2. I wasn’t laying all the blame at your feet. To me the point was to try to quantify in a general way the talent surrounding the QB so that you could assign an arbitrary ranking in reference to the 49ers total to the final point of seeing if other teams have it as good as we do. But we already know the answer to that;

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDgTrQjELC4

  6. Grant, you’ve been watching 49ers practices. Would you agree with this:

    ESPN NFC West reporter Bill Williamson anticipates second-round pick Carlos Hyde getting “a chance at big playing time right away.” Per Williamson, Hyde “has shined out of the backfield as a runner and receiver,” during offseason practices, and is “looking like” a “steal.”

    1. Let me answer that for you Sully. No. Hyde will not get lots of carries early in the year at least. Until he learns blocking assignments and blitz pick ups. My guess is that Hyde will get carries, but they will be situational carries in very run obvious downs.

      They will not put Kaepernick in jeopardy with a RB that doesn’t comprehend the Niners complex blocking system.

      1. I’m very curious whether the “Hyde has shined out of the backfield as a runner and receiver” comment is accurate.

        1. Oh, but that’s right… Grant was against Hyde, so we get no detailed reporting on him if he’s doing well. Forgot about that.

          1. 6:03 It’s RB Carlos Hyde. The 49ers take him with the 57th pick. Good pick. He fits the 49ers’ offense much better than LaMichael James does.

            ———————–
            When did Grant change his mind and become against him?

            1. A few days after, Grant posted that Hyde was not an impact guy and said something about him being backup level. And there was a string about it. But I’m not going to rifle through the blog entries to find it. I can get the info on how he’s doing from another blog.

            2. BTW he said he might be an effective goal-line back but not a difference maker. Hardly taking a position against a guy who’s never taken an NFL snap and comes from a conference that hasn’t produced a plethora of great RB’s in recent history.

            3. Hey CFC,

              If I remember correctly Grant’s biggest mark against the guy was that he was a Big 10 RB and no good can come from a Big 10 RB…

              Take from that what you will.

              Oh I still have to send u my info for the fantasy league. Is it too late?

              1. Boobie was drafted in the 6th round I believe. Mr. Hyde, said by Baalke as the best player on the board, drafted 57th overall. One is a complete back, the other a shadow dancer….

            4. Grant’s comments thus far on Hyde (taken from the Draft Grades blog entry):

              “Carlos Hyde, despite very positive stats in the extra yardage and inside categories, was just so-so in short yardage situation. He converted 75% of third and short situations and gained an average 2.7 yards per carry on goal to go runs.” Just a so-so short-yardage back in the Big Ten. But he will dominate in the NFL, right?

              He didn’t look so great against Clemson. He looked like Anthony Dixon in that game.

              Hyde was just a so-so short yardage back in college, converting 75 percent of those opportunities. That doesn’t bode well for his pro career.

              He hasn’t proven he can do any of those things in the NFL, just the Big Ten. Odds are he will be another in the long line of Big Ten running back disappointments. The so-so short yardage production is a big red flag. He should have dominated in short yardage.

              I was in favor of the 49ers drafting a running back, but not Hyde in Round 2.

              1. Sullyball:

                All of the practices have been non-contact so far.

                Sincerely,

                Grant Cohn

              2. Comparing Mr. Hyde to Boobie is asinine. Be prepared to reassess your scouting technique…..

              3. I loved Boobie as a person, but was never sold on his role expanding in the offense…..

              4. Razor,
                I think Boobie especially in his last two years was far better than anyone gave him credit for. Since 2011, whenever Boobie ran, he ran hard and his style was punishing.
                My opinion on it is that over the last two years, not figuring out how to integrate the other running backs was extremely lazy on the coaches part. Boobie was a bigger load than Gore, he should have been given the ball more. LMJ showed well in big moments and was quicker and faster than Gore (other than the superbowl fumble) he deserved more carries.

                Harbaugh IMO has a little bit of “if it aint broke don’t fix it” to him. But by not getting more creative with RB’s in his stable that had undeniable strengths over Gore, it comes across as lazy, stubborn and unimaginative to me.

                This year with Hunter, Lattimore and Hyde back there we will see if the stubbornness continues.

            5. Coffee—I don’t think saying he fits the offense better than LMJ does a real endorsement. Grant was also probably going on the reputation as a big powerful short yardage back. That being before he saw or heard that he runs straight up. I was of the same mind before I saw his running style which is questionable to me as well. Until he actually runs in full contact drills we won’t really know if he can push the pile and break tackles at the line of scrimmage. Much like we didn’t know AJ couldn’t break the press until full contact drills.

              1. I don’t think he is like boobie. Hyde is a better open field runner. In fact that is his strength. He got most of his yards before contact. He can also break tackles in the open field. I just don’t think he does as well at the line of scrimmage because of his high running style. It is also not a given that they can coach him to run with his pads lower.

  7. Mr. Hyde comes to the 49ers with the ability to lock up a would be blitzer as well as an outstanding run blocker. He’s a master of the down block which I’m sure Kaepernick will appreciate in that read option….

  8. Harbaugh has the ability to take players based on physical abilities and put them in different roles. He did it with Bruce Miller. Curious why given his speed and freakish athletic ability and his 6’6″ frame, that he did not try Okoye at tight end.

    1. The fact there’s a lot more to learn at the TE spot is why, I would guess. He would have to learn to block in multiple formations, run routes, catch the football not to mention a lot of this would be difficult for a 300 LB man to pull off no matter how good of an athlete he is.

      1. To me all I see is a serious offensive weapon Rocket. When he came to the Niners he was 280. Have him drop back down to 280. He has great feet and is very athletic. He was a rugby player.
        As far as time, if they would have thought of it two years ago, they could have implemented a two year plan to get him up to speed. Better than the plan they currently seem to have for him which is to attempt to force him in to a very deep defensive line. He has almost no chance to make the cut for our dline.

        1. Bay,

          It will be a minor miracle if he can play any position at an NFL level, but they put him at Dline because it would be the easiest to learn and take advantage of his natural athleticism. As I mentioned before, having to learn all the nuances of playing TE would be extremely difficult. There have been some great athletes that haven’t been able to transition to football for that very reason. It’s not just about running fast down the field.

          This guy was an extreme project and still is. He is ticketed for the PS if he shows anything in TC imo, otherwise they’ll likely move on from him.

          1. I must say, the main reservation I had when they said they’d put him at DL was that in rugby he played a position not known for a lot of contact. He didn’t do much scrummaging. He played on the wing, which is a skill position. So I was a tad surprised they decided to try him out in the trenches.

            TE may well have been a more natural fit for him. As a former winger he should be used to catching short and long passes as well as kicks.

            1. Couldnt agree more, as a brit I have a keen interest in okoyes progress, didnt antonio gates only take up foitball a couple of years before joining the nfl?

    2. Actually it was Baalke who identified and projected Miller as a FB.
      Harbaugh acknowledged that more than once.

  9. I think you need to include points for coaching staff. You can have all the points you need and a coaching staff that doesn’t know what it is doing. (IE. Singletary vs Harbaugh)

  10. Forget the point system. The Niners now have the entire package: more high quality running backs (Gore, Hunter, Lattimore and Hyde), receivers (Crabtree, Boldin, Johnson, Lloyd, Patton, Davis) and offensive linemen than they had even in the Montana/Young years. This offense oughtta be able to put points on the board like last year’s Broncos or Drew Brees, Tom Brady or Philip Rivers each in his prime. The only question is can Kaepernick and Greg Roman put it all together and make it work. If not, someone’s gotta go.

  11. Whether you base it on PFF or not, there is no denying Kaepernick now has a lot of talent around him on offense, including a quality receiving group. It is up to the coaches and Kaepernick to use that talent, and get everyone involved. No excuses this season.

    1. Oh, if things don’t work out, I think there will be lots of excuses … and finger-pointing at coaches and other players.

      1. Scooter- The term excuse seems to be used in a negative connotation. What is not being considered is there is a difference between a valid and an invalid excuses. Sometimes the difference rests in the eye of the beholder. The invalid excuse is often used to justify underachievement or failure. Categorizing a valid excuse as invalid is just as often use by people to justify their own rationalized negative perspective of a team or player. It can works both ways. It seems like the term excuse has become linked to the negative due to it’s over whelming usage in that respect. So one could go with the flow and still say that there is a difference between an excuse and a valid reason.

        To often when someone is trying to evaluate the actual reason for an outcome certain people will negate the search for answers for the failure and label it as hunting for excuses. Saying there will be no reason for excuses is assuming that nothing can come up to change the situation. It’s kind of taking premature advantage of a possible situation to promote ones own agenda. So they can say I told you so.

        1. You have very much over analysed my comment, Willtalk.

          Yes, excuse is often used in a negative connotation. Simple reason – there are other words that can be used in its place with a more positive connotation, such as “reason” or “justification”. If they have a healthy team for the most part I see no good reason why this offense shouldn’t be one of the hardest in the NFL to stop.

    1. They appear to be working again. Grant must have replaced the dead gerbil.

      1. Poor Grant. I hope his personnel life is more fulfilling. LOL But he’s a good sport.

    1. I thought to say the same thing but why bother, the message is not being received.

      1. That may be true, but it won’t stop me from backing Gore or stating the truth about him being underrated.

        1. I think one reason they do not rate Gore as highly is they are still assuming that the 49ers have the best line in the league. The line actually regressed last year in both the run game and pass protection. That said Gore has lost much of his former ability to push the pile and break tackles. He also has lost his breakaway speed. Those things were obvious under the eyeball test.

          Actually it is kind of disrespectful to the player Gore was to believe that the player he is today has not suffered a declined.

  12. Including the playoffs, Colin Kaepernick had a 58.6 completion percentage and a 77.3 passer rating when targeting Michael Crabtree last season.

    1. LOL. Grant-Lets say this is not an excuse but a valid reason. Crabtree was never a 100% last season. As he got better the conditions he faced also got progressively more difficult. The GB game was under sever weather conditions that hindered not only the Niner’s passing attack but also GB’s. Most of Rodgers passes were short to middle range. He threw few if any long passes. It can be reasonably stated that Crabtree was his healthiest against Seattle where he faced the best pass defense in the NFL while still not at 100%. Is that a rational reason or do you consider that an excuse?

  13. To quantify sports, or anything, is to translate.
    Often, something is lost in the translation.

  14. Razor-
    Are you insinuating that Baalke knows better than Grant?
    Are you mad? Looney? Stoned?

    1. When has a GM ever said that a player he picked wasn’t the best player on the board? Just one example.

      1. Mr. Hyde was the consensus top running back by the majority of reputable scouts…..

        1. You did a poll? Why wasn’t Hyde the first or second running back drafted? The Bengals didn’t want him. They wanted the guy from the SEC and I can’t blame them.

          1. Mayock:

            1. Sankey
            2. Hyde
            3. Hill

            Walter:

            1. Hyde
            2. Hill
            3. Mason

            CBS:

            1. Hyde
            2. Sankey
            3. Mason

            SI:

            1. Hyde
            2. Carey
            3. Mason

            DraftTec:

            1. Sankey
            2. Hyde
            3. Mason

            ESPN Insider:

            1. Hyde
            2. Sankey

            Many teams passed on Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Frank Gore, and the list goes on, and on. Your point is therefore mute. The Bungles desired a sexual predator with a red flag the size of the one flying outside the Chinese Embassy. Not surprising…..

              1. >> And Mike Brown agrees with you.

                Any chance we can get an Edit button for our comments?

          2. Grant:

            The Bengals didn’t want him.

            Well, that’s certainly a debate-clinching piece of information. After all, the Bengals have a long, storied history of astute talent evaluation.

              1. You thought Stephen Hill was the best WR in the draft and said Luke Kuechly was too slow. It’s fun reliving old times.

              2. No, I thought Jarius Wright was the best receiver in the draft. I thought Hill would get picked early.

                And I didn’t think Kuechly was too slow, I just didn’t think he was special enough to deserve a high pick. I still don’t think he’s that special. PFF gave him a +2.4 coverage grade and a -3.0 pass rushing grade last season. They gave Bowman a +5.1 coverage grade and a +11.3 pass rushing grade.

                Yeah, Kuechly won the DPOY award. But Bowman should have won it.

              3. A) Jarius Wright doesn’t strengthen your position and you did bet me that Hill would go in the top ten, so I took that to mean you thought he was the best. Please forgive me.

                B) What that shows is PFF’s stats and breakdowns are not infallible, and you made a comment that you could beat Kuechly in a race if I remember correctly.

                C) Don’t be so defensive. I’m just yanking your chain as I often do when you are getting too full of yourself.

              4. I’M NOT BEING DEFENSIVE!!!!!! Lol.

                I like Jarius Wright. Vikings QBs had a 113.3 rating when targeting him last season, by far the highest on the team. He’s going to have a breakout season, I’m guessing 80 targets.

                I ran a 4.51 when I was 18.

              5. Regarding DPOY, I think Bowman gets dinged by voters because he has Willis next to him.

              6. Jack may be right, but the reality is those who shine usually have some good supporting casts. These 3 ILBs
                (NB/PW/LK) all get huge help from the Big Uglies in front of them. Just like pass rush helps CBs and good coverage helps pass rush.
                Even compensating for my Homerism I think Bow had the best year in 14. PW wasn’t 100% much of last year. In Bow’s absence, and assuming good health, I think a lot of folks will be saying “Oh yeah, Willis” in 2015. Bow may not hit his stride until week #12-13 this year.

              7. I’M NOT BEING DEFENSIVE!!!!!! Lol.

                That’s better.

                I like Jarius Wright. Vikings QBs had a 113.3 rating when targeting him last season, by far the highest on the team. He’s going to have a breakout season, I’m guessing 80 targets.

                With Jennings and Patterson in front of him and Peterson being the focal point of the offense? His high for catches is 26 on 40 something targets. I don’t think that’s going to double unless one of the above is injured.

                I ran a 4.51 when I was 18.

                Kuechly probably ran that or faster before bulking up but impressive none the less. Did you run track at UCLA?

              8. No, I ran track in high school. I wasn’t fast enough to run track at UCLA. I ran a 100-meter dash in 11 flat. I won first-place in the 2006 Hayward Area Athletic League championship in the 300-meter hurdles.

              9. “Bowman is better than Willis”

                I agree. I also find it interesting that they are moving Willis to Bowman’s spot during his absence. This will give Wilhoite and Borland additional reps in Willis’ spot. The 49ers could pick up a large amount of cap space there.

              10. Jack, do you think the move of Willis to Bowman’s spot is about getting other guys time at the Jack spot for future years (apparently Bowman plays Mike – I thought Bowman was the Jack LB, but had it the wrong way round)? I think it is more about thinking Willis is better suited to the Mike spot than the other guys.

                But you are right, the 49ers could save some cap space by getting rid of Willis after this season, and having guys ready to fill in at that spot can’t hurt.

              11. Scooter,

                Yes, but you’ll never have anyone from the organization say that of course.

              1. Haha, Who are these parents, I think they wanted a girl. Rocket, read that last article on the Fieldgull article on the rotation Hawks run and tell me what you think abt that. Really interesting.

      2. GM’s say those kinds of things because reporters don’t follow up with a question like: “Joe GM you say that he was the top player on your board but what does that mean? Does that mean the next player you picked was considerably farther down on the list that you also couldn’t consider him at that spot? Que follow up question about the player that was picked next. Or you could ask; “Plenty of players that were picked at the top of your board are now on the street flipping burgers, does being at the top of your board really mean they should be taken?”

      3. Grant,

        Why would a GM to come out and say that any given player wasn’t the best player on the team’s board when that player was picked? The result could only be neutral to bad, so it would make no sense to put that info out. So what’s your point? It’s like saying, “Show me one example of water not being wet.”

        There are many examples of a GM not addressing whether or not a player was the best on that team’s board at the time of the pick. My inference is, at least some of those times, the player isn’t clearly the best on that team’s board at the time of the pick. So, a GM not saying a certain player was the best on a team’s board, might be a tacit admission that that player wasn’t the BPA.

    2. Baalke gets paid the big bucks for his expertise, and Grant gets a commission based on how many comments he can entice from the fans. Let the folks make that determination…..

        1. Razor
          I think Baalke knows a lot. I think he knows what he doesn’t know; a useful life skill not everyone possesses. I noted in one interview his humility when he noted, to paraphrase: It’s (drafting) a crapshoot. Anybody that doesn’t think so just doesn’t know.
          In the case of Hyde I think it’s hyperbolic to conflate him with a 6th round Journeyman tweener because they have the same physical dimensions. Just take a mental snapshot of the arguement and put it into a rather large bag of silly comments we find here and every once in a while dig one out for merriment.
          “If you take away…….”

  15. Carlos Hyde will be the feature back in 2015….

    Pros:
    Battering ram at 240 pounds. Runs downhill with a tremendous amount of force
    Breaks a lot of tackles; usually does not go down on first contact
    Keeps his legs driving on contact. Falls forward; takes multiple defenders to bring him down
    Good vision; sees an opening and attacks it
    Impressive agility for his size; excellent jump cut in the hole and juke in open field
    Displays patience as a runner; does a great job setting up his blockers
    Gets north and south quickly; does not dance around in the backfield(Boobie)
    Strong in blitz pickup
    Great in the red zone; can get the tough yards and push the pile
    Played in a read option offense with a similar quarterback

    Cons:
    Lacks breakaway speed
    Won’t get the corner consistently

    1. I feel like Hyde’s main challenges will be to learn to run with a consistently low pad level–at times he ran high, at times he ran low… And to maintain a reasonably low body fat percentage.

      If Hyde can solve those two issues, I see him as a Barry Foster-type with a better feel for the passing game.

      1. Sullyball- I hope Razor is right. What I saw of him he ran too upright. It would be a good sign if he also was, as you say, capable of running with his pads low. That was my primary concern. Well it wont be long before we see what he will do under contact. Until then everything is purely speculation.

        1. Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson ran upright too. Arian Foster runs upright. So for some it is not an issue.

    2. Razor, thanks for this. You have probably done the same analysis with Lattimore; if so, would you mind sharing that too? Assuming Lattimore is fully healthy, what do you think would become of him?

      1. Jeremy Hill should currently be visiting a psychologist weekly….

        Pros:
        Powerful runner who keeps his legs driving on contact and fights for extra yardage
        Solid burst and short area quickness for a player his size
        Good vision; follows his blocks well and seeks out creases to run through
        Great in short yardage situations; finishes runs and drives through tacklers
        Above average footwork; can sidestep tacklers
        Young running back with limited wear and tear on his body; will be a 21-year old rookie
        Good size to be a reliable power back at the next level (6’1” 233 lbs)
        Played in a pro-style offense
        Highly productive against top competition; 6.9 YPC in SEC last year

        Cons:
        Inexperienced in pass protection
        2 cycle engine with one gear(4.63)
        Average agility with average lateral movement
        Psychological issues

      2. As far as Lattimore, he reminds me of Steven Jackson the way he runs, especially at the second level initiating contact and grinding out extra yardage. A big, power back with good vision, patience and lateral quickness. Breaks arm tackles and is a good receiver out of the backfield.

        Marcus Lattimore 2010-12 6’0″, 210 lbs 38 RTD 4.8 RAv 74 Rec 10.4 RecAv
        Steven Jackson 2001-03 6’2″, 231 lbs 39 RTD 4.9 RAv 75 Rec 10.3 RecAv

        1. I’m curious to see where your getting this NFL film on Lattimore because otherwise you’re talking about what he did in College against College players.

  16. Hey DC!
    Gates’ skills translated a little more readily. I wonder if the thinking was that defense relies a lot on athleticism and L.O. has plenty of that. His inexperience effects his reaction time, and he’s still ‘thinking’ about technique; he has to just Go; not think. I’m pulling for him, but the roster numbers are brutal.

  17. Does anyone think gore, hunter, hyde, lattimore, lmj, patton, ellington, lloyd, s johnson, boldin, and crabtree make the team?

  18. Pro Football Talk has a little blurb about Richard Sherman that is over-flowing in irony. He may be boycotting a couple of local media outlets in WA who published or linked to the address of a house he just bought. The notion of him NOT spouting his stream-of-consciousness blather seems so refreshing. All that money and attention has a price.
    There is the flip side in that people have been showing up at his house looking for autographs. I wouldn’t care for that either.

    1. OMG it’s public knowledge and anyone who is determined can find it out. He got a good deal and a good investment, formerly owned by NBA player Jamal Crawford.

      My question is what the hell does it cost to maintain the house and grounds? He’ll probably get another good contract somewhere after this one and then be a TV commentator.

  19. Completely absurd. Vernon Davis is elite and Staley, Boone, and Davis are all high quality. The more I read some of these guys posts, the more clueless they become.

  20. While I find the article semi interesting it just seems like there is an axe to grind with the organization. First they weren’t going to do right by Kaepernick, then they did. Then it turned into Staley deserves money, which he does. After that it was why SF would suck without Davis. Then, why haven’t they paid him what he deserves. Now it’s they have the most talented offensive weapons around a mediocre QB. The hate-mongering is getting redundant. I know it’s a slow week with no NFL activity, but let’s get creative.

  21. If the point is that the 49ers and Eagles are very talented offensive teams – ok got it. But what about the Seahawks and Packers, not to mention the #1 offensive team in the NFC last year – the Bears? And to go one step further, let’ s also include the Pats and the NFL’s #1 offense, the Broncos.

  22. Well, color me surprised. The 49ers are arguably NFL Team 1b (Seahawks being 1a – both teams can and probably will swap rankings through the upcoming season). And a #1 team not having the talent that makes it #1? Huh!

  23. Crabtree, Boldin and Staley are good starters but not elite. Elite WR cant be locked down like they were against the Seahawks.

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