It didn't scare you at all that Hearst came in and put up identical numbers to Quentin Griffin in their 2nd preseason game? I've said all along that Hearst is way too versatile to sit on the bench behind a feature back.
No, he played against the 2nd string DEF, that is not nearly the same as what Q did, not to mention Q has now done it in 2 different games. He's put up what? 90 yards on 15 carries? You cant ask for more than that
With Mike Anderson taking action at the goalline (just like he did last year with Portis) I don't see how the #1 RB spot in Denver will be the same as in years past. There are too many RBs in Denver to produce a quality fantasy starting RB. And that's even before you throw in the Tatum Bell wildcard.
He has yet to do that this preseason so why should we neccessarily think he will do that during the year? In fact they used Q on a goalline situation which he scored on, but they called it back
Shanahan never uses the RBBC and they have been really impressed by Griffin. Anderson will get some goalline and short yardage, Hearst will teach the young ones, and Tatum Bell will sit on the bench and learn.
I thik Griffin is a pretty nice mid round RB pick. Obviously one as to be impressed with what he has done in 2 preseason games. I think Griffin will more than likely be the feature back in DEN for the majority of the season.
However
The possibility cant be ruled out that Bell comes back from his fingure injury and is simply better. Sure it wont be right away - he needs to get up to speed and on the same page, but once he does - whos to say he doesnt pull a CPortis and take over in the 3rd game? All Im sayin is its not that remote a possibility.
Cornbread Maxwell wrote:The possibility cant be ruled out that Bell comes back from his fingure injury and is simply better. Sure it wont be right away - he needs to get up to speed and on the same page, but once he does - whos to say he doesnt pull a CPortis and take over in the 3rd game? All Im sayin is its not that remote a possibility.
That would be the only thing to worry about with Griffin. But as long as he performs like he has been, I don't think you'd have to worry about Bell stealing his carries. Quentin would have to have some really bad games (fumbles) in order for Tatum to see the field.
As far as Hearst goes, he's simply the insurance back. In their second preseason game, the Broncos used him extensively in the second half in order to determine whether or not he's worthy of a roster spot. Up until then, he hadn't done much.
There's still three more preseason games to go, and I'm anxious to see what Bell can do, but I doubt you'll see much change in the depth chart. When Portis came into camp in his rookie season, you read everyday about his moves and speed and how the defense was in awe. I haven't read that about Bell..........yet.
Hearst is definitely more of an insurance policy back. As you saw towards the end of last year Kensat, he can be good in spells, but if you've got to count on him for 16 games, you're sunk. If someone gets injured this year and he has to fill in for 2-3 games, he'll be solid.
I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth. That's just me.
I guess I'm going to put my two cents in this thread--sorry if I repeat anything already covered.
Bennett - He's got great speed and will likely get good yardage since the opposing defenses will certainly NOT be able to stack the line against him with Moss lurking in the backfield. However on short yardage (less than 3 yds) goalline runs you won't see him. He's too small and won't be able to get in there like Williams or Smith.
Griffin - He's a very athletic RB and has a supreme O-line to support him. On top of that, Denver has a proven track record to turn even mediocre RBs into stars. In this case, it's the system that really helps, even though Quentin doesn't necessarily need it.
Brown - I started paying attention to this guy in the middle of last year. While I like his style and I was hoping he would get a chance to step up for a faltering Eddie George, I don't think the Titans' gameplan involves much running. Sure, they can hammer away once they have the lead but they tended to squeak out wins last year, mostly from last minute passes to Derrick Mason. The 2004 plan should be to try to get defenses to respect their running game which will certainly favor Brown, but they'll always focus on the pass while they have McNair as a QB.
Results:
Griffin
Brown
Bennett (due to lack of overall TD opportunities)
Also, I just checked out the ADP (average draft position) and Cheat Sheet Average (CSA) for all three players.
MadScott wrote:Hearst is definitely more of an insurance policy back. As you saw towards the end of last year Kensat, he can be good in spells, but if you've got to count on him for 16 games, you're sunk. If someone gets injured this year and he has to fill in for 2-3 games, he'll be solid.
The distinction I'm trying to make here, is when does a "spell" turn into a RBBC? I don't believe in calling Griffin a "feature back" if he's only seeing 50% of the team's carries.
When you put Garrison Hearst in to "spell" Griffin is when he's going to shine the most. I've watched Hearst keep a very talented Barlow off the field for the past three seasons because of his ability to come in and break off 8-20 yard runs. If you're a head coach in the NFL and you've got a guy like Hearst on the bench, you are going to find a way to get him in the game. Throw in Mike Anderson getting goalline carries (last year 60% Portis/40% Anderson at the goalline) and I don't think you have RB#2 material in Griffin.
A lot of people are hyping the "Denver starting RB" this year, but I believe that Griffin, if he hangs onto the job for 16 games, will be nothing more than a solid backup and bye week player.
kensat, ill take you on that. I think Griffin will put up nice numbers. I also think Hearst will see no significant time and Bell will need to spend time learning the offense and fixing his fumbles problem (a knock at him during training camp)
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by Flux » Tue Aug 17, 2004 4:43 pm 
