C. Dillon vs. K. Barlow

[Mercer Boy]

I don't know, but if the Patriots only plan on running 15 times a game I would be worried if I owned Dillon.

That was just ridiculous; I can't forsee this to be the way they will play every game. Maybe Bill wanted to mess with Tony this week. Plus, it sets them up for their next game. The defense will think pass, pass, pass, and they'll probably run Dillon down their throat. Belicheck is like the Kasparov of football...always thinking a few moves ahead of everyone else.

[BigMusky]

after last night I would say Barlow....but I think the Pats will start to run more once Faulk comes back and the weather cools off. Dillon should see some cherry picking TD's if the Pats every decide to run in the red zone.

[MadScott]

I think both will have nice years.

As for Dillon last night, don't read too much into that performance other than when given the rock, he performed. Belichick is going to go into games and plan to throw it like he did last night sometimes and in other games, he's going to go run wild. Bottom line, whatever it takes to win. If I owned Dillon, I may be somewhat worried about consistency of when the yards and TDs come, kind of the same rap as Brady has, but ultimately will be happy with his season long performance.

[warrick95]

Listen to this:

What is SF's offense built on? Rattay to Lloyd, Wilson, or Woods, right? Hell no. Their offense will be built on Kevan Barlow's shoulders from Week 1 to Week 17. They don't have any other option to ride on.

What is NE's offense built on? Tom Brady's passes with multiple WR sets, of course. They like to let Brady use his smarts to find recievers downfield.

However, SF has one of the worst, if not the worst (okay, SD is probably worse) offensive lines in the league. How much room will Kevan Barlow get? Not much. How many TDs can he get if his team can barely move the ball? Not much. So, that will most definitely be a problem this season.

In contrast, Dillon should get some chances to run for TDs. In addition, the NE offense likes to attack defenses in different ways. The Colts' run a Cover 2 base defense and are not good against the run. So what did NE do? Attack them with the pass by getting behind the corners and LBs with long, vertical routes. Credit the offensive line for giving Brady enough time to do so. Also credit Brady for staying composed when pressure got to him. What I'm trying to say is, that the NE offense attacks you in different ways. It's hard to predict what their gameplan will be for future weeks. They may want to ride on Dillon's back sometimes. We don't know.

Expect Dillon to be a very inconsistent option for the year. However, he should end up with solid stats, a top #2 RB.

Expect Barlow to have an all around hard time to find the big gains. However, he is the focal point of the offense and a great back. Shanahan called him the BEST back in the 2001 draft (Tomlinson, McAlister).

I'd take Barlow, but that's just me. I've seen him play and like what I see.

[tfarmer12]

I wouldnt read too much into the 5 WR sets. That was just a matchup thing. Indy's DB's are weak and thats the way you attack the cover 2 with an accurate QB--spread em out and hit them in the soft spots of the zone. When the matchup dictates a solid run game, the pats will employ it as necessary. As for the answer to the original ? I would probably go with Dillon. He a bit more of a proven commodity.

[BrutallyHuge]

Barlow will torch Dillon's stats this year.

Barlow will have like 1420 and 10-11
Dillon will have like 1100 and 6-7.

New England will not use Dilldon enough.
San Francisco will HAVE to use Barlow.

[34=Sweetness]

I don't know, but if the Patriots only plan on running 15 times a game I would be worried if I owned Dillon.

That was just ridiculous; I can't forsee this to be the way they will play every game. Maybe Bill wanted to mess with Tony this week. Plus, it sets them up for their next game. The defense will think pass, pass, pass, and they'll probably run Dillon down their throat. Belicheck is like the Kasparov of football...always thinking a few moves ahead of everyone else.

I think Beli is going to use Dillon more, because he knows he should have lost that game. Dillon should get more carries this week.

[bwzabodyn]

Barlow will torch Dillon's stats this year.

Barlow will have like 1420 and 10-11
Dillon will have like 1100 and 6-7.

New England will not use Dilldon enough.
San Francisco will HAVE to use Barlow.

my thoughts exactly - it's not even going to be close... let's see, the situation in SF is pretty similar to the situation in SD - and we've all seen what LT2 does in that offense - the only difference is that SF actually has a much better D and will be able to stay in games longer... I'm looking for 1600 total yds and 12 total TD's...

[Osk]

i actually have barlow closer to 1800 total yards and 14 total TDs (not sure about the TDs.. but the yards are on point.. he catches a ton of yards and will get a ton of carries)

[a4ce]

I'm not reading too much into those two series where Dillon sat out. I think it was a combination of exploiting Indy's secondary and the Patriots' lack of RB depth.

86 yards and 5.8 YPC wasn't too shabby.

Dillon over Barlow.