01-02-2017, 11:08 AM
(01-02-2017, 09:42 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: So it's not just "one" great game, we shouldn't distill it to that.Excellent post. Burkhead hasn't been a mere flash in the pan. When he gets his touches, he runs with vision, agility, speed and most importantly: heart. Hill hasn't shown any of those qualities since his rookie season. I don't know if he's lazy, injured, or has just plain lost it mentally... But Hill has become more of a liability than an asset (although granted, he's done a great job cutting down on fumbles).
Here are Rex's #s in the same situation, this year:
2 rushes, 16 yards, 8 YPC
4 rushes, 23 yards, 5.8 YPC
5 rushes, 29 yards, 5.8 YPC
8 rushes, 38 yards, 4.8 YPC
9 rushes, 45 yards, 5.0 YPC
7 rushes, 32 yards, 4.6 YPC
12 rushes, 42 yards, 3.5 YPC
27 rushes, 119 yards, 4.4 YPC
Except for the last, these are the same games Jeremy ran in. Something is wrong with Jeremy Hill. Rex doesn't have enough carries to show up in stat rankings, but with an average of 4.6 with limited carries, he's tied for 11th in the league. 10th is at 4.8 YPC. Imaging having a 5 YPC RB? Hill showed promise but our offensive line doesn't work for him anymore. Maybe Rex can't handle the amount of carries Hill gets, who knows. Maybe Hill would put up those YPC numbers if he only rushed that few times...
LeVeon Bell is 4.8 YPC and Ezekiel is at 5.1. McCoy is at 5.4 YPC.
The problem Fred and others have is some of us (myself included) say Rex should replace Hill, not necessarily that "Rex had a good game". He's had several good games (more than a handful) where Hill performed poorly. The best teams fix problems before they actually become a problem.
Burkhead has looked like the better RB every time he got touches these past several games. Will he play like this forever? Obviously not. He very well could be our version of Peyton Hillis. But based on these past few games? If one of them has to walk I'm absolutely keeping Burkhead over Hill.
