RB By Committe Approach in 2019?

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

3 hours ago, AUGoo said:

"On the field, he ain't got no friends"  is my favorite quote about Ziemba.

Speaking of Ziemba, he used to or possibly still lives right down the road from me in Beauregard. My wife had a few girls night out with a group of friends that included his wife. Ziemba and his wife, from all accounts, have a massive son from what my wife says. About 15 years from now Gus might finally land a decent lineman 

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

15 hours ago, McLoofus said:

He's another one that, if we were wrong about him, so was everyone else. Definitely pulling for him to made us all look dumb. Would LOVE for him to put up a Mario Fannin-type stat line this year. ~45 carries, ~30 catches, ~650 yards...

Not everyone was. He was the RB I wanted the most in that class. You can look in his recruiting page and find MULTIPLE posts of mine on really hoping we sign him. 

Also I wasn't the only one really high on him. He was the highest rated RB we signed that class and we signed 3 good ones (Worm, Joiner, and Asa Martin.) 

But yeah Joiner was a top 5 (#5th) RB in the entire nation. So there were plenty of people who were not wrong about him... Although I am pleasantly surprised to see Joiner getting the love at RB. I was definitely wrong about that. I really thought he would end up at TE and never be heard from again.

[DAG 33,962]

49 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

Not everyone was. He was the RB I wanted the most in that class. You can look in his recruiting page and find MULTIPLE posts of mine on really hoping we sign him. 

Also I wasn't the only one really high on him. He was the highest rated RB we signed that class and we signed 3 good ones (Worm, Joiner, and Asa Martin.) 

But yeah Joiner was a top 5 (#5th) RB in the entire nation. So there were plenty of people who were not wrong about him... Although I am pleasantly surprised to see Joiner getting the love at RB. I was definitely wrong about that. I really thought he would end up at TE and never be heard from again.

All I could remember is people saying he ran soft , but he looked the part. I am pretty sure he had offers from the likes of UGA, LSU and Bama too, so the potential was known and always there. 

[Sizzle 3,909]

59 minutes ago, DAG said:

All I could remember is people saying he ran soft , but he looked the part. I am pretty sure he had offers from the likes of UGA, LSU and Bama too, so the potential was known and always there. 

He had offers but a lot of them weren’t committable offers. The reason we got him was because other schools turned their back on him. Auburn was the only school who even offered to give him an official visit 

[DAG 33,962]

1 hour ago, Sizzle said:

He had offers but a lot of them weren’t committable offers. The reason we got him was because other schools turned their back on him. Auburn was the only school who even offered to give him an official visit 

The only school ? This might be true but I find that hard to believe

[Sizzle 3,909]

1 minute ago, DAG said:

The only school ? This might be true but I find that had to believe

LSU was the school he really wanted but they didn’t want him so other schools turned him down as well. Auburn was the only school who stayed with him. That’s why he committed on his official visit

[toddc 13,194]

I know he officially visited Ol Miss and at one time was a Michigan State lean. He had an awesome offer list too!

 

[ellitor 33,079]

1 minute ago, toddc said:

I know he officially visited Ol Miss and at one time was a Michigan State lean. He had an awesome offer list too!

 

I'm not sure any school was willing to take him as a RB. Most had him as a take as a WR or hybrid ATH which he didn't want to play for the longest time.

[toddc 13,194]

33 minutes ago, ellitor said:

I'm not sure any school was willing to take him as a RB. Most had him as a take as a WR or hybrid ATH which he didn't want to play for the longest time.

Hope he proves them all wrong.

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

15 hours ago, DAG said:

All I could remember is people saying he ran soft , but he looked the part. I am pretty sure he had offers from the likes of UGA, LSU and Bama too, so the potential was known and always there. 

You are right. The reports we have gotten out of camp have by all means suggested Joiner is settling into the RB position. There have also been reports that he is loving contact which is in direct opposition to the recruiting reports about him. 

And yeah he was the #5 RB recruit in the nation. He had 32 offers. And throughout the majority of his recruitment we weren't really a big player for Joiner. The majority of the cycle it looked like LSU, I'm 99% sure he was committed to LSU  but very late in the cycle they just stopped recruiting him. They just stopped responding to him. They thought they had someone else. It didn't work out for them... And it's looking like it's working out for us in a big way. I'm SO EXCITED about his potential in multiple spots on the field. That video of him catching a pass while doing a back flip is INSANE. That's like Bo JacksonISH ability. 

[ellitor 33,079]

9 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

I'm 99% sure he was committed to LSU  but very late in the cycle they just stopped recruiting him

He was never committed to LSU. By the time he was ready to commit to them they had taken Chris Curry that Summer who they liked just as much.. They didn’t have a spot for Joiner after that.

 

[DAG 33,962]

1 minute ago, ellitor said:

He was never committed to LSU. By the time he was ready to commit to them they had taken Chris Curry that Summer who they liked just as much.. They didn’t have a spot for Joiner after that.

 

Sounds like it wasn’t due to any potential or talent, instead the idea that he wouldn’t make it at RB, which is his preferable position. 

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

15 hours ago, Sizzle said:

He had offers but a lot of them weren’t committable offers. The reason we got him was because other schools turned their back on him. Auburn was the only school who even offered to give him an official visit 

Yeah that's not even remotely true. Without even clicking into his timeline you can see from the...um... First page he officially visited another school... We are talking about the #5 RB in the entire dang class.  Tank Bigsby is the #7 rated RB in this class. Just saying.

 

but carry on I guess?

[ellitor 33,079]

8 hours ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

We are talking about the #5 RB in the entire dang class.  Tank Bigsby is the #7 rated RB in this class. Just saying.

Regardless of how recruiting sites had him rated most schools outside of LSU didn't see him or offer him as a RB. Mainly because his running style then didn't match his frame.

Also the strength of the 2 classes at RB aren't the same. HJ was actually 9th RB & 152 overall while Tank is 8th at #35 overall.

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

9 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Also the strength of the 2 classes at RB aren't the same

This I fully agree with. I'm still just stating facts. Edit* In all honesty I knew you would say this very thing as soon as I typed it. And tank is a 5* most likely at the end of the cycle. I know. I'm just talking about their position ratings as of the time if my OP.

9 minutes ago, ellitor said:

HJ was actually 9th RB & 152 overall while Tank is 8th at #35 overall.

You have forgotten more about recruiting than I will ever know E. I know this fully and concede to your knowledge on the subject. I'm just going off his recruiting profile.

 

[ellitor 33,079]

20 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

I'm just going off his recruiting profile.

Profiles separate RBs from All Purpose Backs. On ranking lists I linked I chose all RBs category FWIW for both. Thought that was the fairest way to do it.

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

3 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Thought that was the fairest way to do it.

You are absolutely right. This is why when you tell me something recruiting related I listen. I was just providing the source of my stated position.

[japantiger 4,051]

On 8/13/2019 at 10:34 AM, bigbird said:

I disagree and have seen KMart be scapegoated for other units failings way too many times. He is the Neiko Thorpe on offense the last couple years.

I believe that KMart would be a really good back if he was ever used properly. Or if they hadn't tried to turn his running style into the KJesque, uber-patient runner. That's not who he is. He is, and always has been, an attack the LoS, fast to the hole runner; similar to a Brad Lester type back.

As far as Joiner being more talented, no one has seen enough to try and make that statement.

I like the Neiko reference...especially for Neiko as an upperclassman (as a Freshman, Neiko played like a Freshman in the SEC).  Too often the offside guy can look like the guy who blew it on coverage just because he happens to be the guy chasing the play.  

As for KMart or anything that happened in the Auburn backfield last year; you have to put most of that on the O-line.  That was just a poor effort against any SEC class opponent.  Didn't Auburn only have ~20 yards rushing against A&M?  Not much more against TN, Arky, SoMiss, etc.  

As to the point about his running style, if he just doesn't fit the offense that requires a much more patient runner, different moves, etc.,; then that pretty much relegates him to a secondary role; if any role.  I haven't seen anything that says he is anything special; but if the real issues is his style doesn't match the offense; then I don't see how we can expect to see much of him on the field if we have 2-3 other guys with great talent that do fit the offense style.  Putting folks on the field where you are only going to run one type of play takes about 2 seconds for defenses to figure out.  I want them all to succeed!   But at some point, RB by committee doesn't mean running back by mob.  There's a limit  to how many folks you can reasonably expect to get time.  If he's a competitor, he'll try to find playing time on special teams or in niche roles where he can have an impact.   

I don't care who you are though, if the O-line can't move the pile and pass protect better than last year; it won't matter much who is running or calling signals.