How good is McFadden?

[mcgufcm 4,096]

wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.... stop the damn presses. scott just laid down the biggest thread hijack in history, but i'm taking the bait. did you just off-handedly insinuate that the 2007 lsu tigers have 4 running backs better than ANY BACK at auburn?!? are you kidding me? look i know you're on a sugar high after coming back against florida in your own house behind the clutch power running of heath evans... i mean jacob hester... but you should back pedal juuuust a touch there.

look i said at the start of the year, when some lsu fan (might've even been you) tried to toss out keiland williams as a legit "star" tailback, that we'd done this dance before. plain and simple lsu hasn't had a legit star tailback since collins or faulk. you read that right. carnell, ronnie, and rudi were ALL better than anyone that's touched the field at running back for lsu in the last decade, and kenny was just as good a college back as addai ever was. lsu fans just talk themselves into ANYONE and think they've got a star.

keiland williams is no star. just like justin vincent wasn't a star. he had a good year behind an incredible line, and that was his career. just like alley broussard wasn't a star. he subplanted jv (who i'm not sure could've started at msu at the time by the way), ran hard for a year, then ate himself out of the game. injury or no, that guy was never going to be a star. keiland williams is the 3rd coming of the mythical lsu star tailback. he's pretty good. that's all. he is not now, nor will he ever be, a star back. he'd be 3rd or 4th in the auburn rotation.

the midget isn't good. he's cute. he's effective every now and then as a change of pace, but holliday is a joke as a feature back. if it ever comes to that, you'd better hope glen dorsey pulls a david pollack with the strip/touchdown thing because you're not going to run the ball on anyone with that guy running the show. at auburn, he'd be what he is at lsu: a novelty.

charles scott wins this year's "most likely to impersonate dontae walker" award. and this coming off alley broussard's successful impersonation only two short years ago! you guys must be proud of your future fattie. come back here in two years and tell me all about how great scott is when he's weighing in at 245 and running a 4.7 with your defensive tackles.

and now we come to the legit runner of the group. first off, i find it funny that it took this long to figure out that unless you're running option with perriloux, hester is your best option at tailback. every. single. play. he's a jackhammer. he's a warrior. he protects the ball, knows his limits, forces defenders to make plays, and gets the job done. he doesn't have holliday's speed, but he's also not afraid of getting hit (like tridon). he isn't the pure "runner" that williams is, but he also doesn't appear to be looking for a great play every down. hester actually understands football. he's legit. i don't know if he'd start at auburn because the "bread and butter" plays we run (the sweep and the stretch) don't match him, but he might be good enough to force a change. i love him. he's a machine, and the patriots are going to be really happy to have him when they pick him up in the 7th round because no one else would take a chance, then he beats out laurence maroney by week 8.

so to recap, you have one guy. one. that i would take over brad lester, mario fannin, and possibly one more that might play over ben tate. although ben tate is more consistent than keiland williams is ever going to be. lsu running backs are the same as they have been for the last decade: overhyped by the media and over-stated by their fans.

you sound like a bama fan trying to talk yourself into believing that shaud williams' rushing title actually meant he was the best back in the conference when fans knew down deep that he couldn't crack auburn's rotation. play hester. enjoy him. understand that everyone else is a guy you're going to be killing in the next year or two hoping the new "future star" takes his carries away.

[mowegl 4]

The LSU story when it comes to RBs is the ones they let get away. San Diego State?

Nobody recruited Faulk for RB. It's not like he was a 5* RB coming out of high school. We have 4 RBs that would be starting at

HA! You're funny.

[Ryan Sanders 123]

He(LSUSCOTT) is probably correct.. but the same can be said about our running backs, they could start at LSU. The conclusion of this little argument will be made 5 years from now when we see who is playing in the NFL and who is not.

[mowegl 4]

He(LSUSCOTT) is probably correct.. but the same can be said about our running backs, they could start at LSU. The conclusion of this little argument will be made 5 years from now when we see who is playing in the NFL and who is not.

What? are you kidding me? All 3 tailbacks are better than theres, and Id take Carl Stewart as a better all around back than Jacob Hester at the FB position.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

just as a quick aside, talking about current running backs, if i were to pick the two guys that are the next great sec backs i'd take moreno at uga and fannin. i know it's obligatory to compare every running back that puts on an auburn jersey to carnell or ronnie, but moreno is the guy that actually reminds me of caddilac. fast to the edges. likes to hit more than he should for a guy his size (ie. he's going to get himself hurt at some point). excites the team and the crowd. killer open field moves. if they don't misuse him (which they have a tendency to do at uga), he's a future star.

fannin is just a beast. i'm not 100% sure who i'd compare him with really. he's not like ronnie despite what others have said. he's got a much fast first step than ronnie ever had, and he hasn't shown a flair for delivering the big blow that ronnie had. he's incredibly fast for a guy his size. i guess if i were trying to find the running style that he brings to mind i'd say peterson at OU. not great technique running the ball (fannin has trouble carrying the ball; peterson runs too high), but great first step, tough to get down with one guy, really great ability to "bounce" off contact and pick up more.

i'd take those two guys over any other underclassmen in the sec. honerable mention to anthony dixon who may end up being a one of those classic grinders like rudi or jamal lewis.

[OKieAuburnDoug 1]

Yeah I'd say Shaun was our best back.

As far as Dmac, I'd say it goes Walker, Dmac tied with Bo, and everyone else.

Let's not forget that Darren has to share carries with Felix Jones. They currently site at #1 and #2 respectively in the SEC rushing leaders list.

tied with BO??

Mac is real good but Bo was so much stronger and faster it's not even close!

[JB33 1]

D-Mac is the only back I openly compare to Herschel and/or Bo. He has the size, speed, and athleticism to easily compare. I didnt say he was AS GOOD, but he is as close as you can get.

Second that. Beat me to it. We haven't seen a better speed / power combo since those two.

Also agree that Shaun Alexander has to be uat's #1.

[JB33 1]

His name was Marcus Dupree and he was from Philadelphia, Miss. A great author, Willie Morris, wrote a book titled "The Courting of Marcus Dupree." It was very similar to "Friday Night Lights" in that it told the story of Dupree in the social context of his hometown in that era. If you can find it, read it. Great, great book.

Second that, too. Morris is a brilliant writer - one every Southerner should read. Check out the link below. Highly, highly recommend this book (and his many others).

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_sw_1/002-40...amp;x=0&y=0

[jw 4 au 526]

so to recap, you have one guy. one. that i would take over brad lester, mario fannin, and possibly one more that might play over ben tate. although ben tate is more consistent than keiland williams is ever going to be. lsu running backs are the same as they have been for the last decade: overhyped by the media and over-stated by their fans.

Great analysis mcgufcm, except I think you are giving Hester too much credit because of his awesome ability to run AS FREAKIN' HARD AS POSSIBLE ON EVERY PLAY AND CRACK SOME SERIOUS SKULLS. He would be a FB at Auburn though in the mold of Heath Evans.

Also, I agree with your analysis on Fannin, I look forward to watching him in the future. I also feel bad for Tristan Davis because of how we screwed him out of a year of football last year by moving him to DB and then not even playing him much. I think he has the same potential that you described for Fannin. Maybe he can get a medical redshirt for this year and work his way into some PT over the next two years in a very stacked backfield.

LSUSCOTT is crazy apparently!

[JB33 1]

I've been watching SEC football for a long time. I was thinking tonight about where exactly Darren McFadden fits historically among SEC running backs. So, in thinking about that, I took it team by team. I know that sometimes, when you're relying solely on memory, you can miss somebody. So, I'm gonna list my best running backs by SEC team and, if y'all disagree or have other names, chime in. I will go ahead and give the conclusion, though. I think McFadden is among the top four running backs in the SEC in the last 40 or so years. The other three would be Bo, Herschel and Emmitt.

Anyway, here's the team-by-team look.

Alabama: Bobby Humphrey.

Arkansas: Darren McFadden

Auburn: Bo Jackson

Florida: Emmitt Smith

Georgia: Herschel Walker

Kentucky: Sonny Collins

LSU: Toss up. Charles Alexander, Kevin Faulk.

Ole Miss: Deuce McAllister

Mississippi State: Walter Packer

South Carolina: George Rogers (though he's pre-SEC)

Tennessee: Reggie Cobb

Vandy: No one comes immediately to mind.

Anyone disagree or have other team choices?

InDNo

LSU - Cecil Collins. Best LSU RB (by far) I've ever seen in person. Talk about what might have been . . . (Honorable mention: If we're not limiting this to "recent history," what about Billy Cannon?)

UT - Jamal Lewis

UK - Moe Williams

[AU alum 2]

Don't LSU's backs look as good as they do because of the blocking? I don't know that the backs there would be as good as they are, if they had to create their own blocking similar to DMac. And yes, I think that Bo would be #1 on that list, Hershel #2, and DMac #3. Nobody else makes that list.

[Ryan Sanders 123]

He(LSUSCOTT) is probably correct.. but the same can be said about our running backs, they could start at LSU. The conclusion of this little argument will be made 5 years from now when we see who is playing in the NFL and who is not.

What? are you kidding me? All 3 tailbacks are better than theres, and Id take Carl Stewart as a better all around back than Jacob Hester at the FB position.

I never said that their running backs were better... All I am saying is that they have the ability to be starters at Auburn. I would much rather have our running backs, but to say that LSU doesn't have a running back that could even start for us is a bit crazy if you ask me.

Anyway..

[mcgufcm 4,096]

it's not crazy to look at a guy as he is and say he's not good enough to start at a school. here i'll do it: brandon cox couldn't possibly start for kentucky. or here's another one: no florida running back could start for any team in the conference with the possible exception of vandy. the list could go on. the point is keiland williams is cut from the same mold as some our guys, and he's not as good. charles scott is slow and getting slower. holliday is a sideshow. hester, for my money, is for real. he COULD start at auburn. the other guys? no chance.

[AU_tiger_2000 0]

He(LSUSCOTT) is probably correct.. but the same can be said about our running backs, they could start at LSU. The conclusion of this little argument will be made 5 years from now when we see who is playing in the NFL and who is not.

What? are you kidding me? All 3 tailbacks are better than theres, and Id take Carl Stewart as a better all around back than Jacob Hester at the FB position.

I never said that their running backs were better... All I am saying is that they have the ability to be starters at Auburn. I would much rather have our running backs, but to say that LSU doesn't have a running back that could even start for us is a bit crazy if you ask me.

Anyway..

sounds like you two guys are talking past each other. Sounds like one of you is talking about LSU's backs being good enough to start for us this year (which is crazy) and one of you is talking about LSU's backs being on par with some of the other backs that have started for Auburn (which is true). After all, we are the team that went through two seasons with Rusty Williams and Markeith Cooper as our running backs.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Anyone who thinks Carl Stewart is better than Jacob Hester...has their opinion rendered invalid upon arrival.

[DCWarEagle 0]

I agree that stats don't tell the whole story of a running back (or any player). But they are a good start. Anyone know how many yards and TDs D-Mac has?

Hershal had 5,259 yards and 49 Touchdowns. And went to the NFL a year early.

Kevin Faulk had 4,557 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Bo haf 4,303 yards and 43 touchdowns. And was injured a good bit.

Nobody (with two brain cells to rub together) would say Faulk was better than Bo. Just wondering how McFadden's actual numbers compare.

(And for anyone who is curious, Caddy has 3,831 yards and 45 touchdowns).

[BamaGrad03 0]

I think YPC is a good indicator for a RB.

[SouthLink02 8]

LSU - Cecil Collins. Best LSU RB (by far) I've ever seen in person.

I actually agree. Cecil Collins could have been one of the best EVER if he had a few years and could stay off the drugs and booze.

Wow he was good

[FootballFanatic 4]

Id say wait till Mcfadden hits the NFL.

At Arkansas he doesn't have a well rounded team playing with him. He would be more effective if they had a multi dimensional team.

[JB33 1]

LSU - Cecil Collins. Best LSU RB (by far) I've ever seen in person.

I actually agree. Cecil Collins could have been one of the best EVER if he had a few years and could stay off the drugs and booze.

Wow he was good

And he gets bonus points for a cool nickname: "The Diesel."

[DCWarEagle 0]

I think YPC is a good indicator for a RB.

I agree to a point. B/c number of yards and TDs scored have a direct relationship w/ number of carries. However, YPC can be misleading also. If one guy is toting the rock 25 times a game, and the other guy is getting 8-10 carries, I would expect the guy w/ the fewer carries to post a better YPC b/c he is fresher, is coming in when the D is a little more tired, etc. I think Felix Jones has a better YPC than D Mac. I don't think that means he is a better RB, just that he is fresher and gets to pick his spots a little more.

But if you have two guys that both are the primary ballcarrier for their teams, YPC can be very good at comparing them.

Okay guys, top five Auburn RBs of the last thirty years. Who do you think.

1. Bo

2. Caddy

3. Joe Cribbs (slightly lower yardage, but more TDs than Brooks)

4. James Brooks

5. Tough one. Stephen Davis, maybe.

HM: Rudi (was fantastic, but only played for us one season), Ronnie, Brent Fullwood, Kenny, Lionel James. If he can learn to hold onto it, Fannin may join the list.

[Dye Hard AU Fan 0]

Running Back U! I agree with the Fannin thing. Once he holds on to the ball, he will be an awesome back. I can't wait to see what happens with our running game next year when we get Enrique Davis and Tristan (fully healthy) in the mix. I am also excited about Reggie Hunt once he get's some runs in (probably in 2009).

Top AU Backs

1. Bo

2. Brent Fullwood

3. James Brooks

4. Joe Cribbs

5. Caddy

6. Stephen Davis

7. Ronnie Brown

8. Markieth "The Lizard" Cooper (j/k) ;-)

[WREGL3 0]

As far as Dmac, I'd say it goes Walker, Dmac tied with Bo, and everyone else.

Let's not forget that Darren has to share carries with Felix Jones. They currently site at #1 and #2 respectively in the SEC rushing leaders list.

Your smoking crack again, or a blind bammer that can't acknowledge facts and stats. They all share carries, remember Lionel "Little Train" James and Brent Fullwood? They shared the backfield with Bo and I would put either up against Felix Jones. Not to mention Darren McFadden has an extra game to play. Go back and look at total attempts for Bo in '85 and D-Mac for this year, they are projected to be at or near the same number. I would suspect Bo will end of with more yards since Arky's schedule only gets tougher from here on out. I am not being a homer here, D-Mac is a great back, top 5 in the history of the SEC, but he is certainly no Bo Jackson. Period. End of story. Don't even bother to reply.

finally....Walker not even tied with Bo. There is not a runningback on the planet that can do the things that Bo did. Bigger than Dmac and world class speed, lets not forget that. The man ran under a 4.2 40 at 6'2" and 235lbs. That is not special its not human. That said we have had a ton of good backs and past Bo i could keep naming backs as good as Dmac. Anyone else know Cribbs, Brooks, James, Andrews, Campbell, Fullwood, Davis, Caddy, Brown...

[InDNo 0]

As far as Dmac, I'd say it goes Walker, Dmac tied with Bo, and everyone else.

Let's not forget that Darren has to share carries with Felix Jones. They currently site at #1 and #2 respectively in the SEC rushing leaders list.

Your smoking crack again, or a blind bammer that can't acknowledge facts and stats. They all share carries, remember Lionel "Little Train" James and Brent Fullwood? They shared the backfield with Bo and I would put either up against Felix Jones. Not to mention Darren McFadden has an extra game to play. Go back and look at total attempts for Bo in '85 and D-Mac for this year, they are projected to be at or near the same number. I would suspect Bo will end of with more yards since Arky's schedule only gets tougher from here on out. I am not being a homer here, D-Mac is a great back, top 5 in the history of the SEC, but he is certainly no Bo Jackson. Period. End of story. Don't even bother to reply.

finally....Walker not even tied with Bo. There is not a runningback on the planet that can do the things that Bo did. Bigger than Dmac and world class speed, lets not forget that. The man ran under a 4.2 40 at 6'2" and 235lbs. That is not special its not human. That said we have had a ton of good backs and past Bo i could keep naming backs as good as Dmac. Anyone else know Cribbs, Brooks, James, Andrews, Campbell, Fullwood, Davis, Caddy, Brown...

Bo was the best I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of football. His exploits in other sports make him a once-in-a-lifetime athlete.

When I was a kid, I read a lot about Jim Thorpe. Bo was the 20th Century Thorpe. Just an unreal athlete.

InDNo

[townhallsavoy 2]

That said we have had a ton of good backs and past Bo i could keep naming backs as good as Dmac. Anyone else know Cribbs, Brooks, James, Andrews, Campbell, Fullwood, Davis, Caddy, Brown...

None of those backs were anywhere near as good as McFadden. The guy is their entire offense. DMac is a rare talent that we haven't seen since the last year Bo was at Auburn.