Episode One: What Makes a RB Good/Great? - 10/20/19 02:38 AM
I thought I would start a series of threads on what makes guys who play certain positions good to great. It's meant more to be educational than anything and it is my hope we can learn from one another rather than making things personal. I want to start w/RBs because that is the position I played in high school and college.
Traits that make you great:
I deliberated over this because there are a three huge traits, but I will rank them like this:
--Toughness. No position on the field endures more hard hits than a RB does. You can find some success if you have other skills that will be listed, but you won't last.
--Instincts: I remember when I was younger of watching a special on Walter Payton and he was playing the bongo drums and he talked of how he ran w/music in head. It was about rhythm. It was about feel. It was about instincts. I agree. I used to fight w/dudes on here about TRich. I said he had no instincts. A good RB can feel dudes that he can't see. He can make the right cuts in the hole just by feel. It's hard to explain because it is instinctual. Think about this...have you ever ducked when you sensed something flying to your head? Well, a good RB can do that w/his feet.
--Speed: I know this is kinda boring because it is so evident, but speed kills.
--Durability: Because you take more shots than anyone, you are more prone to get injured. RBs typically don't last as long as other positional guys do. Personally speaking, I had almost every other positive trait, but concussions derailed my career.
--Receiving: This was not always the case, but RBs who can run good routes and have good hands are invaluable to their teams. The best I ever saw was Marshall Faulk.
--Pass blocking: Defenses bring a lot of pressure. It's important to have a RB who can identify where the pressure will come from and then at least getting in his way.
--Style: I am reluctant to include this one because I don't think most will understand what I am saying. But, I am talking of technique. A few aspects of that are running w/a forward lean. That means your shoulders are lowered, which helps you fall forward after contact. Another key is to square your shoulders to the LOS asap. For example, when I was young and in my first two years of high school, I tried to break everything to the outside. I was faster than everyone, but running laterally has a high risk/high reward thing. I made a ton of big plays and too many negative plays. This was during the 1970s and I drove my HS coaches nuts. LOL. I finally learned to beat them w/my speed when I could and then square my shoulders when the outside wasn't there. That gave me more power, more production, and less grief from my coaches. LOL
Attitude: I considered putting this higher, but folks are different. I think wanting to put the team on your back is huge. When I was coaching, I had a RB who wasn't all that physically and I was a pretty strong-minded coach who wasn't questioned much. But, during a game.......this cat comes up to me and says........"give me the ball and we'll win, coach." I was perturbed at first, reconsidered, fed him the ball from the 21 personnel and this kid made me look like a genius. Love that dude. He made me look smart. But, it was all him!
I have some more attributes, but I'm getting tired. I'll evaluate some of the NFL's top backs later if this thread is found to be interesting. I would love to hear from others on this topic and hear what you think makes for good/great RBs.
Traits that make you great:
I deliberated over this because there are a three huge traits, but I will rank them like this:
--Toughness. No position on the field endures more hard hits than a RB does. You can find some success if you have other skills that will be listed, but you won't last.
--Instincts: I remember when I was younger of watching a special on Walter Payton and he was playing the bongo drums and he talked of how he ran w/music in head. It was about rhythm. It was about feel. It was about instincts. I agree. I used to fight w/dudes on here about TRich. I said he had no instincts. A good RB can feel dudes that he can't see. He can make the right cuts in the hole just by feel. It's hard to explain because it is instinctual. Think about this...have you ever ducked when you sensed something flying to your head? Well, a good RB can do that w/his feet.
--Speed: I know this is kinda boring because it is so evident, but speed kills.
--Durability: Because you take more shots than anyone, you are more prone to get injured. RBs typically don't last as long as other positional guys do. Personally speaking, I had almost every other positive trait, but concussions derailed my career.
--Receiving: This was not always the case, but RBs who can run good routes and have good hands are invaluable to their teams. The best I ever saw was Marshall Faulk.
--Pass blocking: Defenses bring a lot of pressure. It's important to have a RB who can identify where the pressure will come from and then at least getting in his way.
--Style: I am reluctant to include this one because I don't think most will understand what I am saying. But, I am talking of technique. A few aspects of that are running w/a forward lean. That means your shoulders are lowered, which helps you fall forward after contact. Another key is to square your shoulders to the LOS asap. For example, when I was young and in my first two years of high school, I tried to break everything to the outside. I was faster than everyone, but running laterally has a high risk/high reward thing. I made a ton of big plays and too many negative plays. This was during the 1970s and I drove my HS coaches nuts. LOL. I finally learned to beat them w/my speed when I could and then square my shoulders when the outside wasn't there. That gave me more power, more production, and less grief from my coaches. LOL
Attitude: I considered putting this higher, but folks are different. I think wanting to put the team on your back is huge. When I was coaching, I had a RB who wasn't all that physically and I was a pretty strong-minded coach who wasn't questioned much. But, during a game.......this cat comes up to me and says........"give me the ball and we'll win, coach." I was perturbed at first, reconsidered, fed him the ball from the 21 personnel and this kid made me look like a genius. Love that dude. He made me look smart. But, it was all him!
I have some more attributes, but I'm getting tired. I'll evaluate some of the NFL's top backs later if this thread is found to be interesting. I would love to hear from others on this topic and hear what you think makes for good/great RBs.
