Rookie Davis The Fastest Browns' RB? SportingNews 50 minutes ago
Buzz up!0 votes PrintThe last of the Cleveland Browns’ eight 2009 draft picks is on course to have the biggest impact on the team.
Sixth-round pick James Davis ranks fifth in the NFL in preseason rushing yards. Perhaps that doesn’t mean much, but the way Davis is running does. Some scouts who downgraded Davis may have underestimated his speed.
Jerry Butler, a former track star who played in the NFL and has worked in the league for 30 years (currently with the Browns) says Davis is one of the fastest players on the team. Butler says Davis runs the 40 in the 4.3s, and coaches are beginning to appreciate his football speed.
He showed it off on an 81-yard TD run against the Lions. Davis gets to the hole quickly and makes short quick cuts once in the second level. He has enough size and and has shown good toughness.
His pedestrian season at Clemson in 2008 is a puzzle. He has asserted himself as a strong candidate to share the load with veteran workhorse Jamal Lewis(notes) and perhaps keep dangerous scatback Jerome Harrison(notes) from getting more playing time.
While Davis seems destined for a meaningful regular-season role, it’s not a lock that rookie center Alex Mack(notes) will start. Hank Fraley(notes), who has made 48 straight starts at center for the Browns, will turn 32 this month, but he seems to have caught a second wind. The savvy Fraley is the starter for now.
all the scouting reports, which i'd assume is what people are going off of, have said he had 4.55-4.6 40 speed. that said, all that really matters (40 speed isn't one of them) is that he's noticeably faster than jamal lewis. i hope he ends up taking a lot of the carries.
Please, everyone who watched him in college says he doesn't have great speed. Every scouting report will say so. He doesn't, despite the alleged 4.3. He probably is one of our fastest players, because we have a slow team.
Ok.. someone get out the stopwatch and watch the 81 yard run against the lions. How long did it take him to get from the 40 to the goaline? Oh and thats with pads on and not at a complete stop... oh well. Looks fast enough to me.
PS... I'm a loser. I downloaded PC Chrono and got 4.04 from 40 to goaline.
"I'm a mog. Half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend."
I'm hesitant to expect too much of rookies , but what this kid has shown so far should have him in the backfield on 1st down. He was the better RB this preseason.
If Davis was the 7 year veteran and Jamal was the rookie no one would even consider giving Jamal the starts. Loyalty has to be to the team first - not to a RB that everyone loves.
Speed is nice but it ant everything when it comes to a RB, There are several other just as important factors that go into a Rb having a above avergae pro carrer, I've seen many fast RB never amount to beans in the NFL because the could find a hole or didnt have side vision to be able to avoid a blocker, I dont really care if Davis runs a 4.6 or a 4.3, if he can hang onto the rock and gain positive yards, hit the holes and avoid tacklers, he will do alright.
Quote: Please, everyone who watched him in college says he doesn't have great speed. Every scouting report will say so. He doesn't, despite the alleged 4.3. He probably is one of our fastest players, because we have a slow team.
He ran away from #39 (stuart Schweigert) as if he was standing still. Do you have a scouting report/forty time for Schweigert? All I could find in limited searching was that he was "fast". Seems like a "fast" safety would have to be 4.5-ish and Davis torched him.
The difference between a 40 yard dash and running from the 40 to the goal line is that in the second he is already moving at top speed, and in the 40 yard dash he is starting from 0. (right?)
My stopwatch tests have averaged around 4.1 - 4.2 for his 40 -> goalline.
I'm not going to keep saying the same thing, but let me say this: James Davis is not fast for a running back. He isn't terribly slow, but his speed is average. His weaknesses are his speed, lack of moves, and little ability to make defenders miss.
Quote: Speed is nice but it ant everything when it comes to a RB, There are several other just as important factors that go into a Rb having a above avergae pro carrer, I've seen many fast RB never amount to beans in the NFL because the could find a hole or didnt have side vision to be able to avoid a blocker, I dont really care if Davis runs a 4.6 or a 4.3, if he can hang onto the rock and gain positive yards, hit the holes and avoid tacklers, he will do alright.
One of the main benefits of low 4's speed in a RB is that inhibits the defense's ability to "crowd the box". They can still bring an 8-in-the-box package but the safety has to hang back a bit or risk a breakaway play.
Lewis doesn't have that speed anymore so he's going to face 8 men upfront which forces us to check into a pass.
And I just want to say this one more time: I love James Davis. I thought he should've been a third or second rounder. For the most part, he hasn't been a guy getting huge gains, but he consistently gets good yardage. I really see no reason why he can't be a feature back for us.
I get you're point, I'm just asking you if you have a forty time for SS You seem to have a lot of good info and I thought you might dig it up for us. Just asking....
Quote: I'm not going to keep saying the same thing, but let me say this: James Davis is not fast for a running back. He isn't terribly slow, but his speed is average. His weaknesses are his speed, lack of moves, and little ability to make defenders miss.
or in other words:
his ceiling is Terrelle Davis (another 6th rounder scouts didn't like for about the same reasons)
his floor is pretty much every RB we've had the last 11 years (outside of Jamal's 2007 season).
I'm just saying, but Browns fans fall in love with a different running back every preseason (or just about). Let's see him do something in games that matter against consistent first teamers before we annoint him.
I'm still in the shut up and show me phase right now. Sorry for my pessimism.
Speed is important don't get me wrong but there is more to measure a running back on than just speed.
It is easy to see on film that he is fast enough.
He is an interesting prospect that you want to see more of. That is for sure. He hits the hole unlike Jamal who looks to feel his way. He also has displayed good vision and seems to catch the ball well.
My hope is that Mangini will give him the reps. Unlike Romeo who would say he wanted to use Harrison more but never did.
Jamal is what he is. A 30 year old running back who at this point is, at best, is a short yardage guy. Jamal can be useful on certain plays. His days as a feature running back are over. At least I hope that Mangini sees it that way.
If we use a running back by committee approach we might surprise folks.
He ran slow at the combine with a 4.6 but for his pro day at Clemson he ran a 4.45 which is plenty fast for a running back. And for the record I think James Davis is going to a very good running back for us for years to come. 40 times
I get a kick out of all the "well, in the combine he ran.......his jumps were.......yada yada yada"
That stuff doesn't mean jack. Track speed is nice - football speed is better.
How high you jump? It's a measure, not THE measure.
All the things from the combine add up to............zilch.
Can a guy play football, that's what matters. Sure, a running back with 4.3 speed is going to grade out better than a guy with 4.9 speed...........but does it matter? No.
So and so can bench 225 45 times. Another so and so can only put it up 15 times. Okay, so one is stronger. Big deal.
I run a 12 flat 40 - or close to it. Give me 30 yds to get up a head of steam, have me pass the fastest player in the league - while he's standing still, and give him 40 yds to catch me - he won't. I'm at full speed, he's dead in his tracks. I win, every time.
Doesn't mean I'm fast, doesn't mean I'm slow.
All this "ratings" crap means nothing - look at the hits and misses from the last 2 years......it means nothing. Can a guy play football, that's what matters.
Look, game or player stats must be important or else nobody in the NFL would use them. Last time I looked, every NFL scout or GM shows up at the combine.
I'd like to see that line work if you were a player scout talking to your GM.
GM - How fast was his 40? You - Doesn't matter, stats are for losers. I saw him play, he's good. GM - How many yards did he rush for in college? You - Doesn't matter, stats are for losers. I saw him play, he's good. GM - What's his vertical? You - Doesn't matter, stats are for losers. I saw him play, he's good. GM - How tall is he? You - Doesn't matter, stats are for losers. I saw him play, he's good. GM - Is he skinny, ripped or fat? You - Doesn't matter, stats are for losers. I saw him play, he's good.
And so on...
Look I get your point about how ultimately the play on the field matters but ALL THESE GUYS can play in college. To seperate them, stats come into play. They must mean something if every scout and GM uses them.
Yes, a 4.8 40 RB could be better than a 4.3 40 RB....but more often than not, the 4.3 40 RB is better. Always, no....most of the time, yes. So it does matter.
...and this post wasn't meant to start some massive argument. I'm not attacking you or calling you stupid ( ). I just don't get the "stats are for losers" comment. NFL execs use them when their livelihood is on the line...so they must carry some weight.
The line should be "stats aren't the ultimate measure of a players ability".
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Like I said before, I rather take a player who has pretty decent speed, but knows how to play the game than a guy who is a burner, but can't find daylight if he ran into the sun.
Quote: That seems quite contradictory to whats been said on these boards about him not having top-end speed.
I wish I could remember the thread its on but there were a ton of Videos that I posted that show that he wasn't easily caught from behind.. and that he has speed,,, Yet there were a couple of posters on here that no matter what I showed them, they chose to believe otherwise..
Not sure if this will affect thier thinking.. but I say, the kid has more than enough speed...
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
The line should be "stats aren't the ultimate measure of a players ability".
The same can be said for any standardized testing technique. Some people grade out well and go on to do great things, some grade out well and go on to busts, other grade bad and turn out to be pretty good at what they do. The combine is no different than the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, etc. It's supposed to be a litmus to determine if someone has the capability, the capacity, to do well, not that they will. I like that Punch, "_______ aren't the ultimate measure of _________ ability." I think that can be used in many different instances.
Quote: I have always felt Davis had plenty of speed and touted him as a guy I would like while still a jr at Clemson.
I am damn glad we drafted him and don't have that damn Romeo Crennel around to waste 40% OF HIS CAREER ON THE BENCH.
Exactly... If Jamal gets 300 carries this year, it will be a bad season. There is a need to play Davis and Harrison.
I think Harrison had 14 carries after his 72 yard run for the rest of the year. Half od them were in the next game. Why this happend on a 4-12 team was beyond reason.
You seem to have a lot of good info and I thought you might dig it up for us. Just asking.... 
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