xan

I'm not bashing Mr. Bush. I just want to point out that a featured back doesn't avoid contact by sliding toward the sideline when an additional 2 yards could mean the difference between a 1st down and a punt.

The NFL Today had an interesting analysis of the impact of speed. In a 40 yard dash 4.3guy will have 1.8 feet advantage over a 4.5 guy. In the passing game, that's huge. In close contact, it doesn't mean much, especially if the defender has the angle. Trying to slide laterall to the outside to avoid the hit has only two possibilities from the runner's perspective. (A) he doesn't like contact or (B) he doesn't understand how to be a running back.

For Reggie, I'm gonna say both. Watch the films, he just avoids contact like the plague. And, he doesn't know how to time his blocks.

Get Jamaal Branch back. Let him carry the load. He's currently unemployed and he knows the system and he's durable and certainly not afraid of contact.

Calvin: "I wish I was a Tiger."
Hobbes: "Common lament."