Best Saints Running Back
 

Who is the Saints best running back?

It looks like our OL has developed from a finesse blocking line to a power running OL too.

Reggie Bush has flashed excellent and if the OL opens holes like they did for PT yesterday, he could be the best running back. But Reggie has had his chances too and PT has always delivered. Mike Bell looks like a combination of the two and might be the best back. So who do you choose?

Make a case for your pick.

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Right now, I have them PT, Bell, Bush, then Hamilton.

I'm losing faith in Bush every week. He still runs too East West, and drops like a rock on first contact. It also looks like he's lost some burst. I wonder if he's hurt.

I don't even get excited when he's back to return a punt anymore.

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A healthy PT does everything... so he's first. Then Bush (regardless of how he performs he commands extra attention when he's on the field opening things up for everyone else) followed by Bell and Hamilton.

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Put me down with PT, Bell, Bush...

I'm with SFIAH. Bush doesn't excite me that much anymore.
Bush is the most expensive decoy in the league.

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And Bush was even a great decoy on the sidelines, as PT gorged the Bills defense time and time again with Bush watching.;)

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A friend of mine made an interesting suggestion regarding Bush during the game. Put him on special teams as a gunner so he can learn to become more physical and not shy away from contact. I thought it was a great idea... thoughts?

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Whatever it takes to give Thomas and Bell more carries, I'm all for it.

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60 Million Dollar Gunner.... How can you lose?
Answer: If you're Tom Benson.

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deuce

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i voted mike bell of course....we asked the first 2 weeks and most people said bell....we ask this after PT returns and we get PT as the answer

pierre beat up on a worn down, tired defense at the end of the game.....the line openned ridiculous holes for PT and reggie late in the game

i cant give it to PT right now just because of what we know bell can do....IMO PT will have his chance to earn his spot back but i still gotta give it to bell for now

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(D.) Payton, Brees and the passing game are the best RB. There's a reason 3 UDFAs and Reggie are the #1 rushing offense in the league.

No offense to those guys or anything, but if Ds weren't scared to death of getting torched deep by Brees, we'd be seeing a bunch more safeties in the box.

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bush is the best rb, don't forget a good chunk of drew's stats come from short passes to him.

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38 yards per game so far, or 13%

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I voted not Reggie because he's not a running back. He's a special teams wide receiver that lines up as a running back. It's a good poll, thanks.

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I refuse to pick one over the other when it comes to Bell and Thomas. The two make for a solid rotation. I would not be surprised if the saints still draft a RB in 2010 on day one.

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I'm all on the PT Train, and have been from the start. I guarantee it isn't after this one game. Bell is a very close 2nd. Bush is good at what they use him for, but not at RB. I think the Saints have one of the best problems you can have. Depth! We know if Pierre goes down, Bell can fill in and do a tremendous job. When Bell goes down, we know that Pierre can come in and...well...he can be Pierre. If both go down, Hamilton showed to be pretty effective, as well.



Once again, Canton. You are going on blast. I respect your opinion as we are all entitled to it. You are also entitled to your choice in polls. I'm not taking away anything from Mike Bell. Trust me. He did a great job in the first two games before he got hurt. He is impressive. I like him a lot and glad he made the final roster over Donaldson and Hill. I just honestly think you can't find it in your heart to give Pierre Thomas the credit he truly deserves. You say that Pierre played against a worn down, tired defense? Really? Were they that tired? Time of possession in the first half was fairly close in the first half. The Saints were on the field for 16 minutes and 54 seconds. That equals to 13:06 for the Bills. Then there was halftime, and the Bills received to open the 2nd half. So, they had a nice little break to be fresh for the 2nd half. The Saints offense ran 33 plays in the first half compared to the Bills 31. Pretty even there, too. The Bills defense wasn't as tired as you made them out to be. Pierre immediately went to work on the Saints FIRST DRIVE of the 2nd half. He had 5 carries for 34 yards on that drive. I'll let you do the math on YPC. The next Saints drive lasted a WHOPPING 4 plays. The next drive....3 AND OUT! The next drive....3 PLAYS! There was help from a 15 yard penalty, a 12 yard catch by Bush, and 2 carries for PT for 39 yards and a score. I think you see where I'm going with this. The Bills D was just dominated by the offensive line and Pierre made some sick cuts and moves, and his vision is incredible. He also found the endzone TWICE on 14 total touches. I'll end that rant there.

Pierre is much better than you give him credit for. Had you said in your opinion that Bell was better than Pierre and just left it alone, I would have left this alone, too. However, you constantly don't give P.T. any credit. All you said for him in another post was "he played well". I bet that almost killed you to even say that about him. lol. In Pierre's last 10 games played for the Saints, he has scored 11 TD's. I'm sorry that this doesn't translate into anything but average for you. In most people's book, it means he's pretty damn good.

Now watch this clip from a press conference with Coach Payton after the game:

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton on Pierre Thomas' big game | New Orleans Saints Central - - NOLA.com

Pierre was ILL AND DEHYDRATED before the game and had to have an I.V!!! Really? Seriously? A sick man ran 14 times for 126 yards and 2 scores? 9 YPC? What?

You say that you can't give it to PT right now, because we all know what Bell can do? Bell has played two games this season and performed very well, but he was in there because PT was injured. Does a starter automatically lose his job, because he is injured? You say you watch the games, but do you really? Don't we already know what Pierre can do? Score, score, score. Produce, produce, produce. That is what he does, and he does it extraordinarily well.

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I think Bush did a good job running against the Bills, he really tries to slam it up the middle and moste of times he's gaining yards. I think he's finally starting to come around.

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lol you look at my post and think of how idiotic i am.....how can i not credit PT for having a great game and being our best running back when he was sick, when he ran for over 100 yards in one half alone

in another thread i said i wasnt goin to get into it but i have a minute before i have to leave for work so i might as well fit in as much as possible

bell was a stud in 2006 before being moved to a position in which he clearly wasnt built and comfortable to play.....bell is back in his natural position and IMO has earned the starting job....PT didnt lose it, bell just earned it

PT didnt play the first half so he was completely fresh for the second half......you say he had an IV...thats the first ive heard of it but he was fresh against a defense that didnt want to play.....he got 3 or 4 big runs near the end of the game that amounted in nearly all of his yardage....it wasnt that he was consistantly getting big gainers, he was getting stopped and then all of a sudden, he broke free

the bills defense was ranked 31st against one of the all time best passing offenses the league has ever seen......when the game was on the line, do you really think they were concerned with stopping the run? they were worried about stopping drew brees and we continued to run the ball......i will credit sean payton and our offensive line with that.....but PT made a great move on his first TD and i'll give him credit for that

the reason i fail to acknowledge PT as our best back is because i dont think he is....i think hes average....i think he does a lot of things well but not one thing great.....bell and reggie both have their talents.

alright im late i'll finish this when i get home

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Bell was a stud in 2006? :confused:

As for the rest of it... been there done that.

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Don't waste too much time on that.. the issue is, on another thread, Canton declared PT was no Matt Forte, how PT was average at best, and wouldn't even start on any NFC North team. I had to show him the error in his ways :)

Now, after a game where PT had the flu, a tweaked knee, had to take IVs for dehydration, the passing game wasn't effective, he comes in on the second half and in 2 quarters puts up 120+ yards rushing and 2 TDs, the only thing Canton can say is "PT played well".

Re: Best Saints Running Back
 

You forgot the last part.

PT played well... against an already worn down defense.

Re: Best Saints Running Back
 

Some people will just never get it. I'm still trying to figure out how Bell was a stud in '06. He had one game of over 100 yards that year, played the majority of the year behind an offensive line that was notorious for being excellent under Shanahan and only averaged 4.3 YPC, and scored less TD's in 15 games than Pierre scored last year in 9 games. Pierre also had 30 less carries last year compared to Bell in '06. Tatum Bell was ahead of him on the depth chart. Where is Tatum Bell now? Mike Bell played great in preseason. I give him that. However, Payton said himself that PT was the starter going into the season. The only reason Bell got the opportunity was because of PT's knee. I ask again. Does PT lose the job because of injury? If this is the case and Bell "earned" the starting job over PT, then shouldn't the same apply here? Shouldn't Bell lose his "starting" spot that he so greatly "earned" since he hurt his knee? Do your homework, Canton, because you are failing miserably to prove your point.

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A few more things and I'll be done schooling you.

What in the heck gives you the idea that the Bills D didn't want to play in the 2nd half? They were down THREE POINTS? Seriously, Canton? I actually laughed out loud at that comment, because of how asanine it was. I won't even continue on that comment.


Secondly, it wasn't ME who said he had an IV. It was THE FRIGGEN HEAD COACH!!! Did you watch the clip? I just repeated what SEAN PAYTON said. Again, I will not elaborate anymore on your comment about this, because it isn't worth wasting anymore breath over.

How can you NOT credit a guy for playing sick? You never did. All you said in another post is that "he played well". That is a huge understatment. He was given the rock and he shined. If Mike Bell had done the same thing Pierre did in the 2nd half against a "tired, worn down team", you would be shining his jock for him.

Finally, PT does a lot of things well, but not one thing great? He finds the end zone......A LOT. Regardless of any other stat he puts up, that is the most important. 11 TD's in his last 10 games says that he AT LEAST does that great. There is no lame argument that you can come up with that can disprove that. Good luck trying.

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Don't know what a prefer, you guys duking it out every other post or looking at the twins' twins.

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LOL. Well, you can bet I won't be wasting my energy anymore on this dead horse. I'll just enjoy the twins' twins with you. ;)

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No No keep it up, the more you post the more enjoyment I get!!

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I think Reggie Bush is starting to be good. He showed it against the Bills. He could have had 100 yrds that day. Hes just not getting enough touches this year.

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Heh Heh Heh.
Do your wives know about you two yet?

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Buffalo's defense was totally gassed in the 4th but Pierre is still potent. But I pick Bell as our best RB. Nothing like a chip on the shoulder to put my confidence in a running back. Get well soon, Mike!

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I disagree with that last BUsh statement. he is not running well. In fact i was getting so ticked off watching him stop moving his legs and fall down whenever a defender got close, he could have had much more yardage with some confident running imo

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what do you want me to say? hes god and we should all bow? i said he played well.....he had a good half....im not going to crown him as our lord and savior but he did play well

like i said before....bell won the job from PT.......PT didnt lose it....ive said this at least 5 times already......PT should have the same opportunity now that bell is injured....and for all we know, PT may earn it back

do my homework? mike shanahan is known for putting together a good running game.....you are saying that tatum bell started in front of mike bell so hes obviously better right? isnt that my argument for bell being better than PT but you are saying my argument doesnt make sense and yours does.

you are comparing numbers of a running back on a primarily running team to a running back on the most prolific offense in NFL history and you think comparing touchdowns is fair? thats fine tho

you dont have to believe me......watch the game...it was very obvious to me that the bills defense that we played in the 4th qtr was very different from the team we played the rest of the game.....i know im stupid and blind and dont "do my homework" so i cant be right about that.....i'll go watch it again just to make sure


i wasnt disagreeing with the statement brother....i just said it was the first ive heard of it....give it a rest

man you got me pegged right down the the correct brand of jock cleaner and everything....you have no idea how i feel about how PT played......i said he played well....what else should i have said?




maybe 1 day i will be as good a poster as you 3.....only time will tell......but heres to wishful thinking

having a different opinion doesnt make me wrong.....it just means we disagree on things...thinkin one player is better than another is not a fact, its an opinion no matter how you swing it

you are not right and i am not wrong

Re: Best Saints Running Back
 

So... umm...

Bell was a stud in 2006? :confused:

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yep

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Thanks... that says it all.

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at least quote me correctly....i said he wouldnt start on the majority of teams in the entire NFL

maybe lions or bengals but kevin smith and cedric benson are pretty solid

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Dude... you are funny...
First, in order for someone to win something, someone else has to lose it... Second, Bell didn't win anything. PT had an injury and was inactive for 2 games. That is why Bell started the first 2 games. Had PT been healthy, he would've been on the field against Detroit and Philly.

now you are just being childish.

There's this dish called crow. Try it sometime. It'll make you a better person.

Re: Best Saints Running Back
 

I voted for Bell

My brother kept giving me s$#t during the Bills game cause all week long we were debating who was the better back. He keeps saying Thomas, I think its Bell. Sure Thomas beat up on a tired defense this last weekend but Bell just looks like he runs harder and has more break away speed then Pierre.

Re: Best Saints Running Back
 

Your Brother is right.