Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Obviously I am joking with the title of this post.

Sort of.

I love me some Darren Sproles. He's absolutely amazing to watch and he's arguable the Saints most powerful offensive weapon. But the Saints running back has missed the past two games with a hand injury and there's no denying in those two games, the Saints offense has finally found a successful running game and a balanced offense.

So excuse me if I'm not in a rush to see him return to the field. Just take a look at these offensive statistical comparisons, with and without Sproles in the lineup:

Average rushing yards the first 7 games (with Sproles) - 72.8 yards

Average rushing yards the last 2 games (without Sproles) - 144 yards

Average run/pass ratio the first 7 games - 30%/70%

Average run/pass ratio the last 2 games - 47%/53%

Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back - Canal Street Chronicles

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Ingram/Ivory have been running like men possessed without Sproles!

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

I think the biggest addition has been the power run game with Ivory/Ingram. Now, if we could use the power run to set up the screen game with Sproles...*drool*

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

I think when Sproles comes back we'll use him in a slightly more limited role, kind of like the way we used Cadet in this game. You just can't take Ivory, Ingram or PT off the active roster.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

We need him

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

I was mad all year about Ivory being inactive. This is why. Now I'm not gonna sit here and say I thought there would be this much of a turnaround, but Ivory runs with speed, power and vision. None of our other backs excel at more than one of those things.

Sproles has great speed, decent vision, and no power. He is extremely effective when used right, particularly as a receiver, but the lack of running game was really making those screen passes to him predictable.

Thomas has great vision, some power, but not much speed. Very effective in the passing game, and a solid runner. No real complaints about him, but just making the point about his overall physical ability.

Ingram was bad at all three phases until just the last two games. He is showing good power and decent vision.

Ivory has great power, very good speed, and great vision. His only fault in the past has been the fumbles. But as I watched the Saints stumble to an 0-4 start, I couldn't help but wonder why such a talented player wouldn't be given at least a shot to provide some kind of spark that this team desperately needed. And frankly, not only has he played well since his return, but I believe he has motivated Ingram.

Just my opinion.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

I think it has a lot more to do with the offensive line who has some new faces on it over the past couple of years finally getting it together and more importantly Kromer being back in his place focusing solely on the line than it does with Sproles being out.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Ivory gives a spark to the O, Ingram has started to run much better, those 2 make a good tandum, PT fits well with both. Hard nose running has given us an edge. I really like what I see out of our O it looks like we are on. You can thank Ivory for this. Ingram might have firured out running Ivory style aint' so bad, it works.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

I think the real addition is Vitt. Sproles'll be yet another pleasant addition once he recovers.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Having Sproles out of the equation makes us less predictable. Ivory, Ingram and Thomas are mor runners than recievers while its the opposite with Sproles. It makes it harder for the defence to just focus in on one thing.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

can he play LB?

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Sproles is a different utilization that PT/Ingram/Ivory.. I do not see a direct correlation.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Sproles is one of the best offensive weapons in the whole league, so any team would be lucky to have him in the active roster as far as I'm concerned.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

You are leaving out other changes that happened in the same time period.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

We're not better off without Sproles, but we had become incredibly predictable. We weren't running worth a crap, so Sproles was being used far too often in the passing game to compensate, and teams were sitting on that.

Now that he's been away, it's forced the Saints to really re-focus on getting their backs going, and most importantly, it gave Ivory a chance to remind this coaching staff what he can do. So now when Sproles comes back I believe he'll be much more effective and compliment those guys, much like he did last year.

Definitely not an indictment on Darren, but could prove to have been a positive thing.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

If the Saints power running game gets going like it has over the last two games, then the play action screen passes that Thomas and Sproles are so good at, will open up. If the other team brings up their safeties to cover Sproles and Thomas out of the backfield, then Graham will eat them up over the middle.

Or at least that's the way it's supposed to come together.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

The difference is a 17% increase in rushing attempts

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

That happens quite a bit around here.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

What's amazing is that Sproles is out, but PT had less than 5 touches

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

First, we need Darren Sproles. Second, we're not in the business of getting rid of great players. Third, wait till SP comes back and unveils a 5 RB set. I can see it now, backs are good at protecting the QB, they can chip and go out into their routes, they have good hands and can catch and then they are great in the open field, even better than most WR's. We'd have Sproles, PT and Cadet split out with Ingram and Ivory in the backfield. It would totally blow other teams minds.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

@OP/CSC: Correlation does not equal Causation. Don't forget that our run game coordinator has not been able to run game coordinate until the last few games with Vitt back, which is more likely the cause of our improved running game than the removal of one of our premier playmakers. In fact, I think that the running game will be even better when he comes back. See: the 2011 Season.

(Also, I think it may be time for us Ingram apologists to admit that Ivory should be starting, frankly.)

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Whatever or whoever lit the fire under Ingram, THANK YOU!!!!! Ivory is out to prove he belongs on the field (and has).

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

No one lit a fire under him. He got better blocking. He's no longer pummelled by 4 defenders 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

May have something to do with Kromer coming back.

If any fire was lit, it was the O-line.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

While I don't completely disagree with you on the fact that they're both getting better blocking.........I do think you're seeing the Ingram situation thru your ROLL TIDE glasses a bit. In that MNF game against the Eagles...it started off with Ingram's same boring 2 yard runs....and after Ivory ripped off a couple of runs and got the crowd going, suddenly Ingram had some burst, fire, and elusiveness.

Biggest coincidence in the world? Maybe. Either way, I like this Ingram better than the other one.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Ivory Coming Back From The Doghouse > Regular Chris Ivory. To get to THIS Ivory we had to wait through THAT Ivory, and I think it was done that way on purpose.

Ingram With Competition Behind Him > Ingram With No Competition Behind Him.

O Line + Kromer scheme > O Line w/ halfassed Kromer scheme

No question about it. The best thing that can happen right now is for stuff to get batsh*t crazy with competition in our backfield, then right when everything gets thrown into the pot and comes to a complete boil Sproles walks back in to the middle of the throng and our offense goes off-the-chain crazeee. That's my prediction.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

Does anybody even know why Ivory was IN a doghouse? Was he in a doghouse????? I know he fumbled a few times in training camp / preseason.....but I seem to recall him turning it on from that Jacksonville game on forward...

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

He was in the doghouse for fumbling. Kromer said something about it at the start of the year. But not for HOW MANY times he fumbled, Ivory didn't really fumble that much, it was WHERE and WHEN and HOW he fumbled -- for example at bad times in games or in situations that caused a 14 point swing (took away 7 from the Saints and wound up giving 7 to the other team, or on crucial drives where we needed points, stuff like that). And bad ball handling -- sometimes the ball would squirt out when he hit the ground, or when he was on his way down, and he would get 1-2 stripped when one guy would stack him up and another would go for the ball, while Ivory was thrashing around, which is a pretty basic and avoidable kind of fumble. As opposed to the Pierre Thomas style of fumbling, where he generally has to have his ankle freaking get broken or be knocked out cold, in order for him to cough up the ball.

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

No kidding...

Re: Dear Darren Sproles: Please Don't Come Back
 

That's some funny logic right there...

Team goes 0-4......defense is handing out yards and points like Halloween candy, the offense was sputtering along and not putting teams away...

...but dammit, we sure won't activate Chris Ivory...he MIGHT fumble !