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Here's my take -
Atlanta quit crowding the box at the start of the 2nd half because we ran anit-Herm Ball. By which I mean, we put together a compedent passing drive which opened up our running game in the 2nd half. That's the number one reason LJ looked better.
The second reason is that (as has already been pointed out) we allowed him to run a varity of plays. He didn't just charge staight ahead.
The third reason LJ looked better is that he looked pissed. Everyone remembers the whole "he runs angry" thing, well we did see a spark of that again. He has lost a little spead, and he seems uwilling (unable?) to totally commit to just running the 'f' over someone. It's like he wants to be a finese back... which we all know he is not. It was nice to see him "run angry" again. I have to admit...
But is the "old LJ" back? I don't think so. But he did look good for a minute there. I hope he can keep it up. But a lot of his success depends on the defensive package, the O-line, our offensive scheme, and on LJ getting back to running over people instead of trying to studder-step and tip-toe through collapsing holes. When he grabs the ball and runs he usually makes the hole before it disappears. He looked better. Not great. Nowhere near "glory days" good.
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