Warped view of LJ's performance thus far.

[BigVE]

I havent seen anything in writing quite like this. Someone wrote in to S.I. and asked Ryan Houston, Special to SI.com, a fantasy question:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...bag/index.html

"
After seeing what happened during Week 1, would it be crazy for me to start Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson at the same time? I have read that they will alternate series' 2 to 1. I have Steven Jackson, Fred Taylor, Brandon Jacobs, and Lamar Gordon also. Does this seem like a bad idea?
-- Paul

"On our radio show we received calls about this all day. Everyone is very concerned what kind of impact Larry Johnson is going to make on Priest Holmes' numbers this season. I really didn't see anything that made me feel Larry Johnson is an every-week starter. Sure he had two TDs but how often is Larry Johnson going to turn nine carries into 110 yards and two TDs? Holmes was the focal point of the offense and will be as long as he can stay healthy."



Excuse me, but wouldnt THAT (getting 110 and 2TD's on 9 carries) be enough to show that a guy just MIGHT be decent enough to be an every week starter?? Who is this clown?

[milkman]

Originally Posted by penchief

Yes, as you so elequently put it, since the day we drafted him I have been touting his ability. He has done absolutely nothing to prove me wrong.

On the other hand, there are a lot of chief fans whose objectivity is blinded by loyalty. It's evident on this board. I don't knock that because I am very loyal myself. However, too many refuse to give LJ the credit he deserves or do so begrudgingly. I'm tired of hearing how his success is due to everybody else but not his own ability. We've all heard it......Priest softened up the D, nobody touched him, etc.

I know exactly where some of you are coming from. Most of the time I have to go to the sports bar to watch the chiefs. When LJ started his first game last year I was talking to some chief fans and telling them they were going to love LJ. They were big Priest fans and wanted nothing to do with that LJ talk. Even last week when LJ was kicking ass they sat there like statues refusing to cheer whenever he had a great run.

Now I don't know about the rest of you but I'm out of my seat cheering no matter who's making a play.

Like you, I don't care who's making the play, I am cheering my ass off.

As far as the Priest/LJ comparison is concerned, while I think Priest brings something to the red zone that other backs don't, including LJ, I also think that the LJ brings more explosiveness to the offense, and that at this point in their careers, the Chiefs would be better served if the carries/series were split the opposite way.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

Thank you, sir. It was tough on all of us.

You and I haven't seen eye to eye in the past, but I don't wish any ill on anyone, so I'd like to offer my condolences as well.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

I remember high school games back in the mid '50's. But the single wing stuff is getting kind of rusty. When I played we ran the split T formation. (So did Oklahoma when they won 47 straight games). Have you ever heard of the sidesaddle T? It looked a lot like the wishbone but had nuances. I never did understand the double wing formation. I didn't see enough of it. Marv Levy's Wing T was pretty effective since the other pro coaches had never seen it. There were no wide receivers before about 1961. That evolved from an innovation called the "Lonesome End" created by Paul Dietzel at Army. He rarely went to the huddle. They flashed him hand signals. His name was Carpenter and as an Army Captain, he called in napalm on his own unit as they were being overrun by Vietcong. Dietzel then moved to LSU where he created the platoon system. He had three separate teams. The White team (defense) The Go team (offense) and the Chinese Bandits (special teams). The "I" formation showed up about '65 and survives to this day. Come and gone include the Wishbone and the Houston Veer. Everybody ran the Wishbone until a Nebraska DC solved it by "mirroring " it. It then disappeared quickly. I'm not sure when the "Pro Set" offense appeared but I'm guessing early '70's. and it survives. So yes, my head is full of football from 50 years of watching it. Yours will be too 40 years from now.

I've only been watching football for 40 years, but I thought that Sid Gillman introduced the Pro Set in the 50's with the Rams.

That, of course, was before my time.
I'm just thinking that I read that somewhere, but I also realize that I could have a faulty memory, since it's been as long ago as high school years that I was reading about Gillman and the Rams.

[Skip Towne]

Originally Posted by SideWinder

I've only been watching football for 40 years, but I thought that Sid Gillman introduced the Pro Set in the 50's with the Rams.

That, of course, was before my time.
I'm just thinking that I read that somewhere, but I also realize that I could have a faulty memory, since it's been as long ago as high school years that I was reading about Gillman and the Rams.

I really don't know where it came from. It just showed up one day.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

Ryan Houston owns the site I write for.

And he's not talking about Johnson from an NFL perspective, he's talking about him from a fantasy starter perspective.

LJ isn't an every week starter. Realistically, how many times is a guy going to average over 10 yards per carry on 9 carries with 2 tds?

No and that example is horrible, there willnot be one runner who will average 10ypc...

But do you honestly believe LJ cannot average 75yards per game and 1 touchdown??? Is that not a good starter in this league when most rb's cant even get 10 touchdowns in a season...

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Valiant

No and that example is horrible, there willnot be one runner who will average 10ypc...

But do you honestly believe LJ cannot average 75yards per game and 1 touchdown??? Is that not a good starter in this league when most rb's cant even get 10 touchdowns in a season...

No, I don't think LJ can average 75 yards per game, not on limited carries.

I would never start a backup RB unless I played in a league with over 12 guys.

This was the first game where LJ and Priest have shared carries and everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon that they can do that every week?

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

No, I don't think LJ can average 75 yards per game, not on limited carries.

I would never start a backup RB unless I played in a league with over 12 guys.

This was the first game where LJ and Priest have shared carries and everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon that they can do that every week?

That is the point of averaging a week... There will be weeks when he gets more then nine carries a week...

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Valiant

That is the point of averaging a week... There will be weeks when he gets more then nine carries a week...

Averages mean nothing to me. If you start him one week and he gets you 5 for 34 and then the next week he's on your bench and gets you 130 and 2 scores than he's averaging 80 yards a game, but he's only averaging 34 yards in your starting lineup.

I'm not going to put a backup RB in my starting lineup unless half my team is hurt or I'm in a huge league.

[penchief]

Originally Posted by SideWinder

Like you, I don't care who's making the play, I am cheering my ass off.

As far as the Priest/LJ comparison is concerned, while I think Priest brings something to the red zone that other backs don't, including LJ, I also think that the LJ brings more explosiveness to the offense, and that at this point in their careers, the Chiefs would be better served if the carries/series were split the opposite way.

Well said. I can agree with that completely.

[Skip Towne]

Originally Posted by penchief

Well said. I can agree with that completely.

Me too.

[Valiant]

Even with a shitty week, with the Raiders stuffing the run left and right LJ scored more fantasy points then 10 other starters... Hmm and people wouldn't start him... The guy on average this year will get 900 yards and 15touchdowns, unless you have two stud RB's (priest,LT,alexander)that can get a touchdown everyweek you would be stupid not have LJ..