Blaylock did not look good tonight. He consistently went down on first contact, and he showed that he is not as quick as I originally thought. Overall, his speed and power are far below the standards of an NFL starter. Houston didn't have nearly the amount of reps as Blaylock, but showed promise. He is much quicker to the hole this year, and he still has the power to break through arm tackles and drive for a few extra yards. He had three keys runs that put us in position for 1st and goal in the second quarter. I think Houston had a much more fluent game than Blaylock and he should get the start next week.
Washington certainly doesn't know how to pick up a blitz. We shouldn't be seeing too many people here fawning over that guy for a while.
It has become apparent that Cedric Houston can not block. He was at fault for Chad getting hit tonight...and withourt re-living last year he got Brooks killed on more than a half dozen occassions. He does not pick up rthe blitz AT ALL. Which is exactly why Curtis was in there as much as he was last year. CMart is porobably a Top 5 blocking RB when it comes to the blitz. Sorry guys Houtson will NEVER be a feature back...
Washington never blocked at Florida State. When FSU passes they are in the shotgun and with his fortay being a pass catching back he was rarely in the backfield. He will be a modern day Bruce Harper....and that is OK with me...I really want to see him in the open field against an LB, I doubt most will stay with him..
Yeah, he's going to have to fix that...especially with the tender QB situation. On the subject of Blaylock: He clearly did not show the speed or elusiveness we've been hearing about. The first defender that reached him consistently took him down. Even in the open field, he has trouble evading tacklers. He doesn't hit the hole with authority, and his hesitation makes him lose whatever momentum he has.
I'lll give Blaylock a pass tonight..Really his first true action in 2+ years. He needs to get into the all important "game shape."
Yeah, I agree. As I've been saying here, I doubt Houston (and Washington) will ever be quality starters. That doesn't mean they can't be quality backups. I don't love Blaylock either, but he's a little bit better than the other two right now. As for the Jets fans who may have taken Martin for granted- you'll miss him this season if he doesn't come back.
Oh come on... The Bucs had players flying in from three different directions. No one could have stopped that all out blitz.
Continue to rotate between backs all-year long. Fresh legs in the 4th quarter could kill a defense...if it's unsuccessful...you know who to get...
Houston has been through 2 training camps and last years camp was a complete joke. Right now it's between him and Blaylock. Blaylock is a 4 year veteran who doesn't block at all and doesn't have a clue how to block and never will. He is also very fast but hits the hole with absolutely no authority. Right now Houston is head and shoulders better than Blaylock and that makes him the starter on this team. I hope he develops into a feature back because right now he is the best we have on the roster.
No one on this team should be getting a pass. Blaylock looked bad in all aspects of the game, and he certainly saw action last season. There is no excuse for his horrible play.
He had 17 carries for 53 yards last year. He is coming back from a broken foot. Again, I will give him a pass for tonight.
Most of us who took Martin for granted wanted to keep Lamont for the exactly what we see today. Martins 04 season was great but that doesn't change the fact that he was old and close to done.
I like Houston as a RUNNER. Toughness, and deseptively quick, but a feature backl needs to do it all.
5 for 17 is terrible...all those stats show is we need to trade for a RB, unless C-Mart is really coming back, which is doubtful
He was basically ignored last year. He got no action in pre-season and Herm basically did nothing with him all year. As far as I'm concerned he is a rookie who for the first time is getting instruction in a pro football training camp. He may suck? Blaylock I know sucks! That's all I'm saying.
5 for 17 behind the second string OL is too small of a sample size to judge him on. I really want to see what he can do with the first stringers blocking for him. All I know is that he had three solid runs that took us from the 20 to the 5 for first and goal.
I always stated that to sign Jordan after the 2004 season would have been cuckoo. You just can't pay two guys big money at that position and the one you keep has to be the one who led the league in rushing as opposed to the 93-carry backup. Age was the only issue and I understand it fully, but you keep the league leader and restructure his deal knowing he'll soon be done.
