Alfred Morris Thread.

i think the shannys should get a lot of credit for identifying the exact traits they want in a back, finding that back that fits perfectly then fitting that back into the scheme.

i like alfred morris but i dont think he is an elite back in the sense of being physically gifted. i think he is the near perfect back for us but i also think, if need be, we could find and plug another back in and get near the same results.

i like morris a lot, but i cant help but discount his personal contribution a bit b/c of the scheme and the long list of guys shanny was able to plug in and produce great numbers.

its really next man up imo for running backs on this team. morris can hold it down for another year or 2, then next man up.

Regardless of the scheme a back plays in, it takes exceptional talent, hard work, and heart to produce the numbers that Alfmo put up as a rookie. You may be so focused on his lack of elite speed that you are overlooking his other, more outstanding attributes:

- He has great leg strength.
- He has great vision.
- He is decisive.
- He breaks tackles.
- He makes people miss.
- He gets the yards after contact.
- He gets the short yardage.
- He scores in the red zone.
- He makes big runs in crunch time.
- He runs out the clock.

Besides having more speed, what else do you want from him as a runner?

Of course he fits the system. But don't let that cause you to underestimate the man who is putting on the pads and doing his part to make the system work.

What, are you going all Steve Slaton again?

I don't know who, just saying I could see it happening

All of you guys that think Alfred is an average back or a system back need to go back and watch all of the tackles he broke or how many times he gots positive yardage last year verses negative plays. I think he made the Redskin's average line look great. As a lifetime Skins fan who watched Riggins play in his prime, I think Alfred is a smaller, but maybe faster version of the Diesel. He may not run a 4.2, but 4.2 guys go down at the first hint of contact, Alfred seems to always get something out of nothing.

Besides having more speed, what else do you want from him as a runner?



I think he has good "game" speed. I cant think of anything more Id want from him honestly. He fit our needs very well. On another team with different needs, I dont know how he would fare. But he is on our team and he fares very well here so hooray for us. I am very happy with our running back situation.

Very interesting article.

History shows Morris could improve in year 2 | Comcast SportsNet Washington (http://www.csnwashington.com/football-washington-redskins/talk/history-shows-morris-could-improve-year-2)

All of you guys that think Alfred is an average back or a system back need to go back and watch all of the tackles he broke or how many times he gots positive yardage last year verses negative plays. I think he made the Redskin's average line look great. As a lifetime Skins fan who watched Riggins play in his prime, I think Alfred is a smaller, but maybe faster version of the Diesel. He may not run a 4.2, but 4.2 guys go down at the first hint of contact, Alfred seems to always get something out of nothing.

Whenever I watch Morris highlights, I always count how many yards he gets after first contact by a defender. It's almost always at least five yards and often 8-10. His speed might not be elite, but it was enough to get him several 30-40 yard TD runs. He's my favorite Skin right now.

I don't think he is top 5 but, as previously stated he is a great back for this system. He lacks pass catching ability, and the break away speed to get a long run like Peterson.

He is a very good back but you wont see him a lot on passing downs.

Plus one other thing to throw in there is that he will no longer be a surprise to anyone, much like RGIII this year will really tell the tale on how good these guys are, there is a year of tape on them and these defensive coordinators make a lot of money to figure out how to stop the offensive weapons, none were greater for us in 2012 than RG and Alred. How they adjust and if they can still be productive is going to dictate there legacy. I feel RG has the smarts, athleticism, and ability to adjust when people key on him, Alfred that remains to be seen.

I just hope we don't go with the "hot hand" style as that IMO kills any consistency with the offense. Let Alfred start and have Helu or Royster back him up and come in when he is tired, or (I belive Royster is the better pass catcher but could be mistaken) come in on passing downs while hopefully developing Alfreds pass catching and pass blocking skills

It's amazing when you look up any highlight video of his on youtube he almost always breaks the first tackle and often it takes 2-3 guys to bring him down. With effort like that I have no problem saying he's already a top 5 back in this league.

It's hard to argue that off of last year. I think he's outside the top 5 for two reasons...1. he comes off the field on 3rd down. He's not a receiving threat. 2. We need to see it in year two. But I'd like to see him become a more complete back and add the receiving to his game. I think Rice, AP, Foster, McCoy, Jones Drew (when healthy) Jamal Charles are all ahead of Morris at this point.

Morris had a very strong season. As mentioned, his ability to break the first tackle is huge. Not to be ignored of course is his ability to follow the nice holes the OL created for him.

I think he'll get fewer carries and as a result fewer yards, but he won't necessarily regress.

And bold prediction time, his primary backup (at least for the front half of the season) is not currently on the roster. There are some days I feel much more confident about that prediction than others. Today is not one of those days, but what the heck

Tim Hightower??

I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Shanahan went with the running back by committee approach. Morris may get over 1,000 yards rushing but I can see Jamison and Thompson getting playing time too.