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Alfred Morris: The Butler did it and keeps doing it


Burgold

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There was a lot of talk yesterday about Alfred Morris and I suspect some of the views expressed are a symptom of a disease brought on by Madden or Fantasy Football.  Alfred is not your prototypical ideal back.  If you were cheating and writing the code to get the perfect runner he doesn't fit the mold, but that's what makes the game better than the simulation.

 

Alfred is a great back.  Over his first two years he's averaged 4.7 yards or about 90 yards a game, scored 20 TDs, and accumulated 2888 yards.  On the downside he fumbled an average of 4.5/year.

 

He has great vision, excellent power, good acceleration, and led the NFL in rushes over 20 yards.  Now, he's not a homerun threat.  He won't get you the dazzling ninety yard TD run.  He's a doubles hitter, he's a lead batter, and at that he's great.  He gets you on base and doesn't leave you with a lot of 3rd and forevers.

 

Now, some of you will say Shanny back and I say bull.  He's better than a clone that we put into the Shanny system because we saw other backs in the Shanny system behind our line perform worse.  Something to remember is that Morris achieved these running fetes behind Chester, Montgomery, Litch, and Polumbus.  He's been amongst the leading rushers in the NFL despite being hit in the backfield regularly.  Morris generates these numbers despite working with an offensive coordinator who abandoned the run frequently when it was working.  Yes, I'm saying his numbers are suppressed.  He even got these numbers last year without a threat of RGIII running and no one fearing the passing game and so stacking the box.

 

So with this in mind, the grass is not always greener on someone else's artificial turf.  Stop downplaying, insulting, or taking for granted one of the really good players that we have.  We should be celebrating Morris not belittling him.

 

Morris had a poor game against the Ravens as did everyone. That does not mean that Redd is better or that he's a bum.  It doesn't mean we should trade Morris or that he is moderately talented. 

 

The Butler did it and until evidence proves otherwise I believe he will continue to do it.

 

Hail. 

 

 

 

 

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Great post, Burgold. I was SMDH yesterday at some of the ridiculousness being spouted off about Morris (trade him, etc.). The guy is a true professional and workhorse for this team. Simply, he just makes plays.

 

He's not AP or McCoy in the fact that he isn't flashy or ripping off 60 yd TDs. It's business as usual with him and he's one tough customer as a power football back. Smash mouth running, and I like it. ;)

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Great post!

Alfred reminds me a lot in the way he runs of Emmitt Smith. Not breakneck speed, but always seems to avoid the nasty hits that shorten other RBs careers.

Combine that with how humble and decent of a person he is, and I'd be hard pressed to find a player with the reliability and talent Morris has.

I'm really excited to see this guy continue to develop. He's only in year 3, and I really hope, despite the way the RB market has changed, that we lock him down for 4-5 more years.

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Morris is probably my favorite person on the team. He's a hard worker, tough, humble, and grounded guy.

I said this before, of all the backs in the league, there are very few I'd take over Morris. McCoy, and maybe Lynch. But that's about it.

He runs tough, has good vision, cuts once and gets upfield, breaks tackles, can break off big runs.

I love his skillet as well as his personality.

He has some areas to work on. He could get better at pass pro and receiving.

But he's my favorite person on the team.

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Agreed with everything you said, VOR. In terms of his pass-catching abilities, it seemed he wasn't asked to do that much in Shanny's system IIRC. It's certainly a staple of Gruden's offensive philosophy, so I think Almo will get better at it as he gets more reps.

 

Other than that, he's been solid in pass pro. However, I'd like to see him get more physical in that aspect and consistent (would be thrilled if he could perform like Portis did in pass pro ;)).

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Since it was my irrational exuberance about Silas Redd that got this ball rolling yesterday...

 

Alfred Morris is a great Redskin.  Alfred Morris is an excellent running back.  Alfred Morris is a fine individual and everything you would want in a teammate.  Alfred Morris is the sworn nemesis of all arm tackles.

 

I hope this new offensive system affords him the opportunity to continue to be wildly successful and if it does, I am certain he will seize it!

 

Hail!

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Yeah Almo is as solid as they come.  I hope out of respect next season we give him the paycheck he deserves.  Hell, I have a feeling more of the money we give him will end up in truly needy people's pockets then in his own pocket, hes just that kind of a guy.  But he needs to be given what he is worth.  Until RGIII gets back to what we all believe he will be, let's appreciate the talent we have and honor with our commitment a solid player/man as that of Alfred Morris.  If only we had 52 other guys like him.  Hell, I'd settle for just one more.

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Alfred Morris IMO has a huge issue which is he was drafted in the 6th round. If T Richardson had 2/3rds of the production AM had in his first two years in the league I am sure there would be fans out there saying he is the up and coming new Peterson.

 

This issue you're talking about, why is it even an issue?  I think the issue you are referring to is he isn't as a household name like your AP or Shady Mccoy which is a nonissue to Redskin fans and even Alfred Morris himself.    I think it adds even more to his character that he can do what he can do, play on a team with the lightning-rod RGIII, and still be a "team-first" type of player.  He doesn't care about individual stats.  All he wants is the W.

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Another high quality thread Burgold.

 

Come to think of it, everyone underrates AlMo.  Well the fans, experts, fantasy types, and broadcasters, do.  I have noticed during the season, that week's opponent never does.  Cause all he does is keep us in ballgames.  I LOVE his game & am truly grateful that he's a Redskin.  

 

Honestly, do we Win the Division in 2012 if RGIII is handing off to anyone else?

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The last thing irrational trolls need is more attention.  Ignore it, don't start a thread about it. We need the season to begin is all.

 

 I politely disagree, PCS said to start threads like this so if the trolls wonder in here we were welcome to beat them up. 

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Honestly, do we Win the Division in 2012 if RGIII is handing off to anyone else?

Great question! Imo, no. He was the needle in the haystack, and our "find". Let everyone else keep underestimating him.

(However, I do hope our receivers can keep a little of the load off...the body can only take so much, unless you're Barry Sanders, lol, skippin' & dancin' around defenders, which I don't see as Almo's style...?)

I politely disagree, PCS said to start threads like this so if the trolls wonder in here we were welcome to beat them up.

LOL :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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This issue you're talking about, why is it even an issue?  I think the issue you are referring to is he isn't as a household name like your AP or Shady Mccoy which is a nonissue to Redskin fans and even Alfred Morris himself.    I think it adds even more to his character that he can do what he can do, play on a team with the lightning-rod RGIII, and still be a "team-first" type of player.  He doesn't care about individual stats.  All he wants is the W.

Maybe "issue" was the wrong word. what I am trying really say this is America baby, where someone named Kardashian is famous for being able to take a breath. Every time Morris comes up in a conversation there actually people that will do and say anything to discredit what he has done already. Its totally laughable.

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Great question! Imo, no. He was the needle in the haystack, and our "find". Let everyone else keep underestimating him.

And that's my point.  Too often, when actually have a real deal Ballplayer on the roster, the armchair GMs start dissecting his game.  Next thing you know, there's talk of what kind of pick we'd get for trading him!  There's only 5 cities in the conference that wouldn't want him.

 

Let's keep things in perspective here - what kind of Contender is Washington without 46 in the backfield?

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ALMO reminds me a lot of Stephen Davis; just gets the job done and can wreck a linebacker who gets in his way. Quiet, humble, reserved, and basically the antithesis of every running back who is in the 1300+ club.  A lot of players could learn a lot from ALMO.....to include how to be successful without screaming about it on social media or ESPN.

 

.....he's a keeper.

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Great post, Burgold. I was SMDH yesterday at some of the ridiculousness being spouted off about Morris (trade him, etc.).

This is how I felt.  Some crazy stupid **** going on.

 

We bag on this line, but as far as run blocking, they've been constantly ranked high, have produced the second leading rusher in the league and are perfect for what Mike wanted.

I'll give Alf a ton of credit, but it wasn't in spite of this line.

I disagree man.  The right side of the line couldn't even run block very well last season (mostly because of Chester and Montgomerey, while the left side was doing just fine.

 

EDIT:

 

And for anyone thinking Silas Redd is 10xs the back that Alfred is.  Not sure why.  Redd hasn't done anything yet, AND their 40 times are identical, so I'm not sure what Redd has that Alfred doesn't.

 

Morris is the man.

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What Alfred has done is even more impressive when you consider the line he has had to work with as well as how many yards are truly the result of his fantastic vision and powering through tackles.

No knock on McCoy, who is great, but Alfred isn't exactly running through the types of holes McCoy saw last year. Alfred earns his yards the hard way.

Now that does give me pause that the beating will wear him down so I hope to see Redd utilized a lot and with a stronger passing game we can reduce the workload Morris has.

We all know what he brings to the table so I'm not concerned about his stats as much as I am keeping him fresh and and healthy for the long haul and over several years

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