How many teams can Ladell Betts start for????

[Mahons21]

My mistake

[SirClintonPortis]

Psst, Mahons21, that post of his was from Fall 2007. Chris Johnson of the Titans wasn't in the league back then.

[nonniey]

I dont like the way you worded but I think he is better than the current starter on these teams:

Giants (close with Jacobs healthy, but now he'd definitely be #1) - no way heck their 2d

Browns (Lewis is done, IMO)

Titans

Packers

Raiders

Lions (Probably wouldnt start start over KJ, but would over Tatum Bell)

Panthers (Foster and DWilliams... not sold on either)

There are some others that are close calls (Buffalo, Houston, Atlanta) but the ones above are teams that I think he would definitely start on right now.

Giants? no way their 2d RB is even better.

Titans? Are you serious? Chris Johnson ring a bell? What about their #2 Lendell White?

Packers? - Ryan Grant is better.

Raiders? Again two RBs that are better - McFadden and Fargas

Lions? Kevin Smith younger and better.

Panthers? Ok, you got me, my sarcasm detector failed and I didn't realize this was a joke post/reply.

Oops I guess I should have checked the date on that post.

[Mahons21]

Psst, Mahons21, that post of his was from Fall 2007. Chris Johnson of the Titans wasn't in the league back then.

-Wow I am extremely sorry Terpfan I apologize.. my mistake and thanks for the heads up I really should have paid more attention I didn't even think about the possibility. My mistake.

[mnb123]

The Texans are not a very visible team so I don't think that those saying that he could start there have seen Steve Slaton play.

[nonniey]

Houston wouldn't be a bad choice. Their best back is Ahman Green, who's older than RFK stadium.

Did you forget about Steve Slaton? Another of the star rookies RBs from last year.

Disregard didn't look at the post date.

[cooleycollector47]

I dont like the way you worded but I think he is better than the current starter on these teams:

Giants (close with Jacobs healthy, but now he'd definitely be #1)

Browns (Lewis is done, IMO)

Titans

Packers

Raiders

Lions (Probably wouldnt start start over KJ, but would over Tatum Bell)

Panthers (Foster and DWilliams... not sold on either)

There are some others that are close calls (Buffalo, Houston, Atlanta) but the ones above are teams that I think he would definitely start on right now.

Nope and nope Michael Turner and Steve Slayton

[lzeis24]

I don't think he would start for many teams. He is a solid number 2 back - that's it.

[cphil006]

As a few posters earlier listed, he could start for a lot of teams.

The crazy thing about Betts is how he has been used here--or rather, how he hasn't been used.

Even for those who believe that Betts isn't a great player, he still isn't being used properly. If you want to trade him--at least get him the ball a few times to increase his trade value.

That doesn't even begin to mention the value of playing him to keep Portis more healthy, the value of throwing to him to keep safeties and linebackers honest and occupied, or the benefit of giving our other receivers some extra, open space.

The biggest knock against him seems to be fumbling. Fumbling is one of the easiest things to fix in football--if you have decent coaching. We don't.

We just haven't had a decent offensive-minded coach here in forever.

From our head coaching, to our quarterback coaching, to our running back coaching, to our wide receivers coaching....we just haven't had good coaching.

Sometimes you can cure fumbling by getting more carries. Gameday is the best simulation.

He also is much healthier and has a few more years left on him because he hasn't had many carries.

[[[ghost]]]

Betts can't be a backup RB because he requires far too many carries to get going. Thats great if he's a starter, but a backup needs to be able to come in and use his fresh legs to make a tired defense pay. Betts is a quality RB, but he's no backup. At best, he's part of a 1-2 Punch.

He should be traded to hopefully pick up draft picks, so that we can draft a speedier RB.

[Laxpunk2006]

The biggest knock against him seems to be fumbling. Fumbling is one of the easiest things to fix in football--if you have decent coaching. We don't.

We just haven't had a decent offensive-minded coach here in forever.

From our head coaching, to our quarterback coaching, to our running back coaching, to our wide receivers coaching....we just haven't had good coaching.

Now this isn't to rain on Betts' parade, I happen to like him as a person and a player. I agree that he should be given more carries but blaming his fumbling on the coaching is ridiculous. I'm well aware of Coughlin's curing of Tiki's fumbling problem but that is 99.9% on the player. We don't see Clinton having fumbling issues, or Cooley, or Santana. Most of our other guys don't either but they don't touch the ball enough to be relevent.

Fumbling isn't an issue a coach should have to fix and without great talent (such as Tiki's) it's simply not worth the risk. If a coach can't trust a back to hold onto the ball he's not going to get much playing time point blank. Not only does Betts fumble but he picks the worst times to do it. If Carlos Rogers has hands of stone then Betts are covered in astroglide.

We haven't had a decent offensive minded coach? Wasn't Gibbs an offensive guy? Sure we didn't go deep in the playoffs with him but he inherited a team with about 3 players that deserved to be on the roster.

As far as the actual question in this thread, not many. I think Betts could be a great part of a rotation like what Tampa, NYG, and Carolina are doing but I don't think he's a featured back like Adrian Peterson or Larry Johnson.

[alwaysaskin]

Our chance to get value for Betts was two years ago, now Betts is 2 yeards older and his reputation as a fumbler is too well known

[McD5]

Now this isn't to rain on Betts' parade, I happen to like him as a person and a player. I agree that he should be given more carries but blaming his fumbling on the coaching is ridiculous. I'm well aware of Coughlin's curing of Tiki's fumbling problem but that is 99.9% on the player. We don't see Clinton having fumbling issues, or Cooley, or Santana. Most of our other guys don't either but they don't touch the ball enough to be relevent.

We haven't had a decent offensive minded coach? Wasn't Gibbs an offensive guy? Sure we didn't go deep in the playoffs with him but he inherited a team with about 3 players that deserved to be on the roster.

1. No, Gibbs was awful, obviously. Not only could you call every single play before we ran it, but we had one of the most boring offenses in the leaque in his second stint. The only offense that was more boring and less productive those years was the Tampa Bay offense. And his two-minute offense, and clock management may have been the worst in history.

You can attribute that to either Gibbs or Saunders, or some combination of the two--but it was painful to watch.

2. Curing fumbling is extremely easy to fix. Like Tiki, and many other players in the past, it can usually be cured quickly. Of course, it requires some communication between the coach and player.

You mentioned Gibbs above. Between not knowing the ST salute was going to happen, the locker room turning on Williams and the defensive coaches out of sync, and the double-timeout being called(Gibbs has called that mistake the single lowest point of his coaching career), it was pretty obvious that we never had a lot of communication going on with Gibbs 2.

But...anyone can fix fumbling immediately. Simply do what Bobby Bowden made famous on college campuses all over the country--Gibbs should know, he used to be an assistant coach at Florida State.

Anytime a FSU player used to fumble the ball, they lived with the ball the next week.

They took it to class. They drove with it in the car. They showered with the ball. They ate with it. Anything they did the week after a fumble--they were holding onto a football.

Bowden even asked students to report any incident where that player wasn't carrying a football--and if they were caught and it was true, the player was benched the next game.

Problem solved.

That is the easiest way to immediately correct any tendency to fumble.

The rest also comes down to coaching. You sit Betts on the bench all game....then with 30 seconds left in the game, you bring him in cold on the goal line, and ask him to punch it in.

Smart? No. Incredibly stupid coaching.

Betts, like Riggins, is a slow starter. He needs reps and time to get rolling in a game. He gets stronger as the game progresses. It may be that Betts isn't a good fit for the Redskins. We ask him to come in, out of any rhythm, for only a few carries a game.

But that comes down to coaching, and how you are implementing your players in the game plan. Is the coach using the player to his strengths? Is he taking advantage of what the player can best contribute to the team?

With Betts, the answer to that has been an obvious "no" to this point.

[Laxpunk2006]

We're talking about professional athletes, not college kids. If Betts wants playing time and fumbling is infact the issue (we are all speculating) then it is on HIM to cure himself, not Gibbs, not Zorn, not anyone but Betts. There isn't a coach in the league that has the time to individually fix the problems of every player on the roster especially backups.

Saying that coaches are repsonsible for Betts or anyone else fumbling would be like saying it was their fault Kelly/Thomas were out of shape and had issues with the playbook. Yes the coaches are here to teach and motivate but it ultimately comes down to the player. We've seen how those two have been crucified so I don't see why it should be any different for Betts. Our players aren't living in dorms if Betts wants to carry a football around that is for him to do in his time, not the responsibility of the coach to force it down his throat.

[Muzzah]

In my opinion, He could "start" for:

Seattle

Houston

New England (possibly, he seems like the kind of guy that would fit in there)

Green Bay

Tampa Bay (Cadillac is always injured)

Denver

Oakland

Detroit

[McD5]

We're talking about professional athletes, not college kids. If Betts wants playing time and fumbling is infact the issue (we are all speculating) then it is on HIM to cure himself, not Gibbs, not Zorn, not anyone but Betts. There isn't a coach in the league that has the time to individually fix the problems of every player on the roster especially backups.

Saying that coaches are repsonsible for Betts or anyone else fumbling would be like saying it was their fault Kelly/Thomas were out of shape and had issues with the playbook. Yes the coaches are here to teach and motivate but it ultimately comes down to the player. We've seen how those two have been crucified so I don't see why it should be any different for Betts. Our players aren't living in dorms if Betts wants to carry a football around that is for him to do in his time, not the responsibility of the coach to force it down his throat.

Some of this is true. But if you are the coach, then it is your responsibility to make sure fumbling isn't a problem. That is part of what coaches do. They teach. That is what practice is for.

If you are the running backs coach, and one of your two main running backs is fumbling, you are damn right it is your problem. It is your job to fix it.

If you are a QB coach, and your qbs mechanics aren't correct, then it is your job to fix them. No difference between the two.

And as far as Thomas and Kelly, it is also the job of the wr coach to make sure they are studying and learning the playbook. He is there to teach them.

And that doesn't say a whole lot for Stan Hixon. But that is another topic altogether.

[Laxpunk2006]

In my opinion, He could "start" for:

Seattle

Houston

New England (possibly, he seems like the kind of guy that would fit in there)

Green Bay

Tampa Bay (Cadillac is always injured)

Denver

Oakland

Detroit

Seattle I would agree he could definitely fit into the rotation they run. He would probably be the top back there. Quickly looking at their stats it looks like Julius Jones was the main guy and his numbers weren't totally impressive. Also looks like our good friend T.J. Duckett is finally being used a goaline back with 8 TD's last season.

Houston is high on Steve Slaton. Betts would get his share but I think Slaton is going to be "the guy" unless he proves he can't be. 1500+ Rushing & recieving.

New England I was ready to pounce on but thinking about it he could fit what they do. He's pretty good coming out of the backfield but I think Maroney is going to be given every oppurtunity to start if he can be healthy for once.

Green Bay he could be part of the mix but between Grant, Jackson, and Wynn I just don't see Betts as a big enough improvement over any of them to be "the guy."

Tampa now has Ernest Graham, Cadillac, Ward, and I seem to remember hearing Clifton Smith as someone they liked. Don't see him as an upgrade there.

With Denver having J.J. Arrington, Ryan Torrain (was compared to TD last offseason), Lamont Jordan, and about 15 other backs on the roster I don't see Betts getting any time.

Oakland has Fargas and McFadden.

Detroit likes last year's rookie but I think Betts could fit there well in a one-two punch.

While I think he is equally as talented as some of these guys I don't see a market for him unless these teams were to let one or more guys go.

[Hail26]

i would love if he started for the Giants.....because you know he would fumble in a big spot.....i am not sold on Betts

[elkabong82]

If Betts really "needs time to warm up" then he shouldn't be our back-up, because that's the exact opposite of what we need in a back-up for Portis. If RBs are a "dime a dozen" as some people claim, then what's the point in having a RB who wastes carries getting "warmed up"?

I like Betts, he is a good, character guy. But I don't think he really is a good fit for what we need on offense. He still has the injury problems, which is not good to have when a guy doesn't even start and is relied upon to come in fresh and spell the starter.

IMO, we need a back-up RB who is speedy and can turn HB screens and other passes into big plays, rather than just being a reliable receiver but not turning out many big plays. We need a back-up RB who can come off the bench and produce right away, not one who takes time to warm up. Hopefully Dorsey or Aldridge turn out to be the guy.

IMO though, we should trade Betts now. If he needs carries to warm up that means he can't really be a good back up, and IMO there's maybe 3 teams in the league where he could start. If we got a 5th rounder for him I'd be happy, and I'm sure he'd be happier on a team where had a realistic shot at starting.

[gkekoa]

There isn't one team in the NFL he can start for.

[CommanderDOOM]

no one wants Betts

[tiger187126]

betts is a redundancy of portis but a less talented player. he would not start for another nfl team unless you considered what denver got into at the end of last season where a 3rd string rookie fullback was the starter.

[Laxpunk2006]

IMO, we need a back-up RB who is speedy and can turn HB screens and other passes into big plays, rather than just being a reliable receiver but not turning out many big plays. We need a back-up RB who can come off the bench and produce right away, not one who takes time to warm up. Hopefully Dorsey or Aldridge turn out to be the guy.

IMO though, we should trade Betts now. If he needs carries to warm up that means he can't really be a good back up, and IMO there's maybe 3 teams in the league where he could start. If we got a 5th rounder for him I'd be happy, and I'm sure he'd be happier on a team where had a realistic shot at starting.

As a change of pace back, you are correct Betts is an awful fit. However in a situation like 2006 when Portis missed considerable time Betts is a complete enough back that he can carry the load and have a good deal of success over a season. Most of the "scat backs" out there cannot be relied on in this manner.

At this point I think Betts is more valuable than any draft pick we could get in exchance for him. He isn't the "speedy" guy everyone here has been wishing for since they saw Sproles in the playoffs but he is consistent which is something you need at the RB position.

[Thinking Skins]

];6310841']Betts can't be a backup RB because he requires far too many carries to get going. Thats great if he's a starter' date=' but a backup needs to be able to come in and use his fresh legs to make a tired defense pay. Betts is a quality RB, but he's no backup. At best, he's part of a 1-2 Punch.

He should be traded to hopefully pick up draft picks, so that we can draft a speedier RB.[/quote']

I would not mind trading Betts if we could get something for him. I see what happened to Turner when he left San Diego for Atlanta, and kinda think Betts could do similar things, but I don't think we can get anything for Betts, so he'd probably have to get beat out of the job (which is definitely possible), cut, and then signed by some other team to put up that kind of a season.

If we could get a 4th or a 5th, I wouldn't mind at all. What I'd like to see is a speedy back to compliment Portis. But I'd also like the back to be able to catch passes out of the backfield like Betts does so well. I think we can find that with a low round pick. Heck we may have had it last year with that dude everybody had a man-crush on.

[Riggins77]

How many teams will sign him as their #1 back??

I say we can go ahead and just eliminate the Chargers right now.

Zero point zero.

He's a career backup, that's why he signed an extension with the Redskins before testing the market. Him and his agent knew that and agreed to a deal before the season ended.