What's your opinion of Roy Helu?

[Leonard Washington]

I like Helu.  He just doesn't seem to have the open field explosiveness/shiftiness of a guy with his speed should have.

 

It would be nice to see what he can do if he's utilized in the gameplan.

[RawBBQSauce]

He is a very good 3rd down/change of pace back. He just needs to stay on the field. Constant injury issues tend to ruin a lot of potentially great RB careers.

 

Edit - See: Rashard Mendenhall

[Bishop Hammer]

I like Helu. Mainly as a back up or change of pace back. As a starter I would have to see what he brings to the table.

[Dark Acre]

Good receiver out of the backfield. Good not great speed, can't break a tackle to save his life

He doesn't have to: 

[darrelgreenie]

Will give a complete answer later.

 

Helu's playing style/running style reminds me of Matt Forte.

[paloosa]

Helu has the speed but not the vision or burst to the hole that Morris has. Helu is a good back but he doesn't have the power that Morris possesses but is good out of the backfield with good hands. Someone on here compared him to Matt Forte but I disagree because Forte has some power to drag people like Morris that Helu lacks. I feel that he deserves a roster spot because he has stayed healthy and can produce some but not as a featured back. Helu was a Shanahan pick that might not work out in Gruden's style offense but it doesn't warrant a cut without letting him compete for a spot. The only way you part ways with a guy like Helu is if you can bring in a better back that can potentially be an every down back when needed.

[mcsluggo]

the team has GLARING needs.  RB and backup running back are not one of them.   Period.  full stop.  should be end of discussion.

 

any SECOND spent on contemplating a move at running back THIS off season is a monumental waste of time--- tanamount to discussing how the redskins can finangle a trade to replace RGIII and cousins with "-------- (fill in the blank)

 

once we have clearly upgraded:

both Safeties

4/5 of the offensive line

CBs

WRs

inside LBs

D-Line

and of course... ALL the special teams (perhaps top of the list)

 

THEN come back and talk to me about RBs...

 

 

 

jeez

[Cliffmark1]

I'd love to see helu return kicks. He doesn't have power to break tackles and is generally poor when contacted behind the line. Vs a Morris who has the will to NEVER let the first guy to touch him tackle him.

[BuhBuhBiggie]

Sproles would be an immediate upgrade at KR/PR, so if we can get him at a reasonable price, I think we should. As far as this 40 you speak of, Helu is plenty fast, but I'd be willing to bet he's not beating Garcon, Griffin, maybe even Reed in a foot race. That being said, I love the guy as our 3rd down back, he can absolutely catch the ball out of the backfield, and he always seems good for a 1st down on 3rd and short. 

[Cliffmark1]

the team has GLARING needs.  RB and backup running back are not one of them.   Period.  full stop.  should be end of discussion.

 

any SECOND spent on contemplating a move at running back THIS off season is a monumental waste of time--- tanamount to discussing how the redskins can finangle a trade to replace RGIII and cousins with "-------- (fill in the blank)

 

once we have clearly upgraded:

both Safeties

4/5 of the offensive line

CBs

WRs

inside LBs

D-Line

and of course... ALL the special teams (perhaps top of the list)

 

THEN come back and talk to me about RBs...

 

 

 

jeez

Kind of crazy when I hear people say those positions aren't of need. I think you got a good list.

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

I have no opinion on him, except I'm surprised he is on a NFL roster

Yeah, it surprises me a 6 ft tall 215lb man who runs a 4.4 and amassed 4,000+ total yards at Nebraska while breaking the school's single-game rushing record is in the NFL too.

 

(His dad must know somebody.)

[RandyHolt]

He seemed to me like he had lost a little burst after his double Achilles. I had injury concerns but he held up all year.

 

I didn't like that we tried to "Portis" him into being a tough up the middle runner as much as we did. He exceeded my expectations getting the tough yards, but its not really him. He is more that hands back that Morris will presumed never be, and makes our offense less predictable.

 

Only, we don't pass the ball to him very often. I have a hunch that Gruden will use him more in the passing game, and until we have someone better, its a no brainer to retain him. If we don't use him in the passing game, we better get a back that we do.

[rskin72]

I just have never been overly impressed with Helu's speed.  It really does not seem to help him to huge gains that often.  He is certainly not the pounding back that Morris is.....

 

I would think he would be a back that could be utilized like a Sproles....but in comparison I think Sproles is certainly the more impactful player. 

 

As to Royster, never seen much in him that warrants excitment. 

[Cliffmark1]

Yeah, it surprises me a 6 ft tall 215lb man who runs a 4.4 and amassed 4,000+ total yards at Nebraska while breaking the school's single-game rushing record is in the NFL too.

 

(His dad must know somebody.)

Height works against you as a back except to carry more weight. 215 is a good size for a 5'6-5'10 back. I'd prefer 230 or more above six feet.

Will give a complete answer later.

 

Helu's playing style/running style reminds me of Matt Forte.

How? You can't possibly mean he has forte's power.

[ChiefPowhatan17]

Helu is a talented young back who has not achieved his potential because he lost his possible starting position to injury and Morris.  We need to cultivate our own draft picks, you keep this guy around for a while.  He has potential to be great!

[darrelgreenie]

Height works against you as a back except to carry more weight. 215 is a good size for a 5'6-5'10 back. I'd prefer 230 or more above six feet.

How? You can't possibly mean he has forte's power.

Good speed, good hands, decent blocker. Shifty, has the ability to juke and jump cut but they don't waste motion doing extra stuff. Although they are sudden and explosive they aren't as quick as pure speed or scat backs. Helu runs hard through contact although isn't the most powerful back.

I think Helu could easily be a 1,000 4.5ish ypc w/ 300-500 receiving yards if he was a lead back.

[roanoker]

Imo keep Helu and move on to more important needs.

[End2round2sanders]

Versatile back to can catch the ball and break tackles. I wish he got more touches, cause when he did last year vs Chicago and Oakland he shined.

[darrelgreenie]

......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH19VEH9xdo

[Darrell Green Fan]

Agree this is not a need, Halu is fine for what he is:  a decent backup who won't hurt you but will never be a difference maker.  Posters who claim he is better than the majority of starring RBs around the league really do not understand just how many good backs there are out there.   Everyone still goes crazy over his hurdle, a move we now see evey week on SportsCenter.  It's just not that big of a deal, I'd much rather see him beat one on one tackles or blow right past defenders like, oh I don't know Darren Sproles for instance.  But it just doesn't happen.

 

I'm hoping Thompson can grow into this role because after all these years Roy Halu is what he is. 

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

I'd much rather see him beat one on one tackles or blow right past defenders like, oh I don't know Darren Sproles for instance.  But it just doesn't happen.

2013:

Sproles.... YPC: 4.2   YPR: 8.5

Helu........  YPC: 4.4   YPR: 8.1

 

Same numbers, give him the ball more and see what happens... Roy can ball.  From some of the comments around here, I'm starting to think he might be the most underrated guy on this team.

[Mr. Sinister]

I think he can be a valuable player for us, but the opinions on him from Skins fans seem to swing wildly depending on who you talk too.

 

I think he is a nice receiving option out of the backfield. Probably  a better blocker than Morris at this point. I think he is a speedy guy (believe he ran in the 4.4's at the combine), but he doesn't play as fast as he really is, due to his impatience/lack of vision, which just so happens to be what makes Morris so deadly. He also normally takes whats there, meaning that a lot of guys will bring him down rather easily, unlike Morris, who is one of the best in the league at after contact yardage (or whatever the hell you call it). Don't really expect him to make most guys miss consistently, either.

 

I think if a 60 yard home run is there, he will hit it, and if a 3 yard run is there, he will get that. I don't think you can ever count on him to make something out of nothing (unless he bounces outside immediately), and because of that, playing behind Morris kind of diminishes what he can do.

 

RB's rely on multiple carries to get in a rythym/get a feel for how the D is playing, and when you bring a guy like Helu cold, on top of already having sub par vision among other things, he just can't quite get anything going most of the time. But every once in awhile he may break a 30+ yarder on you. I think he would do better coming in to strictly spell Morris, after he's worn down the defense (where he may be able to take advantage of their fatigue, catching them out of position an dbreaking their backs), and coming in on 2 back sets. I don't really like him as a 3rd down back when it comes to short yardage, because of his lack of physicality/decisiveness.

 

Maybe in Gruden's scheme, they'll find a way to make him more effective. Just seemed like Shanahan's scheme was too rigid when it came to numerous players, not just Helu.

 

tl;dr more of a finesse guy, lacks good vision/instinct, so can't completely take advantage of said speed. Would improve the more he touches the ball and gets more opportunities.

[houserocker]

Man, I get it that fans fall in love with players, and that Helu has made some nice plays for us-BUT-

up to this point in his career, and we have had a pretty large sample, I think Helu has been VERY average. I think we need to look very carefully at undrafted free-agents this year after the draft and take a look at A)  big, bruising short yardage backs, with some pass catching ability, or   primary pass catching type backs, so we can open up the short yardage passing game.

Not the type of guys who were starting backs on their college teams who fell out of the draft due to injury, or bad senior years, but guys who were short yardage, or pass-catching specialists in college, and let them refine their specialties in the pro's (and play special teams). Not necessarily to replace Helu, but to give us some more options-DY is a fine blocking fullback, but he is pretty crude as far as his running skills go, although he has been suprisingly effective in the passing game. It always drives me crazy to see other teams around the league trot out some young cat we've never heard of, and he makes a crucial play ot two against us, and we seem to be stuck with the same options, trying to make plays with guys who just are so one dimensional (Young, Paulsen, Paul, Moss). Maybe  it was lack of imagination in play calling, or just lack of talent over-all last year..........hopefully this year's staff can work some majik and make our third down offense less offensive.....maybe it's time to close up the vodka bottle and go to sleep, but I want more playmaking out of our backup RB personel.....night, all!

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

[pjfootballer]

Morris is already built like a short yardage back.

Houserocker, I think you saw Eddie Lacy and got jealous. That always bothers me when our fans want to emulate other teams. What works for them may not work for us. I'd rather build our own team our own way.