RBs Brown & Henry

If LenDale is named starter I definitely would love to see Henry getting a couple of returns this season.

 

hehehe

 

Like I've said in another post, I think that Henry taking over the KR spot could help him in the future. If he can learn that he needs to break the arm tackles be should easily give us the 30 yard line each time. Henry is just a rookie and needs a spot to shine, let's not forget how T. Davis got his start.

 

If Henry is doing KR, it would be like we are trying to mold him like Turner, which might not be a bad thing. Sure works well for the chargers.

 

Thats pure BS. Brown has done nothing to indicate he is not willing to do anything the coaches ask him nor has he doing anything selfish. If you want to make an issue about him wanting to be traded it would seem Brown was being prophetic. The Titans could have gained decent value for Brown at that time and he was going into the last year of his contract anyway.

Just because Brown has injury problems doesn't mean he has a heart problem.

 

I didn't say RBs don't return, just that they usually don't. Especially for punts, and Pac was primarily a punt returner... he took kickoffs, but Fisher preferred keeping him to punt returns.

Top 30 Punt Returners (2006 regular season):
WR:15
DB:10
RB:5

Top 30 KO Returners (2006 regular season):
WR:13
RB:9
DB:8

So yes, teams do use RBs sometimes - more often for KO (which is why I left the possibility of Henry returning those). But under Jeff Fisher, the Titans almost never use a RB for returns - I can think of 1 in the last 8 or 9 years: Simon in 2002, who was our 4th RB. This year, with the excess of WRs and CBs on the roster, given Fisher's preference for those positions to return punts and the relative lack of depth and health at RB, I'd give Henry or Brown about 5% chance of returning a significant number of returns.

Sometimes true, but it's more that coaches prefer them not to return because of injury. Teams typically carry 2 or sometimes 3 active RBs for a game - they carry 3 times that for WRs and CBs. It's a numbers game.

 

Read your quote again, you basically stated that RBs are not as well suited for returns (we were actually discussing KRs more than PRs), quick burst, hands and so forth and I simply pointed out that three of the top 4 guys in average last year for KRs were running backs. The issue is very simple. There are alot more CBs, Ss and WRs on NFL rosters that can handle return chores than active RBs so teams typically don't use them as much for returns because they can't afford an injury. After all not only are their fewer RBs active on game day but RBs take a brutal enough beating doing their regular job. I doubt you see Maroney returning kicks this year even though he was very siccessful last year for that reason.

It is also true that some RBs are not suitable (like a tall lanky guy like Brown or a really heavy Lorenzo Neal type backs). Henry will get a shot at KRs and who knows, he might be like one of those three RBs that were tops in the league in return average.

 

Yea, for kickoff returns. Not punt returns - they are totally different. Read the thread again. We're talking about the loss of our top returner, who happened to primarily be a punt returner. Of the top 10 punt returners, 1 was a RB.

You really like to put words in my mouth, don't you? Must not like the ones I come up with, I guess. Yes, RBs generally are not built for returns. Everyone (other than you) knows that. That doesn't mean that none of them are, and when they do succeed as a return man, they are rarely anything but kickoff returners because you don't need that same immediate burst. See stats above. Also see my comment that Henry could possibly handle some kickoffs. Also see my reasoning why for the Titans, that probably won't happen.

 

Then state that RBs are not well suited for PUNT RETURNS.
Of course KRs and PRs are "totally" different which is why making a blanket statement that RBs are not good at "returns" in general is questionable.
I don't agree with you that RBs are not well suited for KRs and the only reason more don't do it is because:

1. teams usually dress 12 or more DBs and WRs for a game and sometimes only 2 RBs (like we did last year). You don't risk losing a RB when you don't have many active.
2. RBs take a hell of a beating doing their regular job so it makes little sense even if a guy is a good returner to subject him to even more. I bet LT is a darn good KR, as good as anyone but Turner gets that job for obvious reasons.

As for Henry, he may get every shot in the world to handle KRs and if he is good at it it might be enough to keep him active on game day.

 

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/rb/chrishenry.html

I think he might be!!!!