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View Full Version : A Broken System - Ronnie Hillman is just the latest “small” back who won’t be given a fair chance



Tned
07-06-2012, 02:57 PM
Here's an excerpt of Brandon Spano's latest piece. Check it out.



A BROKEN SYSTEM
Ronnie Hillman is just the latest “small” back who won’t be given a fair chance
By Brandon Spano | @brandonspano

As I sat on my couch on a Tuesday afternoon and looked at Ronnie Hillman highlights on my laptop, which was actually on my lap (I always wondered why they called it that), I grabbed my cell phone and started digging for situational statistics. I was blown away by what I found.

In his sophomore season at San Diego State, the Broncos’ third-round pick in April’s draft averaged more than 6.5 yards per carry in the second half of games. Contrary to his scouting report, this number suggests that he only gets better as the game goes on and he didn’t wear down because of his size.

Some might immediately say that those numbers are skewed because his Aztecs were down often in the second half and opposing teams were anticipating the pass. The reality is...

Read Brandon Spano's full article here: http://www.milehighsports.com/?p=10959

underrated29
07-06-2012, 03:38 PM
hillman will be my primary focus at camp. Knowshon too. Then wolfe and the wr...

We shall see if we concur with spano or not.

NightTerror218
07-06-2012, 04:45 PM
Hillman I think will be good stuff. I still think Mcgahee will be primary with Hillman increasing the number of carries through the season. With Moreno being the 3rd down back for screens mostly if he makes it out of camp on the team. Hillman will also be check down and screens.

Dzone
07-06-2012, 05:46 PM
Wow! Something to get excited about!

HORSEPOWER 56
07-06-2012, 06:41 PM
With both McGahee and Moreno inevitably missing some time with injury (based on history), I just don't see Hillman not getting plenty of opportunities. Hillman was a 3rd round pick that we traded up to get which means he's all but guaranteed a spot on the final roster, barring injury and being placed on IR of course. The only way I don't see him not getting plenty of touches is if he is unable to learn the offense fast enough/can't pass protect well enough for Manning to trust him or if he starts having fumbling problems.

Both Fox and Elway seem very confident in him and excited about his ability. Of course, training camp will be the determining factor on where the depth chart falls out, but I have no doubt they want to use him. I admit I didn't much care for the Hillman pick, but maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be like Lesean McCoy in our offense. That would be fantastic.

dogfish
07-06-2012, 08:36 PM
utterly ridiculous. . .

we traded up to take hillman, by-passing bigger backs like robert turbin and bernard pierce-- he's already been given opportunity ahead of bigger backs. . . jamaal charles, chris johnson, lesean mccoy, cj spiller, reggie bush, jahvid best-- all at or under 200 pounds except mccoy at 208, and every one of them was a primary ball-carrier for their club at some point last year. . . most of them will be again this year. . . if you want to talk short, mo-jo drew and ray rice are two of the league's premiere bell-cow backs, FFS. . . and that's not even looking at all the guys like sproles, woodhead, jacquizz rogers and so many more who are significant contributors to their offenses. . .

the idea that the NFL discriminates against size much past the draft process is just wrong. . . sure, smaller guys may have to work harder to prove it-- boo hoo! if you can play in this league, someone is going to notice it, and give you the chance to do just that. . . camp rosters are up to 90-- no stone will be left unturned. . . john fox had late round or UDFA jake delhomme as his QB most of his head coaching career, don't tell me he won't give a fair chance to a guy we traded up in the third to get-- that's just silly. . . he may not get much PT this year unless (until) injuries strike, but that's a function of the peyton manning offense and all the blocking responsibilities. . . as well as a long-standing fox coaching philosophy, although he showed last year that he's on-board with the youth movement. . .

hillman will get his chances. . . i don't think he has been or will be cheated in any way. . .

dogfish
07-06-2012, 08:39 PM
hillman will be my primary focus at camp. Knowshon too. Then wolfe and the wr...

We shall see if we concur with spano or not.

skip knowshon and the receivers. . . i'll expect detailed reports on hillman and wolfe from you. . .

on my desk by 5 PM. . . eastern time. . .

Simple Jaded
07-07-2012, 12:40 AM
Hillman's peewee coach was Snoop "Snoop-a-loop" Dogg.......

Chef Zambini
07-07-2012, 09:44 AM
moreno, my guess is he ends up on the PUP !

MOtorboat
07-07-2012, 10:44 AM
I guess I'm not seeing the Jamaal Charles comparison much, other than the third-round pick status.

I see more Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew like running. Charles, even now, likes to bounce outside. Rice and Jones-Drew are great between the tackles, and I saw that from Hillman more than bouncing it outside. I'm not sure he's quite that fast.

And I don't think a third round pick was necessarily looked over.

Ravage!!!
07-07-2012, 12:33 PM
I'm pretty sure he's not as fast as Charles, for sure.

shank
07-07-2012, 04:59 PM
I'm pretty sure he's not as fast as Charles, for sure.

i'm pretty sure for sure that he only ran .03 seconds slower than charles in the 40. if his game tape is any indication, i would say he's pretty close to as fast as charles.

MOtorboat
07-07-2012, 05:21 PM
i'm pretty sure for sure that he only ran .03 seconds slower than charles in the 40. if his game tape is any indication, i would say he's pretty close to as fast as charles.

I still don't see Charles. And that's not a bad thing, because I see Jones-Drew and Rice.

Canmore
07-07-2012, 06:09 PM
I still don't see Charles. And that's not a bad thing, because I see Jones-Drew and Rice.

If Hillman is anything close to Rice or Jones-Drew he would be a steal. I'm just looking for decent production out of him. It would be nice if he sees the field some as a rookie and not because of injuries.

MOtorboat
07-07-2012, 07:39 PM
If Hillman is anything close to Rice or Jones-Drew he would be a steal. I'm just looking for decent production out of him. It would be nice if he sees the field some as a rookie and not because of injuries.

Define "decent production."

I agree, with your assessment, in terms of what I'd like to see, but I'm curious as to what your definition of decent production is.

SR
07-07-2012, 07:52 PM
Define "decent production."

I agree, with your assessment, in terms of what I'd like to see, but I'm curious as to what your definition of decent production is.

More than Moreno

MOtorboat
07-07-2012, 08:20 PM
More than Moreno

So a top 20 player in the league in terms of scoring and yards.

That's pretty high expectations.

SR
07-07-2012, 08:23 PM
So a top 20 player in the league in terms of scoring and yards.

That's pretty high expectations.

That's not my expectation. Was saying it was probably his

NorCalBronco7
07-07-2012, 08:46 PM
Hillman has a small hips and thighs which makes the comparsions to Ray Rice and MoJo silly. Jammal Charels is a sexy comparison, but Hillman imo isnt nearly as dynamic in terms of top end speed/quickness and agility as JC/Javid Best. Very few are.

Size/speed combo Hillman compares to Danny Woodhead imo. Im hoping he can run between the tackles in the NFL, but at his size and bulid, its going to be tough.

SR
07-07-2012, 08:49 PM
IMO, expectations of him should be that of a third round draft pick

MOtorboat
07-07-2012, 08:58 PM
IMO, expectations of him should be that of a third round draft pick

What are those expectations?

SR
07-07-2012, 09:12 PM
What are those expectations?

Come in here and there to give the starters and more experienced guys a breather. Minimal to average rookie production. Maybe some special teams stuff.

MOtorboat
07-07-2012, 09:18 PM
Come in here and there to give the starters and more experienced guys a breather. Minimal to average rookie production. Maybe some special teams stuff.

200-400 rushing yards, maybe a few touchdowns and a few receptions?

SR
07-07-2012, 09:35 PM
200-400 rushing yards, maybe a few touchdowns and a few receptions?

That seems like a realistic expectation of a rookie third round pick running back on a team with an already established starter, a former first round pick who the coaching staff apparently hasn't given up on, a couple of other guys who are already on the team and who have already got their foot in the door, and Peyton Manning as the QB

Canmore
07-07-2012, 10:23 PM
Define "decent production."

I agree, with your assessment, in terms of what I'd like to see, but I'm curious as to what your definition of decent production is.

I thought about that when I said it. What kind of numbers are we talking about. Is he going to be the third back on the list or the second. Will he assume a third down role at some point. I hate bringing up Moreno in this thread but is he going to be here and in the rotation. i don't know what kind of number of touches he is going to get but I would love to see 4.5 yards per carry. It is still really early. Five carries a game equates to 400 yards on the ground at 4.5 ypc, ten carries would be 800 yards. I haven't even touched on his role out of the backfield. Is he going to bring big play potential to the field? Is that not part of the reason he was drafted. It is kind of hard to quantify but let's see a couple of 20 yard plays sprinkled here or there.

Dzone
07-08-2012, 05:09 AM
If this were the 90s, wonder how high Hillman would be drafted.. In 1994, Marshall Faulk was 2nd pick overall.

MOtorboat
07-08-2012, 08:36 AM
Hillman is not anywhere near the prospect those players were, and he's probably not even the prospect that Chris Johnson was.

I think Spano does a bit of a disservice to Hillman by comparing him to those players who made big impacts immediately. They were better prospects. Trent Richardson went top 10, Adrian Peterson went top 10. There are backs going as high as Faulk and Sanders now, and they are going there because they deserve to go there. Spano wrote that article as if Hillman was the first back taken in the draft, and he wasn't.

Chef Zambini
07-08-2012, 09:52 AM
If this were the 90s, wonder how high Hillman would be drafted.. In 1994, Marshall Faulk was 2nd pick overall.marshal faulk was amazing in college! he looked like he was playiong against high schoolers or an all star pop warner squad!
he is the ONLY college player that I ever said, "this guy is gonna be a star in the NFL"
i dont follow alot of college ball but from the very first time I saw faulk play, I became an admirer .
back to hillman...
lots of RBs get that 'too snall tag"
most use it to fuel them.
this article wont effect hillman, neither will his draft position or any pre conceived notions.
Hillman will manifest his own destiny, we wont have another hillis situation where politics or archaeic thinking will keep him off the field!

In fact JE and fox are eager to see him succeed, so I dont know what all the fuss is about.

MOtorboat
07-08-2012, 10:26 AM
marshal faulk was amazing in college! he looked like he was playiong against high schoolers or an all star pop warner squad!
he is the ONLY college player that I ever said, "this guy is gonna be a star in the NFL"
i dont follow alot of college ball but from the very first time I saw faulk play, I became an admirer .
back to hillman...
lots of RBs get that 'too snall tag"
most use it to fuel them.
this article wont effect hillman, neither will his draft position or any pre conceived notions.
Hillman will manifest his own destiny, we wont have another hillis situation where politics or archaeic thinking will keep him off the field!

In fact JE and fox are eager to see him succeed, so I dont know what all the fuss is about.

I always love how you think you know exactly what people are thinking.

getlynched47
07-08-2012, 10:15 PM
I'm excited to see what this kid brings.

Simple Jaded
07-08-2012, 10:29 PM
If memory serves we had the same discussions when Eddie Royal was drafted, "he's the next Steve Smith", when a player is drafted he's compared by triangle numbers or alma mater or delusions of grandeur to the best players at their position. Now we're talking Marshall Faulk with Ronnie Hillman. l'd settle for Charlie Garner as long as he's not another Jarius Norwood.......

getlynched47
07-08-2012, 10:35 PM
If memory serves we had the same discussions when Eddie Royal was drafted, "he's the next Steve Smith", when a player is drafted he's compared by triangle numbers or alma mater or delusions of grandeur to the best players at their position. Now we're talking Marshall Faulk with Ronnie Hillman. l'd settle for Charlie Garner as long as he's not another Jarius Norwood.......

Jerious Norwood is a beast. Top-5 runningback in the entire NFL.

Simple Jaded
07-08-2012, 10:39 PM
Jerious Norwood is a beast. Top-5 runningback in the entire NFL.

I wanna join your fantasy football league.......

getlynched47
07-08-2012, 10:41 PM
I wanna join your fantasy football league.......

I get points for injured players. :)

Simple Jaded
07-08-2012, 10:46 PM
I get points for injured players. :)

Now l really wanna join your league, you can almost count on my 1st round pick going down sooner or later.......