I was stunned at the lack of carries, and that comment by Bowles. Let's face it, this was a poorly coached game on various fronts, and at the absolute worst time.
Even if Ivory told the coaches he was hurt behind the scenes the game plan sucked. Without Powell and Ivory hurt they should have passed the ball on first down not force feed Ridley.
I don't see how they can bring him back w/o drafting a new feature back. Ivory is good for 10 games max before his running style keeps him off the field.
Yep. They wanted to feed him the ball 25 times somewhere in cold weather in the first round. Horrible oversight. By the midway through the 2nd quarter when we looked like we'd lose 28-7 you abandon that strategy real quick. The only other thing I can think of is that they did something extremely sketchy to make him game ready (i.e. bypass concussion protocol, some illegal shot, etc.).
Gonna have to agree with Poe, Ivory is probably gone. Some team will probably offer him a boatload more than we do. It's become clear that he can't stay healthy and that's a problem in the long run.
It's interesting to note that Chan Gailey said almost the exact same thing about a Bills RB (can't remember which one) when he was their head coach. Same situation where he was tearing it up and then he just didn't get carries.
Lot of guys underestimating Ivory and his durability this year--so many Rb's are out--Jamal, all Pats Rb's, Ingram, both guys in SF, Leveon, McCoy and Karlos hurt all the time,etc. Ivory suited up for all 16 I believe and looked good today. He plays at 100% all the time---to me, he's a hero. Powell just starts contributing and then he's out for the biggest game. Guys like big Chris are keepers at the right price.
Ivory had 91 carries in his last 7 games, and that's with a couple of 20-carry games. He did not stay healthy at all, in fact this season proved he should be a complementary back, nothing more. When he got feature back carries early in the season he started going in and out of the lineup soon after and never really stopped going in and out of the lineup. Doesn't change the fact he should have gotten more carries today though, now's when you do empty the tank.
We missed Powell bad. We should draft a fast RB. Ivory should've gotten more carries but he hit a fucking wall and was out of steam anyway. Also it's not like the damn offensive line was opening holes anyway. Thanks for playing deuchebags id look to replace guacomole immediately
He needed a rest? Even if that were true and he were exhausted to the point he couldn't go out there and compete, you don't say that to the media. That's just throwing a good player under the bus to save your own hide. Just own it, say it was a coaching decision (a stupid one) and move on.
You make very good points--It was my opinion that they went away from him too early but they were rewarded by Powell's play. You are assuming they stopped feeding him 20 times due to his health. Maybe you are right but I know of no authoritative evidence for this. Even so, he survived the season beyond what many backs did. It would be interesting to see how many starting backs suited up for all 16. AP comes to mind. Doug Martin too. Maybe Freeman, Gore, Miller, and maybe the cinci RB's. Other than that, I think only Ivory (not counting Lacy who was shit this year). That puts Ivory at one of 7 out of 32. Edit: i think AP missed a game as well
You're totally right because if the media ask Chris, he can't really say he was fine without causing a problem with TB narrative.
