Saying that Shonn Greene was injury prone and had weight issues were legitimate knocks on the guy. He fell to the third round, where I thought he belonged. Stop derailing this thread - if you want to ask me about Shonn Greene, PM me...don't pollute this thread with stupid shit.
Mathews is a very nice back but he is too much like Shonn Greene in ways both good and bad. Has yet to prove himself a reliable blocker in picking up the blitz, his hands are questionable (although he may develop with more time and opportunity) and he shown himself to be even more injury prone than Greene. While he has an awesome stiff arm, he runs pretty upright and generally makes contact at a much higher pad level than Greene and since he's not as big, that will make him an even greater injury risk at the NFL level. He might be a tiny bit quicker to the hole than Greene but if he is, not by much and as a a pure one-cut runner, he does not have nearly as good feet or agility as Greene. If Mathews' resume included proven ability in catching the ball and pass protection, he'd be a more plausible candidate for the Jets to consider but as our backfield is now composed, both his skills and weaknesses would be redundant particularly as the Jets should be targeting a younger version of TJ who effectively split the difference between LW and Greene with respect to his size and skill sets. Having said that, he should do very well as an NFL back depending upon where he lands which will be interesting to see. I think the questions surrounding his durability might possibly cause him to fall out of the first round otherwise he'd be an absolute lock to go in the top 32.
How can you say he is too similar to Greene and then list a bunch of differences? I don't think Matthews and Greene are similar at all, from what I've heard Matthews is good at picking up the blitz. They have completely different running styles and games though. The only similarities between the two are durability and receiving concerns, both of these have nothing to do with their running style, which in my opinion are not similar at all.
Where'd you read all that, man? Let me just give you a heads up, that site fucking sucks. I've seen Mathews play twice in person, and I've watched every single Fresno State game either on TV or through an online stream for the last three years. I seen every game of his amazing career. I'm not asking you to agree with me on everything, but when it comes to Fresno State football, I know what I'm talking about. Pass blocking: Ryan Mathews has a ton of experience in pass blocking. The Bulldogs run a pro-style offense. Besides Anthony Harding, who's a fullback, Mathews is the best blocking back on the team. Durability: He definitely has durability issues. That's his biggest knock. It's a damn shame too, because he may have been a Heisman finalist had he stayed healthy in 2009. There is a positive in this though - none of his injuries have been serious. He's only experienced minor injuries...a sprained knee, a high ankle sprain, and a concussion. Receiving: Ryan's freshman year, the Dogs had Clifton Smith, who's now a Pro Bowl return man. He caught a ton of passes out of the backfield. His sophomore season, he was catching about a pass a game as a rotational back. The Dogs former offensive coordinator, Jim McElwain, left for the same position at Alabama before Mathews' junior season. Jeff Grady took over, and he doesn't like throwing to running backs. The 2009 Fresno offense closely resembled the 2009 Jets' offense. My Dogs lived and died with the running game. I wouldn't say that Mathews is a poor receiver, he just didn't get many opportunities in the passing game. Similarities to Greene: Both played in a pro-style offense. Both have limited experience as a receiver. Both run with great power and become very dangerous at the next level. Differences from Greene: Mathews is an extremely muscular 220-225 pound back. Greene dealt with weight issues in college. I haven't seen a back with vision like Mathews in a long time. Mathews fumbled ONCE in college and it was during his final game, so no, ball security isn't an issue. Mathews is much more explosive, and has better speed. Mathews will go in the first round, while Greene made it all the way to the third. Mathews' late name will be the beginning to all of these differences. Old man, when it comes to Fresno State football, you're young and inexperienced.
I believe you have valid point. What I perhaps should have said is that the two do not appear to be different enough and together with their perceived in-common weaknesses, would not make Mathews an ideal pick for the Jets were they looking to take a RB with their pick (although if he fell out of his projected position, he might be too difficult to pass up).
Pat Hill has little control over the offense. Like I said in my previous post, the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, Jeff Grady, doesn't like to use backs in the passing game. One of the things I hated most about his play calling is the lack of play-action...he rarely uses the play fake. If the Bulldogs had someone in the backfield to protect the QB on a passing play, Mathews was usually that player. Why should he change his style of play? ...he gained 1,800 plus yards and scored 19 TDs playing this way. Mathews has only played running back for three years. He was a run-first quarterback in high school. He's got incredible potential at this position. Pat Hill is not my boy. I wouldn't mind a change in Fresno. Up to this point, Hill's been all talk. He's a heck of a recruiter though. Hill gave his offensive coordinators complete control over the offense. Instead of having just one OC, the Dogs had a passing game coordinator in Jeff Grady and a running game coordinator in Derek Frazier. Grady is the play-caller though.
...and you spent more time arguing with MrE over who is more arrogant rather than posting those evaluations first because...?
...because had to go to a bunch of shitty mock draft websites and read about Ryan Mathews' "weaknesses" before he could pretend to know what he's talking about.
He spent about a page and a half worth of posts responding to MrE without offering any analysis. I know no one is changing MrE's style but at least he is throwing analysis between his insults. Just giving him something to think about.
Kindly provide us with an exiting of the draft forum. You've tried to derail this thread more than enough. I know more about Ryan Mathews than anyone on this board. No one will disagree with me on that. I'm not trying to be arrogant in saying that either. I'm just the only person on TGG that gives a fuck about Fresno State football.
Your "pretending" to be the pre-eminent source of accurate, infallible and/or prescient player evaluations extracted exclusively by on-the-field observational study is by far the most laughable (as well as the only) example of delusional pomposity on this site. In addition to your esteemed Guru awards, "Biggest Full of Hot Air Blowhard" should be added to list. :rofl: I know you have lots a fun spending countless hours in the "war room" of your make-believe world of your "scouting office" where you play the role of the super-scout whose number every NFL GM had on his speed dial but give it a rest already. The very best scouts miss their marks a good deal of the time and your pouting and petulant "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" attitude toward those who disagree with you will garner you little, if any, credibility in the real world (as opposed to the current environment here where you, more than anyone, "pretend" to be competent evaluator of prospects and/or player personnel. :rofl: Grow up already. You're probably still just a kid who hasn't yet held a real job beyond internships or Summer employment and yet you feel entirely justified in acting like a know-it-all, spoiled little child whenever someone has an opinion different than yours. Good luck with that.
I graduated from Fresno State. I pay very close attention to their recruiting and their football team. Ryan Mathews is arguably the best player to ever put on a Bulldog uniform...that includes David Carr and Trent Dilfer, who were both top five picks. I'm sorry that a guy in his mid-20s knows more about football than you do. You must feel like a piece of old shit. Regardless of what you may think, this is not pretend. The posters that are involved in this forum know a ton about this sport and about the draft. So the fuck what if it's a hobby? It's what we're interested in. I love this game. I find it sad that you're telling me to grow up, when you're attempting to insult me. You have a job? ...fucking wow! I'm impressed. If what you're saying about a prospect is dead wrong, then I'm going to call you out...and I'm going to correct that bullshit that you've attempted to pollute TGG's draft forum with. When it comes to Fresno State football, I do know it all...so sit back, read what I have to say, and shut your old fucking mouth.
Which, if you read my response to your post of yesterday a little more carefully, you should be able to readily discern that I willingly acknowledged that fact. That feel you still have free license to crap on me or anyone else who happens to differ slightly or question your hallowed opinions with their own POV is another matter entirely. This is a message board which should be about intelligent discourse as much as realistically possible rather than childish name calling or flame wars arising simply because someone might see things differently regardless of their qualifications or perceived lack thereof.
