How Are LaMichael James & Jahvid Best So Different?

[bigbuc]

Best is 5 foot 10 and 199

James is 5 foot 9 190

Both have game breaking speed, Both put up huge numbers in collage.
Best never had more than 27 Rec. James has had 17 rec three years in a row.

Best had a head injury. James has been to jail.

[SuperPacker]

James is 5ft9? No way!!

[Iamcanadian]

I think James will check in at 195lbs not 190. Best had 4.3 speed, I'm not sure James can match that even though he is fast.
He has a real shot to be a Sproles type change of pace RB but I doubt he goes round 1. Probably a solid round 2 prospect.

[SuperPacker]

Best is stronger and faster than James.

[nepg]

Injuries. Injuries are the main difference.

Best, as a player, is better in every phase, though.

[norcalgsr]

They both need big holes to run through. Best can't navigate through junk in traffic and I don't expect James to either. Best was overdrafted and isn't the most talented RB on his own team.

By comparison, guys like Sproles and Woodhead are much more decisive at getting downhill and cutting in traffic.

[CashmoneyDrew]

James doesn't have a wicked gnarly history of concussions.

[PossibleCabbage]

I really don't think Best should have been a first round pick to begin with.

[BRAVEHEART]

Best is faster.

[FUNBUNCHER]

I think James was the more consistent, better pure football player in college. So I expect him to be the better pro.

[Shane P. Hallam]

Best had better straight line speed and was SUPREMELY better running up the middle than James is. Toss in a bit better blocking ability and pass catching ability for Best, it made him a Top 50 pick and James only a Top 100 pick.

[VikesWookie]

I was scanning through the net and ran across an article where James was timed in the winter practices at 4.59.
A far cry from blazing speed I thought at the time...

[BamaFalcon59]

Originally Posted by VikesWookie

I was scanning through the net and ran across an article where James was timed in the winter practices at 4.59.
A far cry from blazing speed I thought at the time...

Everyone on Oregons team, and Oregon has a very fast team, ran that or slower.

Cliff Harris was recorded at a 4.7.

Slow surface or something.

[VikesWookie]

Originally Posted by BamaFalcon59

Everyone on Oregons team, and Oregon has a very fast team, ran that or slower.

Cliff Harris was recorded at a 4.7.

Slow surface or something.

oh... lol
I'd think they'd fix that considering one of their program standards is speed ;)

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by VikesWookie

oh... lol
I'd think they'd fix that considering one of their program standards is speed ;)

The purpose of a college team having its players do things like "run the 40" is not so they can cater to NFL scouts or to draftniks, those people can find out the accurate times under controlled conditions at the combine.

The reason Oregon (like every other college teams) has guys run the 40 is to be able to compare players on the team to each other. So it doesn't matter if the surface is fast, or slow, either way it will tell you which guys on your team are faster than other guys on your team. I mean, heck, if you wanted to have your team run the 40 in pads, that would still give you the information you're looking for.

It's just that when evaluating for the draft, all those campus times are pretty much meaningless. Pro day times are mostly meaningless, but not entirely.

[VikesWookie]

I get that everyone on the team has the same circumstances when running. Part of recruiting is to convince players they have the best shot of moving onto the pros.
FO's listen to their scouts and draftniks... catering to them wouldn't be the worst case scenario for a college program to do.

[keylime_5]

I'll believe James is 190 when I see it. I thought he looked more like a 170 or 180. Best could run inside and was a solid 200 lb. back. James can't run inside, he is like a skinnier Darren Sproles.

[Dan_Steele]

Originally Posted by Shane P. Hallam

Best had better straight line speed and was SUPREMELY better running up the middle than James is. Toss in a bit better blocking ability and pass catching ability for Best, it made him a Top 50 pick and James only a Top 100 pick.

Couldn't have said it better myself. James is an outside runner, with very little versatility. I actually think Steve Slaton is a better comparison than Best. I could see him succeeding in a "thunder-lightning" type of system but certainly not as a feature back.

[norcalgsr]

Steve Slaton is a better inside runner than Best. Best can't run inside at all. Let me know when he doesn't need 80-yard plays to inflate his YPC.

[fenikz]

Best is bigger, faster, and a better runner.

[b316]

Its all about thick thighs.