Head scratch david johnson

[RugbyMuffin]

You should not at all be surprised to find that come opening day, Ellington has been replaced as the starting RB by David Johnson, with Ellington himself being the backup.

Whether I should or shouldn't be, I will be surprised if that happens.

 

[Zeno]

How is Johnson a "bigger clone of Ellington"? He doesn't have his speed or elusiveness, but he is bigger and stronger and can pass block better. About the only thing that I see they have in common is they both have good hands out of the backfield.

BTW I like the pick, he doesn't seem like a feature back type of guy but I think he will be very effective splitting carries.

 

[BigRedRage]

I would only add this caution for those believing that Johnson is a wasted pick. Comparing him to Jerome Bettis or Beanie Wells is futile------he is NOT that kind of back. He was drafted because he is a better 3 down version of Andre Ellington than Ellington himself is. He possesses ALL of Ellington's abilities, but with more size, (beneficial for durability), AND with superior hands, (making him a better receiver out of the backfield). All of you raved at Ellington's burst, game speed, and catching abilities, lamenting ONLY his inability to remain healthy throughout a long season. You should not at all be surprised to find that come opening day, Ellington has been replaced as the starting RB by David Johnson, with Ellington himself being the backup.

disagree. He hasnt even played a snap but he is already better than ellington at everything?

 

[ARZCardinals]

Walter Payton sounded like Michael Jackson

And came from a small school... Just saying

Now that's FUNNY !!!!

 

[Buckybird]

I have been bottling this one up for a while and i am not known to have such a negative outlook in any Cards picks however i am really scratching my head at this David Johnson guy. Am i the only one?

I watched all his youtube highlights and i dont see anything on tape? I see a 6'0 runningback which is a big no-no alla beanie wells. They will never have good pad level. They say he is big because he is 224lbs yet he is 224lbs because he is 6'0.

In the 5-10 videos i watched, i have seen him fall forward against smaller college competition but only between the tackles, i did not see him push any piles like the great NFL backs.

He is known for a stiff arm which doesnt look that great. Once again i refer to Beanie Wells.

I dont see any superior cut ability or footwork. He is a 'downhill fast guy', once again i refer to Beanie Wells.

The other head scratcher for me as i did see somebody else on the board mention, the guy literally sounds like Michael Jackson. Not to say that is a problem but i just dont see a dominant personality here.

Anyways, i road the beanie wells bandwagon and ryan williams bandwagon but i see literally nothing that excites me about this guy.

Anyone see what i am seeing here? This board seems to be very optimistic on him.

Let me remind you, Beanie was pretty darn good when he was healthy. Thus if this kid produces like him without the injuries he might be special.

 

[Shane]

Now that's FUNNY !!!!

And true

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

I commented long before the draft that there were only 2 real pile movers in this draft: the top pick at RB and the kid from Texas that no one seem to have wanted. I would not be surprised at all to see that kid, that just didn't get a chance to show is stuff at Texas do to there inept offensive lines, turn out to be exactly what we needed.

I agree with you about our pick. We still need a backup to rest Ellington, so maybe he will fit the bill there at least. He does have some potential, so I don't consider him a wasted pick, just not the type player most of us would have wanted to compliment our existing RBs.


Hey, let's trade him for Peterson. What you say?

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Actually it would be the reasons, and my reasons are laid out in my posts. College games, and college players show only so much, and it is an educated guess on how he translates to the NFL on my part. I just don't see, but my opinion and a bag of apples will give you a bag of apples.

Its all good, I will own up to them if wrong. Actually will be happy to be wrong. Will you come back if Johnson doesn't hold up to your Adrian Peterson comparison ?

The future will tell the truth.

Ha i didnt compare him to AP from Production perspective. He is no where near that physically talented or produced at that level ever. Theres a ton of risk in a small school guy like that.

I just think his runnign style is dynamic. I could see the Beanie comparisons. All 3 run high and hard though I think AP and DJ to a lesser extent glide whereas Beanies was more of a tapper in the hole imo. But this guy is already 10x the receiver and one of Beanies biggest issues was injuries. He might have been what we all hoped if he and Kevin Kolb both hadn't graduated with honors from the Kevin Johnson school for grit.

I will come back and eat crow if he is not a productive member of the offense and playing a important role - especially down the stretch. I trust Kiem and Bruce too much to think they wont get something out of him.

You think he will be the least impactful rookie of all selections you said right? Ill take that bet.

 

[Goldfield]

I would only add this caution for those believing that Johnson is a wasted pick. Comparing him to Jerome Bettis or Beanie Wells is futile------he is NOT that kind of back. He was drafted because he is a better 3 down version of Andre Ellington than Ellington himself is. He possesses ALL of Ellington's abilities, but with more size, (beneficial for durability), AND with superior hands, (making him a better receiver out of the backfield). All of you raved at Ellington's burst, game speed, and catching abilities, lamenting ONLY his inability to remain healthy throughout a long season. You should not at all be surprised to find that come opening day, Ellington has been replaced as the starting RB by David Johnson, with Ellington himself being the backup.

I like Johnson, but I wouldnt try to compare anything he does to Ellington. I would say Johnson is pretty fast and elusive for a 224lb rb. But Ellington is is very explosive when healthy. I love that we have both options on this team.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Let me remind you, Beanie was pretty darn good when he was healthy. Thus if this kid produces like him without the injuries he might be special.

This

 

[RugbyMuffin]

You think he will be the least impactful rookie of all selections you said right? Ill take that bet.

I 100% said that, and yes, I will stick by my words, and eat proper crow need be.

BTW, Here is to hoping he does, in fact, become the next AP, regardless of how likely it is or the fact I now understand that is not what you meant, that would be AWESOME!!!

 

[football karma]

im not buying the "over 6 foot = doomed to failure" argument

Eddie George was 6-3
Arian Foster is 6-1
Steven Jackson is 6-2

thats just off the top of my head

 

[DoTheDew]

I see a 6'0 runningback which is a big no-no alla beanie wells. They will never have good pad level. They say he is big because he is 224lbs yet he is 224lbs because he is 6'0.

Adrian Peterson is 6'1'' 217 lbs.

He is known for a stiff arm which doesnt look that great. Once again i refer to Beanie Wells.

He is? I thought he was known for being a great pass catcher out of the back field as a former WR. This is honestly the first I've heard his stiff arm mentioned.

Anyways, i road the beanie wells bandwagon and ryan williams bandwagon but i see literally nothing that excites me about this guy.

You were on the bandwagon for those 2 but not this guy? Maybe that's a good sign for his chances since those 2 sucked.

Anyone see what i am seeing here? This board seems to be very optimistic on him.

I don't agree with most of your points, but I wouldn't say I'm super optimistic on him either. I think he's here not for power but because he can do most of the things Ellington can do. This time last offseason the coaches were raving about Ellington and making it sound as though they intended to build the offense around him. He got worn down and our offense suffered because no one else could run the plays he could. Johnson solves that problem in theory. Now we can cut Ellington's time on the field in half without having to change our offense up. So I don't think he'll be a star but more of a role player who gets 10-15 touches a game between runs and passes at the most.

 

[DoTheDew]

How is Johnson a "bigger clone of Ellington"? He doesn't have his speed or elusiveness, but he is bigger and stronger and can pass block better. About the only thing that I see they have in common is they both have good hands out of the backfield.

BTW I like the pick, he doesn't seem like a feature back type of guy but I think he will be very effective splitting carries.

He might not be as fast as Ellington but he's still pretty fast. 4th fastest RB at the combine in the 40, 2nd in the cone drill. They might not be identical but you can call the same plays for them and get similar results IMO.

 

[Catfish]

Those of you doubting my comparison of David Johnson to being a more durable version of Andre Ellington need to read the article by Big Red Rage entitled 'David Johnson Article' posted earlier on this board--------its down just a few threads from this one.

According to that article he is exactly what I said, and that is why Arians and Keim wanted him. He is a bigger version of Ellington with the same moves and quickness and burst. He has the size to take the pounding better than Ellington does. Most of all, he has hands better than Ellington does---which makes Arians believe he can get the ball to him in space more than they do Ellington. He is an accomplished blocker just as Ellington is, and because of that and his hands, is expected to be a three down back.

Read that article and watch the videos of him with the explanations given.

 

[Harry]

He'll be an excellent player who will be a more effective inside runner in the NFL than he was in college. We'll all know who's right in a few months.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

If he plays like a healthy Beanie Wells then it will have been one helluva pick.

 

[Garthshort]

DJ seems to be the only draftee who has moved from field #2 to #1.

But the biggest reason why DJ will be a success, is that we're way over due. It's a long time since the days of OJ Anderson and Stump Mitchell. God owes us.

 

[Catfish]

DJ seems to be the only draftee who has moved from field #2 to #1.

But the biggest reason why DJ will be a success, is that we're way over due. It's a long time since the days of OJ Anderson and Stump Mitchell. God owes us.

I all fairness, I saw in one of the articles, (or videos), on the official Cards site that the switch of Johnson to the #1 field was due to an injury. The injured player was not named nor was the type of injury.

 

[Goldfield]

DJ seems to be the only draftee who has moved from field #2 to #1.

But the biggest reason why DJ will be a success, is that we're way over due. It's a long time since the days of OJ Anderson and Stump Mitchell. God owes us.

Our RB issues have had a LOT more to do with bad online bad RBs.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I 100% said that, and yes, I will stick by my words, and eat proper crow need be.

BTW, Here is to hoping he does, in fact, become the next AP, regardless of how likely it is or the fact I now understand that is not what you meant, that would be AWESOME!!!

That we agree on.

 

[mojorizen7]

I thought he was easily the Cards' best pick in an otherwise lukewarm draft in terms of any long term outlook.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I believe DJ with have the greatest immediate impact among all the rookies this year for the following reasons.

1. He will play more than Ellington, not because he is better, but because he is more durable.
2. He is a big, versatile back who can make people miss. But he also has the strength to move a pile. I am not sure why you did not see that on his videos. He does it, just not alot. Of course, if you can make a defender miss, its usually the better option over trying to run through him.
3. He has exceptional hands out of the backfield, which makes him tremendously versatile. He is also a good route runner.
4. the Offensive line will be improved.
5. RB is the easiest position to make an immediate impact.

Its funny how players are often all-or-nothing with fans. Beanie was a very good back. He just could not stay healthy. Toward the end he started playing to not get hurt, and that caused him to diminish quickly.

 

[Goldfield]

I believe DJ with have the greatest immediate impact among all the rookies this year for the following reasons.

1. He will play more than Ellington, not because he is better, but because he is more durable.
2. He is a big, versatile back who can make people miss. But he also has the strength to move a pile. I am not sure why you did not see that on his videos. He does it, just not alot. Of course, if you can make a defender miss, its usually the better option over trying to run through him.
3. He has exceptional hands out of the backfield, which makes him tremendously versatile. He is also a good route runner.
4. the Offensive line will be improved.
5. RB is the easiest position to make an immediate impact.

Its funny how players are often all-or-nothing with fans. Beanie was a very good back. He just could not stay healthy. Toward the end he started playing to not get hurt, and that caused him to diminish quickly.

Agree. Think he will be a big part of the O. Not only because he is talented but because it opens up Ellington to play all over the field

 

[HotSauce]

Looks like a big receiving RB who could be a match-up problem for opposing teams. IMO, he was probably the best pick in the draft class.