The problem with Abdullah's fumbles is the timing. He's had two fumbles that vividly stick out in my mind - the one against South Carolina in the red zone, and the one against Georgia. Two big fumbles at crucial times in big games, fumbles that changed momentum. And while neither fumble led to scoring drives for the opponent, they both cost us points opportunities, and I believe we would have scored against South Carolina had he not fumbled.His fumbles are an issue, no doubt, but I think they get overstated a bit. He had a total of 8 fumbles, of which 6 were turnovers. Fully half of them, 4(3TO), were muffed punt returns - something he's clearly not great at. I hope he can clean that up because of his potential for a breakout return each time he touches the ball, but if he can't someone with surer hands should get that role full time. Set aside his issues on returns, and his fumble stats on the year in his role as a RB become a lot more tolerable. Regardless, it's still an area to improve upon, and I'm pretty confident he'll get that sorted out. Out of 257 touches as a RB, I can't be too upset over 4(3TO) fumbles, especially when at least one of them was questionable (yeah, yeah, never leave it in the ref's hands, I know).If he fixes his fumbleitis he'll be a good one. We just need a mean O Line to block for him and he'll be off to the races.
No, I didn't. And yes, I do agree with you though. He/she left out the best run I have EVER SEEN from him. The run against Georgia was a thing of beauty. He made an amazing cut going full speed from what it looks like. It was insane! He's going to be a force next year IMO.Chaddy, did you make that vid? I thought it actually might have excluded the best Ameer run of the year. My jaw dropped when he made that cut to the outside against Georgia and the UGA defender left his jock on the field.
I don't have twitter....Great video, thanks for the link!
You should tweet a link to Ameer.
I would go more with...if he does that...and NEB has 0 losses or only 1 loss under their belt....look for him to possibly be in the Heisman discussion if he has some Heisman moment runs.If Ameer runs for 1,300+ yards next year and gets some national media attention is there anyway he leaves early for the NFL?
Love that about our receivers.Look at that down field blocking from receivers too!
That's part of the problem with the perception - people remember turnovers when they're perceived to have been game changers (whether or not they actually were is always debatable). That's an emotional response to the turnovers, when what's deserved is objectivity. All turnovers cost us points opportunities - so do lots of other things that we don't get nearly as worked up about. This kid's body of work is too good to get too overwrought about a handful of fumbles. Everyone that touches the ball will have a turnover at times. Cross had two in one game, and our QB had 16 on the year and lost half of them (I mention his here because most were on rushes rather than sacks). Even Burkhead, a much more experienced RB, managed to cough one up in his limited number of carries.The problem with Abdullah's fumbles is the timing. He's had two fumbles that vividly stick out in my mind - the one against South Carolina in the red zone, and the one against Georgia. Two big fumbles at crucial times in big games, fumbles that changed momentum. And while neither fumble led to scoring drives for the opponent, they both cost us points opportunities, and I believe we would have scored against South Carolina had he not fumbled.
I agree with you, and Abdullah's body of work is impressive so far. But, I don't think the perception is unrealistic. He has to have better ball skills when it matters. The whole team does.That's part of the problem with the perception - people remember turnovers when they're perceived to have been game changers (whether or not they actually were is always debatable). That's an emotional response to the turnovers, when what's deserved is objectivity. All turnovers cost us points opportunities - so do lots of other things that we don't get nearly as worked up about. This kid's body of work is too good to get too overwrought about a handful of fumbles. Everyone that touches the ball will have a turnover at times. Cross had two in one game, and our QB had 16 on the year and lost half of them (I mention his here because most were on rushes rather than sacks). Even Burkhead, a much more experienced RB, managed to cough one up in his limited number of carries.The problem with Abdullah's fumbles is the timing. He's had two fumbles that vividly stick out in my mind - the one against South Carolina in the red zone, and the one against Georgia. Two big fumbles at crucial times in big games, fumbles that changed momentum. And while neither fumble led to scoring drives for the opponent, they both cost us points opportunities, and I believe we would have scored against South Carolina had he not fumbled.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's not a problem - it's something that needs the attention of him and his coaches plus a lot of work between now and kickoff. I'm just saying that I think he gets too much crap for being "fumble prone." As a running back, he's got some work to do, but it's not as bad as some seem to think. As a punt/kick returner, he needs to get it sorted or let someone else with better hands do the job. I think he's the kind of guy that will do what it takes to get this fixed, so I'm just not that concerned about it.
Agreed. And he's the biggest reason we beat Wisconsin the first time we played them. Borland had Rex locked down, and Ameer was a great change of pace. His cuts are so hard and quick, I love watching him run.No, I didn't. And yes, I do agree with you though. He/she left out the best run I have EVER SEEN from him. The run against Georgia was a thing of beauty. He made an amazing cut going full speed from what it looks like. It was insane! He's going to be a force next year IMO.Chaddy, did you make that vid? I thought it actually might have excluded the best Ameer run of the year. My jaw dropped when he made that cut to the outside against Georgia and the UGA defender left his jock on the field.
He made Georgia look silly. The play reminded me of a man amongst boys.....