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What are you hearing about Norwood?


seabronc
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I think Atlanta not drafting a running back speaks volumes to what Petrino thinks of Dunn and Norwood -- especially considering he's watched a ton of tape on both of them by now.

 

All the comments I've ready from Bobby P on the situation are glowing. He likes his current RBs.

 

Will Norwood share with Dunn? Of course. I see it being a 60/40 Dunn/Norwood split at the beginning of the season, switching to 30/70 by season's end.

 

I think Norwood will be helping some FF teams down the playoff stretch this year.

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I think Atlanta not drafting a running back speaks volumes to what Petrino thinks of Dunn and Norwood -- especially considering he's watched a ton of tape on both of them by now.

 

All the comments I've ready from Bobby P on the situation are glowing. He likes his current RBs.

 

Will Norwood share with Dunn? Of course. I see it being a 60/40 Dunn/Norwood split at the beginning of the season, switching to 30/70 by season's end.

 

I think Norwood will be helping some FF teams down the playoff stretch this year.

 

:D Hopin' so, that way I can knock that peepinpiehole out of the playoffs again :D

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I heard so much about Petrino wanting a different back style, but without drafting someone does it look like they are comfortable with Norwood/Dunn splitting carries and Norwood being the future?

It's a crapshoot right now.

 

They signed Mughelli from Baltimore for a pretty hefty price so he figures in as well.

 

While Mughelli is there to play FB (pass protect, lead block, run flat patterns etc.) I can see him picking up short yardage/GL carries.

 

Norwood was featured at Miss State but he had knee trouble last season. Also, Norwood ran in a 'zone' system in college AND his first year in ATL so how he does in a more traditional power running game remains to be seen. Dunn is not a feature back that Petrino would use extensively. Then there's Mughelli looming and Vick's portion of the rush yards. In the backround... the late round pickup of FB/RB Snelling from UVA and Jamal Robertson, undrafted 4 year vet. Out of all them Robertson has the most typical RB size but he's probably not a threat.

 

Under Petrino, I don't see them leading the league in rushing this year so the pie should shrink. My take... Norwood stands to benefit most from Petrino's system. He's got speed but not the size so injury will remain a concern. It's muddled but Norwood could turn out to be a real steal in FF drafts seeing similar, if not better, numbers than Dunn the last few years... nice yardage but might lose out on the GL. Norwood would probably do better TD-wise than Dunn due to his speed (Norwood's a serious threat to score from beyond 15-20 out).

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Every year, we FF experts predict the end of Warrick Dunn's effectiveness, or his ability to be a featured back. And every year, he goes out and proves everyone wrong. If we all predict his demise every year, eventually we'll be right. And every year until it is so, I'll be one of the numbnuts who takes Dunn as their 3rd back and be happy I did so. That is... until the end actually happens. It could be this year, but who knows.

 

It'll be pre-season before we start to see how this stacks up.

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Every year, we FF experts predict the end of Warrick Dunn's effectiveness, or his ability to be a featured back. And every year, he goes out and proves everyone wrong. If we all predict his demise every year, eventually we'll be right. And every year until it is so, I'll be one of the numbnuts who takes Dunn as their 3rd back and be happy I did so. That is... until the end actually happens. It could be this year, but who knows.

 

It'll be pre-season before we start to see how this stacks up.

 

This is true but one thing is certain according to Petrino. He's been saying this from day 1 regarding his RBs... he intends to use a more traditional sized RB for a more traditional run game.

 

Warrick could continue to surprise. He did pretty well the last 3 years in the zone but previously was pretty inconsistent when featured in Tampa. In Tampa (under Dungy), Dunn only went over 1000 twice in 5 years. He bested 4ypc in 3 of 5 years and never went over 250 carries. His yardage was however bolstered by a bigger role in the pass game. Also, Dungy certainly doesn't employ a "power" running game employing more of a hybrid between zone/traditional with stretch plays and rarely using a FB/lead blocker.

 

Gibbs was hired by the Falcons in 2004 and Dunn's three consecutive 1100 yard seasons followed. Dunn is perfect for the system... shifty and quick which makes up for his lack of size and vet savvy. In a more traditional run game, vet savvy will only get him so far at his size. He'll be meeting DTs and LBs head on much more often. Dunn was not too involved in the pass game under Gibbs/Knapp.

 

I think Dunn's numbers are cut back to at least pre-ATL levels if not less as it seems Petrino does not intend to give Dunn 250+ carries.

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I'm sure no one is saying that Dunn should be anything more than a 3rd back on a FF team this season. I'd like to think that we are all in agreement on this. Norwood is an upside player, Dunn is a downside player. Early season, you probably will see Dunn putting up decent numbers and gradually giving way to Norwood.

 

That being said, I figure Dunn would be a bargain for where you can draft him and the production that you could possibly see out of him. Especially, if Norwood were to be injured. Also, while Dunn didn't produce much in the passing game while there, he did put up very nice numbers at Tampa when they threw him the ball. I would venture to bet he's a better receiver out of the backfield than Norwood, and a better blocker in passing situations though with his size he can be mismatched at times. But I've seen Dunn take on some heavy guys rushing hard and held his own, so I don't foresee this being a problem. Time will tell...

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