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Is L.T. slowing down?


cthomte
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In the past two weeks coming out of a bye week L.T. has put up less than 100 yards total without a TD.

 

Weeks 1-2 he looked alright posting close to 100 yards but then in weeks 3-6 he looked great putting up over 100 yards and multiple TD's.. now again weeks 8-9 look like his first two weeks..

 

Is it Mark Sanchez that is capping his value with bad decisions or is L.T. looking slow again? Hes been having trouble breaking tackles lately..

 

What do you all think??

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LT looked slow for a week or two... But this week looked as quick and strong as ever. No, the holes weren't there, and they were playing from behind most of the game... But he looked as fast as earlier in the year. That doesn't mean Green won't eat into his carries, but he definitely looked fast.

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As a HUGH LT fan that has watched him from his rookie season, this is what I saw.

 

I watched the game 'cause I have him in one of my leagues (and I still like him). What I saw was the LT that was starting to "slow down" in SD. Many of the jump cuts/moves he seemed to be making at the beginning of this year (like the LT of old) ended up with him either getting tackled or falling down. LT still is great at picking the hole and getting his yards, great in the passing game and is a smart veteran. He just does not have the open field skills (understandable) that he once had. Another thing to remember is that though he did have many long runs as a Charger, he would get run down from behind on many of them. LT was never the fastest back. He had the mad moves, great reads and the deadliest forearm in the game. The mad moves are not there anymore and I haven't seen the forearm as much as in the past. The last two years in SD, he used to get tackled by grass snakes more than he should.

 

The Jets have a different run style than the Turner style offense. Under Marty, the Chargers ran very much the same blocking schemes that he is now running behind with the Jets (look at the OC to figure that one out). It is a downhill style where he picks a hole as it develops and goes. The O-line is getting a push and the passing game is greatly predicated on play action. When the Jets had to play from behind, the Jets O-line became less aggressive in their run push because they are in more of a pass set/mode.

 

That is the same, less telling style that the Chargers run under Turner. There is play action and an emphasis on the run, but the set position that the o-line takes makes it harder to read if the play is run or pass. This makes it harder for the o-line to fire off as aggressively on run plays and stay on their blocks. The run games is designed to give the "young legs" with the quick burst a spot / "bubble" to run to with less "allowing the run to develop". The RBs still need to be patient to an extent, but it is a much faster read in the bubble and much of the "read" is done in formation/pre-snap... An understanding of where the hole should be based on the play called and the formation the defense is in pre-snap. Look at the success that Gore and Emmit had as young players in the Turner style offense. It is a very fast, quick hitting style and less of a pounding style.

 

LT lost the "burst" he needed to get to the spots where the play was designed to go. There was not as much fluidity to the run game and the design (good or bad is another discussion, but has won a championship or two), does not give a back like LT the luxury to wait out the blocks while stringing it out to the sideline. One of the reasons that LT used to take heat (unwarranted) for going out of bounds so often was that he was stringing it out waiting for the hole he could slide through. As his skills to make something happen declined, he became less effective in the Turner style offense and frustrated by his lack of success in it. That frustration ended with a messy divorce and a new home in a Jets uniform.

 

As long as the Jets can stay even or ahead, LT should continue to be a great back in that offense for at least a few more years. He is smart, takes care of himself and is as dedicated as anyone that has played the game. He won't lead the league in rushing again, but he is a force when the conditions are right.

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Nice analysis McBoog.

 

LT's running look sluggish and mundane and one of the biggest problems LT had when he was in SD towards the latter part of his career was ghost tackling. I saw my first ghost tackle of the season last week with LT which is not a good sign. That usually indicates his cuts are getting sloppy and his knees are wearing.

 

My prediction is that LT continues to be the starter, but Green progressively gets more and more work in the later part of the game. Greene is officially the closure.

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Nice analysis McBoog.

 

LT's running look sluggish and mundane and one of the biggest problems LT had when he was in SD towards the latter part of his career was ghost tackling. I saw my first ghost tackle of the season last week with LT which is not a good sign. That usually indicates his cuts are getting sloppy and his knees are wearing.

 

My prediction is that LT continues to be the starter, but Green progressively gets more and more work in the later part of the game. Greene is officially the closure.

 

If you remember, LT had Turner as his closer.

 

I used "grass snakes" for ghost tackles. I saw a few of those in Detroit and the "uh oh" welled up inside me. I need him to stay strong 'till week 16. I still say a lot had to do with how the Jets O had to adjust while playing from behind. They did got to LT a bunch underneath in the passing game at the end and that helped in my PPR league.

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As a HUGH LT fan that has watched him from his rookie season, this is what I saw.

 

I watched the game 'cause I have him in one of my leagues (and I still like him). What I saw was the LT that was starting to "slow down" in SD. Many of the jump cuts/moves he seemed to be making at the beginning of this year (like the LT of old) ended up with him either getting tackled or falling down. LT still is great at picking the hole and getting his yards, great in the passing game and is a smart veteran. He just does not have the open field skills (understandable) that he once had. Another thing to remember is that though he did have many long runs as a Charger, he would get run down from behind on many of them. LT was never the fastest back. He had the mad moves, great reads and the deadliest forearm in the game. The mad moves are not there anymore and I haven't seen the forearm as much as in the past. The last two years in SD, he used to get tackled by grass snakes more than he should.

 

The Jets have a different run style than the Turner style offense. Under Marty, the Chargers ran very much the same blocking schemes that he is now running behind with the Jets (look at the OC to figure that one out). It is a downhill style where he picks a hole as it develops and goes. The O-line is getting a push and the passing game is greatly predicated on play action. When the Jets had to play from behind, the Jets O-line became less aggressive in their run push because they are in more of a pass set/mode.

 

That is the same, less telling style that the Chargers run under Turner. There is play action and an emphasis on the run, but the set position that the o-line takes makes it harder to read if the play is run or pass. This makes it harder for the o-line to fire off as aggressively on run plays and stay on their blocks. The run games is designed to give the "young legs" with the quick burst a spot / "bubble" to run to with less "allowing the run to develop". The RBs still need to be patient to an extent, but it is a much faster read in the bubble and much of the "read" is done in formation/pre-snap... An understanding of where the hole should be based on the play called and the formation the defense is in pre-snap. Look at the success that Gore and Emmit had as young players in the Turner style offense. It is a very fast, quick hitting style and less of a pounding style.

 

LT lost the "burst" he needed to get to the spots where the play was designed to go. There was not as much fluidity to the run game and the design (good or bad is another discussion, but has won a championship or two), does not give a back like LT the luxury to wait out the blocks while stringing it out to the sideline. One of the reasons that LT used to take heat (unwarranted) for going out of bounds so often was that he was stringing it out waiting for the hole he could slide through. As his skills to make something happen declined, he became less effective in the Turner style offense and frustrated by his lack of success in it. That frustration ended with a messy divorce and a new home in a Jets uniform.

 

As long as the Jets can stay even or ahead, LT should continue to be a great back in that offense for at least a few more years. He is smart, takes care of himself and is as dedicated as anyone that has played the game. He won't lead the league in rushing again, but he is a force when the conditions are right.

This is one of the most insightful posts on LT and more specifically the philosophy of running the ball I have ever read here. Nice work man :wacko:

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As long as the Jets can stay even or ahead, LT should continue to be a great back in that offense for at least a few more years. He is smart, takes care of himself and is as dedicated as anyone that has played the game. He won't lead the league in rushing again, but he is a force when the conditions are right.

 

Nice breakdown, McBoog. I wrote that with as straight a face as I could, with a handle like that. Here's my million dollar question. I have LT in a 16-team PPR Dynasty league. Things are looking bad for me due to three major injuries. LT has been one of my bright spots this season in my backfield next to All Day. Do I keep LT because he will do just as well next season, or do I move him now to a team that is a contender, and wants him for the post season stretch? Right now, I'm leaning on keeping him. It's hard to trade away a guy who's producing like that.

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Nice breakdown, McBoog. I wrote that with as straight a face as I could, with a handle like that. Here's my million dollar question. I have LT in a 16-team PPR Dynasty league. Things are looking bad for me due to three major injuries. LT has been one of my bright spots this season in my backfield next to All Day. Do I keep LT because he will do just as well next season, or do I move him now to a team that is a contender, and wants him for the post season stretch? Right now, I'm leaning on keeping him. It's hard to trade away a guy who's producing like that.

 

IMHO I would keep him for FF purposes. I honestly think, on that team, he can continue to be a solid "red chip" producer for a couple more years. I love the guys that I know will get me about 10 a week and can go off for 20+. I think he is getting a little tired and you should keep an eye on how he produces during the FF playoffs. Maybe if he wanes, you can sell him early next year. :wacko::tup:

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This is one of the most insightful posts on LT and more specifically the philosophy of running the ball I have ever read here. Nice work man :wacko:

 

Thank you! :tup:

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IMHO I would keep him for FF purposes. I honestly think, on that team, he can continue to be a solid "red chip" producer for a couple more years. I love the guys that I know will get me about 10 a week and can go off for 20+. I think he is getting a little tired and you should keep an eye on how he produces during the FF playoffs. Maybe if he wanes, you can sell him early next year. :wacko::tup:

 

Thanks, McBoog.

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Yeah I was sniffing around the LT slowing down thing when my UTN column went to press late last night. I can't tell if my eyes are playing tricks on me, but LT seems to not be the same hell-busting runner he was just a month ago. I'm sure it's mostly circumstance, but the numbers at least bear out a down-trend.

 

Nice work, McBoog.

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