How bad is Gado

[Guest Sores]

A quarter by quarter look at poor decisions he made and/or questions about his vision and instincts (analysis courtesy my favorite Packer beat writer - Cliff Christl)

 

First quarter

 

1. First-and-10 from the Falcons’ 21-yard line after Mark Roman recovered a Warrick Dunn fumble - The line got some push on the front-side, tight end Bubba Franks sealed the defensive end and fullback Vonta Leach took out the cornerback. But Gado cut back to the weak-side and was dropped for a 3-yard gain.

 

2. First-and-10 from the Packers’ 9 following an Atlanta punt - Gado started right again. The Packers got a push and Leach took out safety Keion Carpenter, who had come across the line of scrimmage. Outside linebacker Michael Boley came free, but was the only defender in the hole. There also was daylight to the outside. It wasn’t a bad decision on Gado’s part to cut to the backside, but he was stopped for a 1-yard gain when Boley chased him down. Had Gado attacked Boley, he might have been able to break the tackle and bounce free.

 

3. On the next play, second-and-nine from the Packers’ 10 - Left tackle Chad Clifton sealed defensive end Patrick Kerney to the outside. Wide receiver Antonio Chatman positioned himself in front of safety Bryan Scott and fullback William Henderson led through a huge hole. Henderson couldn’t even find someone to block. But Gado cut back and was stopped for a 3-yard gain.

 

Second quarter

 

1. First-and-10 from the Packers’ 8 on the first play of the Packers’ last series of the first half - Wells pulled right and knocked middle linebacker Keith Brooking backward. To Wells’ outside hip, Henderson steamrolled Boley. But rather than stay to the outside where Wells and Henderson had created a soft spot in the defense, Gado cut back inside and was held to a 2-yard gain.

 

Third quarter

 

1. First-and-10 from the Packers’ 31 on the first series of the second half - Wells pulled right and blocked Boley. Tight end Donald Lee went in motion and led through the hole. There was a hole to the outside, between those two blocks, but Gado cut up-field into a wall of defenders and was held to a 2-yard gain.

 

Fourth quarter

 

1. First-and-10 from the Packers’ 45 with 8:02 remaining - Running out of the I, Gado should have followed Leach into the hole. Leach blew up the linebacker, and Wells and center Mike Flanagan double-teamed the defensive tackle. But, again, Gado cut to the backside and was held to a 3-yard gain.

 

2. Third-and-one from the Falcons’ 33 with less than five minutes to go - Again, running out of the I, Gado should have stayed to the inside. But he cut back and was stopped for no gain.

[Wolv]

I guess ole Cliffy should be the featured back in Green Bay!

[blaw23]

I would think you could probably pick out a few plays every game for any running back where they made the wrong decision regarding which hole to follow, etc. I am sure even guys like SA and LT2 occasionally make the wrong decision on where to go based on what they see in front of them.

 

Although if this amount of plays is excessive, maybe that is why he has been on the practice squad.

[Willy]

Interesting stuff. But I have never seen that kind of analysis of any other RBs. He had 25 carries. Christl didn't like Gado's choices on 7 of them. Is that a bad ratio? I really don't know.

[smithkt]

I would think you could probably pick out a few plays every game for any running back where they made the wrong decision regarding which hole to follow, etc. I am sure even guys like SA and LT2 occasionally make the wrong decision on where to go based on what they see in front of them.

 

Although if this amount of plays is excessive, maybe that is why he has been on the practice squad.

 

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Good point. What would make this article more compelling is if it also contained information on the "good" plays. This does not give an indication of how the overall performance was. No contrasting points. Was this 10% of the plays he was involved in? 50%? 75%? There is simply no context to put this evaluation in.

[Jumpin Johnies]

Was Ahman Green any better this season?

[alexgaddis]

and he didn't even mention the lack of explosiveness or elusiveness...

 

he's a practice squad player who's lucky to get any chance to play...

[Riffraff]

Hate to see the list Favre creates each week. Maybe he sucks too?

[Guest Sores]

Was Ahman Green any better this season?

 

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While he didn't do this sort of analysis on Ahman in print, he pointed out LAST season that Ahman was clearly in decline in his mind and cautioned the Packers against considering retaining him with any sort of long term lucrative deal that he surely wanted.

[Liverlips]

I think he's good story. What's there record with him running?

[cre8tiff]

I love that even on these "mistakes" where Gado completely misses the holes he still gets positive yardage on all but one play.

 

One rush out of 25 he got zero yards, and the rest positive?

 

There are a LOT of teams that would take that.

[Guest Sores]

Good point.  What would make this article more compelling is if it also contained information on the "good" plays.  This does not give an indication of how the overall performance was.  No contrasting points.  Was this 10% of the plays he was involved in?  50%?  75%?  There is simply no context to put this evaluation in.

 

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In the essence of fairness, here is the rest of Christl's piece. I had cut it down to what I considered the meat of the piece...but he does have kind words as well....

 

Green Bay - It was obvious after his first extended appearance for the Green Bay Packers that Samkon Gado wasn’t just another street free agent or their latest rent-a-wreck running back.

 

Even though he averaged a mere 2.4 yards per carry last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gado ran with speed, power and a nice forward lean. He bounced some plays to the outside and he fought for some tough yards inside.

 

In other words, he played better than his numbers and flashed enough promise to suggest that he might have a future in the National Football League. But now that Gado has rushed for more than 100 yards in his first pro start and become an instant celebrity, a word of caution would be advisable.

 

Make no mistake about it, Gado displayed even more promise against Atlanta than he did the previous week and popped some impressive runs. He broke into the secondary for gains of 17, 12 and 15 yards and also scored a touchdown on a 9-yard run.

 

To be sure, Gado’s 103-yard effort can’t be dismissed as just a lucky day.

 

That said, Gado fumbled twice and missed the hole several times. Coach Mike Sherman said Monday that Gado probably should have had another 30 to 40 yards on his 25 carries.

 

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Sherman said there were only three or four plays where Gado used poor judgment, but there also were three or four others where Gado made at least suspect decisions.

 

Here was the list:

 

 

"Samkon Gado is good at hitting the ball down hill," Daryl Johnston, the Fox analyst and former lead blocker for Emmitt Smith, said during the broadcast. "The runs we’ve seen him have, he has made a decision. He has been decisive. He has squared his shoulders and he has gotten downfield. He’s hesitant when he’s looking for the cutbacks and trying to create when it’s not there."

 

No back is going to make the right decision every run. And there will be times when cutting to the backside will pay off.

 

But Gado’s play Sunday, as impressive as it was at times, also raised some questions.

 

Does he lack vision and instinct? And was that what kept him from playing more at Liberty University? Or will he adapt and adjust with a full training camp and more experience?

 

"He hasn’t been with us very much," said Sherman. "He doesn’t know the ins and outs of every single play. There was one play, in particular, where we were backed up and he probably would have had 12 yards if he hit the hole and got (only) two or three.

 

"But he made some pretty tough yardage, as well. He made some good reads. He made some good plays on his own. He’s physical. Some guys cut it back or bounce it because they don’t like contact. This guy is not afraid of contact. He just needs repetition."

 

Moreover, Sherman believes a running back can acquire a better feel and learn to see the field better.

 

"Not on the chalkboard," said Sherman. "Through repetition I think they see things better. Some of that is innately characteristic of great running backs."

 

It’s clearly not innate with Gado. But if he can learn it, he might be a real find for the Packers. If not, he might be a flash-in-the-pan.

 

The NFL has a way of exposing a player’s shortcomings.

[GOAT]

If we were to analize this all from a fanatasy football standpoint he ploded this past week.He put pts on the board....Isnt that what we all want??

[Disgruntled_Postmen]

Gado had the BEST game of the year from a Packers back vs. a tough Steeler D... and improved on that mark against a very stingy Atlanta run D.

 

And this is from a guy that has very little time taking snaps in practice with the starting Offense...

Edited November 16, 2005 by Disgruntled_Postmen

[smithkt]

Gado had the BEST game of the year from a Packers back vs. a tough Steeler D... and improved on that mark against a very stingy Atlanta run D.

 

And this is from a guy that has very little time taking snaps in practice with the starting Offense...

 

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No doubt Gado put up some impressive fantasy numbers against Atlanta but stingy they are not.

 

4.5 allowed per rushing attempt

116.7 rushing yards allowed per game

10 rushing TDs allowed so far

 

These are actually below average numbers. Are they the worst? No, but they are far from stingy.

 

Gado looks like he could be a good replacement this year if you've been killed by injuries or the poor play of guys like Jamal Lewis. I'd stop short of annointing this guy the back of the future for the Packers. This has a Nick Goings feel to it.

[A Little Bit Special]

So what is Cliff's point? That Gado likely isn't the future at RB for the Pack? I don't think that is news to anyone.

 

Given the age/injury history/contract status of Ahman and Davenport, the Pack will be looking for a RB in the draft (possibly FA but Thompson avoids big money FAs). Regardless of what Gado does for the remainder of the season, it is only an audition for a backup/special teams job next season.

[Vet]

Gado himself brought up several of these points in the post-game press conference. He seemed like a very humble guy who realizes he still has a lot of room for improvement. I was pretty impressed with the young man's attitude. He'll continue to improve as he gets more reps in practice and more carries in games.

[Randall]

I would think you could probably pick out a few plays every game for any running back where they made the wrong decision regarding which hole to follow, etc. I am sure even guys like SA and LT2 occasionally make the wrong decision on where to go based on what they see in front of them.

 

Although if this amount of plays is excessive, maybe that is why he has been on the practice squad.

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That's what film anaysis is for. It's his 2nd game. He didn't play any preseaspon games for KC. Give him some time.

[broncosn05]

Was Ahman Green any better this season?

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[budlitebrad]

He's so bad, he got me into the playoffs in my local league.

[Steeltown Dre]

That's what film anaysis is for. It's his 2nd game. He didn't play any preseaspon games for KC. Give him some time.

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This is what I don't understand. The guy was not the starter at Liberty, which is a D-1 AA school, and they don't play anyone good:

 

West Virginia Tech

Kent State

Lehigh

Youngstown State

Gardner-Webb

William & Mary

Coastal Carolina

Charleston Southern

VMI

Chattanooga

Elon

 

When you talk about rookies jumping to starting running backs, normally it's guys who went to decent schools and posted solid stats against good competition. Gado has never faced anyone remotely as good as he is facing, nor has carried the ball as much as he is now.

 

So to try to dissect his 2nd NFL game is pretty stupid if you ask me. What is the point? He is doing the best he can, he is not some ringer brought in who won the Heisman and is playing worse than expected. He's a kid from Nigeria who never has faced anyone in his life like he is now.

 

He's a feel good story in a town that needs a feel good story w/ the season they are having. Why a local journalist would analyze him in such a manner is beyond me.

 

From the Packers website:

 

He lived in Kufai, Nigeria until the age of nine. In 1990 his father came to the United States to earn a doctorate degree at Columbia International University in Columbia, S.C. Through his church in South Carolina, a donation was made one year later, allowing the rest of the Gado family to join him in America.

 

His father had hoped Samkon would continue playing soccer, a more popular sport in his native land. Instead he began playing American football in the seventh grade.

 

"It wasn't the choice of my father because I was playing soccer," he said. "That was my Dad's passion."

 

He came around after seeing Samkon's size and speed made him a natural for the gridiron.

 

"He's been my biggest supporter ever since," Samkon said.

 

His father traveled back to Nigeria to visit some family but called him when he heard of his son's NFL debut. Samkon hopes he will make it to his Packers games.

 

If so, he will have to observe his son in a colder environment than they have become accustomed to in South Carolina and Nigeria.

 

"The weather is definitely an issue," Samkon said. "But I think it's an issue I can afford to deal with."

 

Gado likely will adapt to the new climates as quickly as he has to everything else.

[Jrick35]

I picked up Gado off the WW and I played him this past week as my Flex offensive starter.

 

I don't care what holes he missed. He did great this past week. And if I need to I will start him again in the future.

 

What RB ever makes the right move on every play?

 

I don't know what his situation will be next year. Right now I am just enjoying the fact that I suddenly have another option at RB.

 

What I don't understand is why some people have this desire to tear down a guy who seems to be doing a pretty good job of getting the most out of his unexpected opportunity.

[alexgaddis]

No doubt its a great story and one that could continue the rest of the year...

 

after that, you'll forget who the heck Sam Gado was...

[Guest Sores]

No doubt its a great story and one that could continue the rest of the year...

 

after that, you'll forget who the heck Sam Gado was...

 

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Just ask Paul Ott Carruth.

[PaulOttCarruth]

Just ask Paul Ott Carruth.

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Christl is a tool. Gado is a rookie and it was his first ever start. I seriously doubt that Cadillac Williams was scrutinized this much after his big game in Week 1, yet I bet he made his share of mistakes. It's one thing to provide a reality check, it's entirely a different beast to put every single one of Gado's runs under a microscope.