Donald Brown: Is it him, or is it the offensive line? A quick game play review.

[Mouthfire]

With all this talk of about Donald's play yesterday, I did a quick rundown of all the running plays by Donald through NFL Game Rewind. This is purely a discussion about his running, and not those two bone-headed dropped passes (which I don't think will be a persistent problem).

1st Quarter

Hit 2 yards behind line of scrimmage for -2 yards

HIt 4 yards behind line of scrimmage of -4 yards

2nd Quarter

Hit 1 yard beyond line of scrimmage for +18 yards

Untouched at line of scrimmage for +18 yards and TD

3rd Quarter

Hit at line of scrimmage for +1 yard

Hit 3 yards behind line of scrimmage for -3 yards

Hit 1 yard behind line of scrimmage for no gain

Untouched at line of scrimmage for +7 yards

Untouched at line of scrimmage for +13 yards

4th Quarter

Untouched at line of scrimmage for +2 yards

Hit at line of scrimmage for no gain

________________________________________________

So, totaling all the numbers up:

When hit behind line of scrimmage: 4 rushes for -9 yards --> -2.25 YPA

When hit at line of scrimmage or beyond: 7 rushes for 59 yards --> +8.42 YPA

________________________________________________

This is a really small sample, and someone may want to check to plays out to see if I made any mistakes. It was a bit difficult sometimes from the camera angle to tell exactly when the defense first got to DB. But if this is accurate, it suggests what some of the fans have been saying all along: when the offensive line actually does its job well and keeps Brown clean up to the line of scrimmage, he averages a very impressive +8.4 YPA. When he gets hit behind the line of scrimmage, he averages negative yardage.

Discuss.

[shakedownstreet]

right, he goes down with any contact. the guy has talent and is worthy of being on an nfl roster. but he's not exactly what you want in a starting RB

[Nobody]

The OL doesn't make catches for him. He was good running the ball.

[shakedownstreet]

The OL doesn't make catches for him.

i'll give him a break on the drops. that is not normal for him

[Mouthfire]

right, he goes down with any contact. the guy has talent and is worthy of being on an nfl roster. but he's not exactly what you want in a starting RB

Who in the NFL is good at getting positive yardage after getting hit behind the line of scrimmage? AP, maybe? MJD? There aren't a whole lot out there.

And... not to mention when he DOES get hit AT the line of scrimmage, he still averages +6.3 YPA. It's not an issue of getting hit or breaking tackles. It's more a matter of where he gets hit.

[Flash7]

I think that Donald Brown is a very good RB. It's clear that the O-line is the problem. And not just in our run game, but also in pass protection.

For those who keep insisting that we get another runningback, and ship Brown out, I would ask: What happens if we do that and he ends up on a team with a strong O-line? He would demonstrate that he is actually a good RB, while we would continue having our O-line issues. Let's not place the blame on D. Brown just because he's the easy target.

I would agree that if we had a solid O-line and D.Brown did not produce, then we'd have a problem. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Let's not forget that he had less than 10 carries this past game.

[krunk]

It's clear to me in looking at those stats that it is an offensive line issue. That's too many hits behind the LOS!

Consider the fact that the guy only had 9 whole rushing attempts.

[Superman]

right, he goes down with any contact. the guy has talent and is worthy of being on an nfl roster. but he's not exactly what you want in a starting RB

He's not a power back, but you can work around that. What he does give you is the ability to pick up yardage when you can create a hole for him. And he'll make a defender miss and break a tackle every now and then. He's not running people over, and he goes down with a lot of arm contact, but he'll give you something special if you give him enough carries. Which he's never gotten.

I don't have a problem with him starting, but I do think you need another option or two, especially in short yardage. And we have that. We just need to improve the line play, as the OP's charting clearly shows. He gets hit at or behind the line of scrimmage far too often, and that's not his fault. Even if we replace him with a bruising back, you're still looking at someone who can stretch an extra two or three yards out, on average. You still need to improve the offensive line. And with a bruiser, you're giving up explosiveness.

[Moncrief]

Soon Vick Ballard will come in. Soon.....

[GoColts8818]

I think it's the line more than Brown in terms of running. When he's gotten space he's very dangerous. There aren't many running backs who can get yards if they are getting almost as soon as they are getting a hand-off.

[GoColts8818]

Soon Vick Ballard will come in. Soon.....

Hey played yesterday and did less than Brown did 6 yards on four carries. It's the line not the running back.

[RW87]

Brown had a decent game but those dropped passes are unacceptable at this level.

And yes the line needs to improve.

[Smitto]

right, he goes down with any contact. the guy has talent and is worthy of being on an nfl roster. but he's not exactly what you want in a starting RB

Donald doesn't go down with any little contact... idk what Donald brown your talking about... the guy is a cutback runner but he can run between the tackles... he just doessnt have the bulk and muscles of am Adrian Peterson but he can hold his own that's for sure

[Mouthfire]

For those interested, I analyzed Adrian Peterson's numbers from yesterday. It was very eye-opening when you just watch the running plays and compare to the Colts running game:

_____________________________________

Adrian Peterson

When hit behind line of scrimmage: 3 rushes for -4 yards --> -1.33 YPA

When hit at line of scrimmage or beyond: 11 rushes for 60 yards --> +5.45 YPA

_____________________________________

As you can see, when hit behind the line of scrimmage, AP only performed marginally better. What is more striking when watching the gamefilm, is how much cleaner Peterson gets to the line of scrimmage. That offensive line gets so much push.... so completely different than the Colts line.

Adrian Peterson also got hit behind the line of scrimmage almost half as much as Donald Brown (percentage wise: 20% vs 36%)

[funktacious2]

The line. Brown may not be the ideal starter, but he can still play pretty well.

[21isSuperman]

A good O-line will give their RB the holes to run through. With that said, one could argue that a good RB makes up for a poor O-line. I think Brown has the talent, but he isn't an exceptional player. He is a decent player whose success hinges on the O-line. When given good blocking, he has made some solid plays.

[Balzer40]

This shouldn't even have to be asked, but unfortunately it seems as if it does. It's the line, it's been the line for at least 4 yrs.. That is why I get so frustrated everytime somebody suggests we need a new RB. DB may not be an all-pro RB but he's more than capable of being a good RB and so are the rest of our backs. RB's are a dime a dozen, but it don't matter who you have at RB, if the line can't open consistant holes the RB is not going to have good stats.

[Superman]

This shouldn't even have to be asked, but unfortunately it seems as if it does. It's the line, it's been the line for at least 4 yrs.. That is why I get so frustrated everytime somebody suggests we need a new RB. DB may not be an all-pro RB but he's more than capable of being a good RB and so are the rest of our backs. RB's are a dime a dozen, but it don't matter who you have at RB, if the line can't open consistant holes the RB is not going to have good stats.

Usually when you have a problem running the ball, it's the line, not the back. Backs are plentiful. But when you have a resident whipping boy like Donald Brown, you can focus the criticism on him.

[shakedownstreet]

i agree it's the line and there's no point replacing brown unless we can come up with a super star type runner (unlikely)

[Nostrils]

right, he goes down with any contact. the guy has talent and is worthy of being on an nfl roster. but he's not exactly what you want in a starting RB

hmmmm

[corgi]

Barry Sanders is probably the only player who could look good with the current line.

[cbear]

Barry Sanders is probably the only player who could look good with the current line.

LOL. I was thinking the same thing.

[mystrymaster]

I just got through the first half again and i have to say Donald is not the problem at all in fact i think Donald might be the best back for us right now.

When he gets hit behind the line, he goes down and holds onto the ball he doesn't lose yards on his own like a lot if backs do. But if, and that's a big if with or line, the give him 2 second of blocking he hits the line of scrimmage so fast that he always, i repeat always has a chance to break it.

The 18 yard touch down run was a thing of beauty. The line cracked left he cut back and then bounced off tacklers to score.

Is he a star? Nope but i think he could be.

[Andy]

Yesterday, when it came to the running game, it was definitely the O-line. They ran mostly inside runs and that's where the O-line must be good. They weren't, they couldn't open holes and Brown was just swallowed on most plays.

However, on the passing plays, he dropped 2 easy easy passes.

Neither he nor the O-line impressed yesterday.

[GoodLuck]

The line sux. Would u say that every O Lineman needs to be upgraded? The Tackles definitely. The guards and center? Dont know about them. What do some of u think?

[colts52761]

get a decent oline than judge brown. i would like to see a oline of castonzo, hicks, satele, anderson, reitz. not that line is great, just like to see that over what's playing now.

[The Peytonator]

When you are getting hit in the backfield on 1/3 of your running plays, you know it's not the RB's fault. Even if he bulldozed through the 300 lb Dlineman that got past Mike McGlynn, the rest of the Oline wouldn't be able to sustain their blocks long enough to prevent further penetration....plus the LBs should be fast enough to get in their and clean it up anyway and it's still a TFL.

[braveheartcolt]

Not only can't the line block, they can't pass protect, which also has a significant impact on the running game. If Luck was getting some decent protection, his passing game would go through the roof, which means the D would be less aggressive v the run which in turn would leave considerably more lanes for Brown to hit.

Brown is a very decent back.

[Warhorse]

If Donald "House Call" Brown played behind Denvers line for 6 years back when Shanny had that line blocking and chipping, we would be talking about him being a HOF RB someday.

[GoDeep]

It's obviously the line.

[Poeticwisdom555]

Brown is not the problem at all..

You can't run up the middle when there is a wall of defenders waiting to make contact soon as Luck hands the ball off.

You can't run left or right when four defenders alone are enough to crush the O-Line.. leaving LB to feed on your flesh.

You can get any RB in the NFL and would get the same results. Bottom line.. RB run through holes.. they don't make them.

When Brown is given a good hole to hit and a few blocks (when the O-Line does their job) he is a good RB with great speed. Ok.. he did drop a few passes. That will change when he calms down and catches the ball before he tries to run with it (easy fix).

[lollygagger8]

Donald doesn't go down with any little contact... idk what Donald brown your talking about...

Um, what? He goes down if he hits the back of our O-Line.

I've been pretty hard on Brown in the past, but it was definitely the line's fault Sunday.

I will say as soon as he gets the pig in hands, he needs to turn the jets on immediately. When he does that it seems like that's when he's most effective because our O-line can only hold that hole open for a nano second. When he waits for the hole to open up it seems like it's too late and already closed (non counting when the D is already in the backfield) and that's where he hits the back of the o-line and falls down.

The guy has got some wheels, but is far from a bruiser back. That's why I think we need to get him catching (not dropping) passes out of the backfield, and maybe some screens.

Play to the talents of your Offense...like the OC of Denver did when Tebow was there.

[bobourret]

I think if he was on a team with solid o-line like the texans I think he would be a probowler. He has a ton of talent when he gets holes

[oldunclemark]

It's clear to me in looking at those stats that it is an offensive line issue. That's too many hits behind the LOS!

Consider the fact that the guy only had 9 whole rushing attempts.

There you go, krunk......you win....NINE CARRIES....and that's because we were far behind...

he didt play the 4th quarter....

9 carries. 48 yards.. that's plenty good /

WE have offensive line probems and we knew that in July.

That was our first real game....against a powerful team....

I think we'll show improvement the next 2 weeks...

Other than the 2 drops..Brown played well

[Gavin]

as soon as we get an O Line that can block period you will see what Brown can do

[FanFromtheWasteland]

There you go, krunk......you win....NINE CARRIES....and that's because we were far behind...

he didt play the 4th quarter....

9 carries. 48 yards.. that's plenty good /

WE have offensive line probems and we knew that in July.

That was our first real game....against a powerful team....

I think we'll show improvement the next 2 weeks...

Other than the 2 drops..Brown played well

I agree. It was not his fault that he was rapped up like a pig-in-a-blanket when he got hit behind the line.

[Rich Cannon]

I think it was more the bears defense than anything. They would often bring both safties down on predictable run plays and clog all gaps. Predictable calls by us good defense by the bears.

[Gavin]

got a question for ya Superman, we are for the most part a zone blocking team right?

[ProblChld32]

Soon Vick Ballard will come in. Soon.....

If you recall in the game Sunday from the few carries Vick had, he didn't do that great either he was stopped in the backfield as well, its not the back carrying the ball its the Olines performance. BTW Brown outperformed Ballard.

[DanishColtsFan]

Donald Brown may not have the best stats, but keep in mind, he still had a better average than Chris Johnson in this round (11 carries and 4 yards, against Patriots)