DeAngelo Williams says strong start due to Rob Chudzinski’s departure

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Speaks volumes about one of the principles behind the departure of Trent Richardson from Cleveland. Couple that with Norv Turner being another and Mike Lombardi another...and I've heard all I need to know:

 

WE ROBBED THE BANK!!!!

 

Via PFT:

 

"Through the first three weeks of the season, Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams is the league’s third leading rusher with 291 yards. Only LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles (395) and Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (297) have rushed for more yards so far this season.

 

For Williams, he believes the fact that Rob Chudzinski is no longer the Panthers’ offensive coordinator has a lot to do with that.

 

According to David Newton of ESPN.com, Williams took some not-so-subtle shots directed at the departed Chudzinski.

 

“I’m not going to start anything or push anything out there,” Williams said. “I can say this, though — a different offensive coordinator. I can definitely say that. The last offensive coordinator got rid of his starting running back.”

 

Williams was speaking to Chudzinski – now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns – being a pivotal piece in the decision by the Browns to trade Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts last week. Williams implied that Chudzinski wasn’t interested in cultivating an effective rushing game.

“You tell me what the difference is in 2013 versus 2012,” Williams said.

 

Williams isn’t the first Carolina player to take a shot at Chudzinski this season. Wide receiver Steve Smith also threw Chudzinski under the bus about how he ran the team’s offense last year in a conference call with Seattle reporters prior to their season opening game against the Seahawks.

“The prior offensive coordinator [Chudzinski] really was positioning himself to just apply for that head coaching job. I think our offense suffered a little bit because of that,” Smith said.

“At times, we got cute. We did things that weren’t necessarily us, like the under-utilizing of Mike Tolbert. But we’re out of that. The past is the past,” he added.

 

Outside of Cam Newton, Williams and Smith and the two biggest pieces of the Panthers offense and both can’t seem to find anything good to say about their former offensive coordinator. Whether Mike Shula can be an improvement remains to be seen but Williams and Smith both seem to feel better about the Panthers’ offense with Chudzinski no longer at the helm."

[jbaron04]

ill just ask a question if we win alot of games and trent numbers are down ....what will we think cause i think trent short hard runs helped wear down the sf def alot of tackles were ankle tackles with him falling foward , im not expecting much out of him this yr , next yr is when i expect great things 

[Kyle]

ill just ask a question if we win alot of games and trent numbers are down ....what will we think cause i think trent short hard runs helped wear down the sf def alot of tackles were ankle tackles with him falling foward , im not expecting much out of him this yr , next yr is when i expect great things 

To me, its not completely about how many yards TRich gets, it is how he gets them.  I absolutely agree that he wears down the defense.  TRich is a big boy and he seems to punish at least 1 defender on every run.

[jbaron04]

To me, its not completely about how many yards TRich gets, it is how he gets them. I absolutely agree that he wears down the defense. TRich is a big boy and he seems to punish at least 1 defender on every run.

Trich , how do I say, knows how to finish a run he always looks for contact when he finishes on his run plays , hear that addai no dancing thru the holes finish it strong

[Hans Moleman]

I know sometimes players rip their coaches due to immaturity, but Williams is right on the friggin' money here.

 

I have no idea why Chud didn't emphasize the running game more in Carolina, and he handled Williams like he had a grudge against him. Once Cam came along, the Carolina Panthers had the pieces in place to have a phenomenal power run game- one of the best of the decade when you consider the overall caliber of running talent at RB and QB. They spent a fortune on those guys. And, despite having excellent yards per carry, Chud would do the opposition a favor and air it out instead. I think the players are right- he did it to be cute and line himself up for the head coaching gig. 

 

I'm not surprised he advocated for getting rid of Richardson. This is a guy who had all the pieces to an exceptional power running attack in Carolina and just didn't like the puzzle they put together.

[ReMeDy]

So basically Chudzinski doesn't believe in needing a run game, hence the trade for Richardson for the 1st. However, that still doesn't explain why they didn't shop Trent more. From what I've read, the Colts were the first team the Browns contacted, and they're the first team they went with. Other teams have admitted they would have offered more for Trent.

 

To me, it sounds like Chudzinski is lazy.

[Superman]

So basically Chudzinski doesn't believe in needing a run game, hence the trade for Richardson for the 1st. However, that still doesn't explain why they didn't shop Trent more. From what I've read, the Colts were the first team the Browns contacted, and they're the first team they went with. Other teams have admitted they would have offered more for Trent.

 

To me, it sounds like Chudzinski is lazy.

 

I don't think it's the coach's job to work trades. That's on the GM.

[OffensivelyPC]

I know sometimes players rip their coaches due to immaturity, but Williams is right on the friggin' money here.

 

I have no idea why Chud didn't emphasize the running game more in Carolina, and he handled Williams like he had a grudge against him. Once Cam came along, the Carolina Panthers had the pieces in place to have a phenomenal power run game- one of the best of the decade when you consider the overall caliber of running talent at RB and QB. They spent a fortune on those guys. And, despite having excellent yards per carry, Chud would do the opposition a favor and air it out instead. I think the players are right- he did it to be cute and line himself up for the head coaching gig. 

 

I'm not surprised he advocated for getting rid of Richardson. This is a guy who had all the pieces to an exceptional power running attack in Carolina and just didn't like the puzzle they put together.

While Chud was there, the Panthers were 3rd and 9th in rushing yards in 2011 and 2012, respectively.  I think Williams' comment has more to do with the play calling than it does featuring the run.  I didn't watch enough of Panthers games to really know, but from some of the things I've seen, the rest of your post isn't an uncommon criticism and I think most Panthers fans would agree with you.

[Hans Moleman]

While Chud was there, the Panthers were 3rd and 9th in rushing yards in 2011 and 2012, respectively.  I think Williams' comment has more to do with the play calling than it does featuring the run.  I didn't watch enough of Panthers games to really know, but from some of the things I've seen, the rest of your post isn't an uncommon criticism and I think most Panthers fans would agree with you.

 

The playcalling was certainly an issue, and it seemed like they just abandoned the run at weird times. But I still think they should've ran more than they did given how good they were at it. In 2011, they were 3rd in yards, 1st in yards per attempt, but only 14th in attempts.

 

In 2012, that was 9th in both yardage metrics while being 11th in attempts. Even taking a small step back in 2012, they were averaging 4.5 per carry. 

[OffensivelyPC]

The playcalling was certainly an issue, and it seemed like they just abandoned the run at weird times. But I still think they should've ran more than they did given how good they were at it. In 2011, they were 3rd in yards, 1st in yards per attempt, but only 14th in attempts.

 

In 2012, that was 9th in both yardage metrics while being 11th in attempts. Even taking a small step back in 2012, they were averaging 4.5 per carry. 

That's fair.  They do have the talent to be top 3, if not the best in the league assuming health.