How people on the HI board used to dog Alex Collins for not being fast enough? One of the things cited was “yeah, he got that 80-yard run at LSU, but their DB chased him down from behind.”
Uh, that DB was Tre’davious White. Who may be the defensive rookie of the year in the NFL for Buffalo (and is also the guy that Rob Gronkowski cheap-shotted a couple of weeks back). White also ran a 4.47 at the combine (Alex ran 4.59).
White is pretty fast. So is Alex, who still could go over 1000 yards for the season with a big game next week. Budda is fast enough to be the lead back on a team that will make the NFL playoffs if it wins next week. Works for me.
I love Alex Collins. He is an NFL back. Enough said. And he was a terrific SEC tailback. I’ve always said the best athlete in the world is an SEC tailback. I will argue that with anyone.
Like me some Buddha too! My son and I have enjoyed watching him at Baltimore. I don’t watch the games much but he frequently brings a highlight run in on his phone. AC was special and probably under appreciated here.
Alex Collins is a winner and plays with heart. He has a combination of speed and power. Gifted at finding the hole. We have fans that fail to realize just how tough the SEC west is!
Seattle may realize this off season just how huge of a mistake they made by letting him go! It’s a win do Alex to get away from Seattle.
he is playing well, but PFF had Lattimore as #1 CB in aLL NFL not just rookies before his injury. White does not have enough time to make up the difference. Agree that he is good to near really good, but what does it have to do with Budda being good on a one and done Ravens team? White is not fast and that is a big knock against him. Straight line speed needs to be in that Cantrell argument elsewhere on the board. Do you think Deion Jones the LB from the Falcons could run down Budda? I do, but Budda and his yards made will be more important. I do think lots of backs could fill the Budda slot with equal results. 60 yards per game is not impressive to reach 1K. I love it for Budda that he is successful, but he is still replaceable based on this year. Sad, but true.
Yeah, except that Collins took a few weeks to learn the offense in Baltimore after they picked him up, and find his role there. So it’s more like 10-12 weeks. You should have heard Cris Collinsworth gushing about Budda during the Steelers-Ravens game recently. A run of the mill back doesn’t get that kind of praise from the network talking heads. I bet Seattle, which can’t run on anyone, wishes they’d kept him.
This is kind of a hater-type post in a thread bemoaning “friendly fire”, hater-type posts.
You suggest lots of backs could fill Alex’ slot with equal results. Why aren’t they, then?
His backup averages 3.7 YPC while he averages 4.6 YPC. The guy who was going to be the Ravens’ starter before injury is back and averaging more than a full yard less per carry. Those are big production differences in the NFL.
And, speaking of NFL production, Alex is doing well compared to the rest of the NFL, too.
He’s Top 10 in the NFL, overall, in yards per attempt (10th). He’s also 10th, overall, in the NFL in yards.
He’s Top 15, overall, in the NFL in 20 + yard carries. He’s 13th, overall, in the NFL in yards per game.
Alex is doing all that in a 1-dimensional offense with few receiving threats and with a QB who is 25th in NFL in Total QB Rating.
Maybe none of that is impressive to you. Maybe he’s a replacement level player in your opinion.
But the objective numbers don’t suggest that at all. The numbers suggest your take is pretty hot takey.
He’s outperforming most of his peers and he’s outperforming similarly-situated RBs.
And, from a subjective standpoint, he has had well-respected NFL analysts raving about him and wondering how SEA cast him aside and how it took luck for him to get a shot with the Ravens.
He’s just not a replacement level player right now. Barring injury his next contract should prove that.
Your post is off base and is “keep it real”, “friendly fire” on a great Hog. Sad, but true.
I will take Alex on my team. Every time. He is a winner. I will never forget his last game as a Razorback and that last run. He splattered an all big 12 DT en route to the end zone. It will go down as one of my all time favorite runs.
Swine, I was right there with you debating in the “Alex is too slow” posts. They were always ridiculous. I said all along that Alex’s vision, ability to make people miss in tight spaces, and cut at full speed would make him successful in the NFL. And he’s strong. I remember citing Emmitt and Sweetness as not being as fast as, say, Knile Davis. But they were, obviously, plenty fast. I also remember the “JWill is better” threads. Those were silly too. We were lucky to have BOTH.
Alex will be all-Pro at some point. Maybe even this year. He will go down as our best NFL RB since Barry Foster. (And yes, I do think DMac could have had a much different (better) career if he had gone to a team with an actual o-line. Oakland was last in the leagure multiple times for average yards per carry before first contact).
AC wasn’t a burner but had the some of the best vision and lateral quickness ever witnessed in a Hog uniform. He’s playing well in the NFL because of this and a total focus on who he is and what he can do to become better as a football player and human being. He is special in many ways and unless a bad injury occurs will be very successful at the next level for years to come.
For my money, anybody who could and did rip off multiple 80 yard runs between the tackles against Power 5 defenses is pretty darn fast. Budda’s career long was 84 yards against Texas Tech in '14, and they only caught him because he eased up in the last 10 yards. Plus the 80-yarder against LSU. DMac never had an 84-yarder.