If Stewart has another Bad Game , Should McCaffrey Get The Nod To Start at Running Back?

[LinvilleGorge]

I've been saying for awhile now that CAP should be getting more of Stew's snaps. Even on the rare occasion that there is a hole, Stew is just too slow to hit it. He's still a handful when he gets rolling but that initial burst is just gone.

[NavyPF4L]

Oh and to answer the question. I'm sticking with Stew because once he gets going he makes the defense feel the pain and wears them out so that you can sprinkle in cmc with the quick explosive hits. I'd also like to see us sub in cap here and there to keep stew fresh though

[beastson]

1 hour ago, Hoenheim said:

Through the last two games here are Jonathan Stewarts stats : 

18 carries 21 yards 1.2 avg
8 carries - 4 yards -0.5 avg
 

Here are McCaffrey's stats : 

3 carries 7 yards 2.3

4 carries 8 yards 2.0 avg

 

Jonathan Stewart got 5x more carries in game 5  and 2x more carries in game 6, and McCaffrey's still vastly outperforming him even with much lower attempts.  Stew is literally averaging less than 1 yard per carry collectively over the last 2 games. Sure our run blocking is terrible but something has to be done sooner rather than later in my opinion for us to get our running game back . 

I know the coaches seem to be dead set on Stew being the bruiser and taking 75% of the carries every game but I just want to see what would happen if they flip the roles. Someone mentioned in another thread the Patriots last year would sometimes run their smaller shiftier backs for most of the game and then run Blount more in the 4th quarter/late games to tire opposing defenses ot. I say we can at least try the same thing. Get McCaffrey 15-20 carries and 5 catches , maybe having a higher workload will result in him being much more productive than stewart has been. Also him being in the backfield more , makes us more flexible in play action , mccaffrey either blocking or running out the backfield . 

Also I'd play Armah at fullback. He's on the active roster but inexplicably isn't being used. We have 4 rookies drafted high and the coaches are hardly using them. Armah at FB, let Moton have some snaps at RT or LT to see if fhe improves the run blocking,  have Samuel more involved in runs and PLAY HIM OuT WIDE IN DEEP ROuTES , and give CMC much more carries and have Stewart spell him. 

CMC definitely is getting use, but Samuel, Moton not playing and Dae Dae on IR is slightly depressing. I dont know what the hell is wrong with this team constantly using Dickson as a FB, instead of Armah and Dickson as a TE

But yes I agree, with Stew its predictable. So Shula and Ron need to figure it out

[Paa Langfart]

Does it really matter who " starts " ?

[KendrickPanther]

It doesnt matter who starts. Dumb premise. They both play a ton of snaps. Neither of them can run because our blocking schemes are failing. 

Fix the blocking and the yards will come.

[Davidson Deac II]

3 minutes ago, KendrickPanther said:

It doesnt matter who starts. Dumb premise. They both play a ton of snaps. Neither of them can run because our blocking schemes are failing. 

Fix the blocking and the yards will come.

to add to this, CM actually plays significantly more snaps than Stewart.  68% vs 43% for Stewart.  

[TheRed]

CMC hasn't exactly been lighting the league on fire the times he has carried the ball either. Has he even cracked 100 yards rushing on the season yet?

I think the issues have more to do with the OL and play design/use of personnel than with our running backs not playing well. I mean just watching the games and the way we simply continue to try to blindly jam a square peg in a round hole by trying so hard to be a power running team and impose our will when clearly it just isn't working should be enough to make it sink in for you guys. So then the question becomes why are Rivera, and Shula so clueless?

[Hallin'AllDaeDae]

I'm not hoping McCaffrey fails but .. I just can't wait until all of you see how trash he is

[Ace_Aladdin]

1 hour ago, rayzor said:

can anyone guess what kind of play it's going to be when stewart is in the game?

now answer the same question with cmc.

we aren't a power run team anymore. we just don't have the personnel for it. i mean if we decided to use our fullback, we might have a chance for it but just because we have a FB on the roster doesn't mean that one exists in shula's mind.

the only chance we have is to use misdirection and to make the most of the dual threat players we have. take advantage of the dual threat that cam is and the potential that is there in cmc and samuel.

we can't impose our will on anyone, but shula and rivera coach as if they were able to.

We are a power run team & always will be. The personnel is same  besides Matt Kalil that J-Stew rushed behind for 800 + yds & 9 TDs.

The issue is calling run plays on different downs and more power based.

Also CAP should get the nod over CMC as pure HB, keep CMC in dump offs & short game to stretch the defense out.

[csx]

1 hour ago, rayzor said:

can anyone guess what kind of play it's going to be when stewart is in the game?

now answer the same question with cmc.

we aren't a power run team anymore. we just don't have the personnel for it. i mean if we decided to use our fullback, we might have a chance for it but just because we have a FB on the roster doesn't mean that one exists in shula's mind.

the only chance we have is to use misdirection and to make the most of the dual threat players we have. take advantage of the dual threat that cam is and the potential that is there in cmc and samuel.

we can't impose our will on anyone, but shula and rivera coach as if they were able to.

What answer are you looking for? Seems I've heard complete opposite claims here. Half are complaining about Stewart up the middle and the other complaining about Stewart being use on outside runs

[rayzor]

14 minutes ago, sanjay_rajput said:

We are a wannabe power run team & always will be. The personnel is same  besides Matt Kalil that J-Stew rushed behind for 800 + yds & 9 TDs.

The issue is calling run plays on different downs and more power based.

Also CAP should get the nod over CMC as pure HB, keep CMC in dump offs & short game to stretch the defense out.

ftfy and CMC should get the nod over every other HB for most of the game because of his versatility.

but we are a power run team in philosophy only. we don't have the power to be a real one. the skill set among the personnel that we have isn't best suited for that.

[rayzor]

10 minutes ago, csx said:

What answer are you looking for? Seems I've heard complete opposite claims here. Half are complaining about Stewart up the middle and the other complaining about Stewart being use on outside runs

the point is that our offense is far more predictable and easier for defenses to manage when stewart is on the field.

you put CMC on the field more and let him carry the ball more allowing him to find his groove and you'll see defenses getting more of a headache trying to figure out what we're going to do with him and cam.

i think a lot of what is needed is changing from a philosophy that hinges on using the run to set up the pass to using the pass to set up the run, but keep using CMC for both so intentions are less predictable.

we just need to move on from stewart unless we use him to finish out games trying to beat up worn out defenses nd eat up clock. he's just not that effective anymore. if we had better blocking out front he'd stand a better chance, but he doesn't. that isn't going to change any time soon.

[KendrickPanther]

We have so much movement for a simple B gap run...

If we just lined up and blocked the men across from us I think you would see more lanes for CMC. Defenders are getting into the backfield because we have TEs crossing formation to pick up a DE and guards trying to pull when they are too slow afoot.

If we keep defenders out of the backfield Stewart will run through linebackers and CMC will run around them.

This reminds me of 2013 when Coach Ron waited till the bye week to notice they had problems on offence that the rest of us had seen for 2 months

[ItsPantone278]

2 hours ago, rayzor said:

can anyone guess what kind of play it's going to be when stewart is in the game?

now answer the same question with cmc.

we aren't a power run team anymore. we just don't have the personnel for it. i mean if we decided to use our fullback, we might have a chance for it but just because we have a FB on the roster doesn't mean that one exists in shula's mind.

the only chance we have is to use misdirection and to make the most of the dual threat players we have. take advantage of the dual threat that cam is and the potential that is there in cmc and samuel.

we can't impose our will on anyone, but shula and rivera coach as if they were able to.

Crazy thing Is, I feel like Shula likes to show things one week to set something up for later in the game or even the next week or even later in the season.  He set up Stewart on screen that bounced off of his hands and right to the defense.  He also ran a toss out of the same set that we've pulled counter on all season that went for like -8 yards.  Changing up the looks can confuse a defense but we've got to be careful not to confuse ourselves.  Stew is great in pass pro.  Need more play action with him on early downs.