A little from last night's radio show

stingyoa$$

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
274
Nick should have planned for that, right? No way a true freshman could come in and just be that good or something like that. (y)


he might be...but after 6 games he's nowhere near the "stud" that people like to say. Running the wrong way, poor footwork, blocking, staying on track are just a few "other" things that have to be done playing this position. I'm not saying it won't get better, I'm just stating my opinion on guys calling him a stud or a beast after 6 games. We will know for sure after his career is over at GT what he really was.
 

SidewalkJacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,665
he might be...but after 6 games he's nowhere near the "stud" that people like to say. Running the wrong way, poor footwork, blocking, staying on track are just a few "other" things that have to be done playing this position. I'm not saying it won't get better, I'm just stating my opinion on guys calling him a stud or a beast after 6 games. We will know for sure after his career is over at GT what he really was.

Dedrick Mills is a stud and a beast.
 

jeffgt14

We don't quite suck as much anymore.
Messages
5,879
Location
Mt Juliet, TN
We've
Just my opinion. Of the BBs on that list, the only BB I'd rather have above Mills is 2008 Dwyer, 2009 Dwyer, 2010 Ant, and 2014 Days.

Dwyer was a sophomore in 08, JR in 09. Ant was SR in '10. Days was a RS SR in '14. Mills is a true freshmen. A lot of the yards he's accumulated has been through sheer physical will. The guys I listed had benefit of either playing against teams who weren't fully experienced against our offense (Dwyer, Ant), or played behind a veteran OL (Days).

I wouldn't go so far as to say Mills is a "stud" right now, but I think if you've watched enough football in your life, you see a special talent in Mills whose trajectory points to "stud". Of all the RBs in the NCAA, Mills has the most TDs of any freshmen RB. That means something. I'm excited about his potential...and if he keeps doing what he needs to do, he'll have every opportunity to reach that elite BB level we think of when Dwyer is mentioned.
I'd add Laskey to that top list as well. Laskey was damn good at knowing which hole to hit to pick up 5 yards. What Mills is doing as a True Freshman is very impressive and like you said, a lot of his yards are just coming from sheer will of not going down. He may be the toughest runner I've seen us have.
 

LongforDodd

LatinxBreakfastTacos
Messages
3,198
he might be...but after 6 games he's nowhere near the "stud" that people like to say. Running the wrong way, poor footwork, blocking, staying on track are just a few "other" things that have to be done playing this position. I'm not saying it won't get better, I'm just stating my opinion on guys calling him a stud or a beast after 6 games. We will know for sure after his career is over at GT what he really was.
He's made as much chicken salad as he can. Give him more blocking and you'll see what everyone else does.
 

Blumpkin Souffle

Bidly Biddington III
Messages
1,367
Mills ypc stats don't include the number of pounds he's carried with him (opposing D players taking a ride on his back). He has carried more D players further than all but the opposing teams' busses.
Yeah I think a better measurable would be his YAC vs the last couple BBs we've had back there
 

Boomergump

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
3,281
I am struggling with what to say at this moment. Umm....Mills has gotten more tough yards already than many backs in the PJ era have gotten in several seasons. He was one inch short on Saturday on one carry that mattered a lot. But....

I am going to go on a limb here: Mills will have the longest NFL career of any back coming out of GT in the last 20 years.
 

Skeptic

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,372
A bigger issue would be...why does this program have to rely on a true freshman at a position of such importance(BB)? The only other position that is more important in this offense is QB. After a summer and 6 weeks of playing, on a 4th and 1, I'd like to think you know what hole to run. That must be what CBC is talking about the "trust" in your OL to open up a crease. The back just has to run hard to where the hole is going to be I guess. It takes some courage to slam it up in there when you know you're going to get hit. Another reason that selling the fake is a huge part of playing BB. It's sets up everything else.
Well, you know another way of looking at it is that Georgia Tech has a freshman who cracked the starting lineup. That of course plays against the narrative that Paul Johnson can't recruit, but there it is.
 

Blumpkin Souffle

Bidly Biddington III
Messages
1,367
Well, you know another way of looking at it is that Georgia Tech has a freshman who cracked the starting lineup. That of course plays against the narrative that Paul Johnson can't recruit, but there it is.
I thought the narrative was CPJ doesn't always play the best guy because he is too stubborn
 

gtg936g

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,142
If Mills can stay healthy and continue to improve, he will be NFL bound after his Jr year.

He is tough to tackle, decent speed, good vision, and is a natural build for a running back. He also has good balance. The stats don't mean much to me, and neither do his mistakes. Stat wise I could put up good numbers if the line opened up a hole big enough. All freshman make mistakes and need reps to improve. He is improving each week. I am impressed by the mistakes he hasn't made.

People have complained for years that we don't have a beast BB. Now we do. You want to know why we get most of our yards on the edge? Mills. Defenses are scheming to take away the BB each week, and he is still putting up good numbers.
 

00Burdell

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,298
Location
Parts Unknown
Yeah I think a better measurable would be his YAC vs the last couple BBs we've had back there
Bingo. He gets more yards after he's "tackled" then any back I've seen in a Tech jersey in a long time. We were lucky to get this guy and I can't even imagine what he will turn into by his senior year with all the experience he's getting as a freshman. Put some people in front of him that know how to move DL outta the way and we'll have that "tough yardage" back that our offense can not function without.
 

jeffgt14

We don't quite suck as much anymore.
Messages
5,879
Location
Mt Juliet, TN
I am struggling with what to say at this moment. Umm....Mills has gotten more tough yards already than many backs in the PJ era have gotten in several seasons. He was one inch short on Saturday on one carry that mattered a lot. But....

I am going to go on a limb here: Mills will have the longest NFL career of any back coming out of GT in the last 20 years.
That’s bold. Choice was technically around in the league for 6-7 years I believe. Joe Burns maybe a little less. Does Charlie Rogers count as a RB?
 
Top