B Back Transfer - Patrick Skov

DrJacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,178
I know we have talked about it before. But, I would love to see a 2-headed monster emerge at B-back. If Skov picked it up AND one of the other guys emerges, it would be fun to keep wearing other teams down with relatively fresh B-backs in a rotation.

I know, I know-- this isn't really CPJ's history. He pounds 1 guy. And, we'd better hope that we have that 1 horse. But, 2 sure would be nice. Laskey and Days showed that in the 2nd half of the season.
 

jwsavhGT

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
Messages
4,531
Location
Savannah,GA
from personal experience, tell Zack that if you hate them when you are in college, you will still hate them in your late 50's. I imagine I will still hate them if I make it to 80,too. Seems like there is no cure for it... although I do hope this sin is forgiven when the time comes (although I have to confess I haven't tried my hardest to move past it).
Not derailing the thread BUT nothing can ruin a vacation day like looking up & seeing some Mutt "lady" walking by in red dumb*** UGAg crappy tshirt looking like she came from the neighborhood trailer park. #THWG
Sorry for digressing. Back to P.Skov. I'm excited to see what he will do for us.
 

ClydeBrick

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
961
from personal experience, tell Zack that if you hate them when you are in college, you will still hate them in your late 50's. I imagine I will still hate them if I make it to 80,too. Seems like there is no cure for it... although I do hope this sin is forgiven when the time comes (although I have to confess I haven't tried my hardest to move past it).

Friend, don't forget: what you describe is Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Other than hating evil (as @AE 87 mentions) it is the best kind of hate.

No regrets - THWG!
 

Northeast Stinger

Helluva Engineer
Messages
10,805
I am hoping Skov is like Wlliam Andresw (Falcons by way of Auburn). Andrews was a blocking FB in college with not so impressive stats as a runner, but was a classic blocker out of the FB position. As a Falcon he improved to be (for a couple of years before his knee injury) one of the great pro runners who so intimidated opponents' DBs. He produced great thrills and joy for Falcon fans. Nothing more exciting than Andrews loose in the scondary. Someone was going to pay. My all time favorite Falcon, a converted blocking FB. Bring on Skov!
Such memories! Back when I actually followed the Falcons regularly. Andrews was the most fun to watch of any fullback in the pros. Played at around 205 but ran harder than some backs the Falcons had who ran at 240.
 

Ibeeballin

Im a 3*
Messages
6,081
What I think is being a little overblown is the learning curve for bback or RB period. There is a reason why we see freshman yearly come in the Fall and play immediately. Do the lack of carries make me nervous? Sorta, but as we've seen last season, having a back that can pick up 4-5 yds consistently is fine. Ultimately, those will become 15yd+ runs. Let's hope that is what Skov can provide
 

Northeast Stinger

Helluva Engineer
Messages
10,805
Captain obvious, here. We are going to miss Shaq Mason.

BUT take a closer look at last year's films. Some of our biggest plays came while running behind Chamberlain and Devine. The advantage to Shaq was that he was about as close to a sure thing in football as it gets when we needed that short yardage gain. But other guys were also opening up huge holes.

This is a digression to reiterate one more time that Skov has enough football sense to play really well behind our excellent offensive line.
 

dressedcheeseside

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,220
What I think is being a little overblown is the learning curve for bback or RB period. There is a reason why we see freshman yearly come in the Fall and play immediately. Do the lack of carries make me nervous? Sorta, but as we've seen last season, having a back that can pick up 4-5 yds consistently is fine. Ultimately, those will become 15yd+ runs. Let's hope that is what Skov can provide
I think Bback has a different learning curve than typical tailback. There's a lot of wrinkles that are different that have to be mastered, we all know what they are. The most important is trusting the read of the qb and the blocking of the OL and believing that hole is gonna materialize so that when you get there you're already through it. Then there's the stance, the distance from the LOS, the mesh, the blocking, etc. I think a seasoned vet fullback will have a much better time making the transition that a true frosh right out of highschool. I'm afraid that if we have to go with a true frosh, we're gonna have to simplify the O quite a bit.
 

Ibeeballin

Im a 3*
Messages
6,081
1) I think that's where we differ. The position doesn't need to be mastered, just be productive

2) it is not the BB job to trust the QB reads. The QB must trust his own reads and go from there.

3) unlike a TB, our fast hitting offense doesn't give the BBack an opportunity to wait for holes to materialize. The hole is either there or you make one. Being instinctual like a Dwyer or AA is a cherry on top in my eyes. Hold onto the ball and just keep the chains moving (what made Laskey/Days great)
 

croberts

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
869
Days is almost as popular as most team's backup quarterback.
I loved Days. My love for him was about a kid that stayed at Tech for 5 years and was a great teammate all 5 years even when things were not working out on the field. It was so special to see the clouds clear and have such a wonderful ending to his time at Tech. On the other hand, I think a lot of backs in other programs could be as successful in our B back spot.
 

MidtownJacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
4,862
1) I think that's where we differ. The position doesn't need to be mastered, just be productive

2) it is not the BB job to trust the QB reads. The QB must trust his own reads and go from there.

3) unlike a TB, our fast hitting offense doesn't give the BBack an opportunity to wait for holes to materialize. The hole is either there or you make one. Being instinctual like a Dwyer or AA is a cherry on top in my eyes. Hold onto the ball and just keep the chains moving (what made Laskey/Days great)

this.
 

MWBATL

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,536
In summation. We now have the fastest QB in the ACC (maybe country), the fastest RB in the ACC at AB, a 235-240 pound BB and one of the best blocking backs who can also carry the ball well at the other AB spot. I'll take it.

What is even more important is the O line for those guys. All that speed doesn't help if you're trying to dodge 11 tacklers, but it helps a ton if you're just trying to get past 1 or 2 who have a shot at you...
 

Boomergump

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
3,281
I will take a bucking bronco at BB any day, whether he is a threat to outrun the defense 80 yards or not. We have speed in a lot of places. It would be nice to have it at BB, but as a baseline, we need a guy who is really hard to stop short of a 4 YD gain. That is the yeast that gets mixed with the dough. From time to time, the BB will pop one for 20 whether he is a good runner or not.

Bottom line: you go to war with the troops and equipment you have, not the ones you wish you had.

I happen to like what we have and think we can win with it.
 

gtalltheway

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
313
I WILL TAKE A BUCKING BRONCO at BB any day, whether he is a threat to outrun the defense 80 yards or not. We have speed in a lot of places. It would be nice to have it at BB, but as a baseline, we need a guy who is really hard to stop short of a 4 YD gain. THAT IS THE YEAST THATS GETS MIXED WITH THE DOUGH. From time to time, the BB will pop one for 20 whether he is a good runner or not.

Bottom line: YOU GO TO WAR WITH THE TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT YOU HAVE, NOT THE ONES YOU WISH YOU HAD.

I happen to like what we have and think we can win with it.
I have no clue what you are even meaning by your analogies lol jk.
 

takethepoints

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,096
Ah, William Andrews!

Mr. Pad-Level. When you came up to tackle him all you saw was shoulder pads, an arm in front, and his knees. I used to watch Falcons games just to see him run. I know we push pad-level for our RBs, but showing them some old films of William would do them a world of good. Like:



Oth, I'll take another Drew Eckel any day.
 

cuttysark

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
580
What most folks are missing is the fact that Skov is already used to playing close to the LOS as a FB in Stanford's offense and blocking on just about every play. Now that he will be able to actually tote the rock in a game expect to see some damage being done every game in the A and B gaps with the interior GCG advancing the line in advance of a 240 pounder moving downfield right behind them.

This is going to be fun to watch.
 

TechPhi97

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
795
Location
Davidson, NC
I love Synjyn to death, but poor Zach had a huge year, too, and he gets squat recognition around here.

Zachary had that huge Miami game where he took over, but the next game he was back to running more upright and then he got hurt. Once Days finally turned it on Laskey kind of got left in the dust, although being able to bring him in fresh in the second half was a huge benefit.

I think people like Laskey and think he did great, but Days' story and transformation was just a more interesting story.
 

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
18,237
What I think is being a little overblown is the learning curve for bback or RB period. There is a reason why we see freshman yearly come in the Fall and play immediately. Do the lack of carries make me nervous? Sorta, but as we've seen last season, having a back that can pick up 4-5 yds consistently is fine. Ultimately, those will become 15yd+ runs. Let's hope that is what Skov can provide

This is not an argument against Skov...but when's the last time a true freshmen played BB (not AB) for us?

I think the biggest issue against a true freshmen playing BB is physical maturity to take heavy physical load required at BB. Luckily, Skov is as physically ready as they come for the BB position. I remember both Dwyer and Ant saying the biggest adjustment for them at the BB position wasn't the running aspect of the position, but the mental aspect of having to take all those hits...the position is just so physically demanding. That's something CPJ echoed when he talks about getting someone with a matured body at the position.
 
Top