Marcus Marshall

[RyanS12]

I'd like to occasionally see Mills at B Back with M. Marshall and Lynch at A Backs. Size, Speed and Strength all in the backfield at the same time.

 

[franklinjacket]

I'd bet that MM starts and Mills gets half of the early reps next week, but CPJ will go with the hot hand to finish the game.

 

[ilovetheoption]

This is the Loch Ness monster when it comes to Marshall and I don't get it. MM lowers his head when he needs to lower his head, he did it several times yesterday and all year.

On the play where Takeo Spikes said "I would have kept it outside" there was nothing there. Even with MM's speed he knew he couldn't make the edge so he lowered his head and got the yard or 2 that he could. He would not have made the edge.

MM should never leave the field.

Yeah, we just don't see eye to eye here. When the play was live, I thought "oh thank god" when he cut it back, because there were a couple yards outside. When it was shown on replay, my suspicions were confirmed. Even if he couldn't get the first, if he puts his head down, and gets 2 or 3, the option is there to go for it on 4th. Instead, he tried to cut it back, and LOST yardage, making it impossible to go for it on 4th.

 

[iceeater1969]

Of course mm is better with rocket toss to bb and mills is better at dive.

My suggestion is as follows:
at critical time
we fake a bb pitch then pass to mm at sideline for big gain.
Ditto
dive bb fakes attempts to block and slides in to wide open zone for first down to seal win ( uga did this so often in late 60's)

The problem of needing these two guys on field is one Roof dreams of solving

 

[YJMD]

CPJ was never down on MM, just high on DM. This situation is a lot like Laskey and Days, though I wish the O was at that level overall.

 

[dubjacket]

I see this coming week working like laskey/days in 14 vs ugag. Both will carry the load a lot! They are a great combo. MM will be the starter is my guess!

 

[Milwaukee]

I just don't see Mills's blocking as that much better than MM. In fact I've seen him miss more blocks than MM. Also MM has better vision. DM has more power but sometimes he looks for contact when more yards could be gained by making a cut and running to space. I think DM is great, but MM has been the much more productive BBack. DM has gotten more opportunities (27 more carries) and only rushed for 9 more yards. Plus he has coughed it up more as well. DM is really good and has great potential, but to me it's not even close. MM should start and get the bulk of the carries.

Preach.

 

[jeffgt14]

Our offense is more explosive with MM but more efficient with DM. Arguing about who should be getting the carries is pointless as they both bring something to the table. If we're getting death marches with DM then you sure as crap better stick with that because it keeps the defense fresh and wears out the opponent more. That's generally why DM has played more snaps.

 

[takethepoints]

Yeah, we just don't see eye to eye here. When the play was live, I thought "oh thank god" when he cut it back, because there were a couple yards outside. When it was shown on replay, my suspicions were confirmed. Even if he couldn't get the first, if he puts his head down, and gets 2 or 3, the option is there to go for it on 4th. Instead, he tried to cut it back, and LOST yardage, making it impossible to go for it on 4th.

Yes, you're right and, yes, Mills starts. Coach never puts a starter on the bench unless performance overwhelmingly dictates it.

MM committed the cardinal sin on the fourth down run deep in our territory. It was a straight QB follow and he missed his block. Completely. I was watching as he did it. He also reverted to shilly-shallying in the hole to try to make extra yards. This is not what a BB is supposed to do. Period. Full stop. I hear many mentioning his 20 yard run through traffic. The only reason that wasn't a 5 yard lose was poor tackling; he got to his hole and juked instead of running through the tackle. It worked this time - he's a talented runner - but it isn't a consistent winner. Mills doesn't have these problems.

I think this is in part due to who's playing QB. With MJ in there, we have a solid option up the middle and an almost sure 3 - 5 yards on the edge if he keeps. That frees things up for a home run hitter at BB; the other side is concentrating on MJ. It makes running up the middle easier for a finesse runner like MM; he gets to profit from the distraction his QB is causing for the D. And I think MM had his best game as a BB against VT for these reasons - and, of course, because he has improved his game considerably.

But with JT out there we don't have the same kind of grind. That's one of the main resins Mills has started and will, I think, again: Mills gives us what we need up the middle when JT is QB and, not to put too fine a point on it, MM doesn't. That Mills is a better blocker is just icing on the cake.

I don't want to sound uncharitable here. We may have won the game because of MM's long TD run; we really needed that and he can deliver on the edge better then Mills can. (Hence my gut feeling that Coach will move him to AB, like he did with Charles Perkins, a very similar player.) But there was too much reversion to running like a TB in the UVA game. If he gets his mind right about running with authority - he has the size and ability to do so - I could see MM becoming a great BB. So far he hasn't. Therefore Mills.

 

[lv20gt]

MM committed the cardinal sin on the fourth down run deep in our territory. It was a straight QB follow and he missed his block. Completely. I was watching as he did it.

You obviously weren't watching. Quaide was the BBack on the fourth down run.

 

[ilovetheoption]

You obviously weren't watching. Quaide was the BBack on the fourth down run.

This is correct. (I suspect he may be conflating a play where Andrew Brown (9) shot the gap, and Marshall airballed on the block. JT avoided brown, but the play was blown up)

 

[WreckinGT]

I would start MM against UGA but give Mills some snaps as well. Whoever is playing better gets more snaps towards the end and starts the bowl game. Then they can battle it out all offseason. We are pretty lucky to have two guys of this caliber.

 

[Milwaukee]

We are pretty lucky to have two guys of this caliber.

Pretty much sums it up. I love watching both of them.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

I do think the Bback spot is shaping up a little like Laskey / Days did. Not exactly but similar in having 2 legit options at BB.

I also like the idea of having DM and MM in the game at same time, like with Dwyer / Allen. There are some problems here though. I don't think MM blocks well enough to play AB. DM actually might be a better fit at AB for that reason. But then we lose the guy best able to get the tough 2-3 yards when the going gets tough at the line. I think MM is improving in that regard but may not ever surpass DM.

Next year might be very interesting. Time will tell.

 

[BleedGoldNWhite21]

I can see putting MM at Aback occasionally due to his home run ability on the edges, but he should still primarily be a BB and share snaps with Mills.

 

[GTBandit22]

I want to see them both! In 14, we slammed them with Synjin then brought in a fresh Laskey in the third. He plowed for 3 TDs in regulation/ot, and if not for the bs fumble, we run away with it.
@Whiskey_Clear,
That's exactly what I thought of. People were bickering over whether Laskey or Days should start. Turns out, we used both.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Splitting their time gets more difficult when we only have 40 offensive snaps in a game.

 

[takethepoints]

You obviously weren't watching. Quaide was the BBack on the fourth down run.

Yes, you are right. I looked again and I got it way wrong. If Marcus is reading this, I'm sorry to criticize you for something you didn't have anything to do with.

Oth, I stand by the rest of the post. Until MM takes care of this tendency he has to shift around on the way to the hole - and it's hard to do, I know - he'll have a hard time beating out other candidates.

 

[GTRanj]

Splitting their time gets more difficult when we only have 40 offensive snaps in a game.

Oh come on, you know that's not the norm. It's usually around 60.

 

[Bogey]

MM+DM=JD