Next Dalvin Cook in the ACC?

[MikeJackets]

2014 Georgia game was my favorite to watch. Just straight at em, and they couldn't stop it. Laskey behind Shaq every time.

Laskey looked like Larry Csonka running up the middle in that game.

 

[AE 87]

Laskey looked like Larry Csonka running up the middle in that game.

Wow. You don't seem old enuf (too optimistic) to make a Csonka reference.

I grew up with him Jim Kick and Mercury Morris.

 

[MikeJackets]

Wow. You don't seem old enuf (too optimistic) to make a Csonka reference.

I grew up with him Jim Kick and Mercury Morris.

I remember sitting with my dad as a young kid watching the Dolphins and Steelers on tv in the 1970s

 

[alagold]

Wow. You don't seem old enuf (too optimistic) to make a Csonka reference.

I grew up with him Jim Kick and Mercury Morris.

87,
I saw Csonka in person in '67? at Tech field for practice for college All-star game.I stood beside him on sidelines and could NOT believe this guy was a running back--he was SO big.
Then on DEF the Chargers had a 6-9 310 lb guy -when 240 was HUGE.

 

[takethepoints]

Then on DEF the Chargers had a 6-9 310 lb guy -when 240 was HUGE.

Ah, sounds like my old hero Louis Kelcher. Kelcher was so big he didn't have to be athletic, but, remarkably, he was. He was, however, "only" 6'6". Might be an0other guy.

Btw, I'll go you a Larry Csonka and raise you an Ernie Davis. I used to watch him every chance I got. That he died so young was a tragedy. I was really looking forward to seeing him and Jim Brown in the same backfield for the Browns. They were my favorite team back then.

 

[Sideways]

Doesn't Mills look a lot bigger in the uniform now? I'll bet he is 15 pounds heavier than Dec 31.

He does look bigger. Mills is that very rare Georgia Tech recruit who came here "oven ready" as the saying goes. The comparisons to Dwyer are interesting but they are not the same. As big as Dwyer was he was not quite the bruiser that Mills has been. He was more of a one cut and take it to the house track guy. Some may laugh but the guy who is most like Mills to me was AA. Anthony Allen was big, tough, and ran hard. I have no idea what his speed was but he was not as fast as Dwyer. Can you imagine a backfield with AA, Dwyer, Mills, and Roddy Jones? Throw in Zach Laskey and Days for depth. Boy howdy, we would be cooking then. You might have linebackers refusing to get off the team bus.

 

[Sideways]

Give the kid time, this is only his true sophomore season coming up. Maybe he was focusing more this offseason on getting bigger, and now going into summer conditioning he'll start working on getting leaner.
Btw, I don't think he looks fat at all...it's not an Eddie Lacy situation or anything. Dude is thickly built is all.

"Thickly built" Yes, that describes him to a T. He is like that all over. Big thighs that drive through arm tackles with shoulders and neck to match. A prototype of what a Bback should look like.

 

[Techster]

The comparisons to Dwyer are interesting but they are not the same. As big as Dwyer was he was not quite the bruiser that Mills has been. He was more of a one cut and take it to the house track guy.

I don't think Dwyer gets enough credit for how physical he was. He was the complete BB, and even CPJ has said Dwyer was the perfect BB for his offense. Dwyer's "problem" was that he just made it look so easy. Look at his runs... he rarely got clean runs through the LOS, he was so powerful that he easily brushed off contact through the first level. DBs 1v1 in the secondary were usually mince meat. One guy was never bringing JD to the ground. He was such a gifted runner with good vision, and the ability to wrong foot defenders that he never really got credit for how difficult it actually is to do what he did. Mills depends more on his physical running style, but the truth is, Dwyer was so good at erasing angles that he rarely needed to lower his shoulders. When he did, defenders were more times than not laid to waste...and that stiff arm was a pro level stiff arm. Seriously, GT fans need to watch his highlights once a season to remind themselves of how spoiled we were that Dwyer was our first BB:



I do agree that Mills is probably more of a power back and has more of a physical style...but Dwyer didn't need to depend on being as physical as Mills does, and Dwyer had it in him if he needed it.

 

[ESPNjacket]

The best comp for Mills that I have is Terrell Davis. They are about the same size and speed. They also use small changes in angles to miss tacklers and get the extra yard.

 

[Sideways]

I don't think Dwyer gets enough credit for how physical he was. He was the complete BB, and even CPJ has said Dwyer was the perfect BB for his offense. Dwyer's "problem" was that he just made it look so easy. Look at his runs... he rarely got clean runs through the LOS, he was so powerful that he easily brushed off contact through the first level. DBs 1v1 in the secondary were usually mince meat. One guy was never bringing JD to the ground. He was such a gifted runner with good vision, and the ability to wrong foot defenders that he never really got credit for how difficult it actually is to do what he did. Mills depends more on his physical running style, but the truth is, Dwyer was so good at erasing angles that he rarely needed to lower his shoulders. When he did, defenders were more times than not laid to waste...and that stiff arm was a pro level stiff arm. Seriously, GT fans need to watch his highlights once a season to remind themselves of how spoiled we were that Dwyer was our first BB:



I do agree that Mills is probably more of a power back and has more of a physical style...but Dwyer didn't need to depend on being as physical as Mills does, and Dwyer had it in him if he needed it.

Yep, that highlight of him trucking number 2 of Virginia is an all time favorite. At least number 2 did his best, number 53 just dived at Dwyer's ankles. Also, not to demean the efforts of the linemen of that era but the plain fact of the matter is that our line today is WAY better than what we had in 2008. A friend of mine went to the first couple of games that I could not attend in 2008 and when I asked him what his impressions were he said: "Dwyer is the real deal but its funny, he either gets a big gain or gets hit by three or four people at the line of scrimmage." That pretty much sums up what an absolute beating he and Nesbitt were taking then. One time against UNC I honestly did not think Nesbitt was going to make it to the fourth quarter he was getting hit so hard.

 

[Techster]

Yep, that highlight of him trucking number 2 of Virginia is an all time favorite. At least number 2 did his best, number 53 just dived at Dwyer's ankles. Also, not to demean the efforts of the linemen of that era but the plain fact of the matter is that our line today is WAY better than what we had in 2008. A friend of mine went to the first couple of games that I could not attend in 2008 and when I asked him what his impressions were he said: "Dwyer is the real deal but its funny, he either gets a big gain or gets hit by three or four people at the line of scrimmage." That pretty much sums up what an absolute beating he and Nesbitt were taking then. One time against UNC I honestly did not think Nesbitt was going to make it to the fourth quarter he was getting hit so hard.

The hardest hit I've ever seen a GT CPJ QB take was Nesbitt getting rocked by UNC's Bruce Carter...until Vad Lee got the love of the triple option knocked out of him by another UNC LB years later.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I bet Mills outgains Dwyer this year. I also bet opposing teams have fewer possessions than opponents in '09. Much of that will be thanks to Mills and his ball control style. We're in very good shape at Bback folks. I'm not pining for past glory, current glory suits me just fine.

 

[redmule]

Mills will have the most yards rushing, but I suspect Lynch will have the most total yards if we have a decent passing attack. With a 14 game season he might get close to 1000 yds in rushing and receiving. That would be Dalvin Cookish. Mills is going to cause Lynch to see a lot of green in front of him.

 

[BCJacket]

...The comparisons to Dwyer are interesting but they are not the same. As big as Dwyer was he was not quite the bruiser that Mills has been. He was more of a one cut and take it to the house track guy. Some may laugh but the guy who is most like Mills to me was AA. Anthony Allen was big, tough, and ran hard. I have no idea what his speed was but he was not as fast as Dwyer...

FWIW, I went to look up these players' stats because I couldn't remember. As best information I can find:

• Dwyer arrived around 5'10" and 200lbs and left around 6'0" and 230lbs. And ran a 4.59 40. (Per ESPN, from the Combine I think)
  
• Dedrick is listed at 5'11" and 215lbs. I think he's added weight since then, if 15lbs he's at 230ish. And a 4.77 40 as a recruit. (Per ESPN, no idea where they got their number)
• Anthony Allen was listed at 5'11 229, ran a 4.59 40 at the combine (Per the NFL)

Granted, there's a big difference between track time and "football speed", agility/acceleration is hard to quantify and these measurables are usually ballpark at best... But based on what I can find, if Tech's S&C program can get Dedrick to add ~15 lbs and gain just a little speed. He'd be nearly identical on those numbers to the two guys we list as the best/prototype B-Backs CPJ has had at Tech. FWIW.

 

[Sideways]

The hardest hit I've ever seen a GT CPJ QB take was Nesbitt getting rocked by UNC's Bruce Carter...until Vad Lee got the love of the triple option knocked out of him by another UNC LB years later.

Yep, that Carter was a nasty customer all right and the other one Sturdivent (spelling?) was just about as bad a dude as you would ever want to have on your team. Tell you what, Dwyer and Nesbitt were fortunate to survive that day. I bet they have nightmares about those two guys (among others).

 

[Sideways]

FWIW, I went to look up these players' stats because I couldn't remember. As best information I can find:

• Dwyer arrived around 5'10" and 200lbs and left around 6'0" and 230lbs. And ran a 4.59 40. (Per ESPN, from the Combine I think)
  
• Dedrick is listed at 5'11" and 215lbs. I think he's added weight since then, if 15lbs he's at 230ish. And a 4.77 40 as a recruit. (Per ESPN, no idea where they got their number)
• Anthony Allen was listed at 5'11 229, ran a 4.59 40 at the combine (Per the NFL)

Granted, there's a big difference between track time and "football speed", agility/acceleration is hard to quantify and these measurables are usually ballpark at best... But based on what I can find, if Tech's S&C program can get Dedrick to add ~15 lbs and gain just a little speed. He'd be nearly identical on those numbers to the two guys we list as the best/prototype B-Backs CPJ has had at Tech. FWIW.

I would be willing to bet that Dwyer's FIRST year as a starter he was running faster than the combine time. Seems like AA's time is about right. I really think that Dedrick is a little bit faster than the 4.77 but none of that really matters. What's important is that you are correct in your assertion that collectively the three of them are pretty much the prototype of what a Bback should look like in this offense. Coach Johnson was once asked what was the most important characteristic in a Bback and he replied (maybe TIC) "A football player" That is what all three of them are.

 

[Sideways]

I bet Mills outgains Dwyer this year. I also bet opposing teams have fewer possessions than opponents in '09. Much of that will be thanks to Mills and his ball control style. We're in very good shape at Bback folks. I'm not pining for past glory, current glory suits me just fine.

We are in fine hands at Bback between Mills, Kirvonte, and Q. Very nice pieces for Paul to play with. A friend of mine who goes to all the games including the spring game claims that the defense will be the best yet under Roof. I know low ceiling and all that. I hope so because I don't think we can just go out and win a lot of track meets this year.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

We are in fine hands at Bback between Mills, Kirvonte, and Q. Very nice pieces for Paul to play with. A friend of mine who goes to all the games including the spring game claims that the defense will be the best yet under Roof. I know low ceiling and all that. I hope so because I don't think we can just go out and win a lot of track meets this year.

Like I said in another post, our offense is going to limit possessions by the opposition. Even more than before.

 

[deeeznutz]

I don't think Dwyer gets enough credit for how physical he was. He was the complete BB, and even CPJ has said Dwyer was the perfect BB for his offense. Dwyer's "problem" was that he just made it look so easy. Look at his runs... he rarely got clean runs through the LOS, he was so powerful that he easily brushed off contact through the first level. DBs 1v1 in the secondary were usually mince meat. One guy was never bringing JD to the ground. He was such a gifted runner with good vision, and the ability to wrong foot defenders that he never really got credit for how difficult it actually is to do what he did. Mills depends more on his physical running style, but the truth is, Dwyer was so good at erasing angles that he rarely needed to lower his shoulders. When he did, defenders were more times than not laid to waste...and that stiff arm was a pro level stiff arm. Seriously, GT fans need to watch his highlights once a season to remind themselves of how spoiled we were that Dwyer was our first BB:



I do agree that Mills is probably more of a power back and has more of a physical style...but Dwyer didn't need to depend on being as physical as Mills does, and Dwyer had it in him if he needed it.

So many great Dwyer memories, unfortunately tainted by his later off-field issues. One of my favorite runs of his was the Duke game where it took something like 10 or 11 guys to bring him down. Pure "want-to" on that run!

 

[ESPNjacket]

So many great Dwyer memories, unfortunately tainted by his later off-field issues. One of my favorite runs of his was the Duke game where it took something like 10 or 11 guys to bring him down. Pure "want-to" on that run!

First highlight: