Documenting the Caste System at the running back position in the NFL

per Don's request to not lose information from a couple of weeks ago, i've created this new thread. please use it to compile obvious disparities between the reality of play and the myth of affletic supremacy at the running back position.

Jimmy Chitwood said:

i'm trying to wrap my head around this ... LeGarrette Blount and his 4.70 40 at the Combine is "explosive" enough to not only return kickoffs in the NFL, he is now the featured tailback for the Patriots. meanwhile, Peyton Hillis and Jacob Hester (and literally dozens of others) aren't even in the NFL because they're apparently "too slow." coincidentally, i'm sure, Brian Leonard (4.49 in the 40) and Danny Woodhead (4.33 in the 40) are only situational players ... and guys like Stan Zwinggi and Roger "Rabbit" Robinson (fastest running backs in their respective draft classes) aren't fast enough to even get a shot at the League.

nope, there's no bias in favor of black backs at all. pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. there's nothing to see here. please move along.

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Jimmy Chitwood said:

oh, excuse me. i must be mistaken!

Dan Dierdorf just assured me that Blount has "breakaway speed" and is the "total package." well, if Dingleberrydorf says it, then it must be true. :frusty:

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poignant commentary:

Budmademewizer said:

I just came here to post what that idiot said.It really is sad that Hillis,Hester,and others have been ran out of the league or never given a chance because they are "to slow" but guys like Blount,Morris,and "lawfirm" have a job.

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dwid said:

Blount the whole package? hah. He can't catch or pass protect. I will admit and have admitted in the pass that he can be a great runner. I think Tebow would be similar, most likely better, not sure how Tebow's hands are so thats why I make the comparison, they both ran a 4.7.

earlier today they called Woodhead a "working man's Sproles" making it sound like it was better than a poor man's Sproles, Wtf is a working man's Sproles? Woodhead is better than Sproles. I think he can run harder, plus I see Sproles almost every week, he may get a lot of catches, but half the time its 1 or 2 yards short of the first down. It happened twice today already.

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here's a little video history for anyone (most football fans?) who isn't familiar with the names i mentioned earlier:

Roger "Rabbit" Robinson
[video=youtube;OlB6R5756Y0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlB6R5756Y0[/video]

Stan Zwinggi
[video=youtube;KY-YGyRSJFM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY-YGyRSJFM[/video]

Zwinggi speed test, the official numbers from the Texas State track coach.

please remember, neither of these speed freaks were deemed "explosive" enough to even make it to an NFL training camp.

Jacob Hester
[video=youtube;8LImxBLNHn0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LImxBLNHn0[/video]

i'm supposed to believe that Hester, who led LSU to a National Championship in his only season as a featured tailback in the SEC, isn't good enough to even be on an NFL roster, but Blount is an elite back? HAHAHAHA!!!

Peyton Hillis
[video=youtube;M9QpPXREqiE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9QpPXREqiE[/video]

unemployable? really? but the best athletes play! all coaches care about is getting the best players available! really! :tape:

update: since this original posting, Hillis has been signed by the New York Giants.

more commentary:

white lightning said:

Great posts about the incredible bias against white running backs. Those guys should be in the league. I really think that the NFL fears Danny Woodhead type running backs the most. Why do you ask? They fear them because they destroy the MYTH that whites can cut on a dime and blow by you with incredible speed. Every back we have had that is explosive seems to dissapear and they almost never even end up in the nfl. The few that do barely play or rot on the bench. Look at Rex Burkhead. Not one chance to run the ball all year long. Yet again another gifted running back that has to sit on the bench.

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Jimmy Chitwood said:

the Pats woeful so-called running game did them in today. not that the Bengals rushing "attack" was anything special, either.

take, for example, the "explosive" rookie Giovani Bernard. he had 1 carry for 28 yards, yet his other 12 carries netted a total of 34 yards (an anemic 2.8 yard average). but i'm supposed to believe he is "electric."

or take Cincy's other featured back Green-Ellis. he had 19 carries for 67 yards, with a long of 13 (a 3.5 yard average). not exactly game-breaking numbers. but if you take away his long carry, his average drops to just 3.0 yards-per.

in all, today in the New England-Cincinatti game, the two teams' black tailbacks carried the ball 49 times and only ran it farther than 13 yards once. some explosion. pfft.

but Hillis, Hester, Leonard, Woodhead (and myriad others) aren't good enough? get real.

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white is right said:

Trent Richardson had a 18 carry 56 yard performance. I heard the color commentator talking about his big play ability. When will one announcer say the emperor has no clothes on?

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dwid said:

other remarkable performances by runningbacks today,

Reggie Bush 13 carries 44 yards 3.4 ypc, apparently he needs Calvin Johnson taking up double teams to run effectively according to the announcers.

Chris Johnson 10 carries for 17 yards, although he had a long reception for a td.

Trent Richardson 18 carries for 56 yards, 3.1 0 tds.

LeSean McCoy 22 carries for 46 yards 1 td. 2.3 ypc

Ray Rice 27 carries for 74 yards 2.7 ypc, but 2 tds.

Lamar Miller 7 carries for 15 yards, 2.1 ypc

Willis McGahee 26 carries for 72 yards 2.8

Fred Jackson 17 carries 53 yards 3.1 ypc, but scored 2 tds.

None of these teams could use a White back? Whites can't keep up with these kinds of performances?

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Jimmy Chitwood said:

white is right, i'm glad you mentioned Richardson. i don't understand the hype surrounding him. as of today, he's carried the ball 82 times on the year and has exactly ONE carry for over 12 yards ... his "most explosive" (sic) carry, which came today, is a mere 16 yards.

on the bright side, i guess his proponents would say he's just hitting his stride. *smirk*

but nary a White tailback in these United States is good enough to be featured.

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Budmademewizer said:

No team will call Eachus,Hillis,Hester,or any other white back unless they want to have them at FB.

Eachus played great in the 2012 preseason with two 100 yard games but was stuck at FB all year then dropped in the off-season,probably never to be heard from again.

Hillis looked good in pre-season but was cut and i haven't seen anything about him getting a workout anywhere.

Hester has never got any respect and his career is probably over.When they played Mike Tolbert at HB instead of Hester years ago i knew he was never going to get a chance in the league.Last year got my hopes up for him a little but i haven't seen any interest in him since Denver cut him.

The only positive i have seen is Woodhead and his expanding role on the Chargers.Even the dumbest or drunkest fan should be able to see how he affects the offense.The difference in speed between Woodhead and the other two backs is easy to see.At some point they will have to really feature him if they want to win and Matthews is going to get injured at some point anyway.

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after the unquestioned shunning/ignoring of so many talented White running backs (former record-setters and phenoms such as Brian Shay, RJ Bowers, Steve Bartalo, Luke Staley, Chance Kretschmer, Justin Beaver, and Nate Kmic and current talents such as Zach Line, Toby Gerhart, and the aforementioned names in this thread plus literally DOZENS more), i find myself wondering how the NFL will go about dismissing the talents of South Dakota State's gifted junior, Zach Zenner.

check out what this kid, who was completely ignored by every Division One program in the nation coming out of high school, has accomplished in just the past season-and-a-half:

- 2,044 yards rushing (6.8 avg) and 13 touchdowns; averaged 157.2 yards-per-game in 2012
- 858 yards rushing (6.6 avg) and 12 touchdowns; averaging 143.0 yards-per game (thru 6 games in 2013)
- five 100-yard games (and two 200-hundred yard games) so far this season (thru 6 games)
- nine 100-yard games (and three 200-hundred yard games) last year as a soph (13 games)
- averaged 42.8 yards on his 13 scoring runs in 2012 (electrifying big plays, anyone?)
- averaging 18.6 yards on his 12 scoring runs in 2013 (and a 23-yard receiving touchdown)
- ran for 183 yards (8.3 avg) and 1 touchdown (from 99 yards!) against Division I Kansas in 2012
- ran for 202 yards (9.6 avg) and 2 touchdowns (40 and 3 yards) against Division I Nebraska this season

but then again, we already know the answer. the "experts" will either claim that he is a fullback and say he's too small, or simply ignore him altogether after he runs "faster than expected" at his Pro Day, since he won't be invited to the Combine.

[video=youtube;S6qfjsPMMao]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6qfjsPMMao[/video]

Jimmy Chitwood]i've been on a bit of a soapbox today regarding White tailbacks said:

... They'll probably discredit him due to the level of competition he plays against. The catch 22 of recruiting biases.

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they can't legitimately do that, since he's put up the following performances against Division I opponents in his only two opportunities to play against the big boys:

- ran for 183 yards (8.3 avg) and 1 touchdown (from 99 yards!) against Division I Kansas in 2012
- ran for 202 yards (9.6 avg) and 2 touchdowns (40 and 3 yards) against Division I Nebraska this season

of course, there is no legitimacy when it comes to so-called "talent" "evaluation" in the Caste System. the "experts" simply disregard anything that doesn't fit the approved template.

where is Jake Sharp, possibly the fastest running back in the 2010 draft class? timed at his KU pro day running the 40 in a blazing 4.34 seconds and putting up 19 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, a 35-inch vertical leap, a 10-foot 4-inch broad jump, and a 4.10 short shuttle, Sharp never even got a smell of the NFL. instead, he's now the strength and conditioning coach at a high school.

the list could go on and on ...

[video=youtube;GWdUHKL0HlQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWdUHKL0HlQ[/video]

Justin Beaver, 4.41 at his pro day in 2008, would have placed him top 5 that year, 3.96 shuttle wouldve placed him 1st, 24 bench reps, one of the best rushing statistics in a single season with 2,455 yards.

Nate Kmic, broke Woodhead's record, not even on the NFL's radar, I believe Sharp got an invite to the Bears, who like to bring in White players and screw them over, he was released the same day, Lovie Smith probably didn't realize he was White until he got there. Beaver got invited to the Packer's camp I believe, and then CFL.

at least with Sharp and Beaver the dwfs can falsely believe "well the coaches saw them and I trust the coaches decision", Kmic not even a workout! and its not like scouts didn't see him play, he came out like 1 year after Pierre Garcon, from the same damn school, who didn't even break any records.

Then there is Brock Jackolski, who ran a 4.3/4.4 in 2012, even particpated in a pro day for this year like "you guys didn't see me?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0QfNbxJB3w

http://www.scout.com/2/1185392.html Here's a link to an article on UCLA's Steve Manfro..."He had a 2 star rating from Scout.com, despite being the No. 1 all-purpose running back in the state of California. He also set a Foothill League single game record, rushing for 420 yards on 15 carries. He bench pressed 310 pounds, lifted 420 pounds from the squat and ran a 4.42 40, yet the 5'9" 180ish pound running back only had one scholarship on the table." THIS IS FOX SPORTS SCOUTS ARTICLE ADMITTING THAT SCOUT.COM ONLY GAVE HIM A TWO STAR RATING DESPITE HIS AMAZING PRODUCTION AND MEASURABLES, THEY ****ED HIM AND HE ONLY GOT ONE SCHOLARSHIP OFFER. The article goes on to compare him to RUDY...you can't make this **** up.

Excellent information guys. Let's keep it coming. If only the main stream media would do some stories on this! I won't hold my breath. Just like the news and politics it's all scripted. Even with Danny Woodhead who made it by a miracle. He has never been allowed to be more than a relief running back. Even San Diego will not allow him to be the number one back. Ask yourself why? All of our guys with speed or talent either don't get invited to the combine, don't get drafted or have to walk on as a free agent and fight just to make the practice squad. It's a joke. They do not want fast white guys running the ball period! This has to change. If not, why should whites even both to play football if they dream of becoming a running back. No matter how many records they break, very few or no scholarships and the nfl doesn't want them.

excellent info, gentlemen! please, keep it coming.

[video=youtube;0gEdW0KoXpM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gEdW0KoXpM[/video]

watching the Duke-Texas A&M bowl game, i couldn't help noticing all the White special teamers for the Blue Devils. then, as the commentators kept talking about the depth and explosiveness of the Duke running game (they have 4 tailblacks *™* with more than 50 carries this season), i became curious. so, i did a little digging …

it turns out that one of Duke's White special team demons has a similar resume to the 4 frequently-featured running blacks, with the exception of that one, most-important characteristic (of course). but, not only was the White athlete not recruited, he is not even a running back. nope, he is now a backup safety.

sophomore Christian Conway won virtually every award possible during his high school career, being named the New York State Player of the Year, named to the state Super 11 team, honored as one of the Golden Dozen scholar athletes, twice being named 1st-Team All-State, setting all his school's major rushing and scoring records, leading them to a State Championship, and averaging over 200 yards rushing per game and over 10 yards per carry.

the results of all those accomplishments? he had to walk-on to a Division One school and is now buried on the depth chart at safety. "weird," huh?

what makes it even "weirder" is that the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Conway is virtually identical in both physical measurements and high school accomplishments … albeit without a profile on Rivals (or from any of the other "expert" recruiting "scouts") and without recruiters banging on his door … except for his skin color, that is.

but! surely the running blacks that get to carry the ball for Duke are so much bigger. right? and they're all so explosive! right?

uh, not exactly. when you bother to check out the actual numbers, the "real" athletes are virtually the same size and not exactly the most explosive players in the history of football. see below:

Shaquille Powell - sophomore, 5-foot-10, 205-pounds
- 90 career carries; 3 of 20 yards or more (1 for every 30 carries)
Powell got 28 carries as a freshman, with a long of 8, but he is considered "Duke's most elusive back."

Juwan Thompson - senior, 5-foot-11, 225-pounds
- 271 career carries; 5 of 20 yards or more (1 for every 54.2 carries)
Thomas is the "biggest" of Duke's tailblacks, and his longest career run is 34 yards.

Josh Snead - junior, 5-foot-9, 190-pounds
- 251 career carries; 7 of 20 yards or more (1 for every 35.9 carries)
- 144 total carries as a freshman and sophomore,; 3 of 20 yards or more
Snead has blazing speed (10.33 in the 100-meters), yet he didn't have a carry of longer than 27 yards until this year.

Jela Duncan - sophomore, 5-foot-10, 210-pounds
- 222 career carries; 5 of 20 yards or more (1 for every 44.4 carries)
Duncan carried the ball 113 times this season, with a long of 20 yards. He's not exactly a big-play threat.

so despite having a similar high school career to all the aforementioned black backs, after looking at their actual performances on the field of play, one wonders "Why is he a walk-on safety, and they are scholarship running backs?"

if you are aware of the Caste System, you know the answer.

[video=youtube;uN28PnIALLw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN28PnIALLw[/video]

perhaps this should go in another thread, but …

say you're a sprinter with a personal-best of 10.69 (no wind indicated) in the 100-meters. you are the fastest sprinter in your state of Nebraska (10.89 wind-legal). also, say that you're a 5-foot-11, 185-pound tailback/cornerback who is among the elite high school football players in your state (275 carries for 2,165 yards and 25 TDs), and you led your team to only its third-ever playoff berth in school history.

you would legitimately think you had a shot to play big-time college football on a scholarship, right?

well, if you're a White kid whose name is Drew Klein and you played for Papillon-La Vista South (Nebraska), you'd end up at some place called Doane College in the NAIA.


Drew Klein gives a "go to hell" to a would-be tackler, before receiving the same thing from the Caste System

Great job men. Especially Jimmy Chitwood. I gotta say this is one of my all time favorite threads. Such great highlights, and comments.