Sure is a lot of love for Hart
by shonuff on Apr 29, 2008 9:43 AM EDT
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PrintIt seems to me that fans on this site and around the state are absolutely giddy over this Mike Hart pick. I'm not sure I get it. Don't get me wrong - I think he's a warrior of a player, and I acknowledge that he did some pretty special things at Michigan. However, I'm not absolutely sure he will even make the squad. He ran a 4.69 at the combine. Now, I know that 40 time isn't everything, but a 4.69 for a RB? That's pretty slow, especially for a team that puts a premium on speed. He has taken quite a beating at Michigan, and his frame is not that big. He has been injured several times during his career, and his size could make him a liability in pass protection.
Furthermore, I've seen people on this site trash Kenton Keith to no end. I think its a little bit of overkill. Did he drop balls last year? Yes. However, he really didn't have that many thrown to him, and it is not a skill he has had to develop during his career until he joined the Colts. We all saw him drop a ball on the biggest stage at a critical time, and that amplifies things. But, guess who else knows that Kenton Keith dropped too many balls last year? Kenton Keith. I would bet dollars to donuts he's spent a pretty good amount of time this offseason working on his receiving. KK showed some real flashes last year. Anyone remember the Tampa Bay game? He played awesome in a critical game, and had a big hand in the win. He has some real explosiveness, and can be very elusive.
I would very much like Hart to make the team and contribute. It just seems to me that most of Hart's qualities represent the exact opposite of what we've had success with in the past. Speed? No. A RB who split time in college and still has a lot of tread? Nope. An exceptional blocker and receiver? Not really. There is certainly a reason he fell to the sixth round. To me, if you listen to Polian's comments, he as much admits that they threw out their normal evaluation techniques when they drafted him. It feels very much to me like when we drafted that Wisconsin RB late in the draft a few years ago. He had injury concerns, but Polian was like "Eh, might as well bring him in and see." Suffice it to say, he did not make the team.
It's very possible that Hart will come in and make the team, but it is certainly not a given. All this talk about how he has already leapfrogged KK on the depth chart and is the answer to our prayers as a compliment to Addai is a bit out there. Bottom line, he is a slow, smallish RB whose body has taken a beating in college, but plays with a lot of heart. Everyone loves a player who plays like him, and we've seen him on national TV every weekend for the last four years, so we like him. However, this is the NFL and heart can't outrun Kyle Vanden Bosch or Demeco Ryans.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.
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I miss him
I agree with Shonuff, the Shogun of Harlem that Hart is not going to make an impact in the NFL other than an occasional goal line or 3rd down back.
Can I just say…where the hell is Mungro? Remember when people wanted him to start in place of Edge? That was awesome. People are stupid.
rip
Good perspective
Like I said in a post about Dom last night, I’ve drunk enough of the draft Kool-Aid to perhaps over-value Hart. Maybe it’s best to consider the other 31 teams didn’t think much of him. Sometimes Polian is right and everyone else isn’t, but that isn’t always the case.
Where I think Hart might fit is the back-up to the back-up RB, a slot ostensibly held by Clifton Dawson. I have advocated for Dawson in the past, but I think this selection probably means only one of the two undersized backs fit on the roster. Should be a good training camp battle.
The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.
Well...
I think everyone is just excited to have a player who we actually recognize and watched during college on the team. However, regardless of what you think, he fits perfectly in our scheme. He doesn’t have blazing speed, but neither does Rhodes, Addai, Edge, or most of the RBs who have thrived in our scheme. He is patient, will wait for the hole to open and then hit it with force. He’s small, but he’s quick. He makes people miss, and he’ll step up to the plate when it comes to protecting Peyton.
Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith both reportedly ran similar times to Hart at the combine, and it worked out well for them. I’m not saying that Hart even has a shot at approaching those two, but the 40 yard dash is way more overrated than Mike Hart. Give me a player who plays fast and hard on Sundays over a track star like Reggie Bush any day.
At any rate, if his only purpose is to come to training camp and make KK a better player, then he has already done his job.
Speed
I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure all the backs you mentioned were in the 4.4 range.
The Shogun of Harlem
Wrong
I know this particular passage is from Wikipedia, but all the facts stated here are available on many mainstream, reputable sources on the internet:
Many players have gone on to have stellar NFL careers after recording a “disappointing” 40 time—for example: * Jerry Rice reportedly ran a 4.7 second 40-yard dash (regarded as a mediocre figures for a wide receiver).[1] He went on to play in 13 Pro Bowls, win 3 Super Bowls, and break numerous NFL receiving records NFL records (at the time of his retirement he had 28 NFL records). Said former teammate Ronnie Lott, “Jerry may have been a 4.6 or a 4.7, but he was a 4.2 on Sundays.” Rice was also generally noted for being able to run as fast a 40-yard dash under the weight of heavy NFL padding as he could in track gear. * Emmitt Smith’s best reported time in the 40 was said to be 4.8 seconds, and at his rookie combine was said to have run 4.71, normally considered slow for a running back. Despite his record-breaking college career, he was selected 17th in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Smith went on to become the NFL’s all time leading rusher and won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys.
Just goes to show that timed speed is flawed when compared to football speed. The tape doesn’t lie.
I also blog at Speed Blue Nation
I meant
The Colts RBs. I believe Dom, Edge and Joseph were all in the 4.4 range.
Also, I don’t doubt that a player can run a poor 40 and go on to be great. However, if you compare the number of players with poor 40 times who have fizzled and died to those who fall in the Rice/Lott/Emmit category, I have a feeling the percentages would tend towards the fizzle and die.
I’ve watched Hart play many times, and I’ve never thought he was exceptionally fast. I don’t think he’s a case of a “player who plays faster on Sundays.” In fact, I’ve read scout reviews that say he looks slower in games than his 40 time.
The Shogun of Harlem
Edge was around 4.4?
I’m far too lazy to look it up, but if that’s true I’m genuinely surprised.
Edge was crazy fast and explosive
before he blew out his knee. He was a different back afterwards. The pounding, always fall forward, lead the league in runs between 4 and 8 yards, Edge we remember wasn’t the guy the Colts drafted out of Miami.
my blog http://shakennbaken.blogspot.com
by shake n bake on Apr 29, 2008 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I hear you
I know the knee changed his game. But it still seems pretty quick. I mean 4.4 is elite speed. 2 or 3 guys a year get under it. Again, I haven’t looked it up, but my guess would be that Edge was more in the 4.5 – 4.55 range. Of course I could be wrong. But I don’t remember him being THAT fast.
4.4 is above average (for a NFL RB)
Guys train for the combine for weeks. So performances in every event there get better and better every year.
This year
Chris Johnson ran 4.24
McFadden 4.33
Even big backs like Stewart and Mendenhall were in the mid 4.4s
and I’ll just look it up
Edgerrin James, DS #1 RB, Miami Selected: Round 1, Pick 4, Overall Pick 4 by Colts … 40 Time: 4.38 Projected Round: 1
another link had him listed at 4.49 and many others didn’t say a specific time, but talked about him being the fastest RB that year.
my blog http://shakennbaken.blogspot.com
by shake n bake on Apr 30, 2008 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Have you seen any highlight reels on him Shonuff? Granted those aren’t the best things to watch to get an overrall sense of how he plays. However, this guy reminds me alot of Maurice Jones-Drew. Short, however he is really quick and very agile on his feet. Can make people miss, and is a great pass blocker. You have to take into account as well, he played for Michigan. Not some D2 team in Bumfuck Idaho. He played for a Big 10 team, against alot of other big schools as well.
Also, if memory serves me correctly, Polian wanted to draft Jones-Drew. And if this guy reminds Polian enough of Jones-Drew, I’m cool with that. Jones-Drew is a stud.
Comparison
Did Polian compare him to MJD? I only heard him compare him to Mungro.
The Shogun of Harlem
I wasn’t trying to say Polian compared him to MJD, sorry to confuse you. He did compare him to Mungro publicly. What I meant is, if Hart shares some of the same characteristics as MJD like a short but stocky build (check), quick feet (check), good hands (check), and excellent blocker (check); then I am all for it. Those are just some of the things that I have noticed about him watching him play. All in all, I think he would be the perfect back-up to Addai.
The Mung
I would love to see the next Mungro. I hope Mike Hart is half as good as the once potential MVP (of my Heart). He barely ever fumbled it. Only like 3 times ever. He was in the club once when I was there, the place went crazy. The good ol days, yup, them were the good ol days.
Why so serious?
Back off
Still got it, not mung, herpes.
Wu-Tang is for the children
by bobmysterious on Apr 29, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Why I Think Hart Is A Great Pick
1. It was the sixth round, and there wasn’t a big risk in taking him. His potential is too good to pass up there.
2. He was a great college player. That doesn’t always mean much in the pros (Ki-Jana Carter, Rashaan Salaam), but he definitely is good enough to be a contributor in the NFL.
3. He has good leadership skills and character. Something it appears Kenton Keith doesn’t have too much of.
4. He is actually a very determined blocker. He may be small, but for his size, he is a great blocker.
5. He averaged 13 receiving yards per game over his career.
6. He may not have a fast 40 speed, but he definitely has a fast football speed, which is all that matters on Sundays.
coltshomer.blogspot.com
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