Did Redman Earn Mendy's Job?

[flippy]

I say he did.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

no.

we need both.

[isonator07]

7 yds per carry isnt good enough in this offense. Arians wouldnt use him anyhow.

[NorthCoast]

7 yds per carry isnt good enough in this offense. Arians wouldnt use him anyhow.

there will be those who say Mendenhall would have averaged 10 yds/carry against this defense.....

[focosteeler]

7 yds per carry isnt good enough in this offense. Arians wouldnt use him anyhow.

there will be those who say Mendenhall would have averaged 10 yds/carry against this defense.....

he certainly wouldve out run the broncos on a couple of plays.

i think we should see if we can resign mendy for cheaper (since he is hurt and some people dont come back from knee injuries) have them compete. If mendy returns to full health I dont think redman can beat him out, but he has his place in the offense

[MaxAMillion]

I was glad to see Redman bounce back from his fumbles last week. He played well today.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Redman--2 games, 213 yards. All the Mendy apologists were making excuses all season about the o-line, etc. I think Redman has answered those excuses.

[Steelers>NFL]

Redman--2 games, 213 yards. All the Mendy apologists were making excuses all season about the o-line, etc. I think Redman has answered those excuses.
yep!

[isonator07]

Mendy had 2 games over 100 yds. Not exactly a big time RB. Red is the best RB on the team imo.

[NJ-STEELER]

i dont see signing any RB to a big contract.

there's guys at RB that can carry the load all over the place. especially if the OL is good

[TallyStiller]

Depends on how much Mendy makes. If he's expensive, Redman, Clay, Dwyer, Moore, and Batch, plus a late round pick, fight it out in camp, and sayonara Rashard, says I. Tired of watching him run too upright, dance in the holes, and get engulfed after gaining 1 yard 4 times for every one he pops for 12.

[sd steel]

See this is where football knowledge comes in. Mendenhall should be a much better back in the zone blocking scheme that we run. You are supposed to hesitate and find the hole when it opens and then explode. The problem is we don't zone block well. Redman is a harder runner than Mendenhall and he doesn't hesitate to find a seam, he runs into the back of his blocker until he finds space. His style of running is currently more effective for the way we block, but Mendehall might have had 2 touchdowns today because he wouldn't have been caught. Both are good backs, just different styles. But if you asked any NFL scout who should be the more effective back in our scheme if the blocking were up to snuff every single one of them would pick Mendy. That being said, I don't think it's necessary to waste high draft picks on running backs, I think there are plenty of backs you can pick up that are UDFA's like Redman, and Fast Willie and Chad Spann. There seems to be alot of these guys who have great talent but because of some personal or academic problem end up falling through the cracks and end up in small schools.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I don't think that it matters. ACL tears take 12 months before they fully repair to the point that a player is back to his normal self. That being said, Mendy is not a competitor for the starting job out of TC next season.

[DHSF]

See this is where football knowledge comes in. Mendenhall should be a much better back in the zone blocking scheme that we run. You are supposed to hesitate and find the hole when it opens and then explode. The problem is we don't zone block well. Redman is a harder runner than Mendenhall and he doesn't hesitate to find a seam, he runs into the back of his blocker until he finds space. His style of running is currently more effective for the way we block, but Mendehall might have had 2 touchdowns today because he wouldn't have been caught. Both are good backs, just different styles. But if you asked any NFL scout who should be the more effective back in our scheme if the blocking were up to snuff every single one of them would pick Mendy. That being said, I don't think it's necessary to waste high draft picks on running backs, I think there are plenty of backs you can pick up that are UDFA's like Redman, and Fast Willie and Chad Spann. There seems to be alot of these guys who have great talent but because of some personal or academic problem end up falling through the cracks and end up in small schools.

$$$

[NC Steeler Fan]

I think he was one of the few bright spots too; especially given the load he was asked to carry this late in the season:

POST-GAZETTE:
GAME BALL goes to: RB ISAAC REDMAN Redman did more than fill in for injured Rashard Mendenhall in his second NFL start. He finished with 121 yards on 17 carries, an average of 7.1 yards per attempt, and made two big runs in the second half that helped change the momentum of the game. Redman's 32-yard run to the 1, in which he fought off CB Andre Goodman, was originally ruled a touchdown.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/#ixzz1iz5445YB

[steelz09]

I think we need both. I've said that the split in carries need to be more like 60/40 in favor of Mendenhall.

I'm not a huge Mendenhall fan but the guy has played behind a ****ty OL for his entire career and especially at the G position. He's a good runner that has big play capabilities.

What does he lack?

He's not great at breaking thru tackles, short yardage and I don't think he has good vision at all. Redman has the advantage in each one of those characteristics.

Synopsis: Keep them both... why not. Would I pay top dollar to keep Mendenhall? Nope but I don't think that'll be a problem. Realistically, he doesn't deserve it.

[feltdizz]

See this is where football knowledge comes in. Mendenhall should be a much better back in the zone blocking scheme that we run. You are supposed to hesitate and find the hole when it opens and then explode. The problem is we don't zone block well. Redman is a harder runner than Mendenhall and he doesn't hesitate to find a seam, he runs into the back of his blocker until he finds space. His style of running is currently more effective for the way we block, but Mendehall might have had 2 touchdowns today because he wouldn't have been caught. Both are good backs, just different styles. But if you asked any NFL scout who should be the more effective back in our scheme if the blocking were up to snuff every single one of them would pick Mendy. That being said, I don't think it's necessary to waste high draft picks on running backs, I think there are plenty of backs you can pick up that are UDFA's like Redman, and Fast Willie and Chad Spann. There seems to be alot of these guys who have great talent but because of some personal or academic problem end up falling through the cracks and end up in small schools.

It's unfair and pretty ridiculous to suggest what Mend would do on Redman's runs.

[aggiebones]

Redman rarely loses yards on short yardage carries, often getting 4-5 when 1 is needed.
He just climbs through tight spaces where Mendy does not.
Mendy on the other hand can pull away and do incredible things on the edge that Ike can't do.
Redman's inside running ability is very valuable though.
Mendy will not be ready until midseason. I imagine Ike will be getting 20 carries a game for the first 6-8 game, then Mendy will slowly take the job back heading towards the playoffs. Might end up 10-12 carries apiece in the playoffs next year.

[LouSteel]

The real question is if this ACL injury will cost Mendy in speed & explosiveness. Does Mendy come back as the same back?

I think Redman definitely showed us what he brings to the table. We need to work on getting Redman more carries, especially in situations where his running style makes the most sense -- goal line, 3rd and short, etc.

If Mendy still wants top money even after his injury, or he isn't the same back, I think we'll be fine with Redman as the #1 and Clay/Dwyer/Batch/Moore/... as the #2. We can spend some of his $$$ on the OL.