Birds No. 5 in Street & Smith

JHBird

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Being a Lions fan I watched a lot of Billy Sims and Barry Sanders. I agree that Payton was the better all around back, but Barry rarely played with a good offensive line. Their O-linemen were told not to even block to make holes, just move them were they want to go and let Barry figure out it out. Seems to me there was a lot of Emmitt Smith vs Sanders comparisons back then. If Barry had that Cowboy oline he'd of rushed for 3000 yards.

As far as short yardage situations, Payton was a beast. I still would take Billy Sims over the top though. He jumped so high I worried about him getting injured if nobody broke his fall.

Now to get back on topic. I'll miss Robinson. I think our increase in passing yards will more than offset the reduction in rushing yards, and probably make the games more exciting. That would help bring back people to the stadium. Some of the crowds last year were anemic. Like that UNI game. Two of the better ranked teams going at it with a lot of empty seats.
 

MadBird

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say what ... he's up to 205 lbs ??? I completely missed that .. obviously. But how could he put on 20 lbs in one offseason ?

April Pantagraph article said he was up to 195, and "squatting in the 400's now". Coach Spack was quoted:

“He’s considerably bigger. You can see it,” Spack said. “He’s not overweight. He’s considerably thicker. He looks like a guy who lived in the weight room. I’m curious to see how he handles it with the added weight if he can carry his speed over.”

These articles from May say he's 200 lbs. I assume he'd want the NFL to think he was bigger.
Meet 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Jeffrey Proctor, RB, Illinois State University

So, you know, maybe like measuring a basketball player in his shoes, maybe he's 205 with all his equipment on!! :)
 

Virginia Redbird

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Being a Lions fan I watched a lot of Billy Sims and Barry Sanders. I agree that Payton was the better all around back, but Barry rarely played with a good offensive line. Their O-linemen were told not to even block to make holes, just move them were they want to go and let Barry figure out it out. Seems to me there was a lot of Emmitt Smith vs Sanders comparisons back then. If Barry had that Cowboy oline he'd of rushed for 3000 yards.

As far as short yardage situations, Payton was a beast. I still would take Billy Sims over the top though. He jumped so high I worried about him getting injured if nobody broke his fall.

Now to get back on topic. I'll miss Robinson. I think our increase in passing yards will more than offset the reduction in rushing yards, and probably make the games more exciting. That would help bring back people to the stadium. Some of the crowds last year were anemic. Like that UNI game. Two of the better ranked teams going at it with a lot of empty seats.

Your team would not be hurting with any of those running backs. Gale Sayers still is amazing when watching the old clips. The Dolphins backfield of Csonka, Kiick (RIP) and Morris was one of my favorites to watch. Also the Dolphins had a really solid O-Line in that era. Jim Brown was so dominant in his era and he retired so early, what would his stats have been if he played longer? Honestly, I would not put Billy Sims in my top 10 list of NFL running backs but that means really nothing. Personal preference and a great deal depending on who you watched and were a fan of.

Back on the topic, with Robinson gone I expect the offense to evolve some. I thought Brady was just hitting stride when he was injured. The wide receivers were decimated all year long but hopefully, Edgar is healthy all year, Grimes returns strong from his injury, and I am looking forward to seeing Rutkiewicz return for his Sophmore year. There are some young receivers on the roster that may step up this year as well. Proctor looked good last year and there is a stable of running backs that we have to see who breaks out from the pack. I think it all comes down to the offensive philosophy this year. If Brady picks up where he left off, I think this group has the potential to be very dangerous and keep a defense off balance. They will not be able to just key on one player. If the Birds come out with a bland vanilla offense just pounding the ball on 1st, 2nd and short-yardage then I think they will not be very successful on offense.
 

RedbirdSoxFan

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Being a Lions fan I watched a lot of Billy Sims and Barry Sanders. I agree that Payton was the better all around back, but Barry rarely played with a good offensive line. Their O-linemen were told not to even block to make holes, just move them were they want to go and let Barry figure out it out. Seems to me there was a lot of Emmitt Smith vs Sanders comparisons back then. If Barry had that Cowboy oline he'd of rushed for 3000 yards.

As far as short yardage situations, Payton was a beast. I still would take Billy Sims over the top though. He jumped so high I worried about him getting injured if nobody broke his fall.

Now to get back on topic. I'll miss Robinson. I think our increase in passing yards will more than offset the reduction in rushing yards, and probably make the games more exciting. That would help bring back people to the stadium. Some of the crowds last year were anemic. Like that UNI game. Two of the better ranked teams going at it with a lot of empty seats.
I don’t recall the Bears having an Offensive lineman in the Pro-Bowl prior to the Super Bowl team. So Walter had to do it on his own for most of his career. Would be interesting to know which one had more All-Pro lineman. Another great attribute Walter had, was that he refused to run out of bounds.
 

Virginia Redbird

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I don’t recall the Bears having an Offensive lineman in the Pro-Bowl prior to the Super Bowl team. So Walter had to do it on his own for most of his career. Would be interesting to know which one had more All-Pro lineman. Another great attribute Walter had, was that he refused to run out of bounds.
The Bears had a few pretty good offensive linemen in the late 70s. Noah Jackson and Revie Sorey come to mind. Overall those teams were not very good though and let's be honest, if your team is not very good getting an All-Pro bid is tough. Keith Van Horne joined the starting lineup in 1981, Jimbo Covert in 1983 along with Kurt Becker, Mark Bortz and Jay Hilgenberg in 1984. Tom Thayer completed the Super Bowl lineup in 1985. I think it is one of the overlooked strengths of the '85 Bears. That offensive line was very solid and very good.
 

TIMMY

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The Bears had a few pretty good offensive linemen in the late 70s. Noah Jackson and Revie Sorey come to mind. Overall those teams were not very good though and let's be honest, if your team is not very good getting an All-Pro bid is tough. Keith Van Horne joined the starting lineup in 1981, Jimbo Covert in 1983 along with Kurt Becker, Mark Bortz and Jay Hilgenberg in 1984. Tom Thayer completed the Super Bowl lineup in 1985. I think it is one of the overlooked strengths of the '85 Bears. That offensive line was very solid and very good.
Dick Stanfel was a great Oline coach. Thayer gives him a ton of credit for the 85 success. He should have made the HOF before he passed.
 

fourthandshort

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Your team would not be hurting with any of those running backs. Gale Sayers still is amazing when watching the old clips. The Dolphins backfield of Csonka, Kiick (RIP) and Morris was one of my favorites to watch. Also the Dolphins had a really solid O-Line in that era. Jim Brown was so dominant in his era and he retired so early, what would his stats have been if he played longer? Honestly, I would not put Billy Sims in my top 10 list of NFL running backs but that means really nothing. Personal preference and a great deal depending on who you watched and were a fan of.

Back on the topic, with Robinson gone I expect the offense to evolve some. I thought Brady was just hitting stride when he was injured. The wide receivers were decimated all year long but hopefully, Edgar is healthy all year, Grimes returns strong from his injury, and I am looking forward to seeing Rutkiewicz return for his Sophmore year. There are some young receivers on the roster that may step up this year as well. Proctor looked good last year and there is a stable of running backs that we have to see who breaks out from the pack. I think it all comes down to the offensive philosophy this year. If Brady picks up where he left off, I think this group has the potential to be very dangerous and keep a defense off balance. They will not be able to just key on one player. If the Birds come out with a bland vanilla offense just pounding the ball on 1st, 2nd and short-yardage then I think they will not be very successful on offense.

Agreed .. as one of Davis's bigger critics, I finally felt like he was finding his comfort zone. Hoping he can pick up where he left off and continue his progression. And I do like our receiver group ... they will continue to get better and they are a young group. Let's hope they are healthy this year.
 

fourthandshort

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April Pantagraph article said he was up to 195, and "squatting in the 400's now". Coach Spack was quoted:



These articles from May say he's 200 lbs. I assume he'd want the NFL to think he was bigger.
Meet 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Jeffrey Proctor, RB, Illinois State University


So, you know, maybe like measuring a basketball player in his shoes, maybe he's 205 with all his equipment on!! :)

The last Q&A from the article:

Alex Khvatov: What five words best describe you?
Jeff Proctor: Determined, dedicated, hardworking, courageous, and serious.

So while I don't quite believe he put on 15, much less 20 lbs in less than a year .... I fully believe those 5 words describe Proctor very well. I like him a lot, though not yet sure he can carry the full load at RB. But we will see (hopefully !!) what he can do and I'm looking forward to seeing him get a lot of reps and proving me wrong. No doubt he will be a good starter and he has the talent to do well .. just not sure he is a 20-25 carry guy every game.
 

TIMMY

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The last Q&A from the article:

Alex Khvatov: What five words best describe you?
Jeff Proctor: Determined, dedicated, hardworking, courageous, and serious.

So while I don't quite believe he put on 15, much less 20 lbs in less than a year. I fully believe those 5 words describe Proctor very well. I like him a lot, though not yet sure he can carry the full load at RB. But we will see (hopefully !!) what he can do and I'm looking forward to seeing him get a lot of reps and proving me wrong. No doubt he will be a good starter and he has the talent to do well .. just not sure he is a 20-25 carry guy every game.
I'm with you. 20lbs is a pretty big gain. But I'll throw this out. JC's are not known for their weight rooms. He's spent a year in a serious college weight room. If he's spent enough time with Lathrop, I could see him adding 75-100 lbs to his bench and more to his squat. That's a lot of muscle. 25 carries? 🤷‍♂️ I hope he gets the chance.
 
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