Darius Walker and the Running Game

[LOVEMYIRISH]

OK, I have taken some heat from folks about my feelings about Darius Walker. Well, the fellows at Blue-Gray Sky have some interesting stats.

"• As noted on Sunday Morning Quarterback, the Irish aerial attack resulted in 43 passing plays of 25 yards or longer. That is more than every other top offense I checked, including Texas, (30), Ohio State (30) and Southern Cal (33). Even without the pure speed threat of a Ginn or Bush, ND's long ball attack was very successful."

"• On the other hand, the rushing attack only managed a paltry 5 rushes of 20 yards or more. We know Darius doesn't have breakaway speed, and Weis clearly favored a ball-control offense, but 5 really isn't an impressive total. Texas had 37, Southern Cal had 36, and Ohio State had 11. I figure this number will improve this year, and I predict a few will come thanks to Munir Prince."

NUMBERS GAME


5 rushes for 20 or more??? As compared to 37 for Texas and 36 for USC???

Wow...just wow.

This article also talks a bit about the Defense as well...it's very much worth reading.

 

[Win4Gipper]

Even though he doesnt have those huge break away runs, I think if DW can just keep the defenses honest this year he will have done his job.

 

[Indydomer]

He may not bust out the long run, but he is consistent and almost never fumbles the ball. If Munir or Aldrige can come in and be consistant and not fumble, and add the long threat than goodbye Darius. Don't count on it though. DW is a hell of a back in my opinion.

 

[BigIrish]

i'd like to see stats on how many runs we had that were between 5 and 15 yards. i'd be willing to bet the numbers go WAY up. IMHO, i'll take a 4+ yard run any day. i don't mind taking 10 plays to score a touchdown instead of 5.

 

[chadder20]

DW is a patient back that is very consistent. Reminds me a lot of Barry Sanders in the fact that he can wait, walk along the line, pick a hole, and still come up with positive yards. The O-line also will be better this year along with an even stronger passing attack allowing the run game to become even more important.

 

[scooper]

I like Todd Burlage's article on BGI found here: http://www.blueandgold.com/content/?aid=1944

I think the title is appropriate-"Slap to the Face" since that's what some writers and fans seem to be doing to Walker. Some bullet points:

>His 1,196 rushing yards were fifth all time at Notre

>his seven 100-yard games tied for second all time

>43 receptions were a record for Notre Dame running backs

>1,982 career yards are the highest two-year total for any Irish back

>had 11 touchdowns and lost one fumble in last 18 games.

The writer crunched Walker's stats against the top running backs in the country for 06 based on rushing yards, TD's average yards for rush, receiving yards and receptions. Using the combined stats, Walker came out second.

He makes a great point that people are already trying to replace him with incoming freshmen. I see this a lot in recruiting forums-guys trying to pencil in true freshmen who have never played a down over experienced starters. I can see in the case of RT where the position is up for grabs, but freshmen aren't coming in to replace starters-especially a starter who is on pace to become the school's all time leading rusher.

As to the point about long runs. It is legit, but I don't think numbers here tell the whole story. Our line did a nice job of protecting Brady. And they are decent at stringing out blocks to give Walker time to find a hole-which is clearly his specialty. But one thing they do not excell at (at least not yet) is busting gaping hole through which DW can explode without having to use his great vision and patience. That's why most of his yards seemed to come on draws or strung out off tackles and sweeps. The quick holes up the middle just weren't there.

I'd be willing to bet that if you break down tape of guys who lead in long runs, that they have some big quick holes to hit. That's when you get the home runs. Otherwise, the defensive backfield has time to set up the "safety net," which is why DW gets hit 5 yards downfield.

 

[brucejcarr]

Ball Control People, Ball Control. I also would rather have 10 -15 play drives and score. Anybody remember...that is how we almost beat USC. We kept their offense off the field.

 

[jiggafini19]

Darius Walker is the most underappreciated player on this football team.

It isn't even close anymore. Offensive linemen get more respect than this guy does.

 

[tgolden]

Darius is a heck of a back. I don't care if he doesn't pull off 20 yarders all the time. If he keeps getting 5 or so yards, we'll be fine. Plus, his receiving and pass blocking are really important too. And it's my understanding and observation that Darius is a very good blocker, especially considering his size. It just seems like he was always giving Quinn a little more time.

 

[rattfink]

Ball Control People, Ball Control. I also would rather have 10 -15 play drives and score. Anybody remember...that is how we almost beat USC. We kept their offense off the field.

I agree especially considering the big plays the defense gave up last year. And I also think the O-line needs to be more dominate in creating running lanes for the backs. With the returning starters on the O-line I think that this is very possible.

DW is a great back but we can all agree that he is not a home run threat. But I think his skill in the passing game more than makes up for that. CW needs to continue to recruit kids that can do both in the future.

 

[guff]

The Charlie Weis definition of a big play is a pass play longer than 20 yds and a run longer than 10 yds. Since Weis is the coach that is measuring stick that should be used. If I get a chance later I will go check how many 10+ yd runs DW had.

As far as USC and Texas having so many big running plays. Reggie Bush and Vince Young are the reason. Those are two seriously special players. There is a very short list of players with those kind of running skills

 

[iloveirish_12]

Darius Walker doesn't break any big runs, but he does do very well. Also, he does good on the screen pass.

 

[tommy]

i think he did his part and had a good year i think with all the defense's fousing on the pass game walker will have a better year and if he has the same type of year we will be just fine

 

[tommy]

we didnt lose games because of the run game and we wont lose games because of the run game this year

 

[JPICCIANO]

You can't knock Darius for his production on the offensive side of the ball. He had a huge game against OSU in the Fiesta and carried the load in the Stanford game that got us there. I've been checking out a lot of the highlight reels, like I'm sure the rest of you have, and I there were so many times that you saw Darius in the backfield picking up a blitzer or helping out in pass blocking in a lot of those pretty TD passes to Stovall or the Shark.

You can't replace his experience or willingness to block for the good of the team. He could start for me any day.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Darius is a heck of a back. I don't care if he doesn't pull off 20 yarders all the time. If he keeps getting 5 or so yards, we'll be fine. Plus, his receiving and pass blocking are really important too. And it's my understanding and observation that Darius is a very good blocker, especially considering his size. It just seems like he was always giving Quinn a little more time.

I disagree with the "fine" comment. Frankly, defenses KNOW they don't have to worry about him getting far so they can adjust their schemes to support Pass D more.

Now, you are absolutely right about his pass blocking, he is very very good at that...and that should NEVER be overlooked.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

we didnt lose games because of the run game and we wont lose games because of the run game this year

We lost against OSU because of the run game. We had one good running series and that was it. After that OSU knew they did not have to use Safeties to cover DW. They dropped them into coverage and double teamed our receivers.

 

[Folsteam_Ahead]

we all know he's a strong runner but can't out run the secondary. he has great vision and makes solid 5-10 yard runs. but he's still fast and uses blockers very well. remember our first touchdown last year, the 51 yard screen pass. give him a handful of blockers down the sideline and he'll bob and weave his way 99 yards if he has to.

and like everyone else has mentioned, his stats speak for themselves....near 1200 yards even with games like byu where he got about 30 yards rushing. that's just amazing!!!

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

You can't knock Darius for his production on the offensive side of the ball. He had a huge game against OSU in the Fiesta ...QUOTE]

Huh?

He got 90 yards. 58 yard came in first two drives in the first quarter. (he got 66 in 1st quarter, and 24 in the last 3)

32 more yards in the rest of the game.

OSU watched what he did in the 1st 2 drives, adjusted and shut down the running game. Weis recognized the changes and that was that...

 

[domer88]

Darius is one of the most complete backs ever. He runs well, almost never fumbles, catches the ball and blocks very, very well. He obviously understands the offense. Never underestimate the importance of picking up the blitz (think about all the big plays that occured when opponents blitzed) and not fumbling.

And, on Power Hour, Mike Frank said that he thought that Darius looks quicker (he has been always quick) and faster (that missing 5th gear) this year. If his top end speed is even a little faster he could add all of those 20+ runs.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Darius is one of the most complete backs ever. He runs well, almost never fumbles, catches the ball and blocks very, very well. He obviously understands the offense. Never underestimate the importance of picking up the blitz (think about all the big plays that occured when opponents blitzed) and not fumbling.

And, on Power Hour, Mike Frank said that he thought that Darius looks quicker (he has been always quick) and faster (that missing 5th gear) this year. If his top end speed is even a little faster he could add all of those 20+ runs.

If he is quicker this year...he will really have a break out year.

 

[tommy]

if defenses dont keep an eye on walker he will have a bush type season

 

[cpozeznik]

I still don't think he'll have that 5th gear this year, but every extra bit of speed will help him explode through the hole quicker before it collapses. Yes, Walker is a dependable back with good hands, excellent blitz pickup, excellent vision and patience (to a fault in some instances), and adequate speed. However he needs to raise his game to a higher level in 10-20 yards gains. That is how you make your mark in the big games, that and getting into the endzone on runs from outside the red zone. We need those kind of games from DW against Michigan, Penn State, and certainly USC. I still feel like he's on the cusp of becoming a great ND back, and hopefully he can state his case this year.

 

[scooper]

LOVE, I enjoy your posts here, so don’t take this argument as a pissing match. I just think you’re off here. I’ve broken down the drives in the Fiesta Bowl and listed DW’s touches, number of plays and the result. Now, this was done by eyeball from the play by play so my play count may be one or two plays off, but DW’s yardage and the results are accurate.

First Quarter

First drive
3 rushes 39 yards.
Result- six plays Walker TD

2nd
3-19
13 plays ND punt

3rd
3/8
Four plays -turnover on downs (needed 2 yards and sacked during 4th down pass attempt)

Second Quarter

4th
No touches
5 plays-punt

5th
2/1 (had an 8 yarder called back on illegal shift)
10 plays-punt

6th
No touches
4 plays-punt

Third Quarter

7th
1/10
1 reception 1 yard
5 plays-punt

8th
1/10
10 plays
Walker TD

9th
1/10
1 reception 5 yards
8 plays punt

Fourth Quarter

10th
2/2
2 receptions 16 yards
13 plays
Walker TD

11th
3 receptions 15 yards
Time expired

Based on these numbers, some observations:

In the first half, he went 7 for 60, a 6.4 average.

In the second half, he went 5-32. This is still above a 6 yard average. He was indeed NOT shut down by OSU’s defense. He was simply given two less attempts. He still averaged over 6 yards per carry. Add to that, he had 7 receptions for 37 yards about a 5.2 average. He remained productive in the second half. Heck, two of his scores were in the second half. Shut down?

In two of our three scoring drives, Walker touched the ball at least three times. In the other drive, he scored on a 10 yard run.

On the other hand, we had four drives of 5 or less plays. In two of those drives, he did not touch the ball. In another, he had one touch. The other was the ill fated fourth down play in which we needed only two yards thanks to Walker’s 8 yards on that drive. Instead of getting the two with him, we passed and were sacked….turnover on downs.

Our longest drive was 80 yards and 13 plays. He touched the ball four times on that drive.

Overall, Walker touched the ball 23 times for an average of 5.7 yards.

In comparison, our passing attack only averaged 6.3 yards per attempt.

Our rushing attack minus Walker was 28 attempts for 12 yards, or just over 1/2 a yard per. Granted, this includes sacks. So, if you want to adjust, such as in the pros, and credit sacks to the passing game, it breaks down like this:

Passing game=4.9 per attempt
Rushing game minus Walker=1.7 per attempt.

I think it’s fair to count sacks against the passing game such as in the NFL. But no matter how you slice it, our vaunted passing attack failed that day. Walker, on the other hand, produced. He was our lone bright spot in that game. And without him-in the first and second half-we would have been slaughtered by more than 14 points.

Anyway, the numbers from that game simply don't support your case.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

if defenses dont keep an eye on walker he will have a bush type season

Easy there tiger... Only BUSH had a BUSH-type season. Let's not go overboard.

Bush is 1 in a million.

Let's just say that if Walker steps it up, he will have a Peterson type season.

 

[Harpua]

"Yes, Walker is a dependable back with good hands...and patience (to a fault in some instances)..."
-cpozeznik

Patience to a fault is a perfect description. The same running style that allows Walker to improvise and find the hole at the line of scrimmage is exactly what prevents the big yardage runs. 20+ yard runs are the result of hitting the hole fast and being past the DL and LB's before they can react. It is rare that a 20+ yard run is the result of beating 2 or 3 tacklers near the line of scrimmage. Walker beats defenses with his vision and his cuts, not with raw speed. Unfortunately taking the time to see the field and make those cuts costs him a step or two which gives the defense time to react before he gets into the secondary.

I think Walker is a great back, it's just that his style does not lend itself to the big runs. On the plus side his style also does not lend itself to running right into tacklers when the play isn't working exactly as designed.

 

[grantland]

This was alluded to a couple of times, however, of the big pass plays how many of them were screen passes to Darius? It seemed like for the first two drives of the Tennessee game were all screens to Darius. Someone else mentioned the first TD of last year which was a 51 yd screen pass to Darius. Finally, I swear I remember Weis stating that the screen pass was really a running play even though it counts as a pass.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

LOVE, I enjoy your posts here, so don’t take this argument as a pissing match. I just think you’re off here. I’ve broken down the drives in the Fiesta Bowl and listed DW’s touches, number of plays and the result. Now, this was done by eyeball from the play by play so my play count may be one or two plays off, but DW’s yardage and the results are accurate.
.....

Based on these numbers, some observations:

In the first half, he went 7 for 60, a 6.4 average.

In the second half, he went 5-32. This is still above a 6 yard average. He was indeed NOT shut down by OSU’s defense. He was simply given two less attempts. He still averaged over 6 yards per carry. Add to that, he had 7 receptions for 37 yards about a 5.2 average. He remained productive in the second half. Heck, two of his scores were in the second half. Shut down?

In two of our three scoring drives, Walker touched the ball at least three times. In the other drive, he scored on a 10 yard run.

On the other hand, we had four drives of 5 or less plays. In two of those drives, he did not touch the ball. In another, he had one touch. The other was the ill fated fourth down play in which we needed only two yards thanks to Walker’s 8 yards on that drive. Instead of getting the two with him, we passed and were sacked….turnover on downs.

Our longest drive was 80 yards and 13 plays. He touched the ball four times on that drive.

Overall, Walker touched the ball 23 times for an average of 5.7 yards.

In comparison, our passing attack only averaged 6.3 yards per attempt.

Our rushing attack minus Walker was 28 attempts for 12 yards, or just over 1/2 a yard per. Granted, this includes sacks. So, if you want to adjust, such as in the pros, and credit sacks to the passing game, it breaks down like this:

Passing game=4.9 per attempt
Rushing game minus Walker=1.7 per attempt.

I think it’s fair to count sacks against the passing game such as in the NFL. But no matter how you slice it, our vaunted passing attack failed that day. Walker, on the other hand, produced. He was our lone bright spot in that game. And without him-in the first and second half-we would have been slaughtered by more than 14 points.

Anyway, the numbers from that game simply don't support your case.

Well, your numbers are not quite right... I'm using ESPN here.
In the first half he went 11 for 55. (3-38 on first drive ...then 8 for 17).
In the second half he went 5-24.

1ST QUARTER
1st drive
3 for 38

2nd drive
3 for 10 (a ten yard run was negated by holding)

3rd drive
3 for 8

2ND QUARTER
4th Drive
no touches

5th Drive
2 for -1 (you had 1)

6th Drive
no touches

3RD QUARTER
7th Drive
1 for 10

8th
1 for 10

9th
1 for 2 (you had 10)

4TH QUARTER
10th
2 for 2

11th
No Touches

What I see is that after the 1st drive, OSU made changes. Having Darius run the ball was not going to work more than once.

Increasing his touches would not have helped...OSU was willing to risk having him run because they knew he could not really hurt them nearly as much as BQ's arm. Weis gave him a limited amount of touches for a reason...

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

This was alluded to a couple of times, however, of the big pass plays how many of them were screen passes to Darius? It seemed like for the first two drives of the Tennessee game were all screens to Darius. Someone else mentioned the first TD of last year which was a 51 yd screen pass to Darius. Finally, I swear I remember Weis stating that the screen pass was really a running play even though it counts as a pass.

There were a few... He's got GREAT hands.

Darius went 5-55 on receptions.

Overall ast season 43-351.

That's huge for a Running back!

 

[mirertobrooks]

He reminds me of Curtis Martin, and I'd say he's had a pretty good career averaging 4 yds per carry. Don't forget how tough he is either. He seemed to be a step away from breaking a big one numerous times last year also. Maybe that will change this year!