NFL Week 2

The Game Room
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When you also factor in his five catches at 15.3 YPC (granted, one was a 46 yarder), 32 touches for 176 yards and a TD is pretty studly to me.

What the Bengals really need to do is stop pounding him in between the tackles. That’s not really his game, and will wear him down over time due to his small stature. That’s what they drafted Jeremy Hill for, and going forward, I expect to see a lot more of what Hill did in the same game (15 carries for 74 yds, essentially 5 YPC).

Perhaps we can say that Bernard is a stud in space? In the open field? That’s where he makes his hay, making people miss as he’s so damn quick. I agree he’s not a protoype RB for up the gut, and the team shouldn’t use them that way as much as they did against the Falcons.

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That is definitely what he excels at, and is what makes him a better than average player.

Which brings me, once again, to my point about his overvaluation and too high draft position. To me, guys who are very good in space simply aren’t that special or rare. For every Darren Sproles, there is a Dexter McCluster, Andre Ellington, Danny Woodhead, Justin Forsett, Jacquizz Rodgers, and the rest, who are all good in space, shifty backs, but who can’t be a true 3 down back in the NFL.

To me, Bernard hasn’t shown that he’s a Darren Sproles, and even if he does, I don’t see him as an every down back in the NFL. To me, guys like that are not “studs”, they aren’t that special, and they certainly aren’t worth being the first running back drafted. Give me Andre Ellington at 187 or Johnathon Franklin at 125 rather than Bernard at 37. And definitely give me Eddie Lacy before him.

I think the Bengals are starting to learn that. Bernard is a nice piece to have on an offense, but I don’t think he’s a 3 down back, and I don’t think making him the focus of your offense is going to work well either for your team or for his career. Right now, Gio is sitting at 52 touches, which, over 16 games, would amount to 416 touches over the season, which would be insane for even a big, every down back. They’re running him into the ground, and not getting the results (again, 3.4 ypc, even against one of the worst rush defenses in the league in the Falcons) they should be.

So, yes, he can be studly in the right position at the right time, and he is fun to watch when he’s on (but not when he runs 2 yards, gets arm-tackles, and falls for a 3 yard gain), but I simply don’t value that as much as you do and I still think he was drafted way too early.

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Hue Jackson pointed out after Week 1 that he played Bernard so much because he hadn’t seen enough of Hill to trust him on the road against (what he thinks is still) a good Ravens defense. I expect winding down Gio’s touches is exactly what will happen going forward, until they’re in a 60/40 timeshare by season’s end and probably as long as they both stay on the roster.

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How valuable is a 3 down back anyway? I’d rather have a committee of cheaper role players, like the Chargers have with Mathews, Brown, and Woodhead. It gives you depth, versatility, and salary savings you can devote to another position.

Bernard may not be a stud in traditional RB terms, but he can be a stud just as a player on offense. Just not a stud on inside runs.

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Versatility has obvious benefits. If you know a guy isn’t going to do well on inside run and/or not run them frequently, you change the way you defend against him, and those outside runs are less effective.

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Well, it’s a team game. You gotta have other weapons on the roster. A defense that defends the flats to thwart Bernard will find AJ Green getting behind the secondary.

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Yeah, but there’s obvious upside to having a running back who can attack the defense in any way you want. Anything else is an aid to the defense.

Which is why, incidentally, they’ll keep running him up the middle even if he’s not that great at it. If he never ran up the middle, they could spread the defense considerably.

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Yeah, but a defense that has to guard against Bernard running between the tackles, running outside, AND coming out of the backfield on a pattern plus covering Green is in real trouble. Why do you think the Seattle passing game is so efficient? Hint: it’s not because they have star wideouts or a big-time quarterback. Russell Wilson is just okay.

ETA: ninja’d.

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But that type of 3-down back will cost you. Like I said, I’d rather devote salary to, say, a road-grader guard who can turn any back into a serviceable inside runner. And the marginal value of a RB who averages 5 YPC running inside versus a guy who averages 2.5 YPC just isn’t high enough to justify paying him a “top 5 at his position” salary, when you can put together an effective RB committee for cheaper.

I don’t see pick 37 as too high for an explosive ball carrier. What do you guys think of a 5th round pick for Darren Sproles: too much, too little, fair?

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I see a bit of a contradiction between advocating a RBBC, then saying the high second round isn’t too high for an explosive ball carrier. Either you invest a lot (37th pick is a big investment), in the position or you don’t. If you think you can get away with a RBBC, then you shouldn’t be drafting a member of that committee in the second round.

Which is why I think Bernard was a reach at that spot. He is fine as a complementary back with some nice moves and an occasional WOW! play, but he isn’t a 3 down back, and thus isn’t worth such a high investment.

Sounds like great value to me. He’s very good, heck I’d say one of the best, at what he does. If you could promise me that Gio Bernard would have the longevity and production of Darren Sproles, he’d be a nice 3rd round pick. But hindsight is, of course, 20/20.

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Except for this year, in which so far Lacy has been plodding and ineffective. 27 attempts for 77 yards plus 5 receptions for 29 yards over 2 games. OUCH. (Trust me, I know, because he’s on my freaking fantasy team. Ugh.)