He didn't. Actually Hardy did. But, as discussed many times, Irons had a had yards/carry number because he played mostly late in games, in clean-up time. His yards/carry were actually very low when he played against first team defenses. In fact, if I recall correctly, he was the lowest on the team.

That was then, this is now. What will he do this year? I expect him to earn a lot more playing time in 2016.

If you include junk-time carries, the highest average per carry was Bo Hardy, at 13.8/carry, over double Irons. If you include only carries during prime time, against first team defenses, Irons averaged 4.1/carry, under Daz at 4.7/carry and AJ at 4.6/carry.

How much would Daz or AJ have averaged against the other teams' scrubs and/or worn down defenses? There is no way to know. I'm just comparing apples to apples. How did the backs compare in similar circumstances, with the first team offense, against the other teams' first team defenses? That is, after all, what matters. That's how you win games. You win games by getting yards when it counts, by getting yards against their best defense, when games are close.

Coaches are going to put more weight on how runners grade out when games are on the line. To a coach the difference between a 2 yard run and a 4 yard run on a competitive drive is huge. By contrast a fan is going to put more weight on a showy, but meaningless run late in a game against a tired or 3d string defense, in a situation where the run has no impact on the outcome of a game. Why? Because fans like "style points", whereas a coach is focused on the things that win games.

The dumbth continues. About this idea of certain players, espec at running back, not seeing the field because they don't know the play book:

Please state specifically which players in all of football (college, pro) that we've heard that about over the years?

I'll bet it's very very few.

Because it's just some fairy tale excuse that you SFB will buy out of reverence for this alleged coaching staff.

If a guys got the talent, he plays.


Manziel would've played despite widespread recognition that he didn't know the playbook. He didn't play because he's got serious behavioral/discipline issues, not because of playbook problems. Anyway, the Browns have been a one-off.

A quick google search reveals Crowell no issues with the Browns and West criticized for practice habits but not lack of knowledge of the playbook.

So, again, not knowing the playbook seems to be basically unheard of and, so, not likely anything to do with any OHIO player...merely more silliness put up by the SFB to maintain their reverent view that our coaches are infallible.