Saquon Barkley vs Todd Gurley

[Jorgeh0605]

I know nothing about Saquon Barkley yet. But if the question is who the better prospect is, well Gurley had some injury concerns with that knee so probably Barkley. But if the question is who is the better player, between an NFL MVP candidate and a college prospect, well the answer is Gurley.

 

[LACHAMP46]

So your saying he is a Snowmobile?

That tricked out one with the huge engine....the one they use in X games....yeah, I'll go with that. LOL

 

[Corbin]

That tricked out one with the huge engine....the one they use in X games....yeah, I'll go with that. LOL

???

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

You're starting to sound like Champ. I don't really care what variety his broken tackles are. He was the best HB in the NFL this year, he was a MVP candidate, he was #2 in broken tackles, and he averaged 5.5 yards per carry over the final 8 games despite the fact that 5 of those 8 games came against top 10 run defenses (including 3 of the top 4 run defenses). Both Barkley and Gurley are elite talents. Gurley is living up to his talent in the big boy league. We'll see if Barkley can.



I think you need to take a step back and think about your own words:

I am not being biased. I call it like I see it. You are one of the few here that have known me the longest. You should know by now. I seldom if ever tout PSU players. There have been many good ones over the years, but if anything I tend to under sell them. The only one I remember thinking was underrated was Robinson. And before his injury he was proving I was right. I am not the guy with the my college teams in my nickname in my Sig.

 

[Merlin]

The question isn't whether Barkley is better than Gurley now, but whether he's got a higher ceiling. He does. Whatevs.

Key for him is who drafts him. If he lines up behind a bad line at this level he's gonna have a rough go of things. If he inherits a great OL like the ewok did, media worship will follow. He's about as sure a thing as there is in the draft tbh.

 

[nighttrain]

how good is Cleveland's line? One RB in the draft and 2-3 QB's that could go #1

train

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

You need to chill out man. I've given you fact after fact on almost every single rebuttal and all you've done is offer biased opinions. I'm not defending him blindly, I'm presenting evidence to support my position. I've even given you the footage to watch, which you've clearly not watched on your own.

And I couldn't care less how Gurley breaks tackles as long as he breaks them. I watched him throw Vic Beasley around like a child and truck Trey DePriest. The guy has more than enough power, he just chooses to take the path of least resistance.

And speaking of big games, how did Saquon do against Ohio State this year? Oh that's right, they shut him down, just like Northwestern and Rutgers.

How did Saquon do against Ohio State the year before? How about USC? You haven't given me facts. You obviously haven't watched Barkley or Penn State. Penn State had many options on the field. If teams stacked the box to stop the run they beat them with the pass. They had a good TE and receivers. What they didn't have was a good OLine. So when teams focused on stopping Barkley it worked. He had very poor blocking. Even when they didn't focus on him the blocking wasn't great. The OC Moorhead was great for PSU, however he was very rigid with his blocking scheme and how to use the running back. Barkley never got to run out of the I. He never was able to get any speed built up before reaching the line. Moorhead did not feature Barkley the way Gurley was featured. Georgia knew he was their best weapon and they did everything to help him excel.

You asked the question and I answered it. I should have realised that you weren't really asking.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

1. I didn't say Todd was faster, I said Saquon wasn't faster than Todd. There's a difference. We'll see what Barkley does at the Combine but I know for a fact Gurley was a 4.3 guy in college. Same with Barkley

2. I think Barkley has more upper body strength than Todd, but not more lower body strength. Most I've seen Saquon squat was 550 pounds. Nick Chubb can squat 700 pounds and Gurley could rival him in the weight room at Georgia.

Todd also has more length than Barkley, it's why he's so good at stiff-arming people. His height is also why defenders constantly go for his legs, he's too big to tackle high. Luckily, he's also an Olympic-quality hurdler. You obviously haven't looked at Barkleys legs.

3. Saquon is definitely legit, but this is a category Gurley wins hands down. Hands down? Again I am now sure that you never watched Barkley.

4. Jerry and I have already explained this several times. A coaches inability to properly use his player's talents is not justification for knocking a player. Terrell Davis never rushed for over 900 yards in collegiate season, but he ended up being a 2K rusher and Hall of Famer in the NFL. That talent didn't come from nowhere, his coach was just an idiot.

So here you basically are agreeing that Barkley is even better than his college production.

5. Saquon had way more touches to damage teams with, and he still couldn't do what Gurley did. Gurley consistently took over games in college and with less opportunities to do so.

How did Barkley have way more touches when Penn State had so many weapons to go to and a QB to deliver the ball? Yet you claim Gurley was Georgia's only good effective weapon? Penn State had a quick strike offense too. They were not a slow plodding running team. They threw the ball deep, often.

I am convinced more than ever that you just wanted to argue with someone that Gurley is better. You don't want to hear anyone other opinions.

 

[jrry32]

I am not being biased. I call it like I see it. You are one of the few here that have known me the longest. You should know by now. I seldom if ever tought PSU players. There have been many good ones over the years, but if anything I tend to underbelly them. The only one I remember thinking was underrated was Robinson. And before his injury he was proving I was right. I am not the guy with the my college in my title.

Elm, it's not that I think you're always a PSU homer, it's because of the forceful way you've responded to people who disagree in this thread.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Elm, it's not that I think you're always a PSU homer, it's because of the forceful way you've responded to people who disagree in this thread.

Ah, well that is because I responded to a question and basically been told I don't know what I am talking about, which rubs me the wrong way when I have seen more of Barkley than anyone on the thread. I also know more about his use in the PSU offense and how it didn't feature him like it could have. If someone doesn't want an opinion then they shouldn't ask.

 

[PhillyRam]

Put it into perspective. Barkley ran behind a much weaker line than the lines that Georgia has had. Due to sanctions PSU is just now starting to field a quality Oline.

The offense each back ran out of was different. Barkley had no lead blockers and was closer to the LOS with the RPO offense. He was usually right next to the QB. He couldn’t build as much speed hitting the hole.

Barkley has been timed at 4.3 in the 40 on several attempts. He has more lateral movement than Gurley and breaks tackles better. His thighs are massive. So he has sharp cutting abilityStrength and speed.

Gurley is more of a speed back. He evades tacklers moreso than running through them or making stop and go cuts or jump cuts.

Barkley is a more complete back. He does it all. I am happy with Gurley but he is not better than Saquon.

Yeah I would say Barkley has a little more wiggle to his game, whether that translates to "better" who knows.

 

[NateDawg122]

How did Barkley have way more touches when Penn State had so many weapons to go to and a QB to deliver the ball? Yet you claim Gurley was Georgia's only good effective weapon? Penn State had a quick strike offense too. They were not a slow plodding running team. They threw the ball deep, often.

I am convinced more than ever that you just wanted to argue with someone that Gurley is better. You don't want to hear anyone other opinions.

Dude, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! Gurley produced more yards per touch than Saquon and it's not even close. This isn't Calculus! And when did I ever say Gurley was the only effective weapon on offense? Seriously, please show me. I said he didn't have the supporting cast in 2014 that Barkley had in 2017, which is demonstrably true.

And yes, Gurley is a significantly better runner than Barkley is. I watched every carry Saquon had against Ohio State and Rutgers. The holes he had in those games looked like the average SEC game for Gurley. Saquon is awesome, but he doesn't have Gurley's vision and I promise you're going to see that played out at the next level.

Also, when did I mention the size of Barkley's thighs anywhere when talking about size? I know he has tree trunks, so does Todd. What I was talking about was Todd's length advantage. His height and arm length give him an advantage when it comes to stiff- arming defenders. Gurley being taller also means more defenders have to go for his legs, which is why he hurdles people all the time. You are getting way too salty about all this. Now keep the personal insults to yourself and act like an adult.

 

[NateDawg122]

How did Barkley have way more touches when Penn State had so many weapons to go to and a QB to deliver the ball? Yet you claim Gurley was Georgia's only good effective weapon? Penn State had a quick strike offense too. They were not a slow plodding running team. They threw the ball deep, often.

I am convinced more than ever that you just wanted to argue with someone that Gurley is better. You don't want to hear anyone other opinions.

Want to see how an elite back plays when there is no room to run? Watch Gurley vs South Carolina in 2013. That was one of, if not, the best defensive fronts in all of college football that year. Jadeveon Clowney, J.T. Surratt, Kelcy Quarles, Chaz Sutton, Skai Moore, the list goes on and on. They completely focused on Todd and he still kept pounding away at them. 30 carries, 132 yards, 1 reception, 2 TDs. That's a workhorse.

Oh, and he was also playing on a pulled hamstring...

 

[OldSchool]

Threads like this always make me laugh and yet a little sad. People just can't accept that both guys can be or are great. It has to be one of the other with some people and it really just ruins discussions. Instead of talking about 2 great running backs people are fighting and throwing names around.

 

[Psycho_X]

Will let you know in like 4 years. But what I do know is Barkley will probably be sitting there for the Colts. And if Luck is back 100% it would be scary to think of Luck, Barkley, and Hilton led offense. They could be very good once they invested the rest of their draft after that in o-line. Or maybe the Giants put off Eli's replacement for another season and pair Barkley with that talented receiving crew and Eli. Shurmur would definitely use him plenty to take the pressure off of Manning.

 

[Ram65]

Threads like this always make me laugh and yet a little sad. People just can't accept that both guys can be or are great. It has to be one of the other with some people and it really just ruins discussions. Instead of talking about 2 great running backs people are fighting and throwing names around.

Yes it's much more fun to look and compare their styles of running. Barkley is shiftier while Gurley uses his power more. I did see TG do a little more shifty moves as the season went on this year. Barkley seems so have a smaller stride (shorter legs) which helps that balance and shiftiness. Gurley has a very good stiff arm. Both use the hurdle. They are both great running backs. TG shows more power which is needed in the pros. Power vs change of direction. Take your pick

Barkley breakdown. He repeats things over and over but, it gives a decent look at Barkley

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb5hd9w4MFQ


Daniel Jeremiah really likes Barkley 12:30 on the video.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Xz9ktS-qo

 

[Prime Time]

View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/964331153271517184