Congrats to James and to the whole team--offensive line, WRs, coaches and even the defense, for letting the team get more leads to run with. I think that Barner would have put up tremendous numbers as the first string RB all year, too, but it's great for Oregon that James got the award. Ed O.
I think Jan 10th will be the last time we see James in a Ducks uni. Nice to have guys like Barner and La-Sea ready to setup in!
I'm kind of hoping that he does go to the NFL. I know that sounds crazy, but we've got so many great running backs right now, I think we need him to leave to open up some minutes. I think Barner will be just as good next season.
Man, are you drunk? I think the last few games with LaMichael injured has really hindered your judgment. Yes, Barner is fast. We've got a deep stable of great RBs. But LaMichael has GREAT vision, a killer burst, speed to kill, and he's way more powerful than most people give him credit for. Especially when compared to Barner. In the Cal game when James just gave up trying to bust a big one, he just started putting his head down and pushing the pile for 4-6 yards at a time. LaMichael is the only proven RB that we have that can do that. He is the most complete RB we've got. The offense wouldn't be the same without him when he's 100%.
I will call you crazy... why would we WANT our best RB to leave in order to "open up" some minutes for inferior players? Ed O.
the guys redshirting this year were very highly touted prospects so I'd guess he's worried about alienating guys who should be the future. Seastrunk in particular is a specimen... he's about the same size as LaMichael but he's even faster. Dude ran a blazing 10.33 100M in HS while LMJ's personal best was at the 2010 Oregon Twilight Meet at 10.62. Dontae Williams is the other highly touted redshirt back. He's only fast but he brings an extra 20 pounds and seems to be very strong. it's sort of an embarrassment of riches in the backfield. Kenyon Barner is a pretty great option as well. For my own rooting interests I want LJ to stay and everyone else to be happy with whatever scraps of PT are left over but that seems an unlikely scenario for a lot of reasons. STOMP