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We need to introduce Big Jake to the stiff arm

Anyone who knows me knows I love Brandon Jacobs' game.  His passion, his desire, and his freakish set of skills that still, off a down year, make him one of the most feared opponents in the game.  But there is a flaw in his game, and I want to break it down a little bit, to see what you think.


Star-divide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W50isqcfY8

This was the best vid as far as quality that I could find on big boy on youtube, and thanks to ColbyWebbProductions for posting it.  Although it is from the '08 season, his running style hasn't changed much from then to now, so we can use it as a template for this analysis. 

Basically, big boy is stuck on truck stick.  His best finishing move is to truck his opponent, but that seems to be his only move.  He rarely jukes, never spins, unless redirected by a defender, and does not believe in stiff arming.  To me, the last one is one of his problems.  A back his size is not going to effectively juke, or spin, but I think one of the weapons of a strong, huge man of his stature needs to be the stiff arm.  And this goes double for someone who works on his arms in the off season as a boxer.  The man has two huge weapons, and will not remove them from their holster.  I've highlighted 3 plays from this youtube package as evidence:

00:29 - Big boy gets out on the left sideline, with one defender coming from his right side, to beat.  Had he used an effective stiff arm there, there was a chance that play could've gone to the house.  There was no one else in front of him.

1:48 - One of the very few times I've actually seen Jake put his arm out in an attempt to stiff arm.  Again, one defender to beat, clear daylight in front of him, but big boy pulls out a feeble attempt at stiff arming, being instead pushed out of bounds.  Had he constantly employed his stiff arm as part of his run game, maybe it would've been better executed, thus maybe another one taken to the house.

2:27 - This one was against the redskins, where the defender came from behind him on his right hip.  Had he been able to catch his head in his hand and gotten away, another 5 or so yards could have been gained. 

These are just a few examples of something I think Big Boy needs to work on this offseason to expand his game.  If you look at the greats, most of them, and ALL of the bigger backs, employed a mean stiff arm.  Hell, some of them straight up throw a running punch at guys.  And its all legal, so there is no reason that this big 264 lb. part time boxer shouldn't be getting his Mike Tyson on. 

So what do you guys think?  What are some other ways to improve Big Boy's game so he can regain that '07 - '08 form?

FanPosts are written by community members. This is simply a way for community members to express opinions too long to be contained in a comment.

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To regain 07-08 form

the simple answer is not get injured again and recover from the injuries he had. Easier said than done though. Also I will point out another obvious flaw and say he runs to high. We all know that, but we cant really blame him. When you’re 6’4, it’s much harder to run lower to the ground than if you happen to be 5’9 or 5’10.

by #56 4life on Jun 16, 2010 2:08 PM EDT reply actions  

Dre right on the money

Brandon needs to keep guys off him using his arms and not just trucking them. The best part about Brandon is the speed he has for a man that size.

Also some of the blame has got to go on the offensive line, they opened up no holes last year.

by Late for Dinner on Jun 16, 2010 2:34 PM EDT reply actions  

Maybe we need to have OJ Anderson sit down with him and teach him that little uppercut move he used to do.

by wilddre22 on Jun 17, 2010 8:45 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

I really want old Brandon back

he just looks… awesome.

He needs to run with power again.
Stiff arming would just be the cherry on top.

Against all odds, against all circumstance were you don't have a shot, you succeed
-Michael Strahan
All you hear about is the past, the past... the past is the !@#$ing past, this is the present.
THIS IS TEMPORARY! A CHAMPIONSHIP IS PERMANENT
-Same as above

by Willgfass on Jun 16, 2010 5:27 PM EDT reply actions  

Jacobs needs some quality conversation...

with O.J. Anderson, who could use a stiff arm/uppercut nicely.

by Cranky50 on Jun 16, 2010 10:17 PM EDT reply actions  

wow great minds think alike

I didn’t even scroll down b4 I posted my response above…glad were on the same wavelength!

by wilddre22 on Jun 17, 2010 8:47 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

I think ur right....

jacobs always covers the ball up w/ 2 hands when he anticipates contact.

I’m actually surprised BBVers are looking for Jacobs to use a stiff arm…..

It seems like they just want him to put his head down and run over every single defender that gets in his way….

I’m kinda shocked this post is so well received….

"Throw the damn ball to Kevin Boss" - Andiamo708

by andiamo708 on Jun 17, 2010 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions  

I'm a big fan of 2 hands on the ball

But obviously that’s impossible once you’ve broken out of the scrum. Can’t sprint like that… And if it’s already out there, why doesn’t BJake do some target practice on some hapless defender’s helmet?

by Charles L on Jun 18, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions  

It's probably a mindset that size matters

It does, but Jacobs knows he’s bigger than DB’s and most LB’s, so why not truck them over? It really is the shortest path to take, but the frequent contact can take it’s toll over a short period of time! He could lengthen his career probably if he would use the stiff arm, but again, trying to implement that in his style may take time?!

I actually think back when i was a RB in high school. I was 5’-9", 165 lbs., though not very big, i had alot of upper body strength. I was pretty fast, could juke, spin etc…, but i knew i could get low and use my strength to occasionally truck people over, hence i never really used a stiff arm. It was in my mind that i could use strength and subtle technique to plow you over!

Though Jacobs is really big by RB standards, it might be pretty hard for him to get lower, but it wouldn’t be hard for him to avoid some of the unecessary contact, if he would use the stiff arm more!

by Hootman on Jun 17, 2010 1:50 PM EDT reply actions  

I love it when he trucks a player

However I would also like Brandon to last awhile. His body will break down pretty fast if that’s all he does, let’s not forget he does have some speed and a tiny bit of wiggle to his game.

Jerome Bettis used to truck everybody too, but he learned when to truck someone and when not to.

by Late for Dinner on Jun 22, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

A few mentioned Anderson's

uppercut. I’d like to see him add that and even more incorporate the Johnson, Csonka, Taylor forearm smash.

by blue gonz on Jun 20, 2010 8:24 AM EDT reply actions  

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