Thursday, October 18, 2007

Better Pro?

I came across an interesting question on Terry Foster's blog last night: Between Mike Hart and Javon Ringer, who will be the better pro RB?

Current stats for comparison:
Mike Hart: 200 car, 1078 yds, 5.4 YPC, 61 long, 12 TDs.
Javon Ringer: 132 car, 932 yds, 7.1 YPC, 80(TD) long, 6 TDs. (It should be noted here that Ringer plays with the battering ram that is Jehuu Caulcrick, who has 13 TDs, some of which would certainly have been Ringer's if he was the feature back like Hart.)

You're not likely to find much argument that Hart will end up with a greater college career, though a few more spectacular performances like the past 2 weeks will certainly increase people's awareness of Ringer. Foster says that Ringer is bigger, though their profiles list identical heights and only a 2-lb. difference in weight. He also says Ringer is faster, which I think is a fair assessment. Hart is the top senior RB in the nation and UM's all-time leading rusher. Projecting RBs to the pros is easier than some other positions, but it's still not a sure-thing. Cedric Benson hasn't proven his worth yet. Reggie Bush is amazing, but hasn't changed the NFL or made the Saints unbeatable. Larry Johnson sat on the bench for a while before he played. Who had heard of Willie Parker? In short: Hart seems like the obvious answer; but is he the right one?

1 comment:

Stack said...

No comments? I would have thought this topic was sufficient bait for a comment from Ump.