Can Cadillac Be an Elite Back?

[BucsPirate]

I'm listening to SR on the Buc Blitz, and he is repeating his comments from his Fab 5 last week that Cadillac would not have been drafted until the 20's had he been in this year's draft, and stating that Caddy may not have what it takes to be an elite back.

My response is going to be to compare Caddy to Shaun Alexander. Alexandar never has been able to catch the ball, but until this year was one of the top three backs in the NFL for a 2 or 3 year period. If you can give Cadillac that type of offensive line, and a QB who can make plays, I think he can do more than what Alexandar was able to do. He has more power, more moves, and more attitude than Alexandar, and once everything starts getting better for this team things will get better for him too.

[Pick6]

caddy's performance late in games has been well documented....his true value to this team is never realized in a 12 carry game, only when the team runs the ball for 4 quarters.  being behind in games hurts his opportunities, but if you've been running him consistently for 3 quarters, he can break off those 6 and 7 yard runs for you in the 4th, and is a threat to hit the home run....considering that's the length of our typical successful passing play right now, we should be pretty happy with that when down by 2 scores or less in the 4th quarter

obviously he needs to work on starting stronger, but no player is going to look good if you don't play to his strengths.

at this point, caddy is more chris brown than ladanian tomlinson, but everybody who's seen his physical running style and great moves seems to think he has the tools to be one of the best backs in the league.

[mjs020294]

I'm listening to SR on the Buc Blitz, and he is repeating his comments from his Fab 5 last week that Cadillac would not have been drafted until the 20's had he been in this year's draft, and stating that Caddy may not have what it takes to be an elite back.

My response is going to be to compare Caddy to Shaun Alexander. Alexandar never has been able to catch the ball, but until this year was one of the top three backs in the NFL for a 2 or 3 year period. If you can give Cadillac that type of offensive line, and a QB who can make plays, I think he can do more than what Alexandar was able to do. He has more power, more moves, and more attitude than Alexandar, and once everything starts getting better for this team things will get better for him too.

The jury is out on Caddy but like you said until he gets a decent line and all the other pieces around him, it will be hard to really know how good he is or could be.  One thing is for sure he has hands of stone in the passing game.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Alexander but you can't argue with his accomplishments. I just feel that to be an elite back, you have to be complete in all phases. Yes, Caddy can run but he catches the ball like he's wearing boxing gloves which makes him a non-factor in the passing game which in turn makes our offense somewhat predictable. When I think elite back, I of course think of LT, LJ, Tiki, and Portis. And Caddy is no where near the class of those guys.

I really think we had a better back in Thomas Jones but thats water under the bridge. Cqddy is our guy and I'll support him. I just want to see more.

[alldaway]

To be honest until I see Carnell receive 25+ carries I am not about to trash him.   

[JavaBuc]

I think he's already an elite back.

[Mohawkbucs]

I think he is better than your average RB, but time will tell, he is struggling this year along with everybody else on the bucs

[TURBO]

nope, not with this OL...

I agree with BucINT20's take.  This year is no different then what we saw of him last year.  He finishes strong, when given the opportunity, but when we are forced to go pass wacky, the Caddy is put to the wayside.  If he works on finding a way to start strong, and stay strong then he'll be an elite back, no matter if he can catch a pass or not.

The jury is still out on Caddy being an elite back unfortunately.  But he HAS to be given the opportunity, which has been a failing of the team entire.

[dbtb135]

One of the best examples of Caddy's year was a certain run against the Panthers. Designed run to the inside, but Buenning and Wade get pushed back and Williams is met by I believe a DT and a LB about 3 yards in the backfield. He avoids them, runs around to the left sideline and was met by another defender. Almost got away from him too before he was met by yet another defender for the stop. When the blocking isn't there, a back can only do so much. Unless he's Jim Brown, or Barry Sanders, or LT, he's not going to just keep producing with terrible blocking, completely inconsistent and unreliable passing game, and NO THREAT to go deep ever thanks to Grad's terrible deep ball. Combine that with his complete lack of consistent touches and there's no way I can blame Caddy for not having a repeat of last season.

Can he be an elite back? Maybe. He has the talent, but he needs the right situation. Priest Holmes was an elite back and there was nothing really special about him aside from his vision and the guys who blocked for him.

[alldaway]

I agree with BucINT20's take.  This year is no different then what we saw of him last year.  He finishes strong, when given the opportunity, but when we are forced to go pass wacky, the Caddy is put to the wayside.  If he works on finding a way to start strong, and stay strong then he'll be an elite back, no matter if he can catch a pass or not.

The jury is still out on Caddy being an elite back unfortunately.  But he HAS to be given the opportunity, which has been a failing of the team entire.

I agree PW and bucINT I want to see Carnell be given the oppurtunity as well.

[cvillebucfan]

Can he do it all by himself (no line, no qb or passing game), no he cannot. Can he be a stud RB in a good system with some capable options around him, absolutely. He is the RB we need, its up to the FO and HC to put the people in place to keep things open and the defense off balance.

[DanTurksGhost]

I like Caddy. And I agree with dalbuc he will probably not be a top-end multipurpose back. However, in the WCO, your backs have to be able to catch the football. Hopefully, he will improve on that over time.

[CeriousBuc]

People seem to think that catching passes is all about having 'soft' hands, but there's more to it. Catching passes is about being patient and using proper technique. I've been saying all along that Cadillac is trying to do too much on the field and he isn't the first young back to be that way. His entire running style has been inconsistent this year because he is looking to hit he homerun on every carry in an attempt to spark the offense. It's a noble attempt, but he has to settle down and realize that he cannot do it all. This applies to him catching passes. The times that I've seen him drop passes, IMO have been him trying to run before the catch. Note what Art Valero says:

According to Bucs running backs coach Art Valero, Williams has been pressing for a while. And the Bucs' struggling running game is the result.

With Williams averaging 3.6 yards per carry, the Bucs as a team are gaining an average of 3.7 per carry. That's below the 4-yards-per-carry standard the Bucs set as a goal, but Valero says it is not likely to change until Williams relaxes and changes his approach.

"There are times when he's been almost mechanical out there," Valero said. "There was a good example of it Monday against Carolina.

"Cadillac gets a ball thrown to him and he tries to run before he ever even catches it. I mean, coaches will tell you in pee-wee football that you have to catch the ball before you can run with it. But that's him trying to make a big splash play. So I've been telling him to just relax.

Over time, and with less pressure (even if self perceived) Carnell will become more patient in the passing department, allowing himself to catch the ball first and then take what he can get. I feel that he can become an Elite back, even in the multipupose catergory, based off of what I've seen him do when he does actually catch it. With a little more focus and experience (by experience I mean the patience that comes along with being a veteran)he will become more of a threat in the passing game.

I think he's already an elite back.

How right you are.