RB could be our Achilles' heel

Most everyone was excited about the play of our offensive starters Saturday
night, I know I was. Had taped the game and I got pumped all over again when
I replayed the tape (a couple of times).
But with the replays, had to watch Hollings fumble all over again. A chronic problem. Wait untill the defenses really start hitting in the regular season when Hollings is a marked man - the fumbles may accelerate.
And our other primary RB has his own chronic problem - injuries. At the very outset of the season, Davis can't play a down because of the injury bug which
bit him pretty bad last year.
Could Wells end up being our starting RB this year ?

Any teams 3rd string could be a starter if both the 1st and 2nd Running backs go down. Thats the only way I see this scenario ever happening.

I'm going to give Hollings the benefit of the doubt and say that he'll correct the fumble problem. The fumbles just looked like little bad habits that can be worked out and fixed. That's one of the reasons for a preseason game...to fix the little things. Until he has another game with a couple of fumbles I'm not going to get down on him. They said during the game that Wells is having his best camp. If he keeps it up and does well in the next preseason game...the 2nd string spot may be up for grabs. I don't think Wells will get the starting job though.

He isn't holding the ball well for sure. One of those fumbles, though, was a result of the defensive player hitting the ball with his helmet. I'm not sure too many backs would have been able to hold on to the ball the way it was nailed.

Davis was out because this is a pre-season game and he has a sore knee. Every football player on that team has had the same swelling in the knee at one point or another. Davis would have played had the game meant anything. Wells will never end up the starter. I think you may be forgetting what Davis did last year. He ran harder then any other bcak in the league. He never quit moving his legs and I believe he had as many yards after contact as before. He has nothing to prove in a pre-season game. The Texans are not going to have superstars as backups. They are going to have a super-bowl back waiting in the wings. Given a few more years to mature maybe. But right now if they have that kind of talent in the wings they will trade them for a more high quality atheltes. After a full year as a starter then we will know if Davis is injury prone. You cannot look at the pre-season the same way as the regular season. They know what they have in Davis they are going to see what the rest of the backs can do.

nunusguy said:

But with the replays, had to watch Hollings fumble all over again. A chronic problem..

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It was one game. Remember Stacey Mack last year came into the season with, like, 350 straight carries without a fumble and then had 2 in one game??? It is not chronic unless he has 3 fumbles in the next game...I wouldnt be surprised if he has one against the Steelers though...

nunusguy said:

At the very outset of the season, Davis can't play a down because of the injury bug which bit him pretty bad last year.

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Davis will miss time, he always has, in college or NFL...

I am sure in practice this week, every play that Hollings runs, the defense will be going for the ball, trying to make him fumble. He really hasn't been a RB that long, probably just a learning experience.

DD will be fine once the season starts, and with the one-two punch that he and Hollings present to the defense, we will be in good hands.

There is absolutely no chance, (barring serious injury to the first two), that Wells will be the #1, or #2, and probably not even the #3RB for us this year.

I think it's safe to say that the ONE position that we DO have some quality depth this season will be our RB's.

I'm a little freaked on our back situation. Not much, but a little. Everything needs to break right or we will struggle. If Dom Davis can't hold up to the day-in day-out pounding & Hollings drops the ball like Travis Henry and Tiki Barber we will not win consistantly. What we have are two feature backs that have yet to play an entire NFL season and prove they are past their individual knocks. This season will tell clearly let us know if we need to draft another back with an early pick next year. I don't think we will, but if we do, it will be plain as day by the end of the year.

The beuty of two good backs is that they can share the load about 70-30 vs Baltimore situation where they use JL quite a bit more.

Vinny said:

I'm a little freaked on our back situation. Not much, but a little. Everything needs to break right or we will struggle. If Dom Davis can't hold up to the day-in day-out pounding & Hollings drops the ball like Travis Henry and Tiki Barber we will not win consistantly. What we have are two feature backs that have yet to play an entire NFL season and prove they are past their individual knocks. This season will tell clearly let us know if we need to draft another back with an early pick next year. I don't think we will, but if we do, it will be plain as day by the end of the year.

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This is a tad of the subject, but I feel compelled to defend Travis Henry a little. The reason Henry has had fumbling problems is because he fights so darn hard for extra yards after contact. Tiki is just a fumbler and Hollings was just a fumbler Saturday.

Hollings is still learning- the truth is, if the OL is as good as it looks like it might be, we will have a solid running game- regardless of who's out there.

NoBullTexan said:

I am sure in practice this week, every play that Hollings runs, the defense will be going for the ball, trying to make him fumble. He really hasn't been a RB that long, probably just a learning experience.

DD will be fine once the season starts, and with the one-two punch that he and Hollings present to the defense, we will be in good hands.

There is absolutely no chance, (barring serious injury to the first two), that Wells will be the #1, or #2, and probably not even the #3RB for us this year.

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Seriously, Wells is the number 3 RB. He is what you get for many teams at that spot--a medicore guy who is willing special teams player--. We all hate the thought Wells as the possible feature back, but reality is reality.