Now that Cook has signed with NY and the RB situation for the Vikings seems more clear, I'm not sure Mattison will end up the starter for very long or at the least will split a lot of carries. Ty Chandler looked pretty good:
2023 Running Back
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VikingLord
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Re: 2023 Running Back
Mattison is more of a "north-south" runner who hits the hole hard (provided he sees it) and has some ability to shake tackles while offering pretty average change of direction. Chandler seems more nimble as a runner and a little more instinctive. Neither offers game-breaking speed or acceleration, which is the main thing that sets elite running backs like Cook ahead of the pack.
The thing is, long TD runs from the RB position are not something an offense can be constructed around. Even the best RBs can manage only a handful of such runs in a given year, so most successful offenses possess effective running attacks rather than relying on explosive individual runs. On that latter metric, Cook with the Vikings last year wasn't that great. He had the highlight reel TD runs, but generally wasn't as productive on shorter runs. A lot of that probably had to do with the struggles of the interior offensive line, although I also noticed that KOC's interior run calls seemed to get a little predictable as the season went on.
Regardless, the Vikings need steady production out of the RB position more than highlight reel TD runs. If they are productive when running and can still get the highlight reel runs, great, but what I don't want to see regardless of who is running the ball is a high rate of unproductive runs that put the offense into unfavorable 2nd and 3rd down situations. What Chandler showed in the preseason game is the kind of production I hope we see from that position as the season goes on.
The thing is, long TD runs from the RB position are not something an offense can be constructed around. Even the best RBs can manage only a handful of such runs in a given year, so most successful offenses possess effective running attacks rather than relying on explosive individual runs. On that latter metric, Cook with the Vikings last year wasn't that great. He had the highlight reel TD runs, but generally wasn't as productive on shorter runs. A lot of that probably had to do with the struggles of the interior offensive line, although I also noticed that KOC's interior run calls seemed to get a little predictable as the season went on.
Regardless, the Vikings need steady production out of the RB position more than highlight reel TD runs. If they are productive when running and can still get the highlight reel runs, great, but what I don't want to see regardless of who is running the ball is a high rate of unproductive runs that put the offense into unfavorable 2nd and 3rd down situations. What Chandler showed in the preseason game is the kind of production I hope we see from that position as the season goes on.
Re: 2023 Running Back
Cliff not sure what to think about our running back situation.
Mattison really hasn’t had an injury history that I know of. And I’m not really sure what KOC is going to try and accomplish this season with the running game.
I think that last year the blocking scheme hurt Cooks performance some.
I guess the next couple weeks will be telling about our running game.
Mattison really hasn’t had an injury history that I know of. And I’m not really sure what KOC is going to try and accomplish this season with the running game.
I think that last year the blocking scheme hurt Cooks performance some.
I guess the next couple weeks will be telling about our running game.