He just made an indirect comparison of Whaley to Henry Melton, implying that he may need to look for another position if he can't beat out Cody Johnson in the spring. Chris Whaley should not ever be compared to Henry Melton as a RB...by even the most *ahem* casual observer.
Both Johnson and Whaley looked damned good in spring practice. I will be seriously pissed if one or both do not see significant action in the fall.
I will be very happy if Whaley puts up the same numbers Melton did as a freshman. 87 carries for 432 yards and 10 TDs. Meltons 10 rushing TDs ranked him third on UT's freshman list (T-4th in total TDs by a freshman).
OK. Let's see what either Cody Johnson or Chris Whaley could do with the chances, esp at the goal line, that Henry Melton got over the course of his career as a RB.
Fact is of the 3 only Melton showed up in shape & ready to play as a freshman. Johnson & Waley showed up fat & out of shape as freshman. Mock Melton all you want but he played in a role as a freshman on a National Championship team. When Henry got moved to defense he didn't pout, he worked his *** off. That hard work is now paying off in collecting NFL paychecks as a 4th round draft pick. Chris Whaley would be very lucky to have the kind of success Henry Melton had at Texas on offense or defense.
out damned spot, you misunderstand! no, i think we all love henry. i know i do. he just didn't run hard enough to stay at that position. what he did in the short time he was at de was phenomenal. if whaley plays at any position as well as henry melton did at de, we will all be deliriously happy, and i'm betting he will.
yeah, dingo, i didn't really understand that. i mean, as big and fast and athletic as he is, i thought henry was going to be a load at rb. he started out that way. but at some point he seemed to become determined to prove he was a running back, not a bruiser. it was downhill from there. given how he played at rb, i never expected him to become a force on the defensive line. if he had that kind of controlled aggression in him, where was it when he was on offense? i really am confused about that.
i really like cody, too. he runs with a suddenness you wouldn't expect with a man that big. and with surprising speed. chip might be right about chris moving if he can't beat out cody. i don't know about that. i don't think chip meant chris is running like henry did, just that he might need to move like henry did if he can't beat out a very tough cody johnson.
None, because he redshirted and hasn't played his freshman year yet. Do you REALLY think that Melton was all that his freshman year? He had like 2 good runs against ULL and everyone was proclaiming him the second coming. The rest of his TDs were all within a yard against inferior competition (seeing as how we were national champs and ****). I could have performed the role of 4th string RB with equal fervor. He's not going to see much time at the DE spot while on the Bears, seeing as how they release any Longhorns, and then it's back to the drawing board.
one thing that bears mentioning is that melton had the benefit of playing behind one of the best lines mack has had, while cody has played behind what has to be the worst.
I think one Melton's best plays was the sliding grab he made fielding a USC kick in the NC game; I thought that kick had trouble written all over it for us.
Cody has 2 years on Chris. I don't see why he would need to change positions. Chris is the perfect backup to Cody right now. They have similar frames and their place in the running game is pretty much the same. Having 2 power backs is better than 1 IMO.
pharmd, that's the way i see it, too. i don't know what chip might know that would make him say what he said. maybe he suspects that chris needs to establish himself as the top big back before traylon hits campus or he's likely to get lost in the wash. if chip elaborates, i hope someone will report it.
i'll second what dingo said. i only was able to go to one of the open practices, but the way chris ran that day really opened my eyes. he made kids pay for bringing him down. that's not all. i was also impressed with more overall quickness and lateral quickness than i expected to see. i think he is in better shape than when i saw him in a high school game and it translates to a much better running back prospect than i previously thought. i wouldn't be surprised to see a role emerge for him sometime in his career as short-yardage back, some version of h-back, and maybe late-game single set back when we want to stomp any hope for a comeback out of a team.
Dr. Spot, why you all Debbie Downer and ****??? Damn, you're acting like HM got punked out of his RB position. You do recall, and trust me - I loved HM his 4 yrs here, HM moved to defense because he couldn't do the job he was placed in. He got a bad case of happy feet, twinkle toes and that got him placed on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Let it go. It'll be O.K. HM is our past. CJ is our present and CW is our future. Climb on board brother so the train don't leave you behind.
I for one enjoyed seeing HM play as a freshman. Sometimes he looked like he was not using his greatest asset (size) at the RB position.....but then it always looks a lot easier from the stands. He played great as a DE for the Horns and I have no reason to believe he will not do well at the next level. I don't understand why someone thinks he will be a bust. Not everyone can be an instant success like Rak. JMO
wow Doc Spot.. you do have your panties in a twist. I can't help but wonder how much of Henry Shelton's freshman stats were due to that beast of an offensive line we had and some quarterback named.. oh hell.. who was our QB again that championship season?
