I would be thrilled if Hillis put up those numbers, and actually predicted that he would put up 200 yards against the Saints knowing how bad they are, I was right about 200 yards but it was Charles, I believe Hillis could have easily gotten it if used the same way plus 30+ carries. However, even if that happened I still would hope that he could keep it up against actual defenses, however, Hillis has proved himself against some of the toughest run defenses already, so the hope is more that he remains healthy and gets a decent amount of carries. Charles has been playing mostly cupcake teams in AFC West his entire career, his stats are inflated because he usually never has to get the tough yards. I mean do you seriously think he is better than Barry Sanders like some younger people suggest today because of his 6.1 career average? I guarantee that he won't do crap against the Ravens or the Steelers, he might do something in his traditional role where a bigger back does most of the dirty work and grinds out the tough yards but if they want him more as a feature back, its not happening. His 2nd best game was against the Broncos the last game of the 2009 season, that defense allowed several teams to rush for over 200 on them. The 3rd best game against a Buffalo team that did pitiful that year (2010), they allowed over 200 yards 8 different times.
I mean its one thing to play against bad defenses, but this is uncharted territory, the head coach is gone, the interim head coach is gone, Mickey Loomis is gone, Spags is there but completely unfamiliar with the system and for some reason still thinks he can get it done with 4 linemen rushing. Their starting MLB is gone, although Lofton is a good MLB, he is not on the same level as Vilma when he was in the d. They rotate about 3 guys at the olb spot opposite of Shanle, they thought they had someone who could play in Hawthorne, but he still hasn't caught on and receiving less snaps each game. I mean sometimes he is in there and trying to hit the same gap as Lofton, he is still thinking like a middle linebacker and lost as an OLB . The other two guys are undersized and have trouble shedding blockers and run support is their weakness. Vilma was the leader of a below average defense that only had to make a few stops a game. Now they don't even have that. Almost the entire defense was swallowed up by blockers on the 91 yard run, the fastest guy unblocked to run after them being Roman Harper, a guy that was chased down by Sam Bradford. The entire team is hopeless and demoralized by the offseason stuff and everyone is playing below their talent level, the defense wasn't that talented to being with, the switch to the new scheme has been a disaster. That was like a big FBS program coming into a small FCS program doing worse than even what I imagined.
Go read most of the fan sites, they are really excited that Charles had a great day but are hoping that Hillis comes back soon so Charles doesn't have to carry the full load and can stay below 15 carries to last the entire season.
I am sorry to ruin your excitement, I am sure you were filled with glee that Hillis got hurt expecting Charles will be used more after this game. Its not his first 200 yard game, or 20+ carry game, he has had both, in fact several 20+ carry games yet the team still feels that he can't handle the full load. But I am sure 35+ years from now you will argue for Charles being one of the greatest with someone who isn't even born right now, forgetting how he played against weak competition and rarely used on plays that are designed to only get a few yards, with your last words spoken on your death bed being "Brown best 20th century back, Charles best..21st century back...no one was even close...I was there" haha
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