2008 week 1 comparison:
[b7ab3a76]Rushing:[/b7ab3a76]
Liszkiewicz - 25 carries, 139 yards, 0 td, 0 fmbs
Holliday - 7 carries, 29 yards, 0 td, 0 fmbs
Spearman - 22 carries, 69 yards, 0 tds, 1 fmb
Terrell - 6 carries, 20 yards, 1 td, 0 fmb
[b7ab3a76]Recieving:[/b7ab3a76]
Liszkiewicz - 2 catches, 17 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - 3 catches, 21 yards
Terrell - 0
[b7ab3a76]Returns:[/b7ab3a76]
Liszkiewicz - 1 kr, 23 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - 2 kr, 48 yards
Terrell - 0

The Polish Express had a big day in a big 37-17 win over Oregon. Holliday only carried 7 times in a loss to Arizona, and it appears Terrell will back up Sherman New for at least one more season in Long Beach, who beat Huntington Beach 17-6. Spearman was pretty average, but his team won a blow out 34-7.

Last year's thread can be found here.

It's games like these that make me want to kill my head coach. Coach, you've got a game plan and Holliday's a big part of it. [if745356]Use it, stupid![/if745356]

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I know I didn't get a chance to say it but last year's thread was a great read and I appreciated it, Timmy. I'll be following on this year's as well.

A couple of extra items:

1. I should've mentioned that the 139 yards Liszkiewicz rushed for in week 1 was a career high as well his second 100 yard game.

2.Unless there's a major injury, 3 of the 4 backs will be the leading rushers in the history of their franchises by the end of the season. Two of them already are, although their leads aren't exactly huge.

The Polish Express passed his QB Charles Dever last year and is now the leading rusher in Seattle history with just under 2000 yards at 1955. He's beginning to distance himself from Dever who has 1535 career rushing yards.

Drew Holliday is the all-time leader of the Tucson franchise with 2889 rushing yards. He leads his backup Daryl Bradley by exactly 100 yards, giving Bradley 2789 career yards. (Oddly, they each carried for 29 yards in the opener as well.)

Alan Spearman still trails Toby Radke by just over 500 yards with 1324 to Radke's 1840. He should easily surpass Radke this year and become Hartford's all time leading rusher.

Don Terrell has yet to start a game and currently sits 7th on the all time list in Long Beach with 430 yards. Wilbur Sullivan is the current all time leader with 2069 yards.

Interestingly the Long Beach leader, Wilbur Sullivan, and Hartford leader, Toby Radke, both currently play for the Cleveland Flats.

[quote1296c0c="daedalus"]I know I didn't get a chance to say it but last year's thread was a great read and I appreciated it, Timmy. I'll be following on this year's as well.[/quote1296c0c]

Thanks. I'm glad people enjoy it.

[quote9beb6f3="daedalus"]I know I didn't get a chance to say it but last year's thread was a great read and I appreciated it, Timmy. I'll be following on this year's as well.[/quote9beb6f3]

Same here. Keep up the great work timmy!

_________________

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Based on the criteria for throwing players on here... should Lang be included?

_________________

[quotecc1ef42="wademoore"]Based on the criteria for throwing players on here... should Lang be included?[/quotecc1ef42]

Well, I basically started it to compare the two consecutive #1 picks to kind of chronicle and compare their careers. Someone suggested I add Holliday and I decided it would be interesting to add him along with Don Terrell since they were each the number 4 pick, as well as the second back taken in their drafts (after the guys taken at number 1.) So right now it is this oddly symmetrical thing.

If I were to expand the criteria to running backs taken in the top 5 I'd have to add Butch Fulton and Toothpick Lang, which I may do eventually, but I think for now I'd like to keep it focused as a look at two consecutive drafts that both had running backs taken at 1.1 and 1.4.

[quote272c784="timmynausea"][quote272c784="wademoore"]Based on the criteria for throwing players on here... should Lang be included?[/quote272c784]

Well, I basically started it to compare the two consecutive #1 picks to kind of chronicle and compare their careers. Someone suggested I add Holliday and I decided it would be interesting to add him along with Don Terrell since they were each the number 4 pick, as well as the second back taken in their drafts (after the guys taken at number 1.) So right now it is this oddly symmetrical thing.

If I were to expand the criteria to running backs taken in the top 5 I'd have to add Butch Fulton and Toothpick Lang, which I may do eventually, but I think for now I'd like to keep it focused as a look at two consecutive drafts that both had running backs taken at 1.1 and 1.4.[/quote272c784]

I should have checked the game.. I was thinking Lang was a 1.1 for some reason..

carry-on!

_________________

I'm pretty sure Lang was 1.3

_________________
Former GM, Boston Panthers
8-8,8-8,8-8,7-9,7-9,4-12,10-6,10-6,11-5,11-5

Fulton should have been a 1.1 pick

_________________


Home of Marvin "Muddy Waters" Raffo

2008 week 2 comparison:
[b99f53ee]Rushing:[/b99f53ee]
Liszkiewicz - 25 carries, 75 yards, 0 td, 1 fmb
Holliday - 18 carries, 137 yards, 2 tds, 1 fmb
Spearman - 14 carries, 54 yards, 1 td, 0 fmb
Terrell - 9 carries, 39 yards, 1 td, 1 fmb
[b99f53ee]Recieving:[/b99f53ee]
Liszkiewicz - 2 catches, 12 yards
Holliday - 1 catch, 7 yards
Spearman - 2 catches, 55 yards
Terrell - 1 catch, 5 yards
[b99f53ee]Returns:[/b99f53ee]
Liszkiewicz - 4 kr, 54 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - 0
Terrell - 0


All 4 of these guys were victorious this week. After a bad week last week, Drew Holliday exploded with 137 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 18 carries (7.6 avg.) as Tucson destroyed a pretty good Baltimore team 23-6 in the 101 degree heat.

The other 3 games were all within a touchdown. The Polish Express rushed for 75 in an OT victory over Atlantic City. Spearman only carried 14 times, but made a couple big plays receiving to bring his total offense over 100 yards for the day (108) as Hartford won at Oregon 24-19. Terrell was solid with 39 yards off the bench in a game that Long Beach dominated in total yards 412-243 and only won 16-10 over Chicago.

Obviously Holliday was the story of the day, though. It was his 14th career 100 yard rushing game. Tucson has gone 12-2 when Holliday is over 100 yards and currently have won 9 such games in a row dating back to week 13 of 2006. The 137 yards was good for Holliday's 4th best performance and the 7th best in Tucson history. Holliday's personal best was 174 against Arizona in 2006.

Bad sign of the week: Just two weeks into the 2008 season, all four of the backs have fumbled.

Parallel milestones:

Drew Holliday broke the 3000 career yard barrier this week and now has 3026. Interestingly, Burt Liszkiewicz broke the 2000 yard mark this week for a lifetime total of 2030. So they've been in the league for the same amount of time, neither has missed a game, and Holliday is now 996 yards ahead of the Polish Express. To give that number some perspective, 996 yards is better than Liszkiewicz's best season of 909 in 2006.

Also, Holliday scored on a 78-yd run...

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Division winners in 2003, 2012, 2016, 2019
147-122-3 regular season record
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[quoteb76d294="3ric"]Also, Holliday scored on a 78-yd run... [/quoteb76d294]

If it makes you feel any better, it was actually [ib76d294]just[/ib76d294] a 72-yard run.

It was good to see Drew bounce back this week, and also good to see the coach get him a few touches. But it would be even better if he got more than 19 touches total (18 rushes, 1 catch).

And timmy, that's some damn fine analysis you've done (especially the parallel milestones piece). Fascinating stuff!

_________________

Ring of Fire Division Champions - 2009, 2011-2026, 2028-33
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[quotecfb7f3b="Fonzie"]And timmy, that's some damn fine analysis you've done (especially the parallel milestones piece). Fascinating stuff![/quotecfb7f3b]Amen. Awesome work, Timmy.

2008 week 3 comparison:
[b056894c]Rushing:[/b056894c]
Liszkiewicz - 27 carries, 177 yards, 1 td, 2 fmbs
Holliday - 19 carries, 38 yards, 2 tds, 1 fmb
Spearman - 26 carries, 137 yards, 1 td, 1 fmb
Terrell - 4 carries, 24 yards, 0 td, 0 fmb
[b056894c]Recieving:[/b056894c]
Liszkiewicz - 2 catches, 12 yardsl, 1 td
Holliday - 2 catch, 12 yards
Spearman - 0
Terrell - 0
[b056894c]Returns:[/b056894c]
Liszkiewicz - 2 pr, 5 yards, 2 kr, 43 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - 0
Terrell - 0

In a RB duel between the Polish Express and Drew Holliday this week, Liszkiewicz won the battle on the stat sheet, but Holliday's Tucson team won the battle on the scoreboard convincingly 38-18. Still, Liszkiewicz had a career day. He rushed 27 times for 177 yards, both single game highs for his career. Before 2008 he had never carried for 25 or more times in a game. He has done so all 3 weeks so far this year. He also broke the longest run of his career, a 60 yarder that he didn't score on.

On the other side, Seattle totally shut down Holliday who rushed 19 times for just 38 yards and 2 tds. Tucson's QB Milan Hogan, however, torched the Seattle secondary and that along with 3 Seattle turnovers was enough to outdo Liszkiewicz's amazing performance.

Alan Spearman had his second best rushing day with 137 in a win over New Orleans. It was the sixth one hundred yard game of Spearman's young career, and first this season. Hartford is 6-0 when Spearman goes over 100.

Don Terrell mostly watched as Long Beach squeaked by El Paso 26-23. He rushed for 24 off the bench.

Liszkiewicz's 177 is tied as the 21st best single game performance in the history of the CFL, and is the best single game by any one of the 4 backs on the list. It was the third 100 yard game of his career but already the second this season. The loss drops Seattle's record to 2-1 when Burt goes over 100. Liszkiewicz is now second in the league in rushing, trailing only Arthur Brady. Spearman is 7th and Holliday is currently 14th.

Burt is starting to come on nicely. Now if I can just keep him from spotting the other team the ball down inside our 20. Twice in this game. Gotta hold on to it, kid.

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2008 season comparison:
[bdf434ef]Rushing:[/bdf434ef]
Liszkiewicz - 77 carries, 391 yards, 1 td, 3 fmbs
Holliday - 44 carries, 204 yards, 4 tds, 1 fmb
Spearman - 62 carries, 260 yards, 2 tds, 2 fmbs
Terrell - 19 carries, 83 yards, 1 td, 1 fmb
[bdf434ef]Recieving:[/bdf434ef]
Liszkiewicz - 6 catches, 38 yards, 1 td, 1 drop
Holliday - 3 catches, 19 yards
Spearman - 5 catches, 76 yards, 1 drop
Terrell - 1 catch, 5 yards
[bdf434ef]Returns:[/bdf434ef]
Liszkiewicz - 2 pr, 5 yards, 7 kr, 120 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - 0
Terrell - 0

The number one picks are outdoing the number 4 picks so far this year. Lizkiewicz is leading the pack thus far averaging 130.3 ypg. Spearman is second at 86.6 ypg followed by Holliday with 68 ypg and Terrell with 27.6 ypg.

Holliday still has a pretty big advantage in terms of career rushing yards, but the Polish Express does have almost 1500 yards in kick returns to make him the leader in all purpose yards with 4085 to Holliday's 3347.

Career comparison:
[bdf434ef]Rushing:[/bdf434ef]
Liszkiewicz - 540 carries, 2207 yards, 11 td, 14 fmbs
Holliday - 701 carries, 3064 yards, 26 tds, 16 fmbs
Spearman - 374 carries, 1515 yards, 13 tds, 10 fmbs
Terrell - 122 carries, 493 yards, 5 tds, 3 fmbs
[bdf434ef]Recieving:[/bdf434ef]
Liszkiewicz - 34 catches, 304 yards, 6 tds, 6 drops
Holliday - 43 catches, 258 yards, 3 tds
Spearman - 42 catches, 473 yards, 1 td, 4 drops
Terrell - 11 catches, 71 yards, 1 td
[bdf434ef]Returns:[/bdf434ef]
Liszkiewicz - 12 pr, 77 yards, 69 kr, 1497 yards, 1 td
Holliday - 3 pr, 25 yards
Spearman - 7 kr, 157 yards
Terrell - 0

2008 week 3 comparison:
[bc618ca4]Rushing:[/bc618ca4]
Liszkiewicz - 17 carries, 79 yards, 1 td, 2 fmbs
Holliday - 17 carries, 80 yards, 0 tds, 0 fmb
Spearman - bye
Terrell - 6 carries, 37 yards, 0 td, 0 fmb
[bc618ca4]Recieving:[/bc618ca4]
Liszkiewicz - 2 catches, 19 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - bye
Terrell - 0
[bc618ca4]Returns:[/bc618ca4]
Liszkiewicz - 3 kr, 52 yards
Holliday - 0
Spearman - bye
Terrell - 0

Noone had a huge game statistically this week, but two guys did get huge wins, one guy had the week off, and one guy came up a little short.

Don Terrell rushed for 37 yards off the bench as Long Beach continues to find ways to win close games, hitting a 56 yard field goal as time expired to beat Sacramento 13-12 and remain unbeaten at 4-0. It's the third consecutive game Long Beach has won by less than a touchdown, and second straight they've won depsite being outgained.

Drew Holliday carried 17 times for 80 yards as Tucson went to Honolulu and dropped Ronnie Tu and co. 21-17. It was the fourth time ever that Tucson beat Honolulu. Honolulu leads the series 9-4.

The Polish Express was relatively effective, carrying 17 times for 79 yards. An early Boise lead, however, probably limited his role in the game as Seattle was in comeback mode before the first quarter was even over. On top of that, a first half Liszkiewicz fumble lost in the red zone arguably cost his team the game, as Boise held on to beat the Thunderbirds 23-17.

Hartford and Alan Spearman had a bye week, and will be back in action next week in a battle of unbeatens against 4-0 Durham.

I wish I could figure out how to get the ball into Holliday's hands more - my coach seems adamantly opposed to doing so. I've got his PT set to 8, but somehow his backup, Darryl Bradley, keeps getting a ton of carries (he had 12 to Holliday's 17 in this last game). Weird, and frustrating.

But hey, we got the win, so I'm happy.

_________________

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Western Conference Champions - 2011-2013, 2016, 2017, 2019-2022, 2024, 2025, 2028, 2033
CFL Champions - 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025

[quote53d1168="Fonzie"]I wish I could figure out how to get the ball into Holliday's hands more - my coach seems adamantly opposed to doing so. I've got his PT set to 8, but somehow his backup, Darryl Bradley, keeps getting a ton of carries (he had 12 to Holliday's 17 in this last game). Weird, and frustrating.

But hey, we got the win, so I'm happy.[/quote53d1168]

Trade him to Vegas, he will definitely get more carries!

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CFL Champions: 2018, 2041, 2057-2058, 2060, 2062

[quote935a16f="TurfToe"]Trade him to Vegas, he will definitely get more carries! [/quote935a16f]

I'm sure he would.

'Tis still strange though. I wish I could get the ball in his hands more, but the coach seems to have a mind of his own. Perhaps your "associates" from Las Vegas have provided him with some incentives to keep Holliday's carries down? Hmmm...

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[quoteff9a758="Fonzie"]I wish I could figure out how to get the ball into Holliday's hands more - my coach seems adamantly opposed to doing so. I've got his PT set to 8, but somehow his backup, Darryl Bradley, keeps getting a ton of carries (he had 12 to Holliday's 17 in this last game). Weird, and frustrating.

But hey, we got the win, so I'm happy.[/quoteff9a758]

Switch his PT to 9. I was having the same problem early last year with Montgomery getting a bunch of carries that I wanted Rounds to have. It solved the problem and got Rounds the majority the rest of the way.

[quote57a9050="Joe"]Switch his PT to 9. I was having the same problem early last year with Montgomery getting a bunch of carries that I wanted Rounds to have. It solved the problem and got Rounds the majority the rest of the way.[/quote57a9050]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

_________________

Ring of Fire Division Champions - 2009, 2011-2026, 2028-33
Western Conference Champions - 2011-2013, 2016, 2017, 2019-2022, 2024, 2025, 2028, 2033
CFL Champions - 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025