Gale Sayers....wow

[Sven Draconian]

I've been playing a season out with a new team setup that had Montana and Payton on it. Payton is alright, but playing on legend (with fewer broken tackles) I never had the explosive plays with him. He didn't have the speed and agility.

So I took the team online and swapped Payton for Gale Sayers and the difference was incredible. I've put up 2 200 yard games in three tries to this point. The counter-trey is money with him because he can actually make that quick cut upfield when he gets the ball. Using him on the stretch play is awesome, I've already had 3 huge plays when a LB had me dead and I spun on him and cut it upfield. Not to mention he can actually get into the cut-back lane when the defense over-pursues.

I had a 96 yard TD run on the stretch play where I cut it up inside the CB/OLB and his footwork just beat the safety who was coming down (and the speed just blew past the scraping LB).

He's obviouslydeadly on the screens and swing patterns. He's also a lot better at running the trap play then I thought he would be, he's so fast the LB isn't in position to make the hit before he's there. His agility is good enough that when a lineman actually gets to the second level you can cut right off that block.

I can't believe I wasted so much time using power backs before. The ISO and Power-O plays aren't as effective, but who needs 'em anyway.

[CreatineKasey]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

I still think it comes down to matchups. If you face a really strong defense I feel it counters fast RB's well. If you can't get any yards after the first hit things can get pretty ugly. That being said, I think finesse RB's have more upside. They give the user a higher end to juke players out and avoid tackles.

Power RB's can run through defenses when they get going, and can grind extra (sometimes game changing) extra yards.

I'd rather have a Power RB against a loaded secondary, but a fast RB against a loaded LB core... hopefully you can run away from the LB's!

Sometimes it gets really hard to call a "ground and pound" game with a fast RB. They give you a 50 yard burst of greatness then don't show up for 5 runs. Think Barry Sanders. Probably the best way to say it is they are often less consistent.

Ever try OJ? I think he's the best combination of speed and power and he gets my vote for the best RB in the game, yes ahead of EARL.. who is a close second

[Sven Draconian]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

The issue I kept running into with the ground and pound attack was the constant missed assignments on running plays. DE's and OLB are left untouched on the Power and Power-O plays (and even the stretch plays). With a power back I feel powerless against it, atleast with Gale I can usually cutback or just run around them. .

Nothing is as frustrating as having Earl, running the ISO and having your guard and center ignore the nose tackle (or try and block him right into the hole).

[Pappy Knuckles]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

Gale isn't bad but OJ is king.

[JonM]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

I also used to use to Sayers alot. Be mindful though he can get tired very easily, ESPECIALLY if you use him on kickoffs and punt returns.

Ive also played faster D's which I could get anything going against, like an above poster mentioned. There are pluses and minuses to him to be sure.

[The15thunter]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

Gale isn't bad but OJ is king.

i shall co-sign, oj is the running back i fear the most, and i actually like gale way more and havef never used mr. simpson.

[DakkoN]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

Earl > OJ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> everybody else

[RogueHominid]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

I have a good story to help differentiate Gale from OJ. I was playing Pappy yesterday and he fed OJ the ball early. His first two carries ended in him getting absolutely planted by Eric Turner. I mean slobberknockered. I was surprised he got up, frankly. He went back to the huddle tired, and his next carry, which was two plays later I think, he broke a 60-yard TD run that included an amazing spin out of a Turner tackle.

I know for a fact that Gale can't take that kind of pounding and come back for more; he's too slight. OJ, by contrast, is nearly as fast but much, much stronger. That's what makes him the scariest back in the game to me. With Earl, you can hit him right away and stop him before he gets a head of steam. With Gale, you just have to hit him a few times and he slows down. With OJ, he's fast enough to outrun your pursuit and powerful enough to run through it. I always feel lucky when he averages anything under 5 YPC for a game.

[bluewave]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

I'm going with Earl being the best back. Granted, I haven't played many games online yet, and haven't encountered Sayers and OJ often, but I have dealt with Earl plenty of times and I struggle to keep him under 200 yards.

And Autumn Wind, I'm sure you can attest to Barry being a handful to contain. :wink:

[Sven Draconian]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

I have a good story to help differentiate Gale from OJ. I was playing Pappy yesterday and he fed OJ the ball early. His first two carries ended in him getting absolutely planted by Eric Turner. I mean slobberknockered. I was surprised he got up, frankly. He went back to the huddle tired, and his next carry, which was two plays later I think, he broke a 60-yard TD run that included an amazing spin out of a Turner tackle.

I know for a fact that Gale can't take that kind of pounding and come back for more; he's too slight. OJ, by contrast, is nearly as fast but much, much stronger. That's what makes him the scariest back in the game to me. With Earl, you can hit him right away and stop him before he gets a head of steam. With Gale, you just have to hit him a few times and he slows down. With OJ, he's fast enough to outrun your pursuit and powerful enough to run through it. I always feel lucky when he averages anything under 5 YPC for a game.

Im being dead serious about this,

I never have to run Gale more then 3 or 4 times a drive. If I hand him 3-4 carries he's taking one for 30-40 yards, if not to the house. I just had my lowest rushing game with him, 11 carries for 79 yards.

I'm not going to argue that he is the most complete back. I fooled around with OJ a bit the last few days, but he doesn't have the change of direction and spin move that Gale does. He did break more tackles, but I didn't see that as more productive...I can just cutback with Gale.

As a pure back I'd say Gale is probably 3rd on the list (maybe even a tick lower depending on how you feel about Payton or Barry). OJ and Earl can carry the load better and both are certainly explosive, no doubting that.

However, with Gale I get the best return man in the game, that's a touchdown every few games and better field position. The screens and swing route with him are absolutely deadly. I don't need to break a tackle, nobody can touch him in the open field (let alone weaving through the blockers).

Obviously it all comes down to preferences. With the offense I like to run, if I have to give Gale the ball 20 times a game I'm not playing well. I'm all about big plays, and thats what Gale excels at.

I am thinking of playing around with Thurman Thomas again since I got tore up with him a while ago and he fits the same mold.

PS: Autumn Wind add me on XBL: SvenDraconian43

[RogueHominid]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

Im being dead serious about this,

I never have to run Gale more then 3 or 4 times a drive. If I hand him 3-4 carries he's taking one for 30-40 yards, if not to the house. I just had my lowest rushing game with him, 11 carries for 79 yards.

I'm not going to argue that he is the most complete back. I fooled around with OJ a bit the last few days, but he doesn't have the change of direction and spin move that Gale does. He did break more tackles, but I didn't see that as more productive...I can just cutback with Gale.

As a pure back I'd say Gale is probably 3rd on the list (maybe even a tick lower depending on how you feel about Payton or Barry). OJ and Earl can carry the load better and both are certainly explosive, no doubting that.

However, with Gale I get the best return man in the game, that's a touchdown every few games and better field position. The screens and swing route with him are absolutely deadly. I don't need to break a tackle, nobody can touch him in the open field (let alone weaving through the blockers).

Obviously it all comes down to preferences. With the offense I like to run, if I have to give Gale the ball 20 times a game I'm not playing well. I'm all about big plays, and thats what Gale excels at.

I am thinking of playing around with Thurman Thomas again since I got tore up with him a while ago and he fits the same mold.

PS: Autumn Wind add me on XBL: SvenDraconian43

Word. Like everything else in this game, it's about schemes and matchups. I like to feed my HB and grind it out, which Makes Emmitt a great choice. If you like 12 carries a game with the chance of housing any of them, Gale's your guy.

Thurman will do well for you. I decided to roll with him for a few games because nobody does, and here's my sense:
--deceptively fast, I'm talking just a tad short of OJ and Barry
--very agile, no "quick feet" but a great ability to cut sharply and string multiple moves together
--strong, he'll branch way more tackles than your opponent would think
--his stop and stiff arm moves are sick, especially the stop.

[urlacher51]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

paul hourning, another good back i never see online. i think he's the third best power back besides earl, and emmit, even tho he only has clutch, soft hands and leadership, he breaks alot of tackles. but on the sayers , oj subject, i like oj better because he'll break more tackles then sayers, but hands down sayers is the best return man in the game.

[kcxiv]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

Running backs in this game play to your style. I have used a few gold runnign backs. Out of the ones i have used, i liked Gale, and Marcus Allen, dudes a beast out in the flats. He doesnt excel at any one thing, but he can do EVERYTHING. He can run people over, he can break tackles, he can spin, he can cut, he can catch out the backfield.

Though, i like using Steve Young as my QB so i go with my boy Okoye. One of the reasons why i became a Chiefs fan.

[elgreazy1]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

I have problems establishing a consistant run game with speed backs mainly because it seems they start to wear out as the game continues. Once you start approaching 20 carries, they seem to start breaking down. Pure power guys (Campbell & Anderson) don't seem to have enough speed to get to the outsides to keep the defense guessing.

Emmitt is a beautiful blend of both speed & power in this game, maybe more so than Sweetness. If you want a "do it all" back, he is your man. Also, if you take runs inside, as they're designed, you will see a ridiculous amount of tackles broken and yard grinding. In between the tackles is where Emmitt will literally eat defenses alive.

[umd]

Re: Gale Sayers....wow

Emmitt is a beautiful blend of both speed & power in this game, maybe more so than Sweetness. If you want a "do it all" back, he is your man. Also, if you take runs inside, as they're designed, you will see a ridiculous amount of tackles broken and yard grinding. In between the tackles is where Emmitt will literally eat defenses alive.

Exactly what I was about to post.