Is Bernard Pierce the next Adrian Peterson?

[rla20cpa]

No, he's better than that. He's more like Randy Moss.

[Ravenous1]

I like Pierce but the next AP??? I do see similarities between him and Foster. Either way I love the idea of having both of them for now. Pierce will ensure that Rice is not overused and the end result of that is that Ravens will get maximum value out of the deal they gave him. Its a great problem to have

[JMUpurkfool]

I see a lot more similarities in style between Pierce and AD as opposed to Foster.

Foster is a smooth and graceful one cut zone running back.

AD is a violent, aggressive runner who might make 6 different cuts inside 5 yards.

Studying our film over this entire year, I noticed a trend. Pierce was primarily running man blocking plays while Rice had the majority of zone blocking plays.

Pierce is not as good as AD but his style is much more comparable to his.

[rla20cpa]

I see a lot more similarities in style between Pierce and AD as opposed to Foster.

Foster is a smooth and graceful one cut zone running back.

AD is a violent, aggressive runner who might make 6 different cuts inside 5 yards.

Studying our film over this entire year, I noticed a trend. Pierce was primarily running man blocking plays while Rice had the majority of zone blocking plays.

Pierce is not as good as AD but his style is much more comparable to his.

I agree with the OP and here that Pierce seems eerilly similar to Peterson. He's built a lil' bigger than Peterson and his decision-making skills (vision?) are superior to Rice. Doesn't appear to be much difference in their 40yd dash times but Pierce appears to have the greater acceleration needed to get outside.

[Paintballguy]

From PFF: Pierce saw his workload increase as the season progressed and graded at +6.1. He finished with an Elusive Rating of 75.7 and averaged 3.48 Yards After Contact/Rush, both numbers that ranked third among running backs with at least 100 carries. Though Ray Rice is still entrenched as the starter, Pierce made a strong case for more playing time by the end of the year.

[Boulderraven]

From PFF: Pierce saw his workload increase as the season progressed and graded at +6.1. He finished with an Elusive Rating of 75.7 and averaged 3.48 Yards After Contact/Rush, both numbers that ranked third among running backs with at least 100 carries. Though Ray Rice is still entrenched as the starter, Pierce made a strong case for more playing time by the end of the year.

Good post. I see Pierce like Robert Smith when he was with Minnesota, almost exact running style with similar vision. He also has kind of reminds me of Terrell Davis as well.

[Jeremiah W]

Agree with others that Pierce is more Arian Foster than Adrian Peterson, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Pierce is VERY talented and a superb fit for the zone blocking offense. He's a better fit for that blocking scheme than Ray Rice, who would be much better in a power/man-blocking scheme.

I've been on record for a while now saying that as a pure runner of the football, Rice is not an elite/All-Pro talent. His complete game is elite though primarily because he is absolutely money in the passing game. I think he needs to be used even MORE as a pass-catcher, and less as a runner. Let Pierce take more of the carries while Rice is used more as a souped-up 3rd down back.

I'm not upset about the amount of money the Ravens have invested in the RB position. Even if Rice has been overpaid, if Pierce continues to develop and play at a very high level through his rookie contract, we will have basically paid "elite back" money for 2 Pro Bowl level backs... which comes out as a wash, at worst. It's a really good situation for the Ravens to be in, and I hope they maximize the unique talents of each player.

That is pretty much exactly my take. I was saying the guy looks like the next Foster since I saw him slice and dice the Terps for 5 tds. I would shift Rice to more of a 3rd down role/wr, use them both at the same time some and just try to split the workload more. I think teams should draft a RB every year in the 3-5th round range.

[Boulderraven]

That is pretty much exactly my take. I was saying the guy looks like the next Foster since I saw him slice and dice the Terps for 5 tds. I would shift Rice to more of a 3rd down role/wr, use them both at the same time some and just try to split the workload more. I think teams should draft a RB every year in the 3-5th round range.

I agree, Pierce is the better RB. I think Rice is a "good" back, but not an elite RUNNING BACK. Rb's are also a dime a dozen for the most part. I also think given the opportunity Peirce will be a good receiving back as well, he is a bigger target afterall and does have good hands and vision. Two good backs, but Pierce has more upside.

[AirFlacco]

To answer the thread's title, is Pierce another Adrian Peterson?

Ravens RB coach answered that question when he said Pierce was a poor man's Adrian Peterson and
he's not gonna be even that if he keeps getting injured. Ozzie just said he wants to draft a backup to
Pierce because he keeps missing practices and is taken out of games.

See Ozzie thread.

[leachisabeast]

I agree, Pierce is the better RB. I think Rice is a "good" back, but not an elite RUNNING BACK. Rb's are also a dime a dozen for the most part. I also think given the opportunity Peirce will be a good receiving back as well, he is a bigger target afterall and does have good hands and vision. Two good backs, but Pierce has more upside.

Rice puts up elite numbers every season, he is an elite back despite popular recent belief.

[Jeremiah W]

Rice puts up elite numbers every season, he is an elite back despite popular recent belief.

Rice is maybe the top overall back in the NFL not named Peterson. I was suggesting splitting the workload to preserve Rice as much as anything. Pierce does look like a hell of a talent though and I think we could have 3-4 years of the top tandem in football.

[leachisabeast]

Rice is maybe the top overall back in the NFL not named Peterson. I was suggesting splitting the workload to preserve Rice as much as anything. Pierce does look like a hell of a talent though and I think we could have 3-4 years of the top tandem in football.

No I agree. I think as a pure runner, Rice is good not elite, but when we're talking all around back, Rice is elite no matter what anybody says. Just look at the body of work from Rice. If he has another 2011 type year, I'm pretty sure everyone's perception changes again. Players can't be expected to put up mass amount of numbers every year, especially under a terrible inept OC. Besides, he still had a pretty solid year.

I think Pierce can be great too, maybe better than what Rice has been. We'll see.

[Jeremiah W]

No I agree. I think as a pure runner, Rice is good not elite, but when we're talking all around back, Rice is elite no matter what anybody says. Just look at the body of work from Rice. If he has another 2011 type year, I'm pretty sure everyone's perception changes again. Players can't be expected to put up mass amount of numbers every year, especially under a terrible inept OC. Besides, he still had a pretty solid year.

I think Pierce can be great too, maybe better than what Rice has been. We'll see.

Rice is somewhat limited by his size. He just does not have the long stride and extra tackle breaking power that Pierce brings to the table. There are a lot of guys with more impressive physical gifts, but Rice may have more skills than any back in history. He has a little bit of Faulk, Emmitt and Sanders in his game. He has a little bit more power than Faulk but is nearly his equal as a reciver. He has some of the start and stop ability just make a guy look silly in the open field moves of Barry Sanders. He is not nearly as agile or fast, but he has some of those rare make you miss moves. Then like Emmitt he has a nose for the endzone and he shows up every week, every year and puts up numbers. If Rice did not have a good game, 9 times out of the 10 it likey ever happened it was because he did not get the ball enough. Rice has a pretty good shot at the yards from scrimmage records and is on track for a HOF career. Having a compliment like Peirce could go a long way toward Rice getting those records.

Pierce has that mean tackle breaking machine body lean. He cuts hard and is faster than a guy that big ought to be. He also seems to have that vision and patience needed to turn an elite talent into an elite back. He is going to have to develop as a weapon in the pass game and stay healthy which will be tough for a physical runner, but the guy seems to have incredble talent. He had a lot of impressive runs while dealing with the injury issues. Healthy, experienced and fresh the guy could break out in a major way. Kind of like MJD behind Fred Taylor. That was a freaking nightmare. They did not even have a good team, but the run game was so dangerous they were a postseason threat.

[rla20cpa]

Rice is somewhat limited by his size. He just does not have the long stride and extra tackle breaking power that Pierce brings to the table. There are a lot of guys with more impressive physical gifts, but Rice may have more skills than any back in history. He has a little bit of Faulk, Emmitt and Sanders in his game. He has a little bit more power than Faulk but is nearly his equal as a reciver. He has some of the start and stop ability just make a guy look silly in the open field moves of Barry Sanders. He is not nearly as agile or fast, but he has some of those rare make you miss moves. Then like Emmitt he has a nose for the endzone and he shows up every week, every year and puts up numbers. If Rice did not have a good game, 9 times out of the 10 it likey ever happened it was because he did not get the ball enough. Rice has a pretty good shot at the yards from scrimmage records and is on track for a HOF career. Having a compliment like Peirce could go a long way toward Rice getting those records.

Pierce has that mean tackle breaking machine body lean. He cuts hard and is faster than a guy that big ought to be. He also seems to have that vision and patience needed to turn an elite talent into an elite back. He is going to have to develop as a weapon in the pass game and stay healthy which will be tough for a physical runner, but the guy seems to have incredble talent. He had a lot of impressive runs while dealing with the injury issues. Healthy, experienced and fresh the guy could break out in a major way. Kind of like MJD behind Fred Taylor. That was a freaking nightmare. They did not even have a good team, but the run game was so dangerous they were a postseason threat.

[londonraven]

Rice's rather huge fumble in the SB could well have been catastrophic.

Lucky we won or we would be sat here going thru endless fumbles per touches threads.

Just sayin..

[Boulderraven]

Rice's rather huge fumble in the SB could well have been catastrophic.

Lucky we won or we would be sat here going thru endless fumbles per touches threads.

Just sayin..

This. His postseason fumbles have been pretty bad, his fumble vs Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional game 2 years ago when the Ravens had a 21-7 lead in the 3rd Q, turned that game around.

[admartian]

Jacoby says Doss can catch a BB with one hand in the dark...just sayin'

If it was in the dark, how did Jacoby see Doss catch it?

This. His postseason fumbles have been pretty bad, his fumble vs Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional game 2 years ago when the Ravens had a 21-7 lead in the 3rd Q, turned that game around.

I still remember that.