Who gains more yards this year Wadley or Butler?
- Thread starter Hawkeyeinsoutherncalifornia
- Start date
This is a super biased poll but Wadley all day. Wadley got me to renew season tickets by not going pro early. The guy is great.
He's the most-talented back at Iowa since Ronnie Harmon in my opinion. Can he stay healthy all season? We're going to find out. Having Butler on board increases that chance as Iowa can keep Wadley between 15-22 or so touches per game.
You think Wadley is better than Shonn Greene? Shonn Greene may be the best running back we see in Black and Gold in a long time.
Butler might be pretty good, but Wadley is special. You build an entire offense around a guy like Wadley.
Super high on Butler but citizenHawk said it best. Little AW needs about 20 carries and 5 targets. Like to see Butler get the same. The difference is AW is going to have a very good yards per touch average, a very good average.
Given the talent at running back, a new quarterback and a complete mess at receiver AW/Butler could combine for some monstrous combined total yards from scrimmage by the end of the year.
Thank God kick off almost upon us.
Given the talent at running back, a new quarterback and a complete mess at receiver AW/Butler could combine for some monstrous combined total yards from scrimmage by the end of the year.
Thank God kick off almost upon us.
Greene was a 1 year guy. Not to take anything away as he was awesome. But, If Wadley has the same YPC and moves as last year with 50-100 more carries than he had last year?? He would be "better than Greene" IMO
I agree that Wads is a better all around back but what Butler has accomplished is no small feat.. he's wracked up some eye gauging numbers the last 2/3 years and his ability to make opponents miss.. much like Wads does is fake you out of your jock strap and make you look silly I can't wait to have 2 backs to make the other defenders lose their skirts while trying to tackle air.. I think with this addition alone of Butler could arguably adding 2/3 more wins we don't expect .. just saying if things work as planned behind our stud o-line the sky is the limit with thunder and lightning or tornado when both are in the backfield at the same time ..
You could be right. And hopefully the changes with the new OC, OL & QB coaches will result in more diversity and less predictability in play calling.
The original statement had to do with talent, not "better" in college accomplishments. I would say Greene is slightly more talented than Wadley (both very talented)
Slightly? Green had 1800 yards in 09. Broke a ton of tackles, and won the Doak Walker.
Wadley needs to make big strides this year to be slightly behind Shonn Greene.
Butler stats vs power 5 teams
Arizona 13carries 50 yards
Arizona 9carries 38yards 1catch 17 yards
Texas am 17carries 107yards 1 catch 3yards
Notre dame 17 carries 50yards 4catch 48yards
Purdue 14 carries 38yards 6catch 44yards 1td
Arizona 13carries 50 yards
Arizona 9carries 38yards 1catch 17 yards
Texas am 17carries 107yards 1 catch 3yards
Notre dame 17 carries 50yards 4catch 48yards
Purdue 14 carries 38yards 6catch 44yards 1td
Great stats and I understand your point but a huge difference between Iowa o-line and Nevada o-line I hope
I voted for Butler for durability reasons only. I like Wadley if we can guarantee no injuries to either.
Iowa will have one of the best backfields in the Big Ten. I expect Wadley to be the leader. But if the coach gets in one of his "petty" moods, that could change.
The Wadley vs Greene debate makes for interesting water-cooler talk. Let's look at productivity:
Greene:
2005 - 4.7 ypc (<40 carries), 173 yards rushing, 0 yards receiving
2006 - 6.4 ypc (<40 carries), 205 yards rushing, 23 yards receiving
2008 - 6.0 ypc (<310 carries), 1850 yards rushing, 49 yards receiving
The remarkable thing about Greene was the sheer number of carries that he saw in '08 and the fact that he was still so productive with them. A knock on his game was that he wasn't terribly versatile. He was a runner and he was pretty good in pass-pro ... but he didn't add much to our passing game.
Wadley:
2014 - 5.6 ypc (<40 carries), 186 yards rushing, 0 yards receiving
2015 - 6.0 ypc (<90 carries), 496 yards rushing, 94 yards receiving
2016 - 6.4 ypc (<170 carries), 1081 yards rushing, 315 yards receiving
First off, it's pretty remarkable that Wadley's averages continue to improve. That's a hallmark sign of overall improvement and maturity. What's particularly exciting is that in 2017 he's slated to run behind a "best yet" offensive line, there are more experienced peripheral blockers out blocking for him (TEs and FBs are more experienced than they were last year), and he still has a talented RB complementing him so that he can retain fresh legs.
With a poor passing game, Iowa still managed for Daniels and Wadley to average around 200 carries each. Should Iowa actually be able to sustain drives ... those numbers will be higher for Wadley and Butler. If my guess is correct about Brian - I expect that he will pragmatically ride his running game as far as he can. That will likely keep Iowa's RBs busy and happy.
Benefits to there being 2 healthy and talented runners versus just one:
Nevada
2015:
Butler 6.5 ypc, 1345 yards, 10 TDs
Jackson 4.7 ypc, 1078 yards, 8 TDs
team: 4.9 ypc, 2738 yards, 24 TDs
2016:
Butler 5.1 ypc, 1336 yards, 12 TDs
team: 4.4 ypc, 2088 yards, 20 TDs
I was going to try to break down Wisconsin too - however, they always try to keep their group of RBs stocked. Their rushing stats are usually impressive and that is typically predicated on having 2 or even 3 talented rushers getting fed the ball. That keeps competition high, keeps guys fresh, and it simply tends to wear down opposing Ds. Some of the few seasons where Wisconsin only had one top guy ... 2015 ... and their rushing numbers were way down as a result. Turn to 2016 when they at at least 2 healthy ... and the rushing numbers jumped up by nearly 1000 yards.
Nevada
2015:
Butler 6.5 ypc, 1345 yards, 10 TDs
Jackson 4.7 ypc, 1078 yards, 8 TDs
team: 4.9 ypc, 2738 yards, 24 TDs
2016:
Butler 5.1 ypc, 1336 yards, 12 TDs
team: 4.4 ypc, 2088 yards, 20 TDs
I was going to try to break down Wisconsin too - however, they always try to keep their group of RBs stocked. Their rushing stats are usually impressive and that is typically predicated on having 2 or even 3 talented rushers getting fed the ball. That keeps competition high, keeps guys fresh, and it simply tends to wear down opposing Ds. Some of the few seasons where Wisconsin only had one top guy ... 2015 ... and their rushing numbers were way down as a result. Turn to 2016 when they at at least 2 healthy ... and the rushing numbers jumped up by nearly 1000 yards.
Only way Butler wins this contest is through all-purpose yards if he ends up being a punt returner and/or kickoff returner. But he's a huge get because when he comes into the game he brings an impressive skill set with him even if it is somewhat different than Wadley's. I think this will be a better one-two punch than LeShun and Wadley last year.
I liken some of the comparison to combo of Russell and Lewis. Russell was the quick, jitter-bug guy ... whereas Lewis was the slasher. Their contrasting styles complemented each other and made the Hawk O that much harder to defend.
Butler has nearly 20 lbs on Wadley ... whereas Wadley supposedly has 2 inches on Butler. Physically there must be quite a contrast between the two. However, in terms of productivity, both guys are known for being elusive. However, they achieve that presumably in different ways in terms of actual skill set - however, what they have in common is that they both must have really good vision and fundamentals.
Butler will run low, break tackles, and make good cuts .... Wadley will dance, spin, and just plain accelerate. It's great that opposing Ds will have to prepare to tackle these guys somewhat differently ... and that, at the end of the day, will make our running game at least a little harder to defend.
Of course, should Iowa's OL remain healthy ... that could simply add to our excitement as it relates to the running game. It's even harder to defend the run when the running lanes are wide!
Butler has nearly 20 lbs on Wadley ... whereas Wadley supposedly has 2 inches on Butler. Physically there must be quite a contrast between the two. However, in terms of productivity, both guys are known for being elusive. However, they achieve that presumably in different ways in terms of actual skill set - however, what they have in common is that they both must have really good vision and fundamentals.
Butler will run low, break tackles, and make good cuts .... Wadley will dance, spin, and just plain accelerate. It's great that opposing Ds will have to prepare to tackle these guys somewhat differently ... and that, at the end of the day, will make our running game at least a little harder to defend.
Of course, should Iowa's OL remain healthy ... that could simply add to our excitement as it relates to the running game. It's even harder to defend the run when the running lanes are wide!
Butler hasn't carried the ball in a big ten game. Young will have something to say about butler's carries. He isn't going to roll over. A little of cart ahead of horse.
I like to think of them as a single RB machine that will rush for 250 yards/game. We'll call that machine ButWad.
I would love to see what Wadley can do with 310 carries at 6 yards per clip.
That would be crazy if they combined for 250 per game, because that means we have 1 that is at least a 1,500 yard rusher.
I think anyone who thinks Iowa will allow Wadley to have such a lopsided accumulation of yards over the course of the year is delusional. If it were up to Kirk each player would have 1,001 yards.
You're awesome. I can hear the chants. Every time one of them scores, Herky can shoot a Roman Candle out of his but.
I'll take me some Shonne Greene before I would take Harmon.
I chose butler because i feel he is more of a Kirk type of running back style wise. I think we may actually see alot of butler up the middle over and over to the point where he ends up with 30 to 40 more carries than wadley over the season. Let's not forget kirk's constant statements about wadley...is it just riding him for motivation or does he have a problem with wadley?
Ferentz honestly wants to help the young man. Ferentz knows what's needed for a guy to be able to be successful in the NFL. He's trying to cultivate that sort of discipline and determination in Wadley.
Butler is the real NFL deal kind of running back. He's powerfully built has good eyes and good receiving skills. He really jumped out in the late night and week night games those guys play. I think its great for little AW. Use him with discretion and minimize injury risk. Also really good receiver, like AW. These two backs create real opportunities to diversify the offense. Could definitely get 'em both on the field with AW coming out of the backfield and lining up at either X or Z (might be a little small and sleight for slot work). Barring injury I don't think Young is getting many carries.
