The Problem For Tony Hunt

We get our first Tony Hunt media sighting of training camp today. 

The biggest problem for Tony is that he's not a training camp type of player.  Brian Westbrook -- training camp player.  Lorenzo Booker -- he's a training camp player.  Those are the guys who can run around in seven-on-seven drills and show off how fast they are, how smoothly they catch the football, etc.  That's not Tony's deal/

Hunt needs to hope the third-team offensive line shows up to block for him during the preseason games.

Comments

[Steve from Palm Beach]

The guy is a bum.

Trade him if we can. Cut him if we can't. Anytime you need to make excuses for someone like that, then clearly he doesn't belong.

He's not a training camp player, and he's clearly not a regular season player. So then what is he?

Our fault for ignoring history and drafting a Penn State running back.

[Me]

Because Larry Johnson has done nothing but suck since he made it to the League?

[DancingWithTheHomeless]

isn't Larry Johnson kinda sorta from Penn State? Just saying. Also, Ryan Moats is good enough to make the team and, if needed, an impact. He at least looked good the last time I saw him, when he was healthy. Can he beat out Hunt for a spot on the team?

[Steve from Palm Beach]

Hey, even a blind monkey will eventually find a banana.

LJ's two great seasons don't quite erase the PSU slaughterhouse of RB busts. Before LJ, I had to go all the way back to Franco Harris to find a decent back out of that program.

I'm not trying to bash your school or anything. It's the same way I'd feel about drafting a QB from Florida. Or a WR from Michigan (that's right Avant, prove me wrong).

[Eric]

Ummm... the only true bust from Penn St. was Curtis Enis and sort of Blaire Thomas, but both were thrown on horrible teams. Ki-Jana Carter tore an ACL. Not really his fault. Curt Warner was in the Pro Bowl with multiple 1000 (2 1400+ yard seasons) yard seasons on many mediocre Seahawks' teams. Larry Johnson is having a fine career and is suffering as of late because of a poor line. Did you ever hear of a guy named Franco Harris? Yeah, he's in the Hall of Fame with multiple Super Bowls. Lydell Mitchell was a Pro Bowler with multiple 1000 yard seasons. So two rather poor running backs out of 7 with one being a very badly injured RB. Go look at other school's bust rates. I would bet Penn St. is on par or ahead of the game.

[edited by Derek -- easy buddy :)]

[Steve from Palm Beach]

I'm going to stop right here, because I feel like I'm on the borderline of attacking people's religion. And that'll never be a productive argument.

Plus this is an Eagles list and not a PSU list, so with the exception of maybe inflating Derek's traffic, there's no real good that can come out of all this.

I truly hope Hunt and Avant become mainstays and our future at the RB and WR position.

As a side note, this whole comment thread is eerily similar to a "PSU = bust U" thread that appeared on an Eagles fan distribution list back in the mid-90's (back before web forums and blogs). That singular topic almost divided the 150 or so members of the list into warring sub-lists. Curious if any readers here were part of that whole clash.

Anyway peace all, back to grazing on the training camp fodder for me. No more bashing of PSU players, I promise.

[Eric]

Sorry, Derek. I get in these moods.

[Me]

Leaving aside the issue of what school he played for, I'm not sure how anyone who didn't watch Tony in college could feel like they were ready to make a judgment on the guy.

I realize it's the nature of Philly fans to go thumbs up/down five minutes after a guy makes his debut, but seriously, Hunt was involved in like 11 plays last year -- 10 rushing attempts and one missed block. That's a tremendously small sample size.

Hunt will never be a home run hitter like Moats was or Booker seems to be based on a couple dozen practices. And he'll never be as good as Westbrook.

But think about some of the more demoralizing Eagles' losses, where the defense couldn't get off the field because once the other team got a lead they just used the power running game as a sledgehammer. That's the role Hunt can have here, and it's one he's best-suited of all the running backs to play.

Having that kind of late-game running attack is like having a great closer in baseball. You don't _need_ one of those guys necessarily, but it makes everyone's job a lot easier.

[Me]

The alternatives:

Westbrook -- who shouldn't have one more carry than he needs to all season

Booker -- undersized guy who isn't effective as an inside runner (reportedly)

Buckhalter -- can be effective in this role, but more of a slasher than a masher, also, bad knees

[Tracer Bullet]

Sure, Hunt could serve as that late game grinder (maybe), but Reid doesn't play RBs who can't pass block. If Hunt wants to make this team, he better learn blitz pickup PDQ.

I'm not sure where Moats fits as the team now has two guys in front of him with the similar skills. Plus, he was a disaster on special teams so I can't really see a role for the guy.

[BrianS]

How many of RBs do you think they'll keep?

With the return specialists either coming from other positions (Jackson, Demps?), or an RB who was going to make the roster anyway (Booker), it seems like Moats (with a skill set comparable to Booker) is probably almost surely a goner, and that either Hunt or Buck is in a roster crunch with the backup WRs and DBs.

[Me]

It's going to be tight. They still have the long snapper specialist issue, they've got a lot of bodies they want to keep for special teams, and I really do think they could keep five safeties.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Moats is definitely gone. I think Hunt is safe if he shows anything between now and the opener. But a few more random injuries could cause a waterfall effect elsewhere.