Mike Bell vs Pierre Thomas (1 Viewer)

Here is the funny thing about this topic:

If we played Phily the first game and Bell ran for 56 yard on 17 carries we would be saying "and NOW we have Pierre Thomas back ~ Finally" not "who cares who runs the ball".

Mikes two breakout games were against an 2nd string defense against the titans and probably nothing more formidable in the Lion's defense last week.

Before the year starter I felt we needed to distribute the ball better between passing and rushing.....we were 21st in the league last year with 1600 rushing yards and I felt we needed to bump that up to 1800+ to have a balanced attack and keep teams honest.

Originial predictions: 1,100 yards Pierre Thomas
550 yards Bush
250 yards Bell

I am now convinced Bush will not rush for 300 let alone 500 yards.

Revised to date:
1,000 Pierre Thomas
575 Bell
325 Bush

I still can't believe Mike Bell will rush for 575 yards, but I feel that is much closer to his final numbers especially with 150 already under his belt.

Pierre Thomas is a vital cog to this offense wether you remember what he can do or not, you will when he leads this team in rushing TDs and total TDs. He still scores 15 TDs this year.

To the person who said they picked Pierre in the third round, that was a wise choice....no way he would have lasted until the 5th.

Comments welcome :hihi:

so what you're trying to tell us is that mike bell in the next 15 games will only have 400 rushing yrds???.........meaning hes gonna avg 26 yds per game from now on after a 140+ yrd game...PT is not gonna get 1000..none of our backs will get to 1000....yes he will score TDs though idk about 15 but maybe around 12
 
I'm not trying to rain on ayones parade. This is just my opinion. Bell is not half the running back that Pierre is.

I mean we think Bell is our best running back b/c....why?

Let's look at it. He ran well against Houston IN PREASEASON. Houston's rush defense is the 2nd worst in the league. He looked good against Detroit. Detriot's Defense is the worst rush defense in the league. Not to mention we were throwing all over Detriot(the first 2 possesions we had 2 touchdown passes). They were trying to stop the pass...they only had 6 players in the box.

My point is that Pierre got it dont last year in the last 6 games against good defenses. Pierre would of had a better game if he had played in place of Bell against Detriot.

I think that Pierre is more versatile and more athletic than Bell. I think Pierre is by far the better running back.

I would like to see Bell get it done against better run defenses. Philadelphia will be the perfect chance. I hope I eat my words but in the end, Bell will not be getting more touches tham Pierre. Everyone will see who the better back is when they are both getting carries during games.

*I like that Bell was able to convert on 3 and 1(again this was against Detriot)


YOu can't compare Apples to Oranges. They all have their individual abilities and talents. How would you feel if we didn't have Bell? Please don't tell me that Thomas is a Run Between the tackles Back b/c he's really not. Better than Bush but not the man on the inside or we wouldn't be having this discussion.
 
What does it matter? We have all three Thomas, Bush and Bell. What good does it do to build one up and tear the others down? Do you hope the backs you don't like do poorly and cost the Saints a game just so you can be right about those backs? This isn't directed at the OP, just a question in light of all the running back criticism going on in the forum lately.

Bell is going to need Pierre this season just as both need Reggie. Bell isn't in the shape he needs to be in to carry this team (even he has admitted it), and will surely get injured if we rely on him too much. Same with Pierre, same with Bush. None of these guys are all that durable, so having all three of them to spell each other in different ways is a really good problem to have. Hopefully Hamilton is as good as advertised also, as I'm sure he'll get some playing time too this season.

Bottom line, if they wear Saints' colors on Sunday, I'm rooting for them regardless of their position on the depth chart, how good of a runner they are, where we drafted them, or their salaries. Who Dat!

Thank you.
 
so what you're trying to tell us is that mike bell in the next 15 games will only have 400 rushing yrds???.........meaning hes gonna avg 26 yds per game from now on after a 140+ yrd game...PT is not gonna get 1000..none of our backs will get to 1000....yes he will score TDs though idk about 15 but maybe around 12

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. When Mike Bell was added to this team he was added as the THIRD running back behind Pierre and Reggie on the depth chart. I envisioned him running for 300 yards and 4 TDs ~ nothing more. Pierre would only have to average 66 yards a game to still rush for 1,000 yards, a very realistic number. He will rush for 45-55 on Sunday he will have 11 carries. Bell will have 62 yards on 17 carries and Reggie will have 22 yards on 4. That will give us 125 rushing yards which will be enough to open the passing game. Thomas will be slowly worked into the offense and then will be the workhorse. Don't be fooled by silly politcally correct statements ("The guy who has the hot hand will run the ball") Pierre is the #1 guy followed by Bell.
 
Here is the funny thing about this topic:

If we played Phily the first game and Bell ran for 56 yard on 17 carries we would be saying "and NOW we have Pierre Thomas back ~ Finally" not "who cares who runs the ball".

Mikes two breakout games were against an 2nd string defense against the titans and probably nothing more formidable in the Lion's defense last week.

Before the year starter I felt we needed to distribute the ball better between passing and rushing.....we were 21st in the league last year with 1600 rushing yards and I felt we needed to bump that up to 1800+ to have a balanced attack and keep teams honest.

Originial predictions: 1,100 yards Pierre Thomas
550 yards Bush
250 yards Bell

I am now convinced Bush will not rush for 300 let alone 500 yards.

Revised to date:
1,000 Pierre Thomas
575 Bell
325 Bush

I still can't believe Mike Bell will rush for 575 yards, but I feel that is much closer to his final numbers especially with 150 already under his belt.

Pierre Thomas is a vital cog to this offense wether you remember what he can do or not, you will when he leads this team in rushing TDs and total TDs. He still scores 15 TDs this year.

To the person who said they picked Pierre in the third round, that was a wise choice....no way he would have lasted until the 5th.

Comments welcome :hihi:

The Titans???? I'm assuming you meant the Texans and if you did, the Texans had their entire first string in for every snap Bell took in that game. Nice try diminishing his accomplishments though.:9:
 
YOu can't compare Apples to Oranges. They all have their individual abilities and talents. How would you feel if we didn't have Bell? Please don't tell me that Thomas is a Run Between the tackles Back b/c he's really not. Better than Bush but not the man on the inside or we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Pierre got bigger during the off season to handle the pounding between the tackles and the increase in carries. That was the plan and still is. To think that Mike Bell has an opportunity as the number one back is delusional.
 
Pierre got bigger during the off season to handle the pounding between the tackles and the increase in carries. That was the plan and still is. To think that Mike Bell has an opportunity as the number one back is delusional.

And, then, the Coaching Staff made him lose the weight....because he lost some quicks and mobility.

The added weight could also have something to do with him hurting his knee.......just to throw that out there.:mwink:
 
Pierre got bigger during the off season to handle the pounding between the tackles and the increase in carries. That was the plan and still is. To think that Mike Bell has an opportunity as the number one back is delusional.

You should probably cool that love fest down a bit till you see what PT can do. Personally I see us running a scheme like the Giants have had with Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw. But I think PT probably gets the least amount of work.
 
You should probably cool that love fest down a bit till you see what PT can do. Personally I see us running a scheme like the Giants have had with Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw. But I think PT probably gets the least amount of work.

Ummm.....that means bell and bush split 1200+ yards? :smilielol:


You can't be serious.
 
we haven't seen enough of either of them to have a definitive answer IMO.
They both look good at this point and time, and in their little play time - have shown me more then Reggie has at RB.
 
For what its worth I think Bell is the more explosive runner. PT is probably better at catching though.
'zactly right... anyone who has watched even a little football can tell bell is faster, quicker, and (probably) more powerful than pt... pt seems to have the better hands... even so, there's room for both, imo... btw, bell and pt are competing for touches, not bell and reggie or pt and reggie... reggie's gonna get his touches regardless, but one of those others is not
 
I recall Pierre and Bell running against the same defenses on a couple of preseason games prior to Pierre's injury, and Bell ran more impressively. Without a doubt Pierre is the more reliable back, but Bell and Bush are both more explosive. Pierre has a knack for gaining positive yards on every play, but Bell does as well, although perhaps to a slightly lesser degree, but with a bigger chance of a big gain than Pierre. Bush is the boom or bust of the three. He'll make some huge plays and some terrible plays as a runner, although last year he seemed to be becoming more reliable, but he lacks the vision of Pierre and Bell in cramped quarters, so I don't expect that to change too much.
 
Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. When Mike Bell was added to this team he was added as the THIRD running back behind Pierre and Reggie on the depth chart. I envisioned him running for 300 yards and 4 TDs ~ nothing more. Pierre would only have to average 66 yards a game to still rush for 1,000 yards, a very realistic number. He will rush for 45-55 on Sunday he will have 11 carries. Bell will have 62 yards on 17 carries and Reggie will have 22 yards on 4. That will give us 125 rushing yards which will be enough to open the passing game. Thomas will be slowly worked into the offense and then will be the workhorse. Don't be fooled by silly politcally correct statements ("The guy who has the hot hand will run the ball") Pierre is the #1 guy followed by Bell.

it doesnt matter that BELL was brought in as the 3rd back. doesnt mean he'll stay at that position. im sure colston wasnt brought in the be a first day starter but he was. when we signed moore did anyone believe that a yr later he'd lead all wr's on the saints in yrd and tds? didnt think so. so your argument about him being brought in as a 3rd rb holds no water. LET THE BEST PLAYER PLAY. payton would agree
 

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