Hidden Gems (Si.com article)

Originally posted by Chico:

Originally posted by FILTHpigskin:
Hmm... possible starter in a couple of years?

He's looked great so far, seemingly showing a good amount of potential. He needs to learn the protections and the offense. He also needs to learn when to dance and when to dive forward for a couple of yards, but he seems to have the skill set: big, strong, runs with power, shows deceptive speed, shows good balance, has good footwork for a big guy, can catch passes out of the backfield, handles blocking assignments better than expected, and seems to turn it all up a notch when he's given the ball in the red zone.

All in all, I think he's going to be a great back up to Gore and his play, if it continues to improve, may demand that he and Gore start to share carries in the near future.

He looks like a stud to me! Not only are his feet quick and nimble but he's shown speed getting around the corner on that TD run and he breaks tackles! This is something that Glenn Coffee didn't show very much.

Whoa Whoa Whoa. Lets see it for a season against NFL caliber players for a whole year and then assess it. Coffe looked spectacular last year's preseason and then averaged 2.9 ypc. Slow down.

Originally posted by 4DNinersSon:

Originally posted by Chico:

Originally posted by FILTHpigskin:
Hmm... possible starter in a couple of years?

He's looked great so far, seemingly showing a good amount of potential. He needs to learn the protections and the offense. He also needs to learn when to dance and when to dive forward for a couple of yards, but he seems to have the skill set: big, strong, runs with power, shows deceptive speed, shows good balance, has good footwork for a big guy, can catch passes out of the backfield, handles blocking assignments better than expected, and seems to turn it all up a notch when he's given the ball in the red zone.

All in all, I think he's going to be a great back up to Gore and his play, if it continues to improve, may demand that he and Gore start to share carries in the near future.

He looks like a stud to me! Not only are his feet quick and nimble but he's shown speed getting around the corner on that TD run and he breaks tackles! This is something that Glenn Coffee didn't show very much.

Whoa Whoa Whoa. Lets see it for a season against NFL caliber players for a whole year and then assess it. Coffe looked spectacular last year's preseason and then averaged 2.9 ypc. Slow down.

Coffee, at no time, EVER "looked spectacular"... I'm not sure what games you were watching.

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
this guy is getting too much hype glen coffee also led the nfl in rushing yds in preseason

Glen Coffee never looked good. He ran through huge holes because our backup O-Line was apparently better than 2nd and 3rd string defenses. Even Michael Robinson was ripping off good runs last preseason. Dixon has proven capable of making something out of nothing. Coffee never looked half as good as Dixon.

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
against the vikings in the first half he only had 20 yds in 11 carries he will be a solid 2 back but i dont think he will be any more than that

You act like Frank Gore has never been shut down before. He has. So has Adrian Peterson. So has Chris Johnson.

Point being, it happens sometimes. Don't think he isn't that good just because he had one bad half against one of the best defenses in the league. He also made that 4-yard touchdown out of pure effort. Coffee never would have made it.

Originally posted by BSUNiner:

Originally posted by NC49erfan82:
Hes played well but I am not completely sold on him. I have caught him doing too much dancing (reminds me of Kevan Barlow) before using his size to explode into a whole. He does not do it every time but when he does not do it he is more effective. I have watched each pre season game 3 times so far. I am expecting Rathman to look at film with him and point that out. So far to me he is a good back to go in and get a few plays in a game. I look at it if Frank got hurt and if he would step in he would not do any better than Coffee done for us last year in the 3 game span he played for us. Like it or not I believe its the truth. He could step up and become an absolute beast for all I know. He has the word I love and hate called "Potential".

Agreed. If there isn't an obvious hole to run through, he seems lost out there. Hopefully with time and experience, this can be rectified.

How do you figure he seems lost? It looks like he's bouncing around until a hole opens. You want to know what looks lost? When Robinson sees no hole and runs into the pile anyway. THAT'S lost.

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
this guy is getting too much hype glen coffee also led the nfl in rushing yds in preseason against the vikings in the first half he only had 20 yds in 11 carries he will be a solid 2 back but i dont think he will be any more than that

This.

I like that Dixon showed some skills against the Visqueens. But...

It's PRESEASON. Let him do this when it's for all the marbles in the circle.

~Ceadder

Originally posted by SybErkRimInAL:
I'm lovin BIG DIX

Tired Gay succumbs to Dix

Originally posted by Joecool:
Dude can turn the corner, run over defenders, and catch: he's going to be just fine.

Not that hard to be a RB in the NFL once you have all the measureables. Running backs are a dime a dozen because work ethic is the key factor.

Its true that running backs are a dime a dozen, but I think what separates them is raw running ability. Does the running back break tackles? Does the running back dodge defenders? Does the running back physically knock down/stiff arm defenders? Does the running back have good vision and feel?

Gore can do all of those things, Adrian Peterson can do all of those things. That is what makes a good running back IMO. Other running backs are athletic freaks (Chris Johnson), or have unbelievably good vision and feel (Marcus Allen), so they make up for where they lack.

Dixon is not a freak, but he can break tackles, dodge defenders, knock down/stiff arm defenders, and seems to have a good feel around the edge. Up the middle, he lacks a feel for it so far.
What could Coffee do? Run tough? I don't remember him breaking any tackles, stiff arming, knocking down defenders etc.
The ability to make a play by yourself without 100% depending on your teammates is what separates good football players from the rest.

I really wasn't impressed with him against Minnesota. I know they're one of the better run defenses but Indy's one of the worse people seem to ignore that.

Originally posted by SybErkRimInAL:
last "hidden Gem" they reported for us was Gore. Hope it works out similarly.

Good check!

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
this guy is getting too much hype glen coffee also led the nfl in rushing yds in preseason against the vikings in the first half he only had 20 yds in 11 carries he will be a solid 2 back but i dont think he will be any more than that

So you don't think Dixon has shown us anything?

Overrated at this point.


I see potential but that could boom or bust, time will tell.

Originally posted by 49erRider:

Originally posted by BSUNiner:

Originally posted by NC49erfan82:
Hes played well but I am not completely sold on him. I have caught him doing too much dancing (reminds me of Kevan Barlow) before using his size to explode into a whole. He does not do it every time but when he does not do it he is more effective. I have watched each pre season game 3 times so far. I am expecting Rathman to look at film with him and point that out. So far to me he is a good back to go in and get a few plays in a game. I look at it if Frank got hurt and if he would step in he would not do any better than Coffee done for us last year in the 3 game span he played for us. Like it or not I believe its the truth. He could step up and become an absolute beast for all I know. He has the word I love and hate called "Potential".

Agreed. If there isn't an obvious hole to run through, he seems lost out there. Hopefully with time and experience, this can be rectified.

How do you figure he seems lost? It looks like he's bouncing around until a hole opens. You want to know what looks lost? When Robinson sees no hole and runs into the pile anyway. THAT'S lost.

I concede that lost was too strong of a word. However, he seems a little too indecisive when there isn't a hole to run through. If the line doesn't open anything up, sometimes your best bet is to cut your losses and just push for a yard or two. I don't like Robinson as a runner but Dixon could use a little bit of Robinson in his running style.

Originally posted by AZ9er:

Originally posted by SybErkRimInAL:
I'm lovin BIG DIX

Tired Gay succumbs to Dix

SEXUAL CHOCOLATE....they play so fine don't you agree????

Great post...el guapo approves

Don't really like Dixon, reminds me too much of Barlow with his combination of size and happy feet.