how will niners use lamichael james?

I just graduated from the University of Oregon and was at James' first game in Autzen (by far loudest stadium in the country, and yes louder then the horse shoe or swamp, I worked for oregon football and have decibel records).

Anyways..Harbaugh is going to enhance his receiving skills because he is going to be used similar to Daren Sproles. James did not catch the ball out of the backfield much. He is a very small back but when people say running backs from spread offenses can't run in between the tackles just don't know how to evaluate football talent (Jonathan Stewart). James can get lost in the backfield and blow by linebackers if he gets through the hole. I really don't see him being split out wide and utilized maybe as a decoy at first. It will be some time till those skills are refined or used at all. Look for him to be a safety outlet option out of the backfield if Alex can't find any open receivers.

Don't get me wrong though... He will also probably have plenty off tackle/sweep type plays drawn up for him as well. If he has blockers setting the edge then its almost 6 every time if he can make it to the sidelines

Originally posted by HessianDud:

we're going to use him as an instrument of rape against the tender orifices of opposing defenses.

Future nickname: LaSodomy

Originally posted by THEMerts80:
I just graduated from the University of Oregon and was at James' first game in Autzen (by far loudest stadium in the country, and yes louder then the horse shoe or swamp, I worked for oregon football and have decibel records).

Anyways..Harbaugh is going to enhance his receiving skills because he is going to be used similar to Daren Sproles. James did not catch the ball out of the backfield much. He is a very small back but when people say running backs from spread offenses can't run in between the tackles just don't know how to evaluate football talent (Jonathan Stewart). James can get lost in the backfield and blow by linebackers if he gets through the hole. I really don't see him being split out wide and utilized maybe as a decoy at first. It will be some time till those skills are refined or used at all. Look for him to be a safety outlet option out of the backfield if Alex can't find any open receivers.

I agree,I am from Oregon too, watch a lot of his games, watch on youtube Ultimate LaMichael James Highlights,will tell you his style.

Themerts and ninerfan52, i yield to you guys, who watched La Michael for his college career. I got to see the games with SC and UCLA but those were it. Even tho he really wasn't a receiver, i still believe he will be the scatback split wide on 3rd downs and in RZ. Furthermore, he will be used with AJ (or moss) and crbtre as the 3rd option, maybe the 4th. But one thing for sure, he is going to be open behind the LOS virtually all the time. Once he gets the ball on a shovel, or pass, then the yards come on the run. And that is what i think Coach is going to do with him. Maybe he wasn't a receiver very often, but no doubt the kid does have good hands. The moves....well , any tape shows us that. Get him out wide with the ball, i don't think two guys, even 3 are going to stop him. Just too good with his moves.

Its more about what James will be doing in 2 years, for now he will get some scraps, but I think Gore and Jacobs will get the big slices of the pie

Harbs will want to eventually evolve the RB position in to a group of 3 or 4 guys that share the load,
keep em fresh, keep em healthy, and if one gets injured, the pace/plan doesnt change, I think James, Hunter and Hampton will be that group

btw...Eugene great little town, got Ducks in the family

Like Darren Sproles.

Originally posted by mustangmele:
Like Marshall Faulk and Reggie Bush were used.

And both won Super....wait, wait, wait....


Let it happen.

49ers in Madden: I will rock the Full House offense and sub James to be at fullback (to the right) with gore at RB and having Vernon to the left of James..

Have 2 WR's.. probably Moss and Jenkins or something. Not that I have anything against Crabtree, but I just never use him in Madden. I actually never use any #1 receiver in Madden really. Moss would be there just in case I feel freaky and want a jump ball. Jenkins is there because he's fast and ya know, YOLO.

But I probably won't even throw to those receivers. Actually I might do some slants with Jenkins if I feel that my opponent is catching on to my offense because I would be doing the same plays over and over. Got to keep them on their toes ya know?

So James usually has this dumb route. It's like run diagonal-right and then post. The route just takes too long man. Don't wanna wait. So I might audible him to do like a quick out thingy. He might be covered, but thats when I'll check for Gore. Gore has a good route of kinda just floating out. If he's not there, then ya boy Vernon will be open. He's always open on the Full House offense. Especially on quick throws.

Fact- This one time, I threw to Vernon and he caught it.

But since we are talking about James, I might just kinda find a way to give him the ball. Maybe there's a fullback dive in the full house offense and James can be a little sneaky guy and get through? Maybe?

Or I can have James at RB in that offense and have Kendall Hunter at the FB. Or Brandon Jacobs? Oh, brah. If I have Jacobs there and have James do a pitch and run to the outside.. it's game ovaries brah.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Like Darren Sproles.

This

to score points mostly

Like the Aints use Darren Sproles hopefully

put ball in hands watch what happens

Why quantify his use, that will only limit the offense. By using him in a variety of packages and ways and downs, the D won't know what to expect when they see LJ trot out onto the field, thus won't know what kind of D package to utilize.

I think play-action out of a 2 back and 1 back sets. If you send 3 WRs down field, against a nickel package, that gives you a mismatch of a LB against James on a delayed pass. The Saints ran this with Sproiles against us in the division championship game.

I would love to see Gore, Jacobs, or Miller in tandem with James in a 2 back pro-set, with James on the strong side. Off tackle plays to the weak side, behind Iupati would be good as well as sweeps. Combining James with a power runner diving inside, D's can't use run blitz's to defend both between the tackles and outside the tackles.

But my favorite is spread with 2 TEs and James as a single RB. With good blocking TEs you can attack the edges, play-action with 4 receivers, draw, or hit James coming out of the backfield.

Another play that James would be deadly on would be a slot or tunnel screen, with James motioning into the slot, and a TE blocking in front. I hope that we Roman uses a lot of screen variations because:
• Ds' like to blitz against us
• We have good blocking TEs and WRs
• Once James or Hunter gets into space, good things will happen.

We can even set simple one-blocker screens to both sides of the formation in a 2 back set.