corey is no James Brooks

[richmond_mat]

I've read a bit about the successful duo of Brooks and Woods in comparison to the current RB situation.

Are you all nuts? CD couldn't carry JB's lunch in catching th ball and elusitivity after the catch.

Maybe a wish bone formation with Johnson upfront along with Chad wide and Warrick in the slot would give defenses a fit.

[Kirkendall]

Dillon, in my opinion, is a better back. Brooks only had three 1,000 yard seasons, his highest carries in a season is still 12 short of Corey’s lowest. Corey has reached 10 TDs twice in his career; Brooks’s highest total was 8.

James Brooks played with a lineman considered the best of all time. Boomer Esiason played way better than any QB Dillon had until this season. When Boomer came back in 1997, in his five starts, Dillon ran for 635 yards and 6 TDs; his former rookie record of 246 in one game was Boomer’s third game. I hate to harp on this, but Dillon has been plagued for most of his career, of a 4-4-3 defense; but he always found a way out to give Bengals fans their only hope in every game.

Other than the Icky shuffle, Woods was often times injured and didn’t provide any consistency. In four full seasons, he played 37 of a possible 64. Take away his rookie season and what do you have? 129 Rush Attempts, 459 rushing yards, 3.56 yards per carry, and 12 TDs (only because he always played within the 5 yard line). He had 15 TDs his first season. Rudi will prove to leap over Woods by bounds, statiscially and quality running. Plus Johnson can run from both sides of the field, Woods often times didn’t get the ball until inside the red-zone.

I like having Dillon and R.Johnson change time. They have vastly different running styles which will give defenses fits all game – plus when Dillon is healthy, no one here can argue that he’s a pretty damned good back. I think if this combo plays a full season, after this one, they will claim the best running duo in Bengals history if Bratkowski smartly uses them.

[San Antonio Bengal]

Would everyone remember Brooks and Woods as a great tag-team if it weren't for the Superbowl season? Yes, the were good and both of them have great seasons that year, but year in and year out, Corey is definitely the better running back. While I have been quite impressed with Rudi, we need to give him more time and more games before comparing him with Dillon, Brooks and Ickey. Although, the future looks quite bright for the Bengals smashmouth running game.

I'm really interested with what kinds of things Brat will come up with now that there are two viable running backs each of whom has their own style and talents. And we know from last week that Marvin will let Brat be aggressive. Whatever the case, it'll be fun to watch, that's for sure.

[The Brew Man]

What about Kinnebrew???

As much as I loved Woods and Brooks, I gotta say Corey is a better back than JB, good post by Kirk to back that up.

[ChicagoJungle]

Maybe a wish bone formation with Johnson upfront along with Chad wide and Warrick in the slot would give defenses a fit.

Hey, you can't just throw out "Johnson" and expect everybody to know who you're talking about.

By my count, there are 4 Johnsons on this team. You need to specify.

(of course I'm kidding and I know you mean trying out Riall at fullback.)

Now, let's go out there and get Keyshawn and trade for Kevin, and we can officially change our name to the Cincinnati Fighting Johnsons. Hey, it worked in Baltimore with the Lewises.

[JBrooks]

You've probably guessed...I love James Brooks. My favorite player growing up. A little guy with great skills, speed and, damn, he could block. Anybody remember seeing little James Brooks stand up Bruce Smith on a pass rush, giving Boomer time to throw for the score in the playoffs? Unreal.

That said, Dillon is definitely better. He's just a better physical specimen with better skills. Brooks is my sentimental favorite (I wore 21 all through college ball), but Dillon has my vote for best Cincy back.

I'd love to see some pro-set, split back stuff with Corey and Rudi. Get a lot of motion and misdirection to make teams bite. Hand off to one through the middle, fake a pitch to the outside. Or do some play action up the middle and make the pitch to the outside. Even a little flea-flicker through the middle and one flares out of the backfield for a pass.

Don't get me wrong, majority of the time, they gotta stick with one in there at a time and Jeremi "another" Johnson laying the wood, but there's a lot to play with having both of them in there, and it should open up some more long stuff for Chad and Peter "Johnson" Warrick.

I LOVE JAMES BROOKS!!!

[redsfan2]

A better way of putting this might have been ......... who would you rather have on your team ? Dillon with his superior skills and baggage ?????? or Brooks ..... a little lower skill level and the consumate team player.

I remember him blocking for Boomer. I also watched him get up from a tackle and rub his thumb and forefinger together. It looked like he had something stuck in his thumb, and he calmly walked over to the bench and showed the coach. The whole time, he kept rubbing it with his forefinger and kept up a normal looking conversation. It was his bone that was sticking out of his thumb. He had gotten a compound fracture, and he was standing there talking about it like it was a blister. Do you remember when one of the opposing coaches questioned if he was getting a little too old ???? I don't remember who the coach was, but Brooks ripped off like this 10 15 yarder got up and very nonchalantly walked in front of their bench and gave the coach the finger. Didn't stop wave it in his face or nothing. Just walked by saluted and kept going. I laughed till I choked. Brooks was one of the toughest people both physically and mentally that I've ever seen in my life. A lot of guys are one or the other, but its a rare type thats both.

On Bengals.com Brooks himself said " I ran it between the 20's and Woods got the TD's. He got the publicity .... I went to the pro bowl and we all went to the super bowl. But we wouldn't have if I'd complained about it."

Dillons got the records ... yards ,,,, td's ... talent . If I get to choose, I take Brooks 10 times out of 10.

[richmond_mat]

All this love and admiration by the fans for Corey Dillon reminds me why Mike Brown made him a franchise player. Pandering to the fans without regard to winning football games has been the trademark of the post Paul Brown era.

James Brooks was better at catching the ball and running with it than CD has shown to be. CD is a more punishing runner (when he wants to) than JB was but you gotta look at the whole picture.

[Kirkendall]

I guess the better arugment is, would have Dillon been as good if not better than Brooks if Dillon played in the 80's? Of course you're not going to hear him complain with Munoz and etc. blocking for him. You're not going to hear him complain while defenses are trying to find out how to stop the passing game.

I understand Brooks as one of the most loved Bengals in past decades, hell I'm one of them. But let's face facts, would Dillon be the distruption he is today if he played during those times? Would Brooks be anything near what he used to be if he played on the post '92 Bengals teams?

I know there's a lot of "if's" there. But keep that in mind also. Stats, toughness, personality aside; the surrounding atmosphere incurred by both have played with drastically different teams, and with different owners.

For all the bitching and complaining Dillon has done, I'm going to still give him his props for being the superstar he should be claimed. Remember the glory years of the 49er's in the 80's and how many outbursts that Jerry Rice used to have? Not really, because they were on a winning team and he's the best of all time. Given time, Dillon will be acculated as a great running back in the NFL, but probably not as a Bengal.

[PalmerTime]

It's really bad to judge what if Dillon played back when Brooks did

and what if Brooks played now.

Brooks was a part of making the Bengals who they were when he played. Brooks was none selfish and didn't need the 15 to 20 carries

before he got warmed up but he was ready at the start of the whistle.

I do think Dillon has some very good talent about him but his attitude

kept him from being the best or one of the best there is.

You think Dillon could've shared carries with Ickey Woods ? Would've

we ever seen the Ickey Shuffle had Dillon played back when Brooks played ? That's why trading places with players time frame isn't good to do. I wouldn't trade off all the great times I enjoyed watching

Brooks.

The end result is, I would take 10 James Brooks to one Corey Dillon.

Being none selfish is one reason but another is because it does take Dillon so long to get warm it forces the team to play around Corey Dillon. 15 to 20 is around 2 Qtr's of football and that is time wasted.

This offense needs to be able to open the offense up at the start of the game. Since Rudi has been starting we notice that it's not just the running doing good with the passing game doing bad but everything is clicking and doing good together. With Dillon it has always been either we're running good and passing bad or running bad and passing good or both doing bad. Dillon needs the offense built around him for him to work but Brooks never needed that.