Mike Hart update from Colts.
Evidently Hart rolled his ankle on Friday at practice. I got this update from hitting a couple of hyperlinks on Yahoo Sports and cant find any other updates. Anyone live in Indy area know of Harts progress so far in camp? I wish he could stay healthy .... I feel once he breaks into the depth chart to get carries, they will have a hard time not playing him.
That sucks for him and I wish him a speedy recovery, but a rolled ankle isn't that big of an injury and should be back within a week
Hart, while I like him and appreciated his work with the Wolverines, is a little small and too slow to be effective in the NFL, other than as a situational back. Plus, they have Addai and just drafted Donald Brown, so I'm pretty sure Indy won't have a tough time not playing him.
Answer this question: given Hart's (relative lack of) speed, do you think he'd have gotten a starring role in a Rich Rod offense? He doesn't seem suited to this kind of offense the way Brown, Shaw, V. Smith or even Minor is (at least Minor has some breakaway speed and can break tackles).
A lot of people (myself included) thought the same about Darren Sproles being too undersized to be an every-down back (the guy's 5'6'' in heels). After last season, I've decided there could be room for proton workhorses in the NFL. Hart could use a little more speed, but might become more than a situational back if he gets his Sproles-like shot at the field.
Sproles is faster than Hart.
Not sure why you got voted down for that one either. Guess facts make people angry.
Sproules '05 combine 40 time: 4.49
Hart '08 combine 40 time: 4.67
Kind of a big difference
I think he would have. Hart said himself that he has a very fast 0-20 yd speed, but after that is where he starts to slow down. I think that's a fair assessment...he always burst through the line and hit the 2nd level as quick as any other back (Minor, et al)...running away from the secondary was another story...
Throw in his ability to pick the right hole in a zone blocking scheme and I think he would've worked his way up the depth chart in a RR system (recruited by RR staff though? Probably not)
RR's leverages what his players do best. So, yes, I feel Hart would have done just as well reading blocks, making cuts as RR's RB. I still think he will do well in the NFL, despite the anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Remember, Emmitt Smith, NFL's leading career rusher had almost the same stats, speed, etc as Hart. I just dont remember other RB's getting dinged up like Hart has.
Emmitt was a first round pick. Seriously guys, NFL scouts had a referendum on whether Hart was Smith or Sproles and the answer they came up with was a resounding "No"
I forgot that ya had regular conversations with NFL scouts.
Yeah, when you take someone in the 6th round it generally means you're not too high on them.
...so that no one else can....TOM BRADY.....TERRELL DAVIS....
There, usurped.
Brodie I agree with you. Hart was good for Michigan, not good enough for NFL.
Why do people fail to grasp that Tom Brady was drafted with the expectation that he'd never see the field? He succeeded early on because of the system he was in, it fostered his development because experience is the greatest way to get better. Davis was a total product of the Denver system that turns Olandis Gary into a thousand yard rusher.
A draft steal is only a steal because nobody expects them to do anything.
my post was a pre-emptive strike against anyone trying to argue that Tom Brady and Terrell Davis prove you wrong. I agree with your premise.
I know, I was just waxing poetic on the subject.
when you wax poetic.
ew no, one hole at a time.
August 10th, 2009 at 11:09 AM ^
Terrell Davis was a product of the system? He's one of a handful of 2000 yard rushers in the history of the NFL. You can't write that off as being a product of a system.
Without Davis, Elway never wins a Super Bowl.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:56 PM ^
Davis was a very good running back, but let's just look at Denver's other RB's:
Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Rueben Droughns, Tatum Bell and Clinton Portis all managed to rush for over 1,000 yards in the Denver system.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:04 PM ^
How many of them stole their replacement's luggage when they got cut?
yeah i know. i'm giving you a hard time but that wasn't exactly a bold statement.
doesn't grow on trees. There isn't a college coach out there that wouldn't find or create a leading role for Mike Hart. I don't care about NFL stuff, though obviously I wish him the best.
True enough, don't think Hart ever broke a tackle here at Michigan and did he ever bust one over 10 yards?
Answer this question: given Hart's (relative lack of) speed, do you think he'd have gotten a starring role in a Rich Rod offense? He doesn't seem suited to this kind of offense the way Brown, Shaw, V. Smith or even Minor is (at least Minor has some breakaway speed and can break tackles)
I think this has been discussed before.
http://mgoblog.com/content/mike-hart-rrs-offense
but he'll be out of the league before his rookie contact is up
(barring injury)
Yeah, Mike really isn't cut out for the NFL. I actually think he could be a star in the CFL, but he probably won't go that route.
He's a smart player, a fantastic blocker, and a tireless worker. He'll surely never be a superstar in the NFL (or even a regular starter), but I certainly think he can be an effective situational back in the NFL, and a regular contributor on special teams. We all know he'll bust his ass to try and make it happen. I'm not sure it's fair to say he's not "cut out" for the NFL. He's not of the ideal build for the NFL, but that doesn't mean he can't make it.
[edited out because whining about being negged is lame]
The reason I think Hart will struggle to stay on a roster is because he's not really a special teams contributor.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:54 PM ^
If he could play special teams he would have last year.
Nobody cares how hard you work or how smart you are in the NFL if it doesn't translate to the field.
Look at this objectively - Hart is a late round draft pick. That's a mark against him to begin with because it puts him behind the others off the bat since he won't get the same quality or number of reps.
He wasn't a special teams contributor, as you think he could be, so there's another chance to prove his value gone.
He isn't fast.
He has injury issues. When he actually got a chance last year due to injuries ahead of him, he promptly got injured himself. Bad luck? Sure. Is that going to matter to the front office? No.
If Hart hasn't made his mark in some tangible way ON THE FIELD - not in the hearts and souls of Michigan fans who want to see him do well - then he will be gone. After the rookie contract, his minimum salary goes up. Then the Colts can either pay him more, or draft another 6th round back to replace him. In a salary cap league, which option do you think they'll go for?
Lot of camp notes i read said that Mike was the clear cut number three behind brown and addai. If he stays healthy he will see carries.
....but if the Titanic didn't hit an iceberg, it'd have crossed the Atlantic.
If your aunt had balls she'd be your uncle.
Yea and my sister has a brother but i dont...
He'll be back at practice this week per the Indianapolis Star so it must not be too bad.
And you can't underestimate heart (no pun intended). I've watched a lot of football and don't know if I've ever seen anyone run as hard. So star in the NFL? No. But solid and consistent contributor? Absolutely.
And keep in mind that since his rookie year Addai has been very average. And Brown is a rookie. It's not like Hart has all of these great RBs ahead of him. The opportunity is there and Hart is the kind of kid who knows how to take advantage of opportunity.
I really hope he does. It's great to have all these former Michigan players in Indianapolis.
The offensive line cannot run the ball. In a scrimmage they had 30 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Mike Hart was injured all last year and now got hurt. Brown is going to split carries.
I agree with Brodie, he will probably be out of the league soon.
I agree with you about the Colts O line. That probably explains, at least in part, Addai's steadily decreasing production. And it's not like the Colts D are a bunch of great run stuffers so those stats are even more lame than they sound! However, I disagree that Hart will be out of the league soon.
You said:
I've watched a lot of football and don't know if I've ever seen anyone run as hard.
I say:
I went to Minnesota Vikings training camp last week. Mike Hart does not compare to Adrian Peterson.
I also grew up watching the Detroit Lions in the 90s. Mike Hart does not compare to Barry Sanders.
I remember watching Bo Jackson in his heyday. Mike Hart does not compare to Bo Jackson.
I am a huge Michigan fan, but we have to be realistic: Hart is slow, is short, and is injury-prone. Those are not indicators for long-term success in the NFL.
Mike Hart is not even the best running back to play for Michigan. I'm not sure why people here overvalue him so much... at the most he's Ron Dayne without the power or size.
None of your points are relevant to my opinion that Mike Hart runs as hard as any RB I've ever watched. I never compared him to the NFL greats you mention.
Brodie, while there have certainly been more "talented" RBs at Michigan, most rushing yards at UM in a career is an accomplishment that really does not need further explanation.
It does need an explanation. He was a four year starter... was Biakabutuka? Was Wheatly? Was Tom Harmon or Billy Taylor?
he's penalized for stepping in (and being able to play) as a true freshman because nobody ahead of him could hold onto the football? That's a silly argument. He took advantage of the opportunity presented and ran for more yards than anyone else who has ever strapped on the winged helmet. Good enough for me.
I'm not penalizing him, I'm just saying it's like saying Billy Sims (who averaged 4.5 yards per carry in his 5 years) wasn't as good as Eddie George because George rushed for twice as many yards. Mike had the advantage of an extra year (or two) as a starter, his stats are biased when compared to players who only started for two or three years.
Simultaneous post
Hart was injured most of his sophomore and senior season and he still beasted the stats..He also rarely fumbled and when he did, he would recover it. (minus the florida game, he went basically his whole career at michigan without fumbling). I think he was one ofthe best overall RB in michigan history...he didnt have the explosiveness of others but he was a trusted player and u would always feel confident on handing him the ball.
Don't think Brody was attempting to penalize Hart, merely point out that he had more years in which to accumulate yards than other stand-out Michigan RBs. Not to take anything away from Mike Hart's illustrious career, but give me enough years of eligibility (say 75) and I can give his career yardage record a run for its money.
In fairness, Mike Hart was a four year starter partly because he was GOOD ENOUGH to be a four year starter. He earned playing time over David Underwood and Jerome Jackson (among others) and kept the starting job when people like Kevin Grady, Brandon Minor, and Carlos Brown arrived.
You can't knock him for being the most talented runner on the team for four consecutive years.
It's not really a knock, it's just putting his stats into context.
Maybe you can't underestimate heart, but you can overestimate it.