Originally posted by Novus
Are there any Elusive HBs that do well in WL? And no, don't bring me your NatPro MVPs, because the graveyards are filled with dots that DOMINATED NatPro but did fuck-all if they ever reached WL, so big NatPro seasons mean nothing for answering my question.
The reason I ask is that when I was assembling the latest version of the Palookas to start S81 in Rookie, we had a rousing internal debate about whether or not to bother with an Elusive HB. I checked all the Season 80 WL Elusive HBs and couldn't find a single one that was doing well, or had ever done well in prior WL seasons. (They all DOMINATED NatPro, of course.) In the end, we went with an Elusive HB anyway, but we tried to build him differently than the other Elusive WL HBs.
But maybe some Elusive HBs have succeeded in WL since then? Pics, or it didn't happen.Mine did ok as a runner but excelled as a returner. That said, I see a LOT of teams doing everything they can to take away EVERYTHING outside... Runs, passes, everything. The best teams can shut down RQB's and EHB's on the outside runs and take away your screen passes (even make them dangerous). It's why PHB's tend to dominate the landscape. You can always seem to get a few yards up the gut but outside runs are, at best, a coin flip as to whether you get positive or negative yardage. I've used EHB's on outside runs but it's something I do in a very limited fashion and only because I want defenses to play me straight up and not sit on one play or one type of play. But most of my running success comes from between the tackles. EHB's, if you build them to run inside, do fine... even succeed if really done right. But you cannot run wimps inside so they'd better have carrying and strength or you're gonna get little yards and even more fumbles than you like. Maybe I'm alone in this thinking but a good EHB should have a minimum of 50 strength and 90 carrying. It's still a deadly weapon if used wisely and if it busts into the secondary after an up the middle run, then I like my chances with spin and juke and all my elusive weapons against LB's and DB's. Especially with good speed.