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Former OSU coach Pat Jones

Husker In Oklahoma

Husker In Oklahoma

All American
20 Year Member
Has his own radio show in Tulsa from 11-2 daily. Him and his host were talking about his NFL days. He started talking about Lawrence Phillips and how they had him in Miami. Pat said he was a good guy, just lots of demons in his soul. What caught my attention was this. He said, Lawrence was big and fast, and if there was a crease, he could hit it fast, and be off to the house, but he just couldn’t make the hard cuts. He said he and Jimmy Johnson (one of his lifelong friends) would talk about how he was so talented, but they were surpraised about his lack of cutting ability. Pat even mentioned he was familiar with Lawrence because he faced him at Nebraska in 1993 and 1994. I’m not saying Pat is wrong here, but I don’t remember Phillips not cutting while at Nebraska. In that Fiesta Bowl alone, he was a monster who made some massive cuts. Pat was at Miami from 1996-2003. Was LP possibly damaged goods (physically) when he got to Miami? I really don’t remember. That just caught my attention.
 

Husker In Oklahoma said:
Has his own radio show in Tulsa from 11-2 daily. Him and his host were talking about his NFL days. He started talking about Lawrence Phillips and how they had him in Miami. Pat said he was a good guy, just lots of demons in his soul. What caught my attention was this. He said, Lawrence was big and fast, and if there was a crease, he could hit it fast, and be off to the house, but he just couldn’t make the hard cuts. He said he and Jimmy Johnson (one of his lifelong friends) would talk about how he was so talented, but they were surpraised about his lack of cutting ability. Pat even mentioned he was familiar with Lawrence because he faced him at Nebraska in 1993 and 1994. I’m not saying Pat is wrong here, but I don’t remember Phillips not cutting while at Nebraska. In that Fiesta Bowl alone, he was a monster who made some massive cuts. Pat was at Miami from 1996-2003. Was LP possibly damaged goods (physically) when he got to Miami? I really don’t remember. That just caught my attention.
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It’s all relative. He wasnt Emmit Smith or Barry Sanders in that aspect so they have seen some great.
 
Husker In Oklahoma said:
Has his own radio show in Tulsa from 11-2 daily. Him and his host were talking about his NFL days. He started talking about Lawrence Phillips and how they had him in Miami. Pat said he was a good guy, just lots of demons in his soul. What caught my attention was this. He said, Lawrence was big and fast, and if there was a crease, he could hit it fast, and be off to the house, but he just couldn’t make the hard cuts. He said he and Jimmy Johnson (one of his lifelong friends) would talk about how he was so talented, but they were surpraised about his lack of cutting ability. Pat even mentioned he was familiar with Lawrence because he faced him at Nebraska in 1993 and 1994. I’m not saying Pat is wrong here, but I don’t remember Phillips not cutting while at Nebraska. In that Fiesta Bowl alone, he was a monster who made some massive cuts. Pat was at Miami from 1996-2003. Was LP possibly damaged goods (physically) when he got to Miami? I really don’t remember. That just caught my attention.
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Well I will give it a try.

Nebraska's offense really wasn't a cut back offense. Phillips favorite play, which is stated in one of the documentaries of the era, was the stretch zone. The ball would be handed of to him deep and he was able to pick a hole through the zone blocking. Not really a cut back play.

Contrast that with what Minnesota does now. Minnesota is an RPO team with the R portion is designed as cutback running. The play will flow rt or left and they are waiting for over pursuit so they can cut back under that pursuit.

Look at all of Minnesota's RB. They all look the same. They are all about 5'9" maybe 5'10" and about 205-210 built to be cutback runners. Phillips was taller 6' maybe 6'1" about 220. Not built to be a cutback runner. Shorter guys are better cut back runners.
 



NUinID said:
Well I will give it a try.

Nebraska's offense really wasn't a cut back offense. Phillips favorite play, which is stated in one of the documentaries of the era, was the stretch zone. The ball would be handed of to him deep and he was able to pick a hole through the zone blocking. Not really a cut back play.

Contrast that with what Minnesota does now. Minnesota is an RPO team with the R portion is designed as cutback running. The play will flow rt or left and they are waiting for over pursuit so they can cut back under that pursuit.

Look at all of Minnesota's RB. They all look the same. They are all about 5'9" maybe 5'10" and about 205-210 built to be cutback runners. Phillips was taller 6' maybe 6'1" about 220. Not built to be a cutback runner. Shorter guys are better cut back runners.
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Go watch the 42 yd TD run in the Fiesta Bowl. Definitely a cut or two. Also, on that zone handoff, there could be a cutback lane open up. See it all the time. You have 1/2 second to figure it out, and go.
 
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Husker In Oklahoma said:
Go watch the 46 yd TD run in the Fiesta Bowl. Definitely a cut or two. Also, on that zone handoff, there could be a cutback lane open up. See it all the time. You have 1/2 second to figure it out, and go.
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I am not going to argue with you about this. Of coarse he cut back some, but that doesn't mean he was really good at it.
 




LP mostly ran by or ran over people as I recall. He wasn’t a guy that broke a lot of ankles. In that respect, he was perfect for NU.
As @NUinID said above, he might not have fit some of those zone schemes in the NFL as well as he did TO’s offense. You can’t just run over everybody in the league, so it was probably most notable after he left NU.
 
In 1973 a classmate of mine got to sit in the press box for the spring game. He sat right next to Bob Devaney. On one play Bob mentioned. "Did you see that cut?" My classmate replied, " Where did he cut himself?"

Bob gave him that look and didn't talk to him the rest of the game. :)
 




Husker In Oklahoma said:
Has his own radio show in Tulsa from 11-2 daily. Him and his host were talking about his NFL days. He started talking about Lawrence Phillips and how they had him in Miami. Pat said he was a good guy, just lots of demons in his soul. What caught my attention was this. He said, Lawrence was big and fast, and if there was a crease, he could hit it fast, and be off to the house, but he just couldn’t make the hard cuts. He said he and Jimmy Johnson (one of his lifelong friends) would talk about how he was so talented, but they were surpraised about his lack of cutting ability. Pat even mentioned he was familiar with Lawrence because he faced him at Nebraska in 1993 and 1994. I’m not saying Pat is wrong here, but I don’t remember Phillips not cutting while at Nebraska. In that Fiesta Bowl alone, he was a monster who made some massive cuts. Pat was at Miami from 1996-2003. Was LP possibly damaged goods (physically) when he got to Miami? I really don’t remember. That just caught my attention.
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My recollection is that on occasion, Phillips would sometimes just not quite make the cuts. At times he was the greatest I'd ever seen and other times not quite what one would expect. Who are some of the greatest fundamental runners? Emmitt Smith is at the top. Rex Burkhead, while the definition of a journeyman, was pretty darn good. Yeah, LP was better than RB, but I am trying to talk about fundamental qualities.
 
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