Isaac Redman: He’s not that guy

Read through the comments following Sunday’s game.  You will find a significant number of complaints about Rashard Mendenhall dancing around behind the line of scrimmage.  Following those complaints, you'll find that the preferred tactic for our backfield artillery is to put helmets low and drive the pile.  To add insult to Mendenhall’s 2.1 ypc injury, fans here have suggested that Isaac Redman would have been the better ox with which to plow the oil field.

I just don’t see it.  Redman simply is not that guy.

The comment that provoked this piece is one where Redman is named in the same breath as Jerome Bettis.  At 6’ even and 230 lbs, Redman fits the physical profile for a downhill power back.  That’s probably the first thing that gets fans thinking of him as a bruiser.  Next would be the fact that Sir Isaac is no stranger to contact.  He is not easy to bring down. That is where the qualifications end, though.  Redman simply does not move like a power back.

So, what is he?  Looking at film from what appears to be highschool and college, we get an idea of the kind of plays where Redman thrives.  (My apologies for the profanity in the musical accompaniment and also the poor video quality.  There’s simply not that much film available.)

Take note of the play that begins at around the 1:05 mark.  Redman gets sideswiped near the line and a second time after bouncing away from the first tackler.  Both defenders fail to wrap him up.  Redman uses the space available to his left, then his right in order to disengage from the tackles.  He doesn’t power through.  He bounces off.

The very next play in that reel starts around 1:35.  In this play, we see our young hero dance (dance?) around four defenders before he gets past the line of scrimmage.  He accomplishes this feat by stopping... abruptly.  In fact, he stops so fast in front of the first defender, you can see him slide forward with both feet in the turf.  Are we sure this is the guy we want hitting holes that don’t exist?

Next play?  He runs through a big hole untouched.  About twenty yards downfield, he dodges a tackler... by stopping.

At 2:22, we see more bouncing.  At 3:27, we see Redman doing his spin routine.  4:29 is one of my favorites.  It seems like he is simply benefiting from the poor tackling skills of his opponent, but when you look carefully, you’ll see that he is actually very good at picking up his feet and making sure no one can wrap him up.

There’s only so much we can learn from old footage.  Redman is now a journeyman player in the NFL.  He isn’t supposed to play like a college back.  But, before we leave this video, let’s pause for a quiz.  Go back and count the number of times you see young Isaac pop upright in order to dodge a tackler.  I counted 19.

Next, The Ghost of Runningbacks Past takes us to the preseason 14 that so endeared Redman to Steelers fans.

The first one has Redman bouncing off a would-be tackler and into the endzone.  The second has him hit the hole and crumple when he connects with something solid.  I believe it’s Sherrod #84 who gets into the mix and makes it possible for Redman to fall across the line.  Still no evidence of him moving the pile.

This last one is Redman’s catch and run to put the Purple Brown’s where they belong.  More twisting and bouncing.  We are now a few seasons deep into his NFL career and he’s still getting yards with glancing blows and spins.

There’s more footage out there.  I’ve looked through quite a bit.  I have yet to find Redman bullying the line in the manner his physical attributes would suggest.  The biggest hit I watched him deliver was to a college game referee.  He is something special.  He’s just not a battering ram.

All that still leaves many questions about what sort of runner he is.  

In the past, and as recently as this afternoon, I’ve described #33 as something like a pinball.  He bounces off defenders and is constantly in motion.  He works best in space, where he can shift from side to side, or even backward.  He leans into tacklers, then spins or bounces away from them.  By that, I mean that he uses the threat of contact while minimizing the actual hit.  Even his own blockers become tools for him to bounce off.  It’s not easy for defenders to figure out which direction he intends to go.

Redman also protects his feet.  As mentioned above, he often high-steps to keep his lower legs free from defenders’ hands.  It seems like the defense just doesn’t know how to tackle, but Redman is is only giving them one leg to grab ahold of.  When they get that one leg, his body mass provides the momentum to pull that leg out and either fall forward or keep moving.

Lastly, there is his ability to shed a grip.  If someone gets a hold of his jersee or one of his arms, Redman simply turns in the direction he is being pulled and then twists hard to  free himself.  He runs loose.  Until he is clear of the defenders, it looks like he is moving in slow motion.  Because he isn’t moving at top speed, it is difficult to unbalance him.  Balance is another strong suit for the most interesting 3rd down back.

About the only thing that reliably stops Sir Isaac is when someone gets directly in front of him.  Which is not what you want from a bus-style running back.