Jawan Jamison is in many ways another Alfred Morris-like story waiting to happen.
Whereas Alfred Morris is a slower model of Walter Payton, Jawan Jamison is a slower Barry Saunders knock-off model.
At 5'7" 200 pounds, this guy is a powerful small package. What I like best about him is his one-cut running, his ability to juke defenders in the open field, his ability to stay hidden behind the offensive line until it's too late, and the fact that the only way you can tackle him is by the ankles or a gang tackle. I believe he is faster than his 40 time suggests, especially given that his last year in school he ran with ankle problems.
Here's how he compares to Alfred:
1) Likeability and heart ‒ you want a guy the offensive line likes and is ready to die for. That was the John Riggins lesson. While Alfred is as likeable a football player as it gets, Jamison left school for the pros to help support his sick mom. That puts him in a rare class.
For me, every single Alfred Morris run is like watching a Rocky movie – pure heart and determination against the odds. Jamison isn't quite like that, but he is on a great mission that isn't far off.
2) Durability ‒ Jamison is pretty solid. I don't know of too many 5'7" guys that bench 220 pounds 20 times. The key point of his durability is that Chris Thompson and Roy Helu are not guys you give the rock 20 plus times a game. Jamison is really the only legitimate durable Morris backup in the mix, that's why he makes the team (plus we will see him run 100 yard plus games in the preseason).
3) Screen game/passing game ‒ Jamison is great for screen passes out the backfield (though note the Redskins, except on bootlegs, were horrible at screen passes last year). He's also a great blocker and can even pass the ball.
Jamison is a faster runner than Alfred Morris.
Where Jamison will suffer is that he is relatively easy to tackle in the backfield. That is the weakness of his game and he will be dependent upon the total effectiveness of the offensive line off the line. We are spoiled by Alfred Morris in his ability to almost always break the first tackle so we did not have to watch him get tackled in the backfield.
Of course the biggest weakness for Jamison breaking out is that Alfred is already on the team, so his carries will be limited in comparison. Don't be surprised to see Jamison moving the chains 20 plus yards at a time a couple times a game, which is a gigantic success by any standard and would make him an Alfred Morris story in his own right.
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