Joe Cribbs = Devin Singeltary

[Stallions]

I know Cribbs played in the 80's.  He was 5-11 and 190 lbs.  His career average rushing after 8 years in the NFL was 4.1 Y/A.  He also caught 224 passes and averaged 9.5 yards per reception.  BUT - during his 5 years with the Bills he fumbled 44 times with only 6 recovered.

 

Devin is 5'7" and 203 lbs.  He is now averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt.  He's caught 17 passes for a 7.2 Y/R.

 

I see the similarities in their running styles.  Quick, tough to bring down and great moves to avoid tackles. 

 

 

[Saint Doug]

What about the fumbles! Tell me about the fumbles!

[Doc]

Don't you mean Devin Singletary=Joe Cribbs?  Minus the fumbles, that is.

[Big Turk]

Umm, i think Singletary has a chance to be better than Cribbs

[klos63]

10 minutes ago, Stallions said:

I know Cribbs played in the 80's.  He was 5-11 and 190 lbs.  His career average rushing after 8 years in the NFL was 4.1 Y/A.  He also caught 224 passes and averaged 9.5 yards per reception.  BUT - during his 5 years with the Bills he fumbled 44 times with only 6 recovered.

 

Devin is 5'7" and 203 lbs.  He is now averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt.  He's caught 17 passes for a 7.2 Y/R.

 

I see the similarities in their running styles.  Quick, tough to bring down and great moves to avoid tackles. 

 

 

I do not remember him fumbling that much. That's an absurd amount.

[Bobby Hooks]

I’m not sure what this thread is trying to convey. Are you just comparing the skill sets and didn’t mean to make the fumble thing stand out as much as it did or what? 

 

Kinda started one way and felt like there was a build up to something with zero payoff. 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Bobby Hooks

[Helpmenow]

Cribbs could catch the ball. 

[Stank_Nasty]

1 minute ago, klos63 said:

I do not remember him fumbling that much. That's an absurd amount.

It’s even more absurd only 6 got recovered by the defense.... am I reading that right? 

[klos63]

Just now, Stank_Nasty said:

It’s even more absurd only 6 got recovered by the defense.... am I reading that right? 

I just checked his stats, he fumbled 16 in his rookie season. WOW

[finn]

Singletary reminds me more of Thurman Thomas. Same low center of gravity, shiftiness, patience, and knack for repositioning his feet under his body. Neither had/have breakaway speed, both adept catching the ball, although Thurman probably was better in that respect. He was also three inches taller. Same weight, though. The coaches seem concerned Singletary can't handle a full load, but he had a million carries in college, and he has plenty of weight on that short body. Tough to tackle. A promising back. 

[Alphadawg7]

I feel like this thread has really set the bar low for Singletary.  He has much more potential than Joe Cribbs.  

[Helpmenow]

5 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I feel like this thread has really set the bar low for Singletary.  He has much more potential than Joe Cribbs.  

You never saw cribbs play then.

[BADOLBILZ]

10 minutes ago, Helpmenow said:

You never saw cribbs play then.

 

 

There were a lot of GREAT RB's in the NFL back then but Cribbs was a real star.

 

 The second best RB in the AFC behind Earl Campbell in the 4 years before he signed with the USFL as a free agent.     

[Stank_Nasty]

34 minutes ago, klos63 said:

I just checked his stats, he fumbled 16 in his rookie season. WOW

Holy crap. That’s absurd 

[Solomon Grundy]

Cribbs was nice!!

[DRA3196]

46 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Umm, i think Singletary has a chance to be better than Cribbs

Motor is playing with a lot more talent around him and a competent coaching staff. Same thing can't be said for Cribbs.

[Tcali]

i think their talent level is similar.But they are nothing alike as far as RBs go. Cribbs  was smoother more fluid classic style RB.

Singletary is way lower to the ground and his style is more explosive.

 

Cribbs burned out by playing in the NFL then the USFL and then back to the NFL..in just a  couple years.He was never near the same.He looked exhausted.

he had 4 excellent yrs but was over the hill/burned out by age 27.

 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

57 minutes ago, Stallions said:

I know Cribbs played in the 80's.  He was 5-11 and 190 lbs.  His career average rushing after 8 years in the NFL was 4.1 Y/A.  He also caught 224 passes and averaged 9.5 yards per reception.  BUT - during his 5 years with the Bills he fumbled 44 times with only 6 recovered.

 

Devin is 5'7" and 203 lbs.  He is now averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt.  He's caught 17 passes for a 7.2 Y/R.

 

I see the similarities in their running styles.  Quick, tough to bring down and great moves to avoid tackles. 

 

 

I actually have thought the same thing while watching Singletary. Cribbs was a good football player, didn't have breakaway speed, but could catch and make people miss and cut on a dime like Devin. Good call!

[Tcali]

1 minute ago, DRA3196 said:

Motor is playing with a lot more talent around him and a competent coaching staff. Same thing can't be said for Cribbs.

uhhh...not really true when he had his good seasons in Buffalo.

The Bills early 80s team was better than this present team.And he was coached by Chuck Knox.You think McDermott is a better coach than Chuck Knox??/-no sane person believes that.

[Ray Finkel]

45 minutes ago, finn said:

Singletary reminds me more of Thurman Thomas. Same low center of gravity, shiftiness, patience, and knack for repositioning his feet under his body. Neither had/have breakaway speed, both adept catching the ball, although Thurman probably was better in that respect. He was also three inches taller. Same weight, though. The coaches seem concerned Singletary can't handle a full load, but he had a million carries in college, and he has plenty of weight on that short body. Tough to tackle. A promising back. 

They also both use the jump cut.  

[row_33]

43 minutes ago, Helpmenow said:

You never saw cribbs play then.

don’t try to inject facts into their emotional fantasies 

 

if Singletary signs a contract with another league while under contract in the NFL, then he is for sure another Cribbs.

 

 

[njbuff]

If you wanna compare DS to a RB from the 80’s............

 

Joe Morris is the better comparison.

Edited November 27, 2019 by njbuff

[Niagara Dude]

1 hour ago, Stallions said:

I know Cribbs played in the 80's.  He was 5-11 and 190 lbs.  His career average rushing after 8 years in the NFL was 4.1 Y/A.  He also caught 224 passes and averaged 9.5 yards per reception.  BUT - during his 5 years with the Bills he fumbled 44 times with only 6 recovered.

 

Devin is 5'7" and 203 lbs.  He is now averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt.  He's caught 17 passes for a 7.2 Y/R.

 

I see the similarities in their running styles.  Quick, tough to bring down and great moves to avoid tackles. 

 

 

No because was a breakaway back

[Stallions]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

Don't you mean Devin Singletary=Joe Cribbs?  Minus the fumbles, that is.

Until Devin goes to 3 Pro-Bowls the title stays the same!!!

[billsbackto81]

8 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I feel like this thread has really set the bar low for Singletary.  He has much more potential than Joe Cribbs.  

Cribbs was a heck of a back and my favorite Bill when I was a teen, hence the username billsbackto81. Sure, he didn't see eye to eye with the organization but he was quite the dual threat player in his time. Hoping Devin will be better but a "Cribbs" type player is not a bad place to start.

Edited November 27, 2019 by billsbackto81

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Stallions said:

I know Cribbs played in the 80's.  He was 5-11 and 190 lbs.  His career average rushing after 8 years in the NFL was 4.1 Y/A.  He also caught 224 passes and averaged 9.5 yards per reception.  BUT - during his 5 years with the Bills he fumbled 44 times with only 6 recovered.

 

Devin is 5'7" and 203 lbs.  He is now averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt.  He's caught 17 passes for a 7.2 Y/R.

 

I see the similarities in their running styles.  Quick, tough to bring down and great moves to avoid tackles. 

 

 

I don’t see one similarity in their running style.  Literally not one 

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I feel like this thread has really set the bar low for Singletary.  He has much more potential than Joe Cribbs.  

And you’re serious?

Cribbs was pretty special.  More special than most of this threads contributors realize. Sad that this isn’t known on a Bills board. 

[Buftex]

1 hour ago, matter2003 said:

Umm, i think Singletary has a chance to be better than Cribbs

Singletary has a ways to go, before I would say that..though I like him a lot.  Cribbs was a fantastic football player.

6 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I don’t see one similarity in their running style.  Literally not one 

And you’re serious?

Cribbs was pretty special.  More special than most of this threads contributors realize. Sad that this isn’t known on a Bills board. 

I think a lot of people only remember that Cribbs bolted the Bills for the USFL.  That seems to taint their opinion of him.  Ralph really ruined a good thing in the early 80's.  I've been watching Bills football since 1972...in that time, only OJ and Thurman were better running backs for us.  If his career hadn't got jacked up with contract BS, he may have given Thurman a run for his money.

Edited November 27, 2019 by Buftex

[Stallions]

55 minutes ago, row_33 said:

don’t try to inject facts into their emotional fantasies 

 

if Singletary signs a contract with another league while under contract in the NFL, then he is for sure another Cribbs.

 

 

WOW - what a comment!  Absolutely dumb!

[mramefa]

13 minutes ago, Buftex said:

Singletary has a ways to go, before I would say that..though I like him a lot.  Cribbs was a fantastic football player.

I haven't seen it mentioned here, but Singletary is number one in YPC this season among all running backs in the NFL (https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/rushing-yards-per-attempt).

 

Nearly 6 yards per carry is crazy. All he has to do is keep up current production.

Edited November 27, 2019 by nrenegar

[Big Turk]

18 minutes ago, Buftex said:

Singletary has a ways to go, before I would say that..though I like him a lot.  Cribbs was a fantastic football player.

I think a lot of people only remember that Cribbs bolted the Bills for the USFL.  That seems to taint their opinion of him.  Ralph really ruined a good thing in the early 80's.  I've been watching Bills football since 1972...in that time, only OJ and Thurman were better running backs for us.  If his career hadn't got jacked up with contract BS, he may have given Thurman a run for his money.

How fantastic can you be if you fumbled 44 times?  Dude would have been out of the league in a year in today's era.

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, Helpmenow said:

You never saw cribbs play then.

 

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

don’t try to inject facts into their emotional fantasies 

 

if Singletary signs a contract with another league while under contract in the NFL, then he is for sure another Cribbs.

 

 

 

48 minutes ago, billsbackto81 said:

Cribbs was a heck of a back and my favorite Bill when I was a teen. Sure, he didn't see eye to eye with the organization but he was quite the dual threat player in his time. Hoping Devin will be better but a "Cribbs" type player is not a bad place to start.

 

19 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I don’t see one similarity in their running style.  Literally not one 

And you’re serious?

Cribbs was pretty special.  More special than most of this threads contributors realize. Sad that this isn’t known on a Bills board. 

1 - I was born in 76.  So I was young when Cribbs was I guess at his best.
 

2- I was born and raised in CA.  So I remember the latter half of his career, especially the 49ers part.  
 

So gonna have to excuse me if I don’t have the perfect recollection of him...but I still say this feels like selling Singletary’s overall career potential short.  5000 career yards and a gazillion fumbles in a running era doesn’t have me feeling like this is a good bar for Singletary.  
 

I just think Devin has a higher ceiling than that.  

 

[DRA3196]

1 hour ago, Tcali said:

uhhh...not really true when he had his good seasons in Buffalo.

The Bills early 80s team was better than this present team.And he was coached by Chuck Knox.You think McDermott is a better coach than Chuck Knox??/-no sane person believes that.

To answer your question regarding if I think That McDermott is better than Chuck Knox. I do. Simply by comparing their win/loss records after 2 full seasons and 11 games in Buffalo. Knox's record is 20 wins 23 losses no playoff appearance through the first two seasons. McDermott has a 23 wins and 20 loss record with 1 playoff appearance. Knox's body of work is greater than McDermott's up to this point, simply because he has been a HC longer and he had some great seasons with the Rams. But when comparing their time with the Bills. I believe that McDermott is a better coach.

 

as a side note. I also believe that we have more talent now on this team then what was on the team during Cribbs early years with the Bills. But that is comparing apples to oranges. Since The era's are so different. But for that time there was a lot of talent on the team when Joe was drafted.

[NewEra]

15 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

 

 

1 - I was born in 76.  So I was young when Cribbs was I guess at his best.
 

2- I was born and raised in CA.  So I remember the latter half of his career, especially the 49ers part.  
 

So gonna have to excuse me if I don’t have the perfect recollection of him...but I still say this feels like selling Singletary’s overall career potential short.  5000 career yards and a gazillion fumbles in a running era doesn’t have me feeling like this is a good bar for Singletary.  
 

I just think Devin has a higher ceiling than that.  

 

I forgive you.  You’re selling Cribbs short. Sure, Singletary could be a HoFer, super bowl

champion and all pro 10 straight years.  That just means that Cribbs would’ve been all that and more if he had played with the same teams Singletary played with imo.

 

to my (bias) eye, Cribbs was a special running back and in another league than Singletary. Career NFL stats are little indication how good Cribbs was

[34-78-83]

Cribbs was indeed a very good back and I have often thought this season that their patience in the hole seems very similar. Although they are not identical, Cribbs was the first other Bills back I was reminded of when watching Singletary and the way he carries himself on the field.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

2 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I feel like this thread has really set the bar low for Singletary.  He has much more potential than Joe Cribbs.  

Cribbs was a great player.  A great dual threat player.  We will be lucky if Singletary is as good as Cribbs

[ComradeKayAdams]

33 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I don’t see one similarity in their running style.  Literally not one 

And you’re serious?

Cribbs was pretty special.  More special than most of this threads contributors realize. Sad that this isn’t known on a Bills board. 

 

Very sad. Cribbs was arguably the 4th greatest RB in franchise history, only behind OJ and Thurman and Cookie (in that order). And that's really saying something, coming from a franchise well-known for finding good RB's (highest percentage of 1k+ yard RB seasons among all 32 NFL franchises).

[ComradeKayAdams]

54 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

How fantastic can you be if you fumbled 44 times?  Dude would have been out of the league in a year in today's era.

 

That's just it. Different era, different rules, different statistical expectations. Turnovers in general were more prolific in the old days. For example: look up the interception rates of Kemp, Ferguson, Kelly, etc... all QB busts, right?

[JustWinPlease]

?

[Thurman#1]

3 hours ago, Stallions said:

I know Cribbs played in the 80's.  He was 5-11 and 190 lbs.  His career average rushing after 8 years in the NFL was 4.1 Y/A.  He also caught 224 passes and averaged 9.5 yards per reception.  BUT - during his 5 years with the Bills he fumbled 44 times with only 6 recovered.

 

Devin is 5'7" and 203 lbs.  He is now averaging 5.8 yards per rushing attempt.  He's caught 17 passes for a 7.2 Y/R.

 

I see the similarities in their running styles.  Quick, tough to bring down and great moves to avoid tackles. 

 

 

 

 

Who recovers fumbles is just luck. Cribbs was just unlucky in terms of recoveries.

 

As for fumbling, it can be a good play by the defense or a bad play by the RB or both.

 

Cribbs had a ton of fumbles his first two years (16 and 12). After that, he cleaned it up.

[Locomark]

He better be better than Cribbs!! Cribbs was hot for 3 years and than was pretty much a non factor after age 25.  We need Devin to be a factor for at least 7–10 years.