Hardesty Officially a Bust?

[next2nothing]

Is it fair to label him as a bust now?

He was a 2nd rounder who missed his whole first year due to another ACL injury. This year he's only played 7 games. Heard today on the radio he is missing practice again today over that calf injury that the Browns claimed "didn't feel right to him".

I think he may have tweaked it in warmups because it looked like he was all suited up when he was sitting on the bench in the coat before kickoff. That's just my opinion though.

The guy just can't stay healthy and when he's had his chances he hasn't shown any flashes of being a good runner. No burst. Not much in terms of breaking tackles. I think they cut ties with him in the offseason.

[Vegasdogg]

Greg Little has shown no burst or playmaking ability either - should we cut him as well? We spend a 2nd round pick on a WR that is basically a sexed up Brian Brennan.

Hardesty will compete next year for a RB spot. Why the fuck do you need to cut ties with him without giving him a shot?

When the wheels come off of Browns fans, they really come off......

[Inspecta]

to be fair Veg, in almost 2 years he's played 7 games, and has yet to score a TD for us. Just asking the question isn't out of the question. Considering his injury history, it's a valid question....

[next2nothing]

Originally Posted by Vegasdogg

Greg Little has shown no burst or playmaking ability either - should we cut him as well? We spend a 2nd round pick on a WR that is basically a sexed up Brian Brennan.

Hardesty will compete next year for a RB spot. Why the fuck do you need to cut ties with him without giving him a shot?

When the wheels come off of Browns fans, they really come off......

Lol what wheels?

I'm just offering up the question, no need for the rudeness. I'm saying my opinion that's it. Not telling everyone what they should think. Chill out.

I made the thread to get other opinions on Hardesty, not for an asshole response.

[hiwaygal]

Despite what the "grumpy bastard" thinks, I've been thinking Hardesty is a bust since the beginning of the season.

I held back a bit after hearing some of the guys here talking about how hard it is to come back after the ACL injury. Fair enough...let's give him a chance.

But he can't stay healthy. And if I remember correctly, this was a concern when we drafted him. This is just from one quick search on scouting reports:

After sputtering along his first three years at Tennessee, Hardesty came on a senior. He ran for 1,308 yards on hte year and 12 touchdowns. Hardest ran for 2,536 yards in his career on 560 attempts (4.5 avg.). Also had 26 career rushing touchdowns. Finished with 38 career receptions for 405 yards and a touchdown. Twenty-five of his receptions came in 2009.
Hardesty's best asset is his power. He won't outrun many opponents, but he can run through them. He rates as high as he does because he combines his power with pass catching ability.
Still, he has an injury history that can't be ignored. Had a stress fracture in 2008, missed a lot of time in 2007 with ankle sprains and tore his ACL in high school. You also have to question Hardesty's ordinary play until his senior year.

IMO he's a bust.

[JewDago]

it's hard to say that he's officially a bust because ACL injuries take two years to fully come back from. during the first year, yes, he can run, but he won't have regained whatever explosiveness he did (or didn't, which i think is more likely) have in college.

however, while brittle running backs aren't long for the league, guys in FA are normally way past their prime. we may already be losing hillis next year, and though we could get brandon jackson back, he, too, is abysmal. we don't need that position to be any thinner than it already is.

give hardesty at least next year's preseason, then gauge whether he's as terrible as we think he is.

but it's not looking good.

[Vegasdogg]

You proposed cutting ties with a 2nd round draft pick who has admittedly not played enough to get a proper read on. Hurt his knee in 2010 and missed the season. Hurt his calf this year and missed a lot of games. You want to cut ties with a 2nd round guy you admit you don't have a read on simply because ..... you don't have a read on him?

You don't cut ties with Hardesty until you have a better replacement, and more importantly until he has a proper chance to bust. A third year of missing 10 games would/might be a better time for discussion.

Cut ties? Just cut the guy outright? What kind of roster management is that supposed to be?

[next2nothing]

Originally Posted by Vegasdogg

You proposed cutting ties with a 2nd round draft pick who has admittedly not played enough to get a proper read on. Hurt his knee in 2010 and missed the season. Hurt his calf this year and missed a lot of games. You want to cut ties with a 2nd round guy you admit you don't have a read on simply because ..... you don't have a read on him?

You don't cut ties with Hardesty until you have a better replacement, and more importantly until he has a proper chance to bust. A third year of missing 10 games would/might be a better time for discussion.

Cut ties? Just cut the guy outright? What kind of roster management is that supposed to be?

To clear things up I wasn't trying to start any feuds with my thread.

Maybe it is too early to start bringing up the term bust but when we traded up into the 2nd in order to grab him and in two years he's played in 7 games with less then desirable numbers... it starts to creep into my head. Yes, no one has a read on Hardesty, but there's a difference between not getting shots and not being healthy enough to get a shot.

Better replacement? IF Hillis comes back he's our starter and whoever the 2nd RB is will have to touch the ball maybe 10 times a game. If Hillis doesn't come back then... well that's a whole different situation.

Tell you what... I'll give Hardesty the benefit of the doubt and give him next year if he's still with the team but it doesn't look good as of now.

[King of Kings]

No doubt about it, he's one expensive fucking bust.

[Vegasdogg]

Originally Posted by next2nothing

Tell you what... I'll give Hardesty the benefit of the doubt and give him next year if he's still with the team but it doesn't look good as of now.

That is a sentiment that is shared by probably 80% of Browns fans. I don't think it is time yet to claim he has busted. Just because a 2nd rounder doesn't hit the scene like Chris Johnson did on TEN, doesn't mean it is time to call him a bust. Opportunities vs Production.

[Neo]

I know I will catch hell for this. I think he was a bust the minute we drafted him. If you knew the guy had durability issues, why draft him? I know if I was the one doing the drafting, I wouldn't have touched him. Call me crazy, but I like to get the most out of my draft picks. Drafting a guy with major durability issues is not getting the most out of your draft pick. [edit] Again, I hope he proves me wrong. I am not afraid to admit that I was wrong.

[next2nothing]

Originally Posted by Vegasdogg

That is a sentiment that is shared by probably 80% of Browns fans. I don't think it is time yet to claim he has busted. Just because a 2nd rounder doesn't hit the scene like Chris Johnson did on TEN, doesn't mean it is time to call him a bust. Opportunities vs Production.

Very true. I should have also taken into account that it takes a good amount of time to fully come back from an ACL, I know because I've had one. But that didn't pop into my head till it was too late lol.

If Hardesty explodes next year, stays healthy, and produces then I'll gladly admit I was wrong.