... I keep saying this: It's not that Akers is too small.
He's almost the exact same size as one of the most punishing backs I've ever watched play football.
"Beastmode" Marshawn Lynch could accelerate and slash through a tight crease and knock people out of the way, or flat-out truck them and knock them straight back, or staright-arm them to the ground in the open field when they got close. He finished more runs that I can count falling forward for an extra yard or emerging from a pile for three, and leaving us wondering: "How'd he get through there?" I don't see Akers doing much of that.
Soft hands, could catch and run, but the Seahawks system didn't utilize that part of his game much. As a pass blocker he flat-out enjoyed hitting people. MIked up once he came back to the bench saying, "Hey, did you see me pancake that _____?" The oine great block the writer claims to have seen from Akers doesn't nake a consistent portfolio. Williams is better in pass pro - that's part of why he was hired.
Beastmode did it all at the same weight as Akers. The difference is Akers plays smaller than his size. He played bigger when he came back late last year. Will it stick?
There was more "wrong" with Akers than an Achilles injury. You don't quit on your team when it's in crisis over a "difference in philosophy" with the head coach. Has he had a personal epiphany that has resulted in his getting over himself? Can Akers be trusted not to quit on the team again?
I want to see if Cam will still bear down when everything isn't going his way. I want to see whether the team can count on him in a crunch. Right now I'm unsure.
I also want to see if he can stay on the field. I have some doubts there, too.
What I've seen from Z. Evans so far is that he's faster, stronger, and has more sheer football moxie and instincts now, albeit as a rookie who doesn't know the playbook, etc. than I've seen from Akers so far in his career.
The competition will be interesting. I want to see a better back for the Rams in 2023 than we've had in Cam Akers so far.
