New Member of the Practice Squad!

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 11, 2008 10:20 PM PDT

That those of you Northwest Pac-10 fans should know oh so very well:

Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard!

I saw it over at Seahawk Addicts, we released former UCLA DT Kevin Brown and grabbed Yvenson. Although I thought that Brown sounded like a nice prospect and there are some better options to release on the squad, I am really excited to see Bernard. This is the guy that I wanted the Hawks to draft as a prospect at the position after seeing him tear up some very good defenses. He is a pounding, relentless rusher who plays banged up, reminiscent of another former OSU back: Steven Jackson. He wasn't drafted because of a poor combine and a slow 40, but we all know that a 40 isn't an indication of skill. I'm pretty stoked to see him next pre-season.

Scruffy Add - Here is a highlight video

Yvenson Bernard 2006 Hi-Light (via isasports)

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Good PS addition

But wasn’t there some concern on Bernard’s workload in college? Kinda like Kevin Smith of the Lions.

by MFAN on Sep 11, 2008 11:38 PM PDT reply actions

876 carries in college, fwiw

by MFAN on Sep 11, 2008 11:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Nice.

This relieves the pain of letting Forsett go to some extent. I am not sure if he is as skilled a runner as Forsett but clearly is a more polished receiver. The fact that he has some experience as a returner of both kicks and punts is also nice. He is just a touch taller than Forsett, but nearly twenty pounds heavier. I could care less about the 40 time. A running back ALWAYS has to change direction, get bumped, stiff-arm someone, etc. to get more than 15 yards past the line so I don’t see how running straight and in spandex matters. The scouting report is that he hits the hole fast so thats good enough for me. I hope his injury woes are behind him though.

by michaelfox99 on Sep 12, 2008 6:55 AM PDT reply actions

IMO, puts the gnashing of teeth over Forsett in perspective

I’m sure the team preferred Forsett, and probably thought they’d sneak him back on the PS … but in the big picture, the NFL fringes are filled with players of similar skills/potential, and he’s relatively easy to replace. Holmgren’s never gonna play a rookie RB anyways, no matter how much they impress in preseason, so all they are is a body to take Mo’s reps in practice while he heals.

by jteckmann on Sep 12, 2008 8:57 AM PDT reply actions

If Bernard gets one snap as a pro...

I’ll be amazed. Good college player, total non-prospect. I previewed Bernard last fall, before he lumbered to a 4.81 40 at the combine.

In his final game with the Oregon State Beavers, Yvenson Bernard grinded out 38 carries, but made no receptions. That showdown versus the Maryland Terrapins is a microcosm of Bernard’s college career: A dangerously high number of carries and declining receiving numbers. In 11 healthy contests, Bernard averaged 24 carries in 2007. Over a 16 game NFL season, that pace would push him beyond the notorious 370 carry limit (384). For his career, Bernard has had 30+ rushes in 10 separate contests. In his first full season starting (2005), Bernard averaged 8.5 yards per reception. By 2007, his production had dropped to just 5 yards per reception. All this would be less concerning if Bernard wasn’t plagued by nagging injuries his senior season.

I would guess this is an appeasement and little else.

by John Morgan on Sep 12, 2008 9:32 AM PDT reply actions

But but but....I love this guy.

XBOX live gamertag: BANE509...I would die tonight for my beliefs.

by Christian on Sep 12, 2008 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions

ya

me too

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 12, 2008 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Good hands

Works well in space and uses blockers the right way.
That said he pushes zero piles and has no second gear like Forsett.
Man I want that one back

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 12, 2008 6:43 PM PDT reply actions

i remember him

pushing piles at OSU

he’d go into a bunch of contact and get 3-4 extra yards. i could be mistaken though…

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 12, 2008 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions

He fell forward good,

but he didn’t seem to knock anyone down to do it in the video. Just slipped by them, ala his good work in space.

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 12, 2008 11:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Easy to run behind a beaver dam

I’m pretty sure you could fit a midsize pick-up truck through most of those holes. Seriously. We should have added the 2006 Beaver offensive line to the practice squad. We wouldn’t be having any issue at RB if our O-line could open some holes. I am hoping that Chop will be the deciding factor this week.

What I didn’t see more than twice in the tape was a contact broken tackle. Definitely a finesse back.

He did make some moves in space, but I didn’t see him fool a single safety, which, is something you need to do in college if you are going to fool more agile LBs in the pros.

If you notice, many of the plays are cut before the end of the run and you can tell it is because he is about to get stopped by the safety.

Lastly, I can’t say that Stanford, Washington, Boise St., or Hawaii have been considered to be high caliber run defenses in the past few years. Show me him against some real defenders.

Yes, Forsett is now the starting KR & PR for the Colts.

Still broken hearted here,
: (

by Birdfeeder on Sep 13, 2008 4:09 AM PDT reply actions

wow starter on colts.

I’m so sad.

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 13, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions

you guys do realize

that the colts looked worse than us last week, right? they got whooped by a mediocre bears team at home…

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 13, 2008 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions

Yah

and…?

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 13, 2008 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions

well

it’s just that it seems like people are saying “he got cut by US but is now a starter on THE COLTS!!” like the colts are way better. people around here still consider them an elite team but not the hawks, and i think that both are great teams. it’s just something i noticed is all. don’t need to act like i’m stupid…

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 13, 2008 3:00 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't feel like I acted like you were stupid

You just have to qualify your statements.

Meanwhile….
I think the Colts are, more often than we are, a better team.
And a much more prestigious team too.
Forsett starting for them illustrates where our pitfalls are in our organization. That is, if he’s good enough for that team, why can’t he be for us? I think Forsett was the winner in this situation, I’d rather return kicks for Indie than Seattle because I’d get noticed more. We’ll see how he does though before I pass judgment fully on whether we totally fucked up.

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 13, 2008 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions

k

i guess, but i still don’t think that even the locals give us enough credit of being a contender year in and year out. we’re spoiled! for one, i want him to do poorly returning because then there is a better chance that they cut him and we can sign him back again. john clayton said that its definitely possible that he comes back.

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 13, 2008 7:00 PM PDT up reply actions

That'd be a dream

Damn you if you spoil it for me!

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 13, 2008 9:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Interesting...

Him doing poorly in the return game is a possibility…he isn’t a polished returner. I would expect the Colts to see him in practice and know what they have, but if they were to cut him after some mistakes that would be a dream.

If we could only be so lucky…

by cashless on Sep 14, 2008 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions

haha ya

i wouldn’t totally rule it out
they didn’t have him for preseason therefore he isn’t glorified there like he is here so technically he’s just another return man for those guys.

by Woodinville_12thMan on Sep 14, 2008 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions