Is Undrafted Rookie Branden Oliver the NFLs Next Darren Sproles?: Standing in the near or far reaches of Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Chargers fans might have done a series of double takes when seeing diminutive No. 43 gashing the opposing defenses on big plays. Alas, Darren Sproles was not back in Chargers uniform, though the comparisons were ubiquitous. It was little-known running back Branden Oliver donning the same number his predecessor wore as a fourth-round pick out of Kansas State. The comparisons were inevitable for the undrafted rookie out of Buffalo. Branden Oliver looks a little like another former Charger who wore No. 43. Darren Sproles II? — Marcas Grant (@MarcasG) September 28, 2014 Branden Oliver is doing a great Sproles impression tonight. — Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) August 8, 2014 I glanced up and No. 43 Darren Sproles was a Charger again. Oh... Oliver. — Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) October 5, 2014 “He reminds me so much of [Darren] Sproles,” Chargers tight end Antonio Gates said to U-T San Diegos Kevin Acee. “And I played with Sproles so many years. It’s crazy. He’s Sproles, with a little bit more power.” Its to the point where my brain has begun conflating the two—or confuse him for a retired baseball pitcher Darren Oliver. Oliver did much more than don a familiar number in NFL extra small size, however—he carved up a rather stout run defense in spectacular and unexpected fashion. The New York Jets boasted the best run defense in the league heading to San Diego. Thanks to Oliver, that is no longer the case. So how did we get here? Myriad ways, as it turned out. Take Olivers first touchdown, a 15-yard scamper, for example. This was a standard draw play with 11 personnel on the field for the Chargers. Oliver started out wide, motioning into the backfield before the play. Oliver showed good vision here, cutting to the hole his offensive line opened on the left side after it initially seemed like the Jets had plugged up the gaps. The good blocking got Oliver a good chunk of yardage, but it was a bad angle by Jets safety Calvin Pryor that turned this into a touchdown. Pryor diagnosed the play slowly and gravitated toward the left side of the defense for some reason—perhaps thinking Oliver would try to bounce outside or teleport through the nonexistent hole—leaving a trucking lane to the end zone for Oliver to drive through. The 52-yard lightning bolt Oliver delivered in the third quarter was a nice illustration of his speed with a bit of thunder mixed in. Instead of taking the handoff up the middle out of 11 personnel on this play, Oliver swept left behind his agile, fluid offensive line. By now the Jets were being railroaded. The game was getting away from them, and the defense looked gassed. Still, Oliver broke the play for 52 yards thanks to a nifty little stiff arm and a burst of speed. “I’ve been running like that my whole life,” Oliver told Acee. “In the backyard with my brothers, they were always faster than me, so I had to...learn how to cut back, duck underneath people.” On Olivers second touchdown of the day, a combination of play design, bad defense and heavy hitting got him into the end zone. Once again, Oliver lined up wide, only to motion into the backfield before the snap. The Jets didnt have a bad plan on defense—a hybrid coverage that had four defenders in a zone—but the play design exploited it. In theory, Oliver should have been covered along with some zone help. He undressed Jets linebacker Demario Davis on his route, though shaking loose over the middle. Bad defense by Pryor again helped Oliver get into the end zone. This time he broke late on the pass, meeting Oliver at the goal line instead of somewhere further up field. Pryor still had a chance to stop Oliver, but the hard-hitting first-round pick was outclassed by the undrafted rookie, who lowered his pads and vaporized the tackle attempt. When was the last time Sproles lit up a defender? So is Oliver the next Sproles? Well, the comparison may only be jersey deep. My hero is the next (first?) person who compares Branden Oliver to a non-Sproles back. — scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) October 7, 2014 Here you go, Scott—Dave Grohl sent me. A better comparison for Oliver might come from his own current backfield—Danny Woodhead. The equally diminutive back was primarily on the field in passing situations for the Chargers, but his broken ankle has knocked him out for the season. Woodheads workout numbers are astonishing if this is the first youve come across them. Not even the new No. 43 can match that athleticism, but he isnt too far off. The duos agility numbers from the 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drill are remarkably similar. Like Woodhead, Oliver seems to have created cache as a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, and that might be his ultimate role once Ryan Mathews and Donald Brown return from injury. The latter two are slated to be back sooner rather than later, which may squeeze Oliver for playing time, regardless of his big performance. This wasnt the first non-Sproles comparison, though. Branden Oliver SPARQ information -- beyond height, better physical comp to Kevin Faulk than Darren Sproles. pic.twitter/9iKOhjQa9o — Zach Whitman (@zjwhitman) October 6, 2014 Oliver is wearing Sproles old number, but his running style reminds me more of a younger/shorter Michael Turner. — Michael Schottey (@Schottey) October 5, 2014 In truth, Kevin Faulk may just be the perfect comparison for Oliver, a pass-catching threat with some power who was underappreciated in New England. Oliver has startlingly similar measurables to the retired former New England Patriot, and he has the all-around game to match. Whatever he is, his performance against the Jets was the stuff of legends—if he can become one that is. After all, this was only one game, and a fall back into obscurity is just as likely. If he continues playing the way he did against New York, however, we havent heard the last of Branden Oliver, who dealt the first hammer blow in chiseling a name for himself. Follow @AlexMiglio Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #AFCWest #SanDiegoChargers
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 10:26:26 +0000
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