Some excerpts from the article by Mike Beamish ...
"Wally has the ultimate say, of course, but none of us were really happy about what Robert was doing.”In the fourth quarter in Edmonton, Davis fielded a kickoff and burst upfield 88 yards for a touchdown to put the Lions ahead 25-21.
“The return didn’t even go where it was designed to go,” says McMann, the Lions’ special teams coach. “But, sometimes, that’s just the way it is. You get a few key blocks, and you get a returner who can read the blocks, and suddenly the outcome is very good. Yonus has that ability more than Robert Jordan did, because he’s got the background. He’s been a running back, and he has very good instincts. Wally has the ultimate say, of course, but none of us were really happy about what Robert was doing.”
Yes, Wally has the ultimate say, and he certainly chose Robert Jordan over Yonus Davis. Bad decision. A head shaker.
Wally is both loyal, and reluctant to change a decision he has made. This can be a good thing, bringing stability. But it can also be a bad thing, when times change, but the methods stay the same.The Lions released Jordan, their No. 1 kick returner coming out of training camp, on July 26 after it became apparent he couldn’t find the holes or an extra gear. The question remains: Why did it take the Lions so long to make the switch, especially after seeing what Davis is capable of?
Not a very good reason, IMO. Jordan did not seem likely to get any work at receiver. Perhaps Wally saw Jordan as the second coming of Ryan Grice-Mullen. Their body type and running style had some similarities.One reason is the Lions had an abundance of running backs — Jamal Robertson, Jamall Lee, Andrew Harris, Jerome Messam — on the game roster, and they hoped Jordan could see double duty as both a returner and a depth receiver. But it wasn’t happening on either front, and the lack of field position he offered was stifling an already problematic offence.
Davis is definitely explosive. Jordan far from it IMO. Davis doesn't mess around. He flies upfield.Davis got three key blocks from Jason Arakgi, Andrew Harris and Adam Leonard to spring him, but Harris says the brilliance of Davis was evident in the way he played off the blocks, finding a clear path depending on which way the field opened up for him.
“They’re both explosive players,” Harris says. “The difference between Yonus and Jordan is that Davis hits the opening a lot faster. Jordan had the tendency to dance and try and juke people. Yonus hits it hard. He’s more of a get-it-upfield-straightaway runner. That’s why it’s a lot easier to block for him. You block somebody and he reads off your butt. With Robert, we had to guess where he was going.”
"easier to block for him" ... Well, that is certainly another reason why Davis should have been the return guy from Day 1. Even when Davis was activated, it was only for punt returns. Finally, in the game, he got to do some kick returns.
He runs with power. 4.4 is very, very fast.Davis’ show-stopping kick return isn’t a surprise to YouTubers or fans of the San Jose State Spartans, who watched the Darren Sproles-like running back burn teams in college. Davis is somewhere around 5-6, 190 pounds and runs the 40 in the 4.4 range. Not only can he fly laterally, he can soar vertically. He had a vertical of 38.5 inches and a standing broad jump of 10 feet on the Spartans’ Pro Day.
