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Audio Interview -- Player Spotlight (01.28.10) -- LISTEN

LeGarrette Blount (RB): Blount had a lot to prove this week and, to his credit, he silenced a lot of doubters. The 240-pound bruiser was an absolute load in Saturday’s game once he squared his shoulders. On a couple of plays, he just carried defenders on his back. But he also flashed a nice burst of speed to the outside on his 14-yard score, which he finished with a picturesque leap in the end zone. Blount ended up with 44 yards on nine carries.

SCOUT'S TAKE

Skinny: There are mixed opinions amongst scouts on Blount but he averaged 7.3 yards a carry last year and had 17 rushing touchdowns. He is a big back at 6-2, 240, and has good straight-line speed. However, he needs to react quicker if he wants to get in and out of holes at the next level. He isn’t a complete running back yet, and he needs to work on catching the ball as he only had two receptions last season.

Stock: The question remains—is he a one year wonder, or is he a legitimate, top-notch running back at the next level? A solid senior campaign and people will be talking about him as one of top running backs in next April’s draft.

Our View: A big back at 6-2 240, Blount has good straight-line speed. He does need to work on his quickness so he can get in and out of holes at the next level, and needs to become more of a receiving threat (only two catches last season) but that’s what 2009 is for. The question is, is he a one-year wonder or is he a legitimate top-notch running back at the next level?

The Incident: Keeps Scholarship; Suspended for the Year; Red Flags Prior To Incident

NEWS

02.04.10 – LeGarrette Blount, Running Back, Oregon—Yes, he’s the guy who missed most of the 2009 season after sucker-punching a Boise State player during the postgame handshakes. But during the week in Mobile, he showed that perhaps he has learned from that mistake and he could be a late-round steal. “With me being here for these past few days, everyone has seen a completely different LeGarrette than what they know on TV,” Blount said after one practice session. “It’s just the fact that everybody is here and has talked to me and got a feel for me, know that the guy they saw on Sept. 3 is not the guy that I am. And even if it’s people I just met, they know I’m not that person.” - CSNWashington

Senior Bowl: LeGarrette Blount (Oregon) is a swift player that generates a lot of power.  He’s been compared him to Brandon Jacobs in the past, and that comparison is an accurate one - for both good and bad reasons.  Like Jacobs, Blount will lose all his momentum if he’s forced to change direction behind the line of scrimmage.  Once he stops moving he becomes an easy target to tackle.  He’s a good cutback runner, and once hurdled over a linebacker’s outstretched arms in the second level.  You have to go low to tackle this guy, but he’s athletic enough to leap over if given the chance. Blount was head and shoulders above all the other backs here in pass protection drills. – Draft Guys (01.26.10)

Senior Bowl: LeGarrette Blount (Oregon): Blount flashed some real quickness for a man of his size. His footwork in the cone drills looked clean and he definitely ran with decisiveness and aggression in the 11-on-11 drills. He caught the ball reasonably well, but there were a couple of plays on the LB vs. RB receiving drills where he simply didn’t look agile out of his breaks. A minor thing that could be telling about him as an athlete: one of the team warm ups is an exercise where players stand on one foot while stretching the quad on the other leg and then do an exercise where they keep that foot in the air and kick it backwards before firmly planting it to the ground. They alternate legs with this exercise and Blount demonstrated noticeable difficulty maintaining balance on one foot. He’s on the road to redemption after spending most of this season on suspension because of an altercation after the loss to Boise State earlier in the year.  – Draft Guys (01.25.10)

12.06.09 - Blount, 6-2, 240 pounds, was kept on scholarship and allowed to practice with the Ducks. He was reinstated in mid-November for meeting behavior and academic standards set by Coach Chip Kelly. Blount's first game back after missing eight was Thursday night when he rushed for 51 yards and scored on a 12-yard run against Oregon State. As a junior, Blount scored 17 rushing touchdowns and averaged 7.3 yards a carry. His mission will be to prove to NFL scouts he is not a troublemaker. He attended junior college in Mississippi before playing his final two years at Oregon. - News-Herald

05.03.09 - Running behind a beleaguered offensive line, running back LeGarrette Blount rushed for only 14 yards on nine carries in Oregon's spring game on Saturday.

04.29.09 - In an interview with ESPN's Ted Miller, Oregon coach Chip Kelly had this to say about running back LeGarrette Blount: "He came into spring ball a little bit out of shape...but when he runs behind his pads, people are bouncing off him...I expect a big season out of him."

04.21.09 - The Register Guard reports, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount sat out Monday's practice after aggravating a foot injury.

04.11.09 - Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount (ankle) has been cleared to fully participate in practice. It appears Blount also packed on a few pounds during his time off, tipping the scales at 250 pounds. Blount blames his mother's home cooking as one reason why he returned to camp overweight.

04.08.09 – The Oregonian reports, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount (ankle) returned to practice in a limited capacity on Monday. Blount wore a red non-contact jersey, which did not sit well with new head coach Chip Kelly. "We're not into moral victories -- he needs to get out there and practice," Kelly said.

04.01.09 - The Register Guard reports, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount missed the first day of spring practice due to a sprained ankle.

03.25.09 - Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount has been reinstated to the football team. Blount was suspended for missing team meetings and workouts.

02.15.09 - Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount says his recent suspension was for missing strength and conditioning workouts and not academics. "I am academically eligible" said Blount.

02.10.09 - Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount has been suspended indefinitely for "failure to fulfill team obligations." Blount and linebacker Terrance Pritchett will be barred from all football-related activities until further notice, according to a statement Oregon coach Mike Bellotti issued Tuesday. Blount, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound transfer from East Mississippi CC, declined to comment on the matter.