All offseason rookie running backs have been over-hyped for no good reason, and Sunday it showed. After a glorious day of watching nothing but football, I couldn’t help but notice the common theme throughout the NFL.
Here are the stat lines of the running backs taken in the first two rounds of the draft:
- Knowshon Moreno, Broncos: 8 car, 19 yds, 0 tds
- Donald Brown, Colts: 11 car, 33 yds, 2 rec, 16 yds, 0 tds
- Beanie Wells, Cardinals: 7 car, 29 yds, 0 tds
- LeSean McCoy, Eagles: 9 car, 46 yds, 1 rec, 1 yd, 0 tds
Why Moreno and Wells were hyped as much as they were is beyond me. You are talking about two guys that didn’t see any preseason action, let alone practice. While the two will eventually become starters and put up respectable numbers in short time, that time isn’t now.
Brown and McCoy won’t be solid plays until their team’s respective starters miss time with injury (which is a near definite when you are dealing with Addai and Westbrook). Until then, hold off on starting these guys unless they face a very favorable opponent.
Again, I’m not bashing any of these guys as I think they are all tremendous talents. I just feel that due to some situations, health concerns, and other factors, patience is a must.
Knowshon could be something special though.. I dont know I am excited to see what he does this year.
9 attempts for 46 yards is really good for a back up…
Exactly, for a backup. And that was in a 38-10 game.
Against a good Panthers D. Its not like we drafted McCoy to come in and start right away. And I’d say 5.1 yards per carry is good for either a starter or a backup.