Monday, March 21, 2005
I Hate Mondays: Running Back Saturation
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In the NFL, how many teams are really in the market for a workhorse running back?
Go ahead, take a guess:
10? 5? 3?
How about zero?
Edgerrin James and Shaun Alexander, who are all allegedly on the trade block, are not garnering much interest. These two backs combined for over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns last year, and even though the Colts are asking no more than a second-round pick for James (allegedly), there are still no takers.
Here's why:
Last year alone, 18 of the 32 teams in football had a running back topple the 1,000-yard rushing mark which means they have a qualified employee at running back (for the most part).
Here are the 14 that didn't:
Arizona
Carolina
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Kansas City
Miami
Minnesota
Oakland
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay
San Francisco
St. Louis
From this crew, Kansas City, Carolina, and Pittsburgh all have several options to carry the ball, but were plagued by injuries last season. The Chiefs have The Priest and Larry Johnson, the Panthers depth chart was tested all the way down to Nick Goings but Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster are still skilled, and the Steelers have Duce Staley (when healthy) and Jerome Bettis.
San Francisco, St. Louis, and Cleveland have young running backs that have shown promise, complemented by a more experienced back. The 49ers have Maurice Hicks and Kevan Barlow, the Browns have Lee Suggs and Chester Taylor, and the Rams have Steven Jackson and Marshall Faulk.
Dallas is confident in their young buck Julius Jones while Philadelphia is content with Brian Westbrook. Minnesota has a committee with Michael Bennett, Onterrio Smith, and Mewelde Moore all sharing time — but they refuse to trade any of them.
Oakland can be crossed off the list with the recent addition of LaMont Jordan. He will be expected to carry a full-time load. Chicago's Thomas Jones revived his career last season compiling nearly 1,500 yards (rushing and receiving combined) in only 14 games, so he could be their go-to guy, but given the franchise's recent history of one-year wonders at this very position, they may search for a contingency plan.
That leaves Arizona, Miami, and Tampa Bay. Conveniently, all three teams have a top-10 draft pick in the first round. Conveniently, there are three top-notch running backs, Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, and Cadillac Williams, all of which are assigned to one of these teams by 90% of current mock drafts.
Keep in mind that at the beginning of last season, off the list of 14 teams who didn't have a 1,000-yard rusher last season, 11 of those teams had a back on the roster that attained that feat at some point earlier in his career.
Twelve, if you count the Ricky Williams.
Although the 1,000-yard mark has become a watered-down benchmark for ball-carriers, it's still one of the main barometers. Judging by the number of teams that have a halfback who's achieved this goal, there's a lot of above average runners.
At no other position in the National Football League is there this much depth. With the league's emphasis on offense, franchises are constantly looking for defensive upgrades. Dominant linemen are scarce and the strength at wide receiver or quarterback simply doesn't compare to the running back pool.
After the NFL draft, barring injuries, virtually every team in the league will be equipped with a worthy starting running back.
No wonder there is minimal interest in Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James.
Over-saturation and positional overpopulations mix like Mondays and me.
"How is it that we never have time to do a job right, but we always have time to do it over?" — Anonymous