1. Philadelphia Eagles – Darren Sproles / LeSean McCoy
NR. 1 duo for sure!
Quarterback Nick Foles registered 221 rushing yards for Philadelphia last season. Sproles didn’t even match that, gaining 220 rushing yards for the Saints. Either way, running back LeSean McCoy (1,607 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) has that covered. The big benefit that Sproles adds, however, is an option in the flat and in short-to-intermediate routes in the passing game for Foles. Last season, Sproles caught 71 passes for 604 yards and two touchdowns. Kelly’s offense relies on running backs with sure hands who can catch out of the backfield. Sproles is just that. The Eagles already had a dynamic receiving threat out of the backfield in McCoy, and now have a lethal combination.
2. Oakland Raiders – MJD / Run DMC
No injuries for McFadden with RedZone MJD all day
McFadden has much to offer as an edge rusher and if he can stay healthy he has shown flashes of being a borderline RB. Add MJD to the mix to take the hard between-the-tackle runs and McFadden could be looking at his healthiest season yet. The hit Run DMC will take, however, is that his already low touchdown count will go lower. Jones-Drew will take the reps on the hard yards and that includes the red zone and goal line.
3. San Francisco 49ers – Frank Gore / Marcus Lattimore
Bring it from Gore to Lattimore!
Lattimore is expected to be a full participant in the 49ers offseason program this year and should be ready to contribute to the team in 2014. Indeed, he’ll be in the mix next season. Gore can continue to be productive for the 49ers but with 276 carries this season (up from 258 the year prior) he clearly wore down late in the year. The team will use Lattimore, provided he progresses as expected through the offseason as a change of pace back, giving the veteran Miami grad a chance to rest. Expect to see Gore’s carries come down a fair bit in 2014. For Lattimore, the presence of Gore has the same impact but I think we could see solid production out of the South Carolina product if he gets an extended look. His college stats don’t really jump off the page at you – he averaged 4.8 yards a pop but that’s fairly pedestrian compared to the production of the rest of this year’s rookie class – but he put enough on film to suggest that he will be able to contribute at the pro level. His draft profile, outside of durability concerns, is glowing.
4. New Orleans Saints – Pierre Thomas / Mark Ingram
Old School guys – bring it on!
The Saints could again find themselves back in the top five teams, offensively, this year. With the way Drew Brees plays quarterback, New Orleans will surely put points on the board. I think we’ll see a lot more of what we saw in 2013 – parity between backs. Carries split between three guys on a regular basis, and only one of them being a factor in the passing game. Sproles is gone and a new strong competition has begun.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers – LeGarrette Blount / Le’Veon Bell
Thunder in Steelers!
Blount and Le’Veon Bell will fit together quite nicely. And he’s right. The signing of Blount, alongside Bell, gets the Steelers back to the days of ground-and-pound football, which should take a ton of pressure off of Ben Roethlisberger. Blount is a power runner and had a fine season for the New England Patriots last year, rushing for 772 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging a healthy five yards per carry. The 6’0″, 250-pound back was even better in the playoffs, rushing for 172 yards on 29 carries and four touchdowns. Blount’s a power back, and that’s exactly what Bell is. The 6’1″, 244-pound rusher had a good rookie season, rushing for 860 yards and eight touchdowns. With this move, the Steelers are signaling that they want to load up on the run. They want to pound the ball down the middle. It signals a lack of faith in their receiving core, especially since they lost Emmanuel Sanders. The Steelers want to run the ball a lot. When Blount, who will probably be the starter, gets tired, defenses will have to deal with Bell. Tired defenses are going to get banged up trying to stop these two physical runners.
All the Best
MR GOAT
