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The Washington Redskins backfield, led by running back Alfred Morris, was a dominate force and gave defenses around the National Football League fits during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The rushing attack was ranked number one in that first year, averaging 5.2 yards a carry and 169.3 yards per game. In 2013 the team took a little bit of a slide but were still in the top five, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 135.2 yards a game.
In 2014, Washington’s run game fell drastically, ranking 19th in the NFL in yards gained and its 4.2 yards per carry (ypc) average ranked 15th.
Surely that will not get it done in 2015 and will keep whatever quarterback leading the team from success. The Redskins would see a great improvement from the quarterback position and much more offensive production if they had a run game that would at least be comparable with the league average.
Morris has been the work horse in Washington for the last three years and, even though his numbers in average ypc and yards gained have dropped each year from his outstanding rookie season in 2012, he should still see the majority of the carries this upcoming season.
Some may ask why this should be so if his numbers have declined.
It must be noted that there are several factors that play into the decline of Morris’ numbers from 2012 to the present. In 2014, the Redskins changed from the zone blocking scheme that was run by former Head Coach Mike Shanahan and his offensive coordinator son, Kyle, to more of the power blocking scheme of new Head Coach Jay Gruden. The problem last year was that the team didn’t exactly have the horses to run their new leader’s system with effectiveness.
There was also a lot of inconsistency in the offensive line play. When the big guys up front couldn’t push the defense off the ball and create the type of holes Morris saw in his previous two seasons, it brought the ypc average down as well as the total yards gained. That being said, Morris still rushed for 1,074 yards, averaging 4.1 ypc and eight touchdowns.
Having amassed 3,962 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a 4.5 ypc average throughout his three-year career, there is no doubt that Morris is still capable of being the workhorse running back for Washington. With the hiring of renowned offensive line coach Bill Callahan, the Redskins now have a man on board that can get the best out of the running backs and the offensive line.
In the 2015 NFL Draft the Burgundy and Gold selected a total of 10 players. Six of the 10 selected by Washington reside on the offensive side of the ball. The team’s third-round pick was running back Matt Jones out of the University of Florida.
At 6′ 2”, 231 lbs., Jones is the perfect complement to Morris. He is a bruiser. His impressive size and muscular frame along with his piston-like feet makes him a valuable player in goal-line and short yardage situations. He has the ability to be aggressive in pass protection, squaring up and delivering striking blows against free running blitzers. Jones is the type of player that can add power and strength to the Redskins backfield.
Some feel that the former Gators’ role will depend on how well he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He only caught 19 passes during his three-year career at Florida. He told reporters during Washington’s rookie minicamp that he could catch passes and would. However, his former college apparently did not require him to do much pass-catching during his tenure there because of the scheme.
The Redskins lost their pass-catching-third-down back this offseason when their fifth year pro, Roy Helu, Jr., was signed by the Oakland Raiders during free agency. This left Redskins Nation concerned about who will assume the role that Helu left behind.
Third-year running back Chris Thompson (drafted 154th overall by the Redskins in 2013) has the potential and ability to fill this role and more for this Redskins ball club. The former FSU Seminole possesses great speed and elusiveness. He also has very good hands and can be versatile. As a rookie he returned punts and kickoffs. Perhaps even more importantly, he has made vast improvements in pass protection. Because of his smaller stature compared to Jones’, it may appear to some that Thompson’s future is up in the air what with new General Manager Scot McCloughan’s mantra of “Football is a big man’s sport.” But if Thompson can stay healthy and shake his injury-prone stigma, he could be a tremendous asset to the Washington Redskins in more ways than one.
Silas Redd, an undrafted college free agent signed by the team in May of 2014, is also a candidate to replace Helu as the third-down/passing situations running back. Along with Thompson, the USC/Penn State alumna was the number three back behind Helu and Morris last season but didn’t see much time on the field. He played only 55 snaps with 16 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown. He also had eight receptions for 107 yards. Redd is another versatile guy who can contribute on special teams. He ranked among the team leaders in tackles with five and had three assisted tackles in the 2014 season.
Even though there now seems to be a log jam at the running back position, Redd has a lot of attributes that really work in his favor. Despite his low number of touches in the running game last season, he has the ability to be a valuable threat on the ground and he has the all the intangibles to be effective in passing situations. One really monster plus for him (which is undervalued at times) is his willingness to contribute on special teams and the more versatile the player, be the better value he is to the team.
As for Trey Williams and Michael Hill, they are more than likely long shots to make the active 53 man-roster… but it’s not due to a lack of talent.
Williams, an undrafted college free agent out of Texas A&M University, has excellent speed and has been described as a scat back. His ability to change direction and do it multiple times during one play was impressive at Texas. He is a true offensive weapon that could be a secret one, deployed to stress defenses because of his sheer speed and “make-you-miss” abilities. He is only 5’7” but has the strength to churn out extra yards. Also, his pass protection skills are good.
Michael Hill, who was on the Redskins practice squad last season and also is not huge (5’10”, 210 lbs.), is a product of Missouri Western State. He was originally signed by the San Diego Chargers as a college free agent in April of 2013. He has played a total of eight games in his NFL career, all of them in 2013 with the Green Bay Packers (two games) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (six games). In his limited action on the field, Hill has shown that he can catch the ball. He hauled in two passes for 23 yards when he was with the Bucs.
Taking all of the aforementioned into account, know this: the backfield of a football team can be likened to a boxer.
“In what way?” one may ask.
The answer is because a good boxer wears the opposition out. He/she continuously delivers physically punishing blows to his opponent’s body. Effective body punches cause the challenger to start breathing heavily, resulting in slowness both in punches and in movement. Eventually there are obvious signs of distress in the foe: buckling over, shaky legs and an inability to catch his or her breath. In the end, the hoped for and customary result is a knockdown and/or knockout.
A solid backfield — along with a powerful offensive line — can deliver damaging blows to an opposing team’s front seven. A really physical backfield is like the strong arms and fists of a boxer. As the boxer’s adversary (the opposing team’s defense) begins to exhibit labored breathing, it will began to slowdown in its pass rushing abilities. Eventually the opponent will stand with hands on hips… tired, defeated. Finally, continuing to force its great running game down the throat of the rival, the offense delivers the knockout blow.
“We want big, tough, nasty, strong guys,” McCloughan said in his pre-draft press conference. “I want this team when they go out — when you get done playing the Washington Redskins — you know you’ve played them. You’re going to feel it. I want those guys. We get late in the year and playoff runs and cold weather and nasty games and field conditions… you need to be able to run the football.”
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