The problem with Edge as the primary runner (even at Indianapolis)

[Lomax to Green 84]

Nothing against the guy character wise, and he busts his backside when given the ball. Edge is a warrior and deserves to be given consideration for the Hall of Fame when his career is over.

However, one interesting and rather disturbing statistic comes up over and over during Edge's 9 year tenure in the NFL: His team (ether the Cardinals or the Colts) never end up with a rushing attack that even sniff the top 20 in yardage or average per carry.

Even during his heyday in Indy when he was getting 1500 yards, the Colts as a team still had a pedestrian rushing average in yardage per game and yardage per carry. Edge would end up getting 95 percent of the carries, get his 1500 yards and the team would still average just at or slightly below 100 yards per game on the ground.

An excellent example is 2005. Edge gets at or near 1500 yards, either leads the league or is in the top 5 in total rushing yardage and the Colts still have a team rushing attack ranked 29 in the league in total rushing yardage and rank 28th in yardage per carry.

Get his eventual replacement with the 16th pick. Give Edge 200 carries and give the kid 200 carries. I guarantee we improve in both offensive and defensive categories if we can get some balance in the run game. Edge is a great runner, but he never has been a gamebreaker and he now reminds me more and more of an aging Eddie George. Great guy to keep on the team and pound away for 3-4 yards. This team is great from the 20 to the 20 and that is because we have grinders at running back and at wide reciever. We need the homerun hitter who can take it from the 20 to the endzone (80 yards) or at least give the threat of doing so. We don't have that.

 

[black]

When Whiz was at the combine he spoke of a home run back. Of course all the attention was on Fitz's contract.

 

[Duckjake]

Even during his heyday in Indy when he was getting 1500 yards, the Colts as a team still had a pedestrian rushing average in yardage per game and yardage per carry. Edge would end up getting 95 percent of the carries, get his 1500 yards and the team would still average just at or slightly below 100 yards per game on the ground.

Of course you have to ask the question: When you have Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, do you really expect to have a high rushing average per game?

But I get what you're saying. For some reason with Edge nobody else gets any carries. To have a top 16 running game other backs have to get 50-100 carries a season.

For example: Willie Parker had 321 carries last year and Davenport still had 107. Taylor with the Jags had 223 and Jones-Drew had 167 and the FB still got 42 carries. On the other hand the last two seasons Edge has had a two year total of 661 carries while Shipp and JJ have combined for only 72.

 

[football karma]

Of course you have to ask the question: When you have Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, do you really expect to have a high rushing average per game?

Interest stuff--

the yards per game didnt surprise me -- the yards per attempt did.

I would have assumed that running against defenses with safeties deep to guard against the pass, the Colts running game would have churned out a high yards per attempt, even if it didnt crank out big absolute numbers during the game.

J Stewart at #16

 

[Russ Smith]

Of course you have to ask the question: When you have Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, do you really expect to have a high rushing average per game?

But I get what you're saying. For some reason with Edge nobody else gets any carries. To have a top 16 running game other backs have to get 50-100 carries a season.

For example: Willie Parker had 321 carries last year and Davenport still had 107. Taylor with the Jags had 223 and Jones-Drew had 167 and the FB still got 42 carries. On the other hand the last two seasons Edge has had a two year total of 661 carries while Shipp and JJ have combined for only 72.

Per game no, per carry yes because you're seeing defenses geared to stop your passing game.

Edge is a very good RB, he was once a great RB, but he has no speed so his YPC is always relatively low because he never breaks long runs.

 

[Duckjake]

Per game no, per carry yes because you're seeing defenses geared to stop your passing game.

Edge is a very good RB, he was once a great RB, but he has no speed so his YPC is always relatively low because he never breaks long runs.

Is it that or is it because the offense and therefore the offensive line is geared more to the passing game. Because it seems to me that the exact opposite of what you are saying usually occurs. Backs on passing teams seem to have lower ypc than backs that play for running teams.

 

[CardNots]

Is it that or is it because the offense and therefore the offensive line is geared more to the passing game. Because it seems to me that the exact opposite of what you are saying usually occurs. Backs on passing teams seem to have lower ypc than backs that play for running teams.

Very good point!

 

[Russ Smith]

Is it that or is it because the offense and therefore the offensive line is geared more to the passing game. Because it seems to me that the exact opposite of what you are saying usually occurs. Backs on passing teams seem to have lower ypc than backs that play for running teams.

I've never looked closely but the league is full of 3rd down RB's who have high YPC numbers because they're always in on passing downs and when they do run the ball they get big yardage?

 

[CardinalChris]

Of course you have to ask the question: When you have Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, do you really expect to have a high rushing average per game?

But I get what you're saying. For some reason with Edge nobody else gets any carries. To have a top 16 running game other backs have to get 50-100 carries a season.

For example: Willie Parker had 321 carries last year and Davenport still had 107. Taylor with the Jags had 223 and Jones-Drew had 167 and the FB still got 42 carries. On the other hand the last two seasons Edge has had a two year total of 661 carries while Shipp and JJ have combined for only 72.

Fast Willie was hurt for the last 2 games. During that time Davenport got 36 carries (which is a third of his carries last year). Taylor and Drew are a 2 headed beast..... Not sure it is fair to lump them into that group.

 

[cardsfanmd]

Of course you have to ask the question: When you have Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, do you really expect to have a high rushing average per game?

But I get what you're saying. For some reason with Edge nobody else gets any carries. To have a top 16 running game other backs have to get 50-100 carries a season.

For example: Willie Parker had 321 carries last year and Davenport still had 107. Taylor with the Jags had 223 and Jones-Drew had 167 and the FB still got 42 carries. On the other hand the last two seasons Edge has had a two year total of 661 carries while Shipp and JJ have combined for only 72.

You are starting to piss me off now./ Everytime I see a post I want to respond to, I scroll down and you have already responded with exactly what I was going to say.

 

[Assface]

I've never looked closely but the league is full of 3rd down RB's who have high YPC numbers because they're always in on passing downs and when they do run the ball they get big yardage?

They're running when the defense is expecting pass. Put those 3rd down backs in on first down in a passing formation and see what happens to their ypc. I think Duckjake has a good point. I was living in Florida when Jimmy Johnson took over the Dolphins and there was a lot of talk about how he had to change over the OL from a bunch of pass blockers to better run blockers. Before he got there the main criteria for OL was the ability to keep Dan Marino standing up, run blocking was secondary.

 

[Skkorpion]

Not even getting into your primary points, Holian, which are very interesting, I'm more worried about Edge's other numbers and factors.

This year will be his 10th year as an NFL RB and will be 30 years old. And he wants to be a bigger part of the offense than he was last year.

Ego, age and wear are potentially deadly combinations for both the player and the team.

If we draft a RB in round 1, I think James may become a miscontent before camp even starts.

 

[Goldfield]

I still think we should of drafted Adrian Peterson last year.

 

[Skkorpion]

I still think we should of drafted Adrian Peterson last year.

Sunk cost. Should never affect current or future decisions, as any accountant, finance man or top manager would tell you.

 

[Duckjake]

Fast Willie was hurt for the last 2 games. During that time Davenport got 36 carries (which is a third of his carries last year). Taylor and Drew are a 2 headed beast..... Not sure it is fair to lump them into that group.

I see your point but it is the total number of carries I'm looking at not who is getting them. No back gets 400+ carries a season* (Though EJ has come close a couple of times) so, under normal circumstances, somebody else has to get 60,70+ carries to get you to the 1800 yards you need to be in the top half of the league in rushing.

Most teams have a back or two or three that get those carries.

*The NFL record is 416 so a handful of RBs have gone over 400. Only one this century though.

 

[black]

I'm cool with the Cards not drafting a RB in the first rd. I'm even cooler having Edge take the work load. Edge can block, run, catch and score touchdowns.