Filling in for Marshawn Lynch

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jackson approach or eclipse the 20 carry barrier against the Pats and Saints. I would think Jauron would like to control the clock somewhat and both of those teams have been run on in the past. If the running game gets going in any of the 3 games, Jackson could very well get 20+ carries. That wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Not really sure we can say Lynch has been much of a homerun threat. He has the ability, but hasn’t really done it yet. Of course, since he has the ability to do it, I suppose he is a home run threat. Or something like that…Jackson and Rhodes are not really threats to pick up big gainers on the ground, we know that.

I’m kind of interested by this triple RB wildcat formation. I wonder if they’ll have Jackson faking to one and handing to the other, ala Navy. That would be kind of cool to see, but we need an OL that gets a push and sustains blocks, so who knows if they’ll happen….

I just don’t see how we’re going to keep everyone happy this year. By week 4 we’ll have 3 capable backs who should all see plenty of touches a game. We’re going to have two star wide receivers who should be thrown to frequently as well as a slot man that will in all likelihood thrive this season underneath. We have a couple young receivers that are going to want some playing time this year (or at least one) and we have some TEs that are allegedly receiving options. Finally, we have a disgruntled WR who wants more touches as well and may or may not be running a wildcat formation as one way of getting those extra touches. All in all I just don’t see how Marshawn, Freddy, Rhodes, TO, Evans, Reed, Johnson, Hardy, the Dereks, Nelson, AND Parish are all going to get the touches they deserve or should get or whatever. It’s a good problem to have, but an actual problem nonetheless – as Brian said “no matter how deep you are at a position, you can’t leave capable playmakers on the bench.”

I agree with Kurupt and Ron that Fred most definitely – barring an injury of course – will run the ball at least 20 times against the Pats, because that’s one of the best ways to beat the Patriots – control the clock and be patient. Everybody knows we have some of the best playmakers on our offense in the entire league, but the best and most effective way we can get those playmakers involved is – in my opinion – by making sure that the defense pays attention as well to our running game. Our tactic in the game against the Patriots should on paper be set up the pass by running the football. Of course that plan would actually require that we could run the football against the Patriots, which is no dance around the maypole (due to them having the best D-line in football). If we aren’t capable of that, then we’ll be in trouble, because Trent and the rest of the offense would then have to do the opposite, which for a number of reasons is more challenging.

In regards to Rhodes, then I have a lot of utter confidence in his ability as a RB. I particularly like his ability to catch the football, which is going to be rather essential for us in the first three games (i.e. being Trent’s safety valve against the blitz). His experience is going to prove very useful this season, I’m sure.

Am I the only one who thinks that Dominic Rhodes isn’t all that great? He averaged 3.5 yards per carry last year and if you combine his last 4 seasons, his ypc is still only 3.5. And don’t blame Oakland because the one year he spent there was his best yards per carry total (4.0) since 2004. He’s been a backup, and a mediocre one at that, since he missed his 2nd season due to injury.

Rhodes is going to get a handfull of touches per game (few carries and a few catches) when Marshwn is out and will/should be a non-factor when both guys are healthy. He’s a great good insurance policy, not the 3rd RB in a three headed monster. How many teams actually use three RBs? And which ones actually do it well? The 8 teams that ran the ball 30 times per game were Baltimore, Atlanta, Minnesota, New England, Tennessee, Carolina, Washington and the Giants. Baltimore used three because they didn’t really have a number one, NE used a million due to injuries and because Belichick can do whatever he wants. Ahmad Bradshaw got 63 carries for the Giants and no other team gave their 3rd RB more than the 15 carries that Jason Snelling got. Rhodes is an insurance policy.

The main reason why I like Rhodes, is because he is our third RB, which is much better then our RB situatioin in the past. Plus he definitely has the best catching ability out of all 3 and we all know Trent likes to check it down. Lastly he has shown a greater tendency to get in the end zone then Jackson. I like Jackson more, but I like touchdowns the most…

Lynch is a between-the-tackles runner who isn’t going to break away from most NFL defenders. He’ll bowl them over, like a thinner Bettis, yes. I seem to recall Fred Jackson doing this in the red zone near the end of the year, plus he’s got speed to get to the edge.

Fred Jackson (to me) is as much a home-run threat as Lynch is.

Even if his ground game isn’t all that impressive, his hands are and he’s a threat to catch the ball. He was the Colt’s leading scorer last year, the team with the MVP, Marvin Harrison, Reggine Wayne, A. Gonzalez and Addai…either that says something about the overall Colt’s offence or Rhodes didn’t do too badly. He also ran up 100+ yards and a TD in the Super Bowl so it’s not like he can’t play in the big game if he has to.

all will be well.