08-26-2008, 08:49 PM
Great article... from http://www.carolinahuddle.com
CHARLOTTE – Typically when you have a pair of talented running backs the question becomes how to divide up the carries and keep them happy.
But that isn’t something the Carolina Panthers are fretting over right now.
There's no reason to.
They’re blessed with two former first-round draft picks in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, both of whom are loaded with potential but have yet to reach their prime. But who starts or gets the bulk of carries doesn’t seem to matter -- at least not right now -- to anyone who works or plays at Bank of America Stadium.
And while the idea of a split backfield may not sit well with diehard Fantasy Football fans who prefer one primary ball carrier for purely selfish reasons, coach John Fox would be just fine with a weekly scenario like Saturday night where both Williams and Stewart topped 100 yards rushing and scored on long touchdown runs in a lopsided 47-3 preseason win over the Washington Redskins.
Can you blame him?
Stewart carried 10 times for 100 yards, including a 50-yard TD scamper. Williams added 101 yards on nine carries and broke loose for a 60-yard TD.
Although every NFL running back wants to be "the guy" in the backfield, quarterback Jake Delhomme said Williams and Stewart can benefit from splitting carries.
“Honestly when you have two guys that can run like they can that’s better for their bodies over the course of a season,” Delhomme said. “You have to have a couple of guys. Certainly every game is not going to be like that, I know that. But when you have two guys that can pound it and hit it in there like they can and have that breakaway ability it can only get better.”
Here's the best thing about Williams and Stewart -- neither has an ego.
Maybe they're too young.
Maybe they respect each other.
Or maybe they're just good old-fashioned team guys.
But so far there isn't any jealousy between them and they seem to have already bonded. After Stewart scored his first NFL preseason touchdown on Saturday night, Williams was one of the first to greet him coming off the field and they yucked it up for a few minutes with fellow running back Decori Birmingham on the sidelines, smiling and laughing about the run.
Likewise, Stewart was there for Williams when he answered his long touchdown run on the very next series with an even longer scoring run up the gut.
“When I’m out of the game or when I’m in there, you really can’t tell,” Williams said. “The only thing that changes is the jersey number, 28 or 34. It keeps the defense on their heels, not only in the run game but in the passing game as well. Because if you’re able to run the ball effectively, like coach Fox always says, it’s that much easier to pass the ball.”
Fox made it pretty clear this off-season his goal is turn the Panthers into a dominant running team.
Although Williams averaged 5 yards per carry in a reserve role last season, the Panthers were far from one of the league’s elite rushing teams.
But after three preseason games they’ve shown some promise.
The Panthers ran for 207 yards on 48 carries against Indianapolis, 78 yards on 28 carries against Philadelphia and 228 yards on 32 carries against Washington.
Saturday night was probably the most accurate reading so far given that the Redskins played their defensive starters for the entire first half.
“We’ve wanted to be able to run the ball for some time,” Fox said. “We’ve had successful years in 2003 and ’05. Getting Jake back in there helps us. Last year, it was a little bit tougher in the run game because people stacked the box because they didn’t feel like we could throw the ball effectively. Hopefully that will be different this year.”
At 5-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Stewart is believed to be the big back that Fox craves.
But it’s going to be tough to keep Williams out of the lineup. He’s been nothing short of spectacular in the preseason, rushing 26 times for an average of 7.2 yards per carry with three touchdowns.
And while some think of him as a “smaller” back, that’s pure fiction.
At 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Williams isn’t built like a scat back and he’s certainly plenty big enough to handle the ball 20 times per game if called upon.
You need look no further than his 20-carry, 121-yard, two-touchdown performance in last year’s season finale against Tampa Bay for proof.
“We had holes but I think what you saw was the explosiveness of both backs tonight,” Delhomme said. “You know Jon just busted through there and took off, and DeAngelo too. We’ll get to see the true DeAngelo this year. I mean the last couple of years, let’s be honest, we didn’t get to see a true test. I think we’re much better up front (on the offensive line) than we’ve been in awhile.”
So which running back will be featured in the offense? The answer is simple: both of them.
As for which guy will get the majority of carries, that could change with each passing week, depending on the opponent.
Regardless, it’s a problem every NFL coach would love to have.
more -- http://www.carolinagrowl.com/Read.aspx?Story=689
__________________
CHARLOTTE – Typically when you have a pair of talented running backs the question becomes how to divide up the carries and keep them happy.
But that isn’t something the Carolina Panthers are fretting over right now.
There's no reason to.
They’re blessed with two former first-round draft picks in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, both of whom are loaded with potential but have yet to reach their prime. But who starts or gets the bulk of carries doesn’t seem to matter -- at least not right now -- to anyone who works or plays at Bank of America Stadium.
And while the idea of a split backfield may not sit well with diehard Fantasy Football fans who prefer one primary ball carrier for purely selfish reasons, coach John Fox would be just fine with a weekly scenario like Saturday night where both Williams and Stewart topped 100 yards rushing and scored on long touchdown runs in a lopsided 47-3 preseason win over the Washington Redskins.
Can you blame him?
Stewart carried 10 times for 100 yards, including a 50-yard TD scamper. Williams added 101 yards on nine carries and broke loose for a 60-yard TD.
Although every NFL running back wants to be "the guy" in the backfield, quarterback Jake Delhomme said Williams and Stewart can benefit from splitting carries.
“Honestly when you have two guys that can run like they can that’s better for their bodies over the course of a season,” Delhomme said. “You have to have a couple of guys. Certainly every game is not going to be like that, I know that. But when you have two guys that can pound it and hit it in there like they can and have that breakaway ability it can only get better.”
Here's the best thing about Williams and Stewart -- neither has an ego.
Maybe they're too young.
Maybe they respect each other.
Or maybe they're just good old-fashioned team guys.
But so far there isn't any jealousy between them and they seem to have already bonded. After Stewart scored his first NFL preseason touchdown on Saturday night, Williams was one of the first to greet him coming off the field and they yucked it up for a few minutes with fellow running back Decori Birmingham on the sidelines, smiling and laughing about the run.
Likewise, Stewart was there for Williams when he answered his long touchdown run on the very next series with an even longer scoring run up the gut.
“When I’m out of the game or when I’m in there, you really can’t tell,” Williams said. “The only thing that changes is the jersey number, 28 or 34. It keeps the defense on their heels, not only in the run game but in the passing game as well. Because if you’re able to run the ball effectively, like coach Fox always says, it’s that much easier to pass the ball.”
Fox made it pretty clear this off-season his goal is turn the Panthers into a dominant running team.
Although Williams averaged 5 yards per carry in a reserve role last season, the Panthers were far from one of the league’s elite rushing teams.
But after three preseason games they’ve shown some promise.
The Panthers ran for 207 yards on 48 carries against Indianapolis, 78 yards on 28 carries against Philadelphia and 228 yards on 32 carries against Washington.
Saturday night was probably the most accurate reading so far given that the Redskins played their defensive starters for the entire first half.
“We’ve wanted to be able to run the ball for some time,” Fox said. “We’ve had successful years in 2003 and ’05. Getting Jake back in there helps us. Last year, it was a little bit tougher in the run game because people stacked the box because they didn’t feel like we could throw the ball effectively. Hopefully that will be different this year.”
At 5-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Stewart is believed to be the big back that Fox craves.
But it’s going to be tough to keep Williams out of the lineup. He’s been nothing short of spectacular in the preseason, rushing 26 times for an average of 7.2 yards per carry with three touchdowns.
And while some think of him as a “smaller” back, that’s pure fiction.
At 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Williams isn’t built like a scat back and he’s certainly plenty big enough to handle the ball 20 times per game if called upon.
You need look no further than his 20-carry, 121-yard, two-touchdown performance in last year’s season finale against Tampa Bay for proof.
“We had holes but I think what you saw was the explosiveness of both backs tonight,” Delhomme said. “You know Jon just busted through there and took off, and DeAngelo too. We’ll get to see the true DeAngelo this year. I mean the last couple of years, let’s be honest, we didn’t get to see a true test. I think we’re much better up front (on the offensive line) than we’ve been in awhile.”
So which running back will be featured in the offense? The answer is simple: both of them.
As for which guy will get the majority of carries, that could change with each passing week, depending on the opponent.
Regardless, it’s a problem every NFL coach would love to have.
more -- http://www.carolinagrowl.com/Read.aspx?Story=689
__________________
, Bengals