Forsett and Washington don’t cut it
We have all heard the terms “backup running back” and “change of pace back” but what do they mean and are they interchangeable?
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Lets first take a look at the backup running backs position and what a team needs from them.
Like any position in football, running backs get hurt and miss games due to injury. A back-up needs to be able to step into the game in place of the injured starter.
No one expects him to play as well as the starter but he needs to be able to fill the same responsibilities.
What about a change of pace back?
Most teams in the NFL use more than one running back. They have the teams starter who gets the bulk of the carries but they also have another running back on the bench who brings something different to the table (change of pace). Teams do this as a way to try to trip up opposing defenses.
It's all smoke & mirrors! The Seahawks change of pace running backs are not cutting it?
In the Seattle Seahawks case they have a powerful starting running back in Marshawn Lynch who will hit you right in the mouth.
Behind him on the depth chart are change of pace backs Justin Forsett and Leon Washington.
Justin is a small back who can hide behind his blockers, pop out all of a sudden and before the defenders can react he is past the first wave of the defense.
Leon is a play maker, give him the ball in space and watch what he can do. This makes him a great return man and a player the defense must focus on when he is in the game.
Notice above how I called them “change of pace backs”?
Neither player fits the criteria of the backup. They are both at their best when they get a hand full of plays in a game and when someone like Marshawn is the guy who carries the ball time and time again to wear down opposing defenses.
The Seahawks need to fill the backup running back position if they want to be able to run the ball without Lynch in the line up.
Forsett is in the final year of his contract and it would make a lot of sense for them to part ways with him and draft a guy like Washington Huskies running back Chris Polk who may be available in the middle rounds of the draft to replace him.
About Brett Bivens
