First off let me say that do not believe that KJ will continue to get as many touches as he had this last game. I think that was more because he was the hit hand at the position.
Because of this I am not as concern as others that he will wear down or get injured, though things do happen.
Now let me add that the players that may be available at the position don’t excite me very much. Now there are a couple of college players that have caught my interest, doing more research before making any decisions.
I think Cleveland is riding the Chubb until Hunt gets back and then will split the load between the two.
Cleveland doesn’t really have anyone behind Chubb and I doubt they’d trade Hunt away…unless it was for a king’s ransom.
Where would the Saints be if Kamara went down? Where would the Panthers be if McCaffrey went down? The Raiders and Josh Jacobs, the Jets and Lev Bell, the Cowboys and Zeke? How did the league stay in business 20-30 years ago when every team had a bell cow RB and ran the ball a lot more.
It’s not unusual to be reliant on the starter, with the idea you can cobble together a running game if your starter goes down, a la the Chiefs last year when they lost Hunt, or the Ravens last year with Gus Edwards and Buck Allen once Alex Collins busted. In fact it happens all time, and often with great success. I know our recent history with the running game is one of struggle, but this is an entirely new staff and team, we can’t let the mistakes of the past hamstring our decision-making in the future.
I’m all for riding Kerryon for as long as we can. He’s one of our best players, and we should play our best players.
who said any damn thing about "replacing " KJ, not me ! I said we NEED a legit #2 NEXT to KJ…sure TY and Zenner can battle out our #3&4 spots. I said IF KJ goes down with a injury for a length of time , WE have no answer BEHIND him to keep producing yards on the ground by RB that is anything NEAR KJ “right now” and that ’ I ’ see that as a issue.
to end, I said we need that 1-2 punch @ RB KJ and another productive back so we aren’t just SOL once KJ gets injured.
Bevell may want another “Beast Mode” type running back (rare) and so far KJ is the closest thing and close, it’s not, as he’s a different style runner. KJ is very good indeed but we still need that bruiser that brings a load of hurt whenever he has even a hint of forward momentum.
The “Bell Cow” days may be done, but it’s always nice to have a back that checks off as many of the boxes as possible when it comes to durability, speed, elusiveness, explosiveness, receiving, route running, and ball security. Finding one that checks the most boxes in today’s running back by committee NFL could very well be considered a bell cow, even if not used every play.
RB’s that are phenomenal in one particular area can be an asset and often are, but they could also become a tell, queuing the defense that a certain play is a possibility (ala Ebron). While many RB’s excel in one or two categories, finding the rare ones with an expansive skillset in which they are fluent makes the offense as a whole more dangerous to gameplan against, thus redefining what a bell cow in today’s NFL would be.
You are missing my point. I’m not saying we need a bell cow RB. I’m saying we don’t have a bell cow RB and because of that, we need another RB that can take some touches away from KJ because he certainly isn’t a bell cow RB. We need a complimentary RB who should have at least 20-30 carries by this point in the season. Otherwise KJ is going to get worn down and hurt, and then what are we left with?
“No one means a guy that checks all the boxes when they are talking about a bell cow running back. But what they ARE talking about, is a dead concept.”
I agree Wes, the Bell Cow and 2 yards and a cloud of dust disappeared long ago but yet the term and concept remains as if it’s still prevalent.
Adrian Peterson was one of the last of what could really be considered a bell cow that the Vikings at least partially built elements of their offense around. He was on a short list of very talented individuals who were on the field for three downs or more and that teams had to pay attention to and gameplan for.
What I was alluding to is that the definition of what a bell cow could be in TODAY’S NFL has changed, being replaced by multifaceted, uber talented individuals that aren’t an every down piece and when brought in, their role in the eyes of the defense, is unknown. Are they a running threat? Are they a receiving threat? Are they a blocker? In that vein, those that have the broader range of skills tend to be utilized more even though they never were, or could ever be, an every down back. Running back by committee is the norm and has long ago replaced bell cow as the standard term of definition but the fact still remains that those RB’s that check off more boxes are utilized more often during the course of the game and while they would never be a BC, they sit squarely in the gray area between Bell Cow and just another utility back on the team. Are they a bell cow? No, but their skill set sets them apart and in bringing more to the table allows them to be used more than others.
Like it or not, by that metric KJ is that RB for us at this time. Is he durable? No. Ball control issues? At times. While he doesn’t check off as many boxes as say Elliot, or even Gurley, he checks off enough boxes to currently be our lead back.
I understand that what’s being discussed no longer truly exists in this pass happy NFL. The Bell Cow concept as we remember it is dead.
So it’s up to us to create new terminology to define who and what an elite, albeit part time RB is in today’s NFL. Those running backs who do more because they bring more, those rare individuals who sit squarely in the gray…
What is McCaffrey then? He’s the most bell cow RB I’ve ever seen, even going back to the 80s. And he came into the league with the same sort of questions about whether he would last or not.
Look, I would love to have a Zeke Elliott or Saquan Barkley. But what I’m saying is to not lose any sleep over it. Winning is more important than having cool stats for one guy. As they brought up during Zeke Elliotts holdout, the Cowboys are the only team to win a Super Bowl with the rushing champ from the same season.
Look, RB was my position and it’s my favorite on the field. But when it comes to winning football games, you are better off mixing 2 or 3 of us together rather than relying on one guy to do it all by himself. Which goes back to my point. Dont lose sleep over not having a bell cow back.