One of the things in the article below really caught my eye. More than 50% of Perry's touches have been on first down.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Perry a double threat
By Kevin Kelly
Enquirer staff writer
About the time he caught the ball and turned upfield, the yellow flag dropped to the ground. Chris Perry refused to break stride.
"I was hoping maybe the defensive back came and punched somebody in the face or something," the Bengals' running back said. "So I just kept on running."
Perry ran past the penalty marker, and accelerated past everyone on an 86-yard sprint that hugged the Vikings sideline and led all the way to the end zone Sunday.
A holding penalty reduced the would-be touchdown to a 10-yard gain, but the catch and run offered further proof that a healthier Perry only adds another dimension to the Bengals offense.
"I try to get out there and take advantage of the opportunities (coaches) give me," Perry said. "So when I get the ball in my hands, I try to do something special with it."
The Bengals envisioned gaining a change-of-pace tailback to starter Rudi Johnson when they selected Perry with their first pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. In four years at Michigan, he accumulated 4,364 all-purpose yards.
"Chris is an explosive athlete," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "That's why we drafted him No. 1."
A hamstring strain followed by an abdominal strain - later classified as two sports hernias that required offseason surgery - limited him to two regular season games during his rookie year.
Based on the first two games this season, Perry is assuming a role offensively that plays to his versatility and complements Johnson.
"We're able to do some things with him because he's able to learn them," Bratkowski said. "Generally when he makes a mistake he doesn't make the same mistake twice. That's a good quality for a football player.
"So he gets a lot on his plate . . . and it will continue to grow as long as he's able to learn it and be efficient."
Perry saw his most significant action yet in the 37-8 win against the Vikings on Sunday. He rushed nine times for 47 yards, caught four passes for 33 yards and dazzled the sellout crowd with a slashing running style that rendered some Vikings defenders helpless.
That came on the heels of a Week 1 start against the Browns when he rushed five times for 11 yards and caught five passes for 37 yards.
"Well, I am a running back, so I love to run the ball," Perry said. "But also catching (it), too. However I can get the ball, I like that."
At times Sunday the Bengals isolated him in the backfield while Johnson rested on the sideline, lined him up wide as a receiver and mixed him in the lineup in a variety of downs.
Of Perry's 23 touches this season, 12 have come on first down, five on second down, five on third down and one on fourth down.
"The defined role is to get him in the game, and get the football in his hands as much as we can," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We can use Chris and his athleticism in every phase, whether it be running the football or catching the ball or blocking."
Hopeful that coaches will continue expanding his role, Perry is focused on making up time lost.
Compounding the disappointment of last season was seeing how other running backs selected around him in the draft were producing.
Steven Jackson (24th overall, Rams), Kevin Jones (30th overall, Lions), Tatum Bell (41st overall, Broncos), Julius Jones (43rd overall, Cowboys) and Greg Jones (55th overall, Jaguars) all saw significant action in their rookie seasons.
Perry had two carries for one yard and three receptions for 33 yards last season.
"You had to follow them," he said. "Since we all went back-to-back-to-back, everybody went in a row, those are the people you compare yourself to."
At his lowest point emotionally, around October last year, Perry made a self-discovery.
"You find out how much you love the game when you're not able to play it for a very long time," he said. "I think it humbles you, to a certain extent."
He hopes the Perry-Johnson tandem will someday be regarded as one of the NFL's finest, and says the present arrangement works for him as long as the Bengals are winning.
"I think every back in the NFL can be an every-down back," Perry said. "It just happens to be that this is the situation I'm in now. Rudi is doing a great job and we're winning. So there's nothing really disappointing about it right now."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...ate=printpicart
And that's 28 touches for Rudi, 10 for Perry.
Exactly. I also took him late. 17 out of an 18 rounder. As the season unfolds, he will be taking more and more touches, especially as a 3rd down reciever. If an injury-well you know. At present, he has little value to put into your starting lineup, but I wouldn't be looking to give him up in a trade as a tossin. If you can, keep him on your roster.
perry will get WR3 type numbers in PPR leagues, 7-10 pts a game.
