Ok, so if DWill is signed tommorow to a 4 year extension, does your mind change at all?
It better change your mind, and that scenario is very plausible...
The Panthers may "lock up" DeAngelo Williams with a contract extension before this season, according to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli.
Williams' current deal expires after the 2010 campaign. The Panthers have no plans of moving away from their run-heavy scheme, so keeping Williams in the fold along with Jonathan Stewart makes sense. Both are elite backs.
I understand what people are saying here about the perceived talent difference between Greene and Stewart, but the reality in the NFL is that when it comes to running back production, opportunity is far and away the most important factor. How often have we seen mediocre talents have very successful fantasy seasons based solely on stumbling into the right situation? Why do we race to pick up every random no name RB that happens to find themselves getting 20 carries a game? Why do guys like Quinton Ganther suddenly matter down the stretch in fantasy seasons?The reason is that the RB's situation, the opportunity to amass yards and touchdowns, accounts for almost everything in fantasy. Talented RBs will outproduce mediocre talents in similar situations, and sometimes even in a worse situation (e.g. Steven Jackson vs many RBs). If they aren't getting the carries, though, it doesn't really matter. Opportunity is everything. Especially with RBBC slowly taking over the NFL, finding a RB in a situation where he seems likely to get 15-25 carries a game on a consistent basis is
gold. Carries are what counts the most, but the quality of the carries is a factor as well. If this situation happens to involve a great OL and a competent but not overly prolific passing game, and it gets even better. This is the situation that Shonn Greene finds himself in.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Stewart, while likely a more talented back, is fighting for carries with a Pro Bowl RB. With the Panthers dropping hints about possibly signing Williams long term, how can you not be concerned with Stewart's opportunity? In a vacuum, I would take Stewart over Greene, and I think most would agree. The problem is that this isn't a vacuum, and there's good reason to believe that Greene will have a far greater opportunity to produce than Stewart will for the foreseeable future.
If the Panthers sign Williams long term, then there's no question here, at all. Stewart's value would decrease significantly, and Greene would be the better bet going forward. However, if LT were to sign with the Jets tomorrow, and Ryan proclaims it a full RBBC situation, then it becomes murky, but neither would be in very good situations.