TheBradyBunch
Footballguy
Much has been made of the KJ vs. Bell situation in Detroit while TJ Duckett has gone largely unnoticed in the Shark Pool. I really believe that TJ will "ruin" a lot of the value for both KJ and Bell this season. KJ's a very good all-purpose back, but he was injured near the goal line. Why subject him to the nasty piles around the stripe when you have one of the best goal line backs in the NFL at your disposal in Duckett. Certainly while Bell starts ahead of KJ, it seems that Duckett will also steal his short yardage TD's. Does anyone else think Duckett will have the most rushing TD's of all 3 Detroit backs this year or am I crazy?
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2007/...ll_duckett.html
Lions may rotate Bell, Duckett
by Tom KowalskiWednesday September 05, 2007, 8:46 AM
ALLEN PARK -- No one is quite sure when Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones will play in his first game since he had Lisfranc surgery on his left foot last year. But we know exactly what's going to happen when he does return -- he will vault to the top of the depth chart.
Until then, there's an interesting battle brewing between Tatum Bell and T.J. Duckett.
It was assumed that Bell, who rushed for 1,025 yards last season with the Denver Broncos, would be the starter. However, while Bell looked just OK in limited work in the preseason games, Duckett raised some eyebrows with his versatility: inside power, blocking strength and pass-catching ability.
Regardless of who starts, this could turn into a running back-by-committee situation, with offensive coordinator Mike Martz using the hot hand.
Bell has better overall speed and is more elusive than Duckett, but he does not run between the tackles well and does not have a lot of power.
While surfing the Internet recently, I came across a 1999 interview Martz had with Paul Zimmerman of "Sports Illustrated."
"That's another thing that's critical to the system. Power running," Martz, who was with the St. Louis Rams at the time, said then. "You've got to be able to run the ball when you go to a three-wide receiver set, and you've got to run with power. Not too many people realize this, but if we hadn't gotten (traded for running back) Marshall (Faulk), we were prepared to go with another excellent zone-blocking runner, Robert Holcombe. It takes a certain type, a guy who can run with power, who's good at picking his way through."
Now you know why Martz wants Jones back in the lineup as quickly as possible. Jones has a good blend of power and elusiveness and can threaten a defense inside or outside.
The problem with the Lions' lineup now as they prepare for the regular-season opener on Sunday at Oakland, is that they have an outside speed presence with Bell, but they can't hammer it inside.
While Duckett will pound the ball with authority between the tackles, he's no threat to turn the corner (that was obvious in the last two preseason games when the Lions tossed pitchouts to Duckett -- with some ugly results).
While Martz's offense has certainly changed and evolved in the past eight years, the fundamentals haven't, and he still uses a zone-blocking scheme. Martz isn't as interested in hitting a home run with the ground game as he is in grinding down his opponent with a steady attack. Martz wants to keep the defense on its heels and maintain pressure -- that's why he detests negative-yardage running plays.
Martz has all the confidence in the world that his passing game can compensate for those losses, but he wants to avoid tipping the scales in the defense's favor.
Push, push, push and never retreat. It's one of the reasons Martz is such a big proponent of the zone-blocking schemes.
It's also the main reason the Lions kept Jon Bradley on the 53-man roster, despite the fact he has played fullback for a grand total of two weeks. The converted defensive tackle, a former running back in high school, is 6-foot and 300 pounds and moves well. The Lions envision him crushing linebackers as the lead blocker on running plays.
While Martz clearly loves to throw the ball more than run it, at heart he's an "old school" football coach. Smashing the other guy in the mouth is as close to heaven as it gets.
That brings us back to the Bell/Duckett debate. Jones should return in the next couple of weeks, but the Lions are desperate to get off to a good start.
And using the right running back, the right complement to the offense, will be vital in making that happen.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2007/...ll_duckett.html
Lions may rotate Bell, Duckett
by Tom KowalskiWednesday September 05, 2007, 8:46 AM
ALLEN PARK -- No one is quite sure when Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones will play in his first game since he had Lisfranc surgery on his left foot last year. But we know exactly what's going to happen when he does return -- he will vault to the top of the depth chart.
Until then, there's an interesting battle brewing between Tatum Bell and T.J. Duckett.
It was assumed that Bell, who rushed for 1,025 yards last season with the Denver Broncos, would be the starter. However, while Bell looked just OK in limited work in the preseason games, Duckett raised some eyebrows with his versatility: inside power, blocking strength and pass-catching ability.
Regardless of who starts, this could turn into a running back-by-committee situation, with offensive coordinator Mike Martz using the hot hand.
Bell has better overall speed and is more elusive than Duckett, but he does not run between the tackles well and does not have a lot of power.
While surfing the Internet recently, I came across a 1999 interview Martz had with Paul Zimmerman of "Sports Illustrated."
"That's another thing that's critical to the system. Power running," Martz, who was with the St. Louis Rams at the time, said then. "You've got to be able to run the ball when you go to a three-wide receiver set, and you've got to run with power. Not too many people realize this, but if we hadn't gotten (traded for running back) Marshall (Faulk), we were prepared to go with another excellent zone-blocking runner, Robert Holcombe. It takes a certain type, a guy who can run with power, who's good at picking his way through."
Now you know why Martz wants Jones back in the lineup as quickly as possible. Jones has a good blend of power and elusiveness and can threaten a defense inside or outside.
The problem with the Lions' lineup now as they prepare for the regular-season opener on Sunday at Oakland, is that they have an outside speed presence with Bell, but they can't hammer it inside.
While Duckett will pound the ball with authority between the tackles, he's no threat to turn the corner (that was obvious in the last two preseason games when the Lions tossed pitchouts to Duckett -- with some ugly results).
While Martz's offense has certainly changed and evolved in the past eight years, the fundamentals haven't, and he still uses a zone-blocking scheme. Martz isn't as interested in hitting a home run with the ground game as he is in grinding down his opponent with a steady attack. Martz wants to keep the defense on its heels and maintain pressure -- that's why he detests negative-yardage running plays.
Martz has all the confidence in the world that his passing game can compensate for those losses, but he wants to avoid tipping the scales in the defense's favor.
Push, push, push and never retreat. It's one of the reasons Martz is such a big proponent of the zone-blocking schemes.
It's also the main reason the Lions kept Jon Bradley on the 53-man roster, despite the fact he has played fullback for a grand total of two weeks. The converted defensive tackle, a former running back in high school, is 6-foot and 300 pounds and moves well. The Lions envision him crushing linebackers as the lead blocker on running plays.
While Martz clearly loves to throw the ball more than run it, at heart he's an "old school" football coach. Smashing the other guy in the mouth is as close to heaven as it gets.
That brings us back to the Bell/Duckett debate. Jones should return in the next couple of weeks, but the Lions are desperate to get off to a good start.
And using the right running back, the right complement to the offense, will be vital in making that happen.
