SammyJankis
Footballguy
Star Ledger Article
Interesting to see how this affects everyone's value. Jones scored 15 TDs last year, but will Greene take over as the goal-line back? Does this water down the value of all the Jets backs?WESTMINSTER, Md. -- The blueprint comes without written instructions, false promises or sure-fire measures to keep everyone's blood pressure from boiling. The script is unscripted, the plan is fluid, and no matter how many times you think you finally have it figured out, you don't.
Jets coach Rex Ryan freely admits he'll steal the plan for his own selfish needs.
The Baltimore Ravens ploughed their way to the AFC Championship Game last season with another dimension of the running back by committee approach that has altered the NFL landscape in recent years.
The core belief of the three-headed work-sharing program may be simple, but Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the architect behind the rebirth of a scheme that produced perfection a generation ago, is quick to dispel the No. 1 myth.
"It's not a three-back system," said Cameron, leaning back on a leather sofa inside the lobby of the Ravens' Best Western training camp home. "It's a three-good back system. You got to have three legit backs."
The Ravens' trio of former Rutgers star Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain combined for 509 carries and 2,027 yards to help Baltimore finish with the league's No. 4 rushing offense (148.5 ypg) last season.
Unlike the Giants' "Earth, Wind and Fire" backfield that featured bruiser Brandon Jacobs, mixed in Derrick Ward and used Ahmad Bradshaw for mop-up duty, Cameron doesn't limit his guys to specific roles. Rice, McGahee and even the 260-pound McClain play a part in the passing game.
Ryan, who will get his first crack at his former team when the Jets play the Ravens in their second preseason game Monday night, has made no secret that he hopes to replicate Cameron's model with Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene to relieve the burden on an inexperienced quarterback and pedestrian passing game.
"They had three of them and found a way to use them," Ryan said. "We'll do the same."
For that to happen, Washington and Greene will surely take away from some of Jones' team-high 290 carries from a year ago.
By comparison, the Dolphins spread the wealth during their glory days of 1971-73. Csonka took 39 percent of the carries with Morris (25 percent) and Kiick (23 percent) not far behind during that three-year span.
In Miami's undefeated 1972 season, the carries were even more equally distributed: Csonka (35 percent) and Morris (31 percent) had a nearly equal split with Kiick getting 22 percent of the carries.
The Dolphins' success, however, didn't spark a three-headed running back revolution. Workhorses dominated the NFL landscape for the better part of the next three decades.
"It's not 1980 or 1990 when one running back did everything," McGahee said. "Nowadays, everybody is getting faster. It's different. So you can't really take all the pounding. And hits are getting a lot harder now."
The corresponding success rate of teams that feature an every-down back has dropped. Jones, the AFC's leading rusher last season, was one of nine players last year to account for more than 70 percent of his team's running back carries. Only two of those teams -- the Falcons (Michael Turner) and Chargers (LaDainian Tomlinson) -- made the playoffs.
Brian Westbrook and Steven Jackson, two of the league's most versatile players in a single-back system, missed a combined six games last season due to injuries. The Eagles responded by drafting running back LeSean McCoy in the second round of this year's draft to complement Westbrook.
"Running back is a dangerous position," Rice said. "So, the more guys you have, the better for the longevity of your career. It helps you out. The less pounding you take, the better off you are."
Cameron's ability to walk the fine line of keeping his guys fresh without sacrificing tempo has been paramount.
"To be successful, most backs need to be in some type of rhythm," he said. "You just can't keep pulling them in and out of games."
So, Cameron rotates his three guys by instinct, riding the hot hand and adjusting based on what defenses show him. In the nine games the Ravens' trio played together last year, McClain led the team in rushing four times, Rice three times and McGahee twice.
In all, McClain was the team's leading rusher in nine games. McGahee and Rice led the way three times each. (Quarterback Joe Flacco led once.)
Cameron's approach is elementary and equal opportunity: Set a loose framework and adjust accordingly during games.
"It's just one of those things that you kind of do by feel," Cameron said. "There's no textbook way to do it. I remember last year we had a couple games we wanted to feature the outside run, but they took it away. So we just gave it to Le'Ron and pounded him inside."
Despite clear differences in running styles, Rice, McGahee and McClain each have made an impact. McClain, a converted fullback, had 39 percent of the Ravens' carries. McGahee, who missed three games with an assortment of injuries, still accounted for 29 percent of the workload. Rice, expected to play a more prominent role as a rusher and pass-catching option in his second season, received 18 percent of the carries.
"Willis, Le'Ron and I are not identical runners," Rice said. "I do things different than Willis. Willis does things different than Le'Ron. We can all do it all. But we're all different."
Those differences, Cameron insists, are essential for the three-pronged approach to work. Checking egos at the door is a prerequisite in this sharing-is-caring scheme.
"It's easy to be unselfish," said Rice of a plan that forces defensive coordinators to prepare each week for three unique styles.
"There's no pie of success," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "We want to maximize everybody's success... We're not going to throw a guy out the door because we have a good player at his position."
Ryan has echoed that sentiment for his "ground and pound" edict. The brash rookie coach insists he's committed to making it work by increasing Washington's touches (via ground or air) and getting Greene "his fair share of carries."
Ryan hopes to mimic the Ravens' ball-control approach that led the NFL in time of possession and had nearly 150 more rushing attempts than the Jets a year ago.
"Hopefully, we'll have a lot of carries for all of them," Ryan said. "Keep them fresh, rolling them in there. I'm excited about it. You can't have too much depth at running back in this league."
He knows the blueprint works.
For around-the-clock Jets news, follow M.A. Mehta on his twitter page.
GRAPHIC 1
Jets coach Rex Ryan hopes to replicate the old Miami Dolphins' three-headed RB attack that his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, used so well last year. He'll have to spread the wealth more than last season when Thomas Jones, the AFC's leading rusher, had 72 percent of the team's carries among RBs. Leon Washington only had 19 percent.
A look at the Dolphins' distribution during their undefeated 1972 Super Bowl season and the Ravens breakdown last season.
1972 Miami Dolphins
Player/ No. of Carries/ Rushing Yards
Larry Csonka/ 213 (35%)/ 1,117 (38%)
Mercury Morris/ 190 (34%)/ 1,000 (34%)
Jim Kiick/ 137 (22%)/ 521 (18%)
2008 Baltimore Ravens
Player/ No. of Carries/ Rushing Yards
Le'Ron McClain/ 232 (39%)/ 902 (38%)
Willis McGahee/ 170 (29%)/ 671 (28%)
Ray Rice/ 107 (18%)/ 454 (19%)
GRAPHIC 2
The Ravens' success in a three-running back system is the latest indicator that traditional workhorses are a dying breed. Teams that featured one player who accounted for at least 70 percent of their RB carries finished a combined 62-82 last season. Only two of those nine teams (Falcons & Chargers) made the playoffs.
The breakdown:
Player/Team/ %of team's RB carries/ Team record
Ryan Grant/Packers/ 82%/ 6-10
Clinton Portis/Redskins/ 79%/ 8-8
Matt Forte/Bears/ 78%/ 9-7
Michael Turner/Falcons/ 75%/ 11-5
L. Tomlinson/Chargers/ 75%/ 8-8
Jamal Lewis/Browns/ 74%/ 4-12
Thomas Jones/Jets/ 72%/ 9-7
Kevin Smith/Lions/ 70%/ 0-16
Frank Gore/49ers/ 70%/ 7-9
![[icon]](/data/avatars/m/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
