So... Ravens running back. Let's walk through this, shall we?
First - last season, we ended up with only 15.5 RB carries per game. I did not monkey with the gameplan, which has yielded more like 18 in the past - the difference is presumably attributable to having fewer leads, I guess. Anyway - we are currently not all that serious about running the ball in volume, it's just an add-on component of the offense. And, for what it's worth, one that varies wildly in its surface effectiveness.
So, with that in mind... we're shaky at QB for now and maybe for a long time ahead. What should we be doing at RB?
Here are the people we need to discuss:
Liverwurst was our 1st round draft pick, a guy I quickly started speculating about becoming a league leader in all-purpose yards. Instead, he has devolved into a seeming replacement-level back... some intriguing ratings (max Breakaway Speed has to be worth something, right?) but no record of standout performance. He is in year 4, and wants to extend at... wait for it... a mere $8m for next year. I had been expecting a huge ask. This is surprisingly manageable. CHEM 4-5 group, 93/72
Edwin Bush is "running up that hill" as our nominal #2 guy, but he posted more yards on the ground than our feature back did. He's locked up for three more seasons at $9m, and it would seem hard to get out of that deal, nor am I itching to. CHEM 6-7 group, 32/93
Right now, we have a 2-3 group gimp as a strong chem leader for the RB/FB group. We have a fill-in FB who is not good enough to play, and another RB sitting as a RFA, I'll note him here I guess:
Vinny Connell is the sort of guy I'd bring in for a shot at RB2, if we didn't have two serious investments aboard already. Combination of ST, HoleRec, and no voids in stuff I value got him a job through last season (though no starts). Now asking for $7m/yr. CHEM: 4-5 group, 71/83
So... we have some clay to shape here. The big question, I think, is whether these guys are worth counting on -- do I try to re-sign Liverwurst to a 3yr deal while he's cheap? And then sort of thunder-and-lightning with him and Bush for a lot more 1st-and-10 situations than I currently do? It's not as challenging a question as I thought it would be if he were asking for $25m/yr, which i really thought was in play.
Let's assume that there are not other guys in play for now. There's a 4-5 group RB coming off a couple 1,000 yard seasons out there in free agency - I don't recall putting in a bid on him, so I expect he's not in my thinking anywhere.
Draft picks - okay, that's always in play.
And complementary players? Well, I already had trouble finding snaps/carries for Connell (it's a zero injury league, recall)... but unless we're forcing starts to someone like a new FB, in theory we could indeed sign him and get him active/starting this season.
Adding a true run-blocking FB is a real-football thing to do for a heavier-running team. I can't easily break down how frequently we run from a 2-back set, so I don't know how much value that would have. I guess worth dabbling into. On this team I used a cohesion/ST-only guy for a long time with perfectly fine results. I have a TE capably lead blocking for now.
Anyway...it would be nice to
know if Schweigert/Liverwurst were actually any
good. if I throw away this last season with the bad OL/QB setup, then what do we have to go on? 180 carries for right about 5 ypc - hell, that would be GREAT as a total season workload for a RB1, for me. Is that who he is?
And what roles would each guy be best in, if we wanted them both involved? Bush looks better suited to catch the ball (though last year's 4.8 ypt doesn't inspire) but his blitz pickup is lower. Bush's Hole Rec is a good deal higher - is he the guy who should get the 1st-and-10 carries, then? Is Bush just the better all-around back to carry the football? (And if so, does it make sense to spend money on both guys?)
And finally, chemistry. 2-3 fading gimp in place now. Liverwurst is looming as a 93/72 leader from the 4-5 group... Our QB of the future is likely either from 2-3 or 4-5 group...QB Wolf and his brother are both 4-5 guys, so that doesn't click. If QB slides to 4-5, we could have trouble getting a leader to outshine Liverwurst for leadership duties... but a 6-7 guy like that could make the group work GREAT. (Eyeing up backup QB Richie Bryant, he'd be a marvelous 1yr patchover to do this, with his 6-7 88/100 combo)
Anyway... the default plan is to make offers to lock up Liverwurst for 3 years. Then, tinker a bit to try and bump the carries for these guys up to maybe 22 per game. I think I will try to sprinkle in a bit more play action in doing so.
Good heavens, I'm actually thinking about gameplanning. What gives?