I expect Miles to continue the "committee" approach and have no problem with it, in fact I like it- so pick two. I'm not an NFL guy but this, though dated, shows it works and the reasons are obvious. Running back duos are common thread among NFL's final four - USATODAY.com
I agree with CParso. Ware is the man with the others scrambling for leftovers. To me Ford has just not shown anything exceptional so far. I do think all of our running backs have what it takes to be great so seeing who comes out on top is gonna be interesting..
Still think the recency effect may be skewing some of the views regarding Ford. He averaged nearly 6yds/carry and had 3 TDs in very limited action this year. I don't recall him being relied upon regularly for pass protection or to grind out a few tough yards here and there, so I'm not sure that I understand where all the criticism is coming from. We had Ridley to fill that role, therefore Ford & Ware simply weren't called on in those situations. So I think it's a bit premature to write off one guy or to annoint another. To say that Ford has shown nothing is simply inaccurate. Ware and Ford have both shown us exceptional talent, and I expect both to be heavy contributors in the fall. Both guys will be learning a new, more simplified system that will hopefully rely heavily on a strong running game. We have a great coaching staff that will find a way to get the most out of it's players. So improvement is certainly not out of the question.
I personally don't remember anything Ford did over the season. I do, however, remember Ware getting double the ypc that Ridley did while sharing equal snaps in the bowl game. I'm not talking garbage time. I'm talking first half action. But still...MUCH remains to be seen. All I know is that whoever starts at RB next year will be a force to be reckoned with, and will end the season as at least an all-SEC back. And the fans...we...will say that his backup would have won the heisman. :hihi:
I'm also a bit confused about the criticism of Ford. I'm not sure if he will end up getting the most touches but showed flashes of having a special type of athleticism that you don't see often. His spring game last year displayed the full package while his play against Ole Miss proved he could produce in the clutch. All of the RB's are relatively young and expect they will all improve significantly from last year to next. The competition will be good for the group and it could very well be the RB that best picks up blocking assignments that gets the bulk of the snaps.
I personally don't remember anything Ford did over the season. What about the spring game. Ford showed power, speed, footwork and vision while going for 139 yards on 19 carries. On four of his third-down carries, he picked up first down yardage. He also caught three passes for 35 yards. More yards than Ridley. "We had to go out there and make a statement in the spring game," said Ridley, a rising junior who had 104 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. That's why people thought that Ford should of played more this year.
Spring games are never good indicators. Richard Murphy and Chris Garrett have both looked like gangbusters in spring games. It just doesn't translate to the field.
Yeah the spring game will also show Jarrett Lee looking like an SEC stud quarterback, when we all know this is just simply not the case. The pressures of the spring game don't even come close to what it's like playing week after week in the regular season.
