Guice Gone, But Hope is Not: The Redskins Backfield Explained
With the signing of Adrian “All Day” Peterson, the Redskins have immediately addressed the injury concerns to Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall and the season-long loss of Derrius Guice. AP will battle with Rob Kelley for early down work, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the veteran get good usage.
Looking at the tapes, AP clearly isn’t the same back that could bust through a hole and never look back, but he does still have great vision and an array of impressive jump cuts, which will allow him to find small lanes for good chunk gains. He also is a physically imposing back, even at his age. He has a wide frame that is hard to wrap up and a stiff arm that makes sure you won’t. He also still has traces of the shiftiness at the second level that can lead to double digit gains.
The downside to his game now is speed and explosion. He simply can’t get to top speed as quick as he used to, which may cause him to struggle with sweeps and runs to the outside, and i find it hard to believe he will break out many 20+ yard runs, but he will be a great asset in finding yards in the trenches and converting on third-and-short and goal line opportunities. Also, a well-timed screen play that allows him to get up sprinting speed could bring back flashes of the days in which AP earned his spot in Canton.
First off, let me say that I have a lot of faith in Rob Kelley. I think he starts every game that he is healthy. The former bowling ball with dreads known as “Fat Rob” has slimmed down and chopped the locks, added some shiftiness, but still has the same battering ram style while finishing his runs.
While Peterson may be the better dual threat back, Kelley is the type of back that will wear defenses out, and in only his third season, we have yet to see his best. Ideally, he learns a lot from the veteran this year, and is able to have a career year while AP spells him occasionally. Chris Thompson is still the lightning rod on third down, so no need for AP there. I imagine Rob Kelley gets 12-16 carries a game for 60-80 total yards, while AP gets 6-10 carries for 30-50 yards, as well as a few important conversion runs.
The complete back, the one teams spend all week prepping for. Each of the backs on the roster is missing a key ingredient, whether is be size, speed, or vision, and that is what makes the loss of Guice so devastating. He could bust a run or catch a pass on any down and take it to the house, and that will surely be missed.
The challenge now will be to find a diverse set of plays that maximizes the versatility of each back (albeit it fairly limited versatility from Perine and Thompson), then disguise their usage in the offense. While the Guice loss stings, the power of Kelley, AP, and Perine, mixed with the burner Chris Thompson and the precise route runner Kapri Bibbs, this backfield still has the ability to baffle defenses and move the chains, a nice compliment to the efficient Alex Smith.
Despite adding another power back, the team may still be best served to give Chris Thompson more work, mixing in screens and plays where he is motioned out of the back field and targeted on short passes. With two healthy and dynamic tight ends, Thompson becomes a nightmare in one-on-ones with linebackers. I like a two headed monster of Kelley and Peterson, but a full route tree for Chris Thompson frees up Jordan Reed, Crowder and others, creating a pick-your-poison situation for opposing defenses.
