by John U. Miller IV

Man, I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve never seen such an invasion of rookie tailbacks.  Heck, I’m starting 2 in my local league… and not even blinking. They are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.  Let’s break down the best of the 2008 class so far:

Tier 1:

“The Silent Workhorse” – Bears RB Matt Forte: As we’ve mentioned before he’s on pace for 459 touches. Lovie Smith wasn’t kidding 3 weeks ago when he said they’d “get off the bus running” with the ball in Forte’s hands. The best part? Forte has had 16 passes thrown his way in 3 games – 3^rd most of any RB. That means he’s completely enveloped in OC Ron Turner’s playbook.

“Light Blue Jesus” – Titans RB Chris Johnson: Yep, that’s what they’re calling him in Nashville. He’s 7^th in total yards from scrimmage with 327 despite sharing the ball. He caught a 7-yard TD in the opener, and got tripped up at the 2-yard line on another screen last week. Our boy’s gonna snap off a 150-yard game with 2 TDs any week now – and you don’t want him on your bench when he does it.

Tier 2:

“The Plowhorse” – Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart: His bullish attitude and tree-thick legs make him very hard to tackle. He’s averaging barely 10 carries per game but already has 3 TDs. DeAngelo Williams is playing well enough to warrant a 50/50 split, but if they really wanna punish defenders it should be 65/35 Stewart.

“Herschel Part II” – Raiders RB Darren McFadden: He tore up the brutal SEC then busted 164 yards in his 2^nd pro game – with a jammed toe on the last 7 or 8 of his 21 carries!  McFadden’s in a lot of pain so the week 5 bye is perfect timing.  Try to trade for him now, with the bye lurking and all the toe talk.  Someone might sell him at a reasonable price.

Tier 3:

“Stevie Wonder” – Texans RB Steve Slaton: He scraped out 116 yards and a TD in his 1^st pro start – at Tennessee – and locked up the starting job. I howled when Houston passed on him in the mid-3rd round, but they got another 3^rd rounder (from Baltimore) and took Slaton. He fits the one-cut-and-go system.

“Sizzle” – Ravens RB Ray Rice: That was his nickname at Rutgers. Rice was one heckuva workhorse in college, with 715 carries for 3,806 yards and 44 TDs the last two years. Keep an eye on Rice because Willis McGahee gets nicked and LeRon McClain probably can’t sustain his pulverizing fullback style.

“Delicious” – Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall: That’s what Mike Tomlin calls his 1^st round rookie.  Mendenhall’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, though. Yesterday he texted friend and MNF opponent Ray Rice, saying he was gonna run all over the Ravens. Rice quickly showed his teammates Bart Scott & Terrell Suggs. Uh oh.

Tier 4:

“The Understudy” – Cardinals RB Tim Hightower: He’s learning all the tricks from Edgerrin James, a 7-time 1,000-yard rusher.  James, who could be the 7^th all-time leading rusher by year’s end, knows about picking your battles, body lean, and managing injuries. I tempted to put Hightower in Tier 2 because the second he becomes a 20-carry guy he’ll be cash-money.

“Texas Tornado” – Cowboys RB Felix Jones:  He’s only touched the football 28 times (18 runs, 2 catches, 8 kickoffs) and has scored 3 TDs.  Right now OC Jason Garrett seems content to load Marion Barber down with 25 touches per game – but we all know that won’t last.  Get Felix in there for the ultimate Thunder & Lightning combo.

“Lion Heart” – Lions RB Kevin Smith: The coaches planned to give him all he could handle, but maybe those 450 carries his senior year at UCF left him a little dead-legged.  Smith’s long run is 14 yards so far. It seems Rudi Johnson has a little left in the tank – so they’re backing Smith off a bit. Smart move. His whole career is ahead of him. 

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