Free Agent Running Backs 2012
By Gayle Saunders
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Best Available:
Ray Rice – Ravens - Through four years in the league, Rice has established himself as one of the NFL’s most consistently productive running backs and heads a decent class of free agents at his position. A product of Rutgers in 2008, the small, but versatile ball-carrier has appeared in two Pro-Bowls and been an integral part of Baltimore’s dangerous offense. While it’s hard not to question how many hits a 5-foot-8 back like Rice will be able to take, especially with his up-the-middle running style, there’s been no question the 24-year-old has been the centerpiece of the Ravens in recent years. With three straight years of at least 1,220 yards and five scores on the ground, he’ll likely command a big payday, but figures to be back with the team he began his career with.
Matt Forte -Bears – Typically, when a premier running back prepares to hit the open market, his team works hard to get a long-term deal done ahead of time, but that hasn’t been the case with Forte and the Bears, meaning other NFL clubs could have a shot at landing a top-tier ball-carrier this offseason. He followed up a promising rookie campaign with a forgettable 2009 season that included a yards-per-carry average of just 3.6, but has since developed into one of the league’s top all-around offensive threats. This past season, he fell just three yards short of the 1,000-yard mark and also hauled in 52 passes for nearly 500 yards…in 12 games. At 26, Forte is older than Rice, but remains a potentially elite free agent option.
Marshawn Lynch – Seahawks- Before joining the Seahawks during the 2010 season, Lynch appeared to be on a serious decline, which followed up a promising, yet controversial tenure with Buffalo, but has turned his career around and figures to garner a good deal of interest as a free agent. After two straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his professional career, Lynch fell victim to injuries and quickly fell out of favor with the Bills, especially after being suspended for a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Since coming to Seattle via trade, however, the 25-year-old Lynch has been nothing short of a bruising highlight reel, powering his way to over 1,700 rushing yards in 26 starts for the Seahawks.
Running Backs
Ray Rice
Matt Forte
Marshawn Lynch
Michael Bush
Peyton Hillis
Cedric Benson
Mike Tolbert
Kevin Smith
Jason Snelling
Justin Forsett
BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Tim Hightower
Steve Slaton
Cadillac Williams
LaDainian Tomlinson
Ronnie Brown
Ryan Grant
Jackie Battle
Sammy Morris
Mewelde Moore
Maurice Morris
Earnest Graham
Chester Taylor
Kevin Faulk
Tashard Choice
Derrick Ward
Thomas Jones
Jerious Norwood
LenDale White
Rock Cartwright
LaDainian Tomlinson: How to do a Spin Move
Nobody does it better than LT. Better pay attention. LaDainian Tomlinson, running back for the San Diego Chargers, gives you the lowdown on the Spin Move he uses to get away and make that yardage. Nike Football Pro Moves is a great resource “to be the best, learn from the best”. This football training video offers a valuable perspective from LaDainian Tomlinson.
Carry With Outside Arm:
You always want to keep the ball away from defenders, so if you’re coming around the outside you should keep the ball in your outside arm. This makes it more difficult for defenders to get to the ball, and it allows you to use your inside arm to fend off tacklers. When you spin, remember to keep the ball tight to your body – don’t let it extend outward.
Stay Balanced:
A key part of a successful spin move is staying balanced. You don’t want to approach the defender with so much momentum that you crash right into him – that only makes his job easier. As you approach the tackler, come to balance with your body in control and your feet under you. That’ll put you in much better position to set up your spin move.
Shake and Spin:
One of the most important elements of the spin move happens before you even spin. The shake you give the defender is what throws him off balance and allows the spin to be effective. Just before the point of contact, shake (or juke) in one direction and get the tackler to turn his hips. Then plant your foot and spin back the other way, past your man.
Accelerate:
Once you’ve executed the spin, it’s time to turn on the jets. Square you body downfield again and accelerate as fast as you can. This will prevent the original defender from reaching back and making an ankle tackle, and it will reestablish your forward momentum to take on the next defender, if there is one. If not, have a nice trip to the end zone.
The Offseason Buzz!!
During the Offseason of the NFL, Gayle and Steve O’ will be doing some video blogs talking about the hot topics of the league and giving you our input. As of now, some big names have been released and some others have been informed they will be able to test the Free Agency market when that period begins on March 5th. Sit back, relax and enjoy the banter!!
Offseason Buzz from Skinnypost on Vimeo.
LaDainian Tomlinson Emotional press conference
On Wednesday, Tomlinson spoke with the media in an emotional address. A teary eyed Tomlinson told the press that “sometimes emotions [are] what makes a person. And as you guys know, I’ve always worn my emotions on my sleeve. For that, I’m not sorry.”
While he was clearly sad to be leaving his longtime team, the running back also said that he is “excited for the future.”
End of era: Tomlinson released by Chargers
By Gayle Saunders
The San Diego Chargers have now officially done what many knew they would do at some point this offseason: They released running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the most decorated football player in their team’s history. He was told by team president Dean Spanos on Monday afternoon.
In his nine seasons with the Chargers, Tomlinson made the Pro Bowl five times and was first-team All-NFL three times, while rushing for 12,490 yards — good enough for eighth most in NFL history. His 138 rushing touchdowns are second-best all time, while he ranks No. 9 in league history with 16,445 yards from scrimmage.
Tomlinson won the AP MVP award in 2006 after a season which saw him set an NFL record with 31 total touchdowns and 186 points scored.
In the last two seasons, Tomlinson numbers significantly declined — which isn’t too rare for running backs once they get around the age of 30 (which he currently is). His yards per carry sank to a career-low 3.3 in 2009. He did score 12 touchdowns, but his role had become little more than a short-yardage back. His 730 yards was almost 400 lower than his previous low (1,110 in 2008), and his abillity to affect the passing game also diminished– at one time he was once a major threat.
The Chargers have Darren Sproles to take LaDanian’s spot in the backfield, however Darren Sproles is a restricted free agent in line for a big pay raise, San Diego will now have to decide his fate. Even if the Chargers retain Sproles, his small frame makes it most likely that they get him a bigger back to shoulder the between-the-tackles workload. Sproles is a big-play threat on outside runs and in the receiving and return games.
Tomlinson has been a class act and he will one day be enshrined in the Hall of Fame as probably the best player in Chargers history. He’ll be looking for work outside San Diego just two years removed from being arguably the best player in the NFL.
Declining Returns
LaDainian Tomlinson had his MVP season in 2006 when he set NFL single-season records with 31 touchdowns and 186 points. Since then, it has been downhill.
Season Yards Per Game
2006 113.4*
2007 92.1
2008 69.4
2009 52.1
*Career high
