Which AFC East Running Back will have the best year?

[jp2lee783]

Who will have the best 2008?

Ronnie- Showed he is cabable of an MVP type season last year before he was hurt. How quickly he can recover is the key. Also as bad as a coach Cameron was, he very good at getting Ronnie involved in the passing game and you have to wonder if Henning will be as effective.

Marshawn- Good season for a rookie rushing for 1115 yards in 13 games and eight total touchdowns. Needs to get more involved in the passing game. Only RB who won't have a true 1-2 punch with him.

Maroney- Powerful but deceptively quick runner who looks a lot like Marshawn but quicker when he gets the ball. Having a one two punch with Sammy Morris makes him that much more fresh. Really came on late last season.

Thomas Jones- Disappointing last season in his first stint with the Jets. The new O-line should help that.

Ricky Williams- Probably the biggest unknown in the AFCE. Health? Commitment? He does appear to be in terrific shape though. Depends on Ronnies health as to how involved he'll be.

Sammy Morris- Always does a great job filling in for Maroney, but unless Maroney's play drops off he wont see as much time as him.

Leon Washington- Maybe the most exciting back in the division. Everytime he touches the ball he makes exciting things happen. I think if Jones struggles early, Washington will see his touches go up another 5-8 times a game.

 

[BobDole]

ronnie - if he stays healthy. then marshawn. then maroney. then everybody else.

 

[nyjunc]

I think Lynch b/c the Pats pass too muchy for it to be Mauroney and the Jets and Dolphins will be not be relying on 1 back to get the bulk of the carries.

 

[satz]

I think Lynch b/c the Pats pass too muchy for it to be Mauroney and the Jets and Dolphins will be not be relying on 1 back to get the bulk of the carries.

I disagree last year the pass to run ratio was 51% to 49% for the patriots.its near balanced attack.

The correct reason is kevin faulk receives about 80% of all 3rd down snaps. Near goal line and smaller DL sammy morris gets the snap.
last year patriots rushed for 1850 yds total and maroney got 835 of it. not even 50% .

He rushed for nearly 300 yds out of the total 400 yrds in the playoffs .

 

[nyjunc]

I disagree last year the pass to run ratio was 51% to 49% for the patriots.its near balanced attack.

The correct reason is kevin faulk receives about 80% of all 3rd down snaps. Near goal line and smaller DL sammy morris gets the snap.
last year patriots rushed for 1850 yds total and maroney got 835 of it. not even 50% .

He rushed for nearly 300 yds out of the total 400 yrds in the playoffs .

Actually they threw it 57% of the time while running 43% of the time and they ran it more late in games w/ big leads or it wouldn't have even been that close.

 

[chris66]

I voted for Lynch and I think Jones will come in second. Lynch will be the bills main weapon and with the way NY revamped the oline including a fa fullback they will be committed to run the ball. Miami still very questionable in the middle of the oline..The pats have too many options and split the work between 3 backs.

 

[BwanaZulia]

Voted for the T-Jones because of my homer blood, but Marshawn will probably get it.

BZ

 

[HughC]

I think it will be Lynch, primarily because the three other teams will be splitting their carries between more than one back.

By the end of the year Ronnie will be the best of the group but I think his carries will be limited in the first half of the season.

Thomas Jones will be facing 8 men close to the line (as will the fins and bills) but he's not as good as Lynch or Brown in overcoming that situation.

I can see the Patriots running more in order to keep their defense off the field and fresher at the end of the season. However, they'll also want to keep Maroney healthy too, so I see Morris getting almost as many carries.

 

[ccphinfan]

I think Ronnie showed his ability, before the injury. He is the class of the East. As long as we are not waay to one dimensional, he will dismiss any question of who the best of the east is.

 

[Brassmonki14120]

"Lynch will carry most of the mail this season, and in a lot of leagues you don’t want to get too carried away with backups, but Jackson is probably a top 10-15 reserve running back because the team likes to use the position as much as it can, plus he’s a good receiver out of the backfield and proved he’s a strong runner last season with a 5.2 average. See if the Bills are serious about getting him on the field the same time as Lynch in certain packages, as that would knock his production up a tick or two."

Jackson performed admirably and became an integral part of Buffalo's offense - he notched 78 touches over the final seven weeks of the season in mostly backup duty - but the one thing he never did was score a touchdown. Jackson has proven that when he's starting he can move the chains, both on the ground and through the air, but he hasn't proven that he can put the ball in the end zone.

If Marshawn is the most successful RB in the AFCE it wont be because he's the lone back in Buffalo's run offense

Also:

Xavier Omon- RB Buffalo Bills- "The X man played at little known NW Missouri state. This guy is tough to tackle averaging 6.3 yds per carry. He totalled 2337 yards and 37 TDS in 2007 and led all NC2a competition. Omon sits third on the depth chart Marshawn Lynch who is apparently in legal trouble, and Fred Jackson from Coe. Buffalo knows Omon is the goods and so do I. Take him in the very last round of your draft. By seasons end, owners will know who the Xman is. Will be around late rounds."