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SPORTS Thursday, November 8, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3B Gurley’s MVP look highlights run renaissance By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer Ezekiel Elliott likes to give Todd Gurley credit for the NFL’s running renais- sance because the Los Angeles Rams star ended an unprecedented two-year drought of backs taken in the first round of the draft. With MVP-type numbers on a team looking like a Super Bowl contender, Gur- ley is the best example why it’s a good time to be a run- ning back not many years after the position seemed undervalued in what is still considered a passing league. “Definitely it’s starting to reemerge,” said Elliott, who was the NFL rushing leader as a rookie in 2016 with the Dallas Cowboys. “He was the first one in that draft and then as the years went on, more backs started to get picked and they’ve all been doing well. I wouldn’t take all the credit, but I think it’s just a new age of backs.” And an age of young backs. Gurley went 10th overall to the Rams when they were in St. Louis, fol- lowed five picks later by Melvin Gordon to the Char- gers when they were still in San Diego. Now both backs are in LA. Elliott was the first of two straight rookies to win the rushing title, followed by Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt last season. Among the top 10 rushers this sea- son, eight are 25 or younger. That’s still not getting to New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick and high- est back taken since Reggie Bush went second in 2006. “I guess I kind of did start the first-round thing again,” Gurley said. “But those guys are great play- ers. They put themselves in great positions to be where they are at today, and you see why they are having success in the NFL.” Elliott got a top-four thing going when the Cow- boys drafted the Ohio State star fourth overall in 2016. Now there have been three straight years with a back taken at least that high: AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File In this Oct. 28 file photo, Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley runs for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Los Angeles. Leonard Fournette fourth out of LSU the year in 2017, then Barkley from Penn State this year. The other top 10 run- ning back over the past three drafts also illustrates one reason runners could be in vogue: their ability as pass catchers. Carolina took Christian McCaffrey eighth overall out of Stanford last year, even with the percep- tion he might be a third- down back. Now McCaffrey has a respectable 111 carries for the playoff-contending Pan- thers while ranking fourth among running backs with 49 catches. “A lot of times teams that had a feature back, he was considered the first- and second-down guy, and then they put in a little scat- back to be the third-down receiver,” said Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane, who had a hand in drafting McCaffrey while with Carolina. “Well, now, you’re getting these guys that can do it all.” Hunt and Barkley have AP Photo/Jim Cowsert, File In this Oct. 14 file photo, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) carries past Jacksonville Jaguars de- fensive end Dante Fowler (56). made it back-to-back sea- sons for rookies to start their careers with six or more straight games of at least 100 scrimmage yards. Bar- kley’s run ended there, but now he’s at seven of his first eight games despite another miserable season for the Giants (1-7). Hunt started his career with seven straight last year — the first rookie to do that since Kevin Jones for Detroit in 2004. Not that multipurpose lead backs are a new thing. “I don’t think anyone’s ever matched how Marshall Faulk produced in the pass- ing game, and that seems like 8 million years ago,” Cowboys offensive coordi- nator Scott Linehan said of a back who was the 2000 NFL MVP in the middle of three straight years with at least 1,300 yards rushing and 800 receiving. Oh, and Faulk was the second overall pick in 1994. “I just think of these guys have been doing this stuff in this league for years,” Linehan said. “I think peo- ple probably targeted them because they’re the best with the ball in their hands.” Gurley is well on his way to his first rushing title with 868 yards; leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns, including 12 rushing; and has a chance Sunday against Seattle to become just the fourth player with at least one TD in each of the first 10 games. The others are all Hall of Famers. The former Georgia standout has a 162-yard lead over James Conner, the replacement for Le’Veon Bell in Pittsburgh when Bell decided to stay away from the Steelers rather than play under the franchise tag. Conner’s emergence also shows the depth of the 2017 class — even with Fournette missing all but two games with a hamstring injury after rushing for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie for a team that reached the AFC championship game. The second-year group has two of the NFL’s top three rushers in Conner and Hunt, who have almost 1,400 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns between them, while Hunt has another six receiving TDs. The versatility of 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara helps quarterback Drew Brees in one of the NFL’s best offenses in New Orleans. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota) and Joe Mixon (Cincinnati) are expected to play leading roles in their respective run games. And forget for a moment about the draft. Another second-year player, Matt Breida in San Francisco, is ninth in the NFL with 531 yards rushing after going undrafted. Denver rookie Phillip Lindsay is sixth at 591 after not getting selected. “A lot of times there’s a lot of backs in the draft,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said. “You might be able to get one that’s close in the second round, but you won’t get that left tackle who’s a star in the second round or that defensive line- man or that outside ‘backer or that corner.” There’s a different kind of renaissance with the Redskins: an “old” guy leading the way. Adrian Peterson, the 33-year-old three-time league rushing champ, has helped Wash- ington to the NFC East lead by ranking fifth with 604 yards. “I don’t think that posi- tion’s ever been devalued,” Gruden said. “I think you look at what Zeke’s done and you look at some of the other young running backs, Le’Veon Bell, and what type of impact they can have on your football team. “We’re learning that right now firsthand with Adrian Peterson. Even though we didn’t draft him, obviously, but the impact these backs can have on your football as far as run- ning game, controlling the clock, and then the play-ac- tions. It’s big time.” It’s been big at draft time recently as well. SEAHAWKS FOOTBALL Uncertainty about Carson will test Seahawks running depth By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer RENTON, Wash. — It’s become clear through the first half of this season the Seattle Seahawks offense functions best when running back Chris Carson is getting the bulk of the carries. Yet it’s also becoming clear that Carson may be a spectator on Sunday when the Seahawks face the Los Angeles Rams as he deals with a hip injury that could keep him sidelined for the second time this season. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that Car- son would not practice and his status for Sunday’s NFC West matchup was uncer- tain. Carson started last Sun- day’s 25-17 loss to the Char- gers and averaged 5.0 yards per carry, but did not play the final 2½ quarters after a lingering hip issue flared up. While there is a chance Carson could be ready by Sunday, the Seahawks (4-4) also turn around and play a Thursday night game against Green Bay next week. And playing Carson on Sunday may make him unavailable against the Packers, which could end up being a more important game for Seattle’s playoff hopes. “The soft tissue thing is kind of hanging with him a little bit,” Carroll said of Carson. “This hip thing is still kind of there and we’ve got to wait and see how it comes out at the end of the week.” Carson has shown he’s the best option as Seattle’s primary running back when he is healthy. In the four games Carson has carried the ball at least 14 times this season, he’s averaging 4.2 yards per carry, 95.5 yards per game and the Seahawks are 3-1 in those four games. In the three games where Carson has carried the ball fewer than 14 times either because of injury or game plan, the Seahawks are winless. If Carson can’t play against the Rams, Mike Davis would likely get the bulk of the work at run- ning back with a bigger role for rookie first-round pick Rashaad Penny as well. “We’ve got plenty of guys we can go to,” Carroll said. “We don’t have to just rely on one guy right now.” Davis has shown an abil- ity to be the primary ball car- rier for the Seahawks, run- ning for 101 yards on 21 carries in Seattle’s Week 4 victory over Arizona when Carson was out because of an unrelated groin injury. Davis had 62 yards on 15 carries last week carry- ing the bulk of the running after Carson was unable to continue. “It’s like I do every week, prepare that I’m going to be the starter so if it does come up I don’t get blindsided,” Davis said. Davis has proven he can handle the load. The same can’t be said of Penny, who has just 42 carries for 146 yards through eight games. In the first couple of weeks, Seattle made it a priority to force Penny into the game and get him some action. After they realized that wasn’t working, Penny dis- appeared for a couple of weeks before slowly being reintegrated to the offense. Last week Penny had just four carries, but may see that number increase signifi- cantly if Carson can’t play. “We’ve just got to get him out there. He just needs more turns,” Carroll said of Penny. “Mike has been very versatile in the throw- ing game and all the styles of runs, really good at it and very effective. We’re just going with what looks right. It has nothing to do with where you got picked or where you came from for the opportunities to present itself for the guys to show what they can do.” Whoever is carrying the ball, the Seahawks will want to replicate the success they had from the first meet- ing with the Rams. Seattle rushed for a season-high 190 yards in the 33-31 loss, the most allowed by Los Ange- les this season. But Carson was a big part of that suc- cess, running for 116 yards. Davis expects the Rams to make changes, but also believes in his offensive line. “We know what our guys can do up front and they’re killing it. I have no doubt,” Davis said. Notes: G D.J. Fluker didn’t finish last week’s game with a calf injury and sat out practice on Wednes- day. Carroll said Fluker was a little more sore on Wednes- day than he was earlier in the week. ... S Bradley McDou- gald also didn’t practice with a knee injury that kept him out the second half against the Chargers. Delano Hill would start if McDougald can’t play. AP Photo/Bill Feig New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts to fans after an NFL foot- ball game against the Los Angeles Rams in New Orleans on Sunday. The Saints won 45-35. Saints on top of latest Pro32 poll; KC, Pats tied for 2nd By SIMMI BUTTAR AP Sports Writer NEW YORK — Who Dat on top of the latest AP Pro32 rankings? Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints knocked off the Los Angeles Rams 45-35 on Sunday, handing them their first loss of the season. The Saints jumped three spots to No. 1 in the latest AP Pro32 poll. They received seven of 12 first-place votes and 377 points in balloting Tuesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL. “Beat the Rams big time,” Fox Sports’ John Czarnecki said. The Kansas City Chiefs and the surging New England Patriots are tied for No. 2. The Patriots, who have won six in a row, got two first-place votes and the Chiefs received the remaining three, giving both teams 364 points. “Andy Reid has been a terrific coach for so many years, but Patrick Mahomes’ bril- liance allows Reid’s true play-calling tal- ents (to) shine through like never before,” Newsday’s Bob Glauber said of the Chiefs. The Rams fell from the top spot to No. 4. They will look to get back to their win- ning ways when they host NFC West rival Seattle on Sunday. “Although they couldn’t stop Drew Brees when it counted, the Rams are still in very good shape to secure an NFC play- off bye,” said Ira Kaufman of Fox 13 in Tampa, Florida. The Carolina Panthers and the LA Char- gers followed at No. 5 and No. 6. The teams flipped spots from the previous poll. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who open Week 10 when they host the Panthers on Thurs- day night, remained at No. 7. The Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans each moved up a spot to No. 8 and No. 9 as they enter their bye weeks. The Texans have won six in a row after a 0-3 start. And the Chicago Bears climbed five spots to round out the top 10 after their 41-9 rout of the woeful Buffalo Bills.
