A warm round of applause is in order for Antone Smith. The dude makes plays. Put the ball in his hands and he scores long touchdowns.
Smith hasn’t started any games this year, but he’s still scored 5 TDs. And he’s done that despite running the ball only 13 times and catching only 10 passes. That’s 5 touchdowns in 23 touches, an average of a touchdown every 4.6 times he’s handled the ball.
In the last 20 years, only a handful of running backs have scored 5-plus touchdowns while averaging better than a touchdown for every 10 touches.
The vast majority of guys doing this kind of thing are goal-line specialists. Zack Crockett did it four times – a back who’d come in to punch in 1-yard touchdowns. Or you get a fullback like Kyle Johnson who’s catching play-action flips around the end zone.
With Smith, he’s scoring his touchdowns from long range – consistently busting loose for plays.
| TOUCHDOWN PER 10 TOUCHES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No | TD | Avg |
| 2005 | Kyle Johnson, Den. | 21 | 6 | 3.5 |
| 1998 | Tommy Vardell, Det. | 32 | 7 | 4.6 |
| 2014 | Antone Smith, Atl. | 23 | 5 | 4.6 |
| 2002 | Zack Crockett, Oak. | 40 | 8 | 5.0 |
| 2003 | Mike Cloud, N.E. | 28 | 5 | 5.6 |
| 1995 | Jerry Ellison, T.B. | 33 | 5 | 6.6 |
| 1997 | Harvey Williams, Oak. | 34 | 5 | 6.8 |
| 2011 | John Kuhn, G.B. | 45 | 6 | 7.5 |
| 2000 | Zack Crockett, Oak. | 53 | 7 | 7.6 |
| 2000 | Brian Mitchell, Phil. | 38 | 5 | 7.6 |
| 2008 | T.J. Duckett, Sea. | 62 | 8 | 7.8 |
| 2003 | Zack Crockett, Oak. | 55 | 7 | 7.9 |
| 1997 | Tommy Vardell, Det. | 48 | 6 | 8.0 |
| 2005 | Mike Alstott, T.B. | 59 | 7 | 8.4 |
| 1999 | Mario Bates, Ariz. | 77 | 9 | 8.6 |
| 2009 | Willis McGahee, Balt. | 124 | 14 | 8.9 |
| 2010 | Javarris James, Ind. | 55 | 6 | 9.2 |
| 1994 | Keith Byars, Mia. | 68 | 7 | 9.7 |
| 2001 | Zack Crockett, Oak. | 59 | 6 | 9.8 |
| 2006 | Marion Barber, Dall. | 158 | 16 | 9.9 |
—Ian Allan