A couple of crusty old veterans caught my eye on the initial preseason games. Robert Turbin and Latavius Murray. Neither is what you would call a building-block player, but both might get some goal-line touches this year.
When the Colts played at Seattle, I liked what I saw out of Marlon Mack (especially on a 17-yard catch to open the game). He looks like their starting tailback. But he left with a strained hamstring and isn’t a bruising banger.
They drafted a pair of running backs (Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins) but neither looks particularly likely to be much of a factor in 2018. They were buried until the second half of the Seattle game, and neither made any impact.
Which brings us back to Turbin and his Michael Pittman-sized biceps. Turbin has been around for years and can bang it between the tackles. With his experience and his size, he’s different than those three young backs. So I could see them using him on most of their goal-line running plays. (After he completes a four-game PED suspension, that is.)
Turbin has had some success on these plays previously. Over the last two years, Turbin has been successful on 17 of 19 carries when the Colts have been looking for a yard to either score or keep a drive alive. That’s the best rate of any running back in the league. Seriously.
In the same vein, Murray looked good in Denver, ripping off 20- and 21-yard runs early. He looks like a good handcuff behing Dalvin Cook, and he might be a little more than that.
Like Turbin, Murray has been really good in short-yardage situations – a league-best 10-for-10 last year. (He went 14 of 21 the previous season in Oakland).
Cook is coming off a torn ACL. While he’s supposedly doing great (practicing without a knee brace) wouldn’t it make sense for the Vikings to save him some wear and tear by plugging in Murray in goal-line situations? In my opinion, Murray should be one of the first “handcuff” running backs chosen.
Below are the short-yardage rushing stats for the last two years. I’m listing the 31 running backs with at least 15 such carries. Plays including anything from the 1 and carries on either third or fourth down when 1 yard was needed to keep a drive alive.
| AND-ONE RUSHING, 2016-2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | "Good" | Att | Pct |
| Robert Turbin, Ind. | 17 | 19 | 89.5% |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 33 | 39 | 84.6% |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 20 | 25 | 80.0% |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 12 | 15 | 80.0% |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 25 | 32 | 78.1% |
| Latavius Murray, Oak.-Min. | 24 | 31 | 77.4% |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 20 | 27 | 74.1% |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 20 | 28 | 71.4% |
| Mike Gillislee, Buf.-N.E. | 22 | 31 | 71.0% |
| Orleans Darkwa, NYG | 11 | 16 | 68.8% |
| Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 11 | 16 | 68.8% |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 15 | 22 | 68.2% |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 12 | 18 | 66.7% |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 10 | 15 | 66.7% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 24 | 37 | 64.9% |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 12 | 19 | 63.2% |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 15 | 24 | 62.5% |
| Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 10 | 16 | 62.5% |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E.-Phi. | 23 | 38 | 60.5% |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 28 | 47 | 59.6% |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 16 | 27 | 59.3% |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 10 | 17 | 58.8% |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 10 | 17 | 58.8% |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 16 | 28 | 57.1% |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 26 | 46 | 56.5% |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 10 | 18 | 55.6% |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 11 | 20 | 55.0% |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 11 | 22 | 50.0% |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 9 | 19 | 47.4% |
| Zach Zenner, Det. | 7 | 15 | 46.7% |
| Matt Asiata, Minn. | 8 | 19 | 42.1% |
—Ian Allan