Friday Toss-Up: Le’Veon Bell vs. Eddie Lacy
Le’Veon Bell will get a chance to be the unquestioned starter in Pittsburgh. (Keith Srakocic/AP)
Each Friday this offseason, Audibles will pit two players head-to-head in an attempt to figure out which one will have a better 2013 season. We’ll then take it to Twitter, to get your opinions on the debate. Find our previous Toss-Ups here.
Running backs had a rough go of it in the 2013 NFL Draft, with nary a one selected in the opening round. Five players from that position came off the board in Round 2, however, including Le’Veon Bell to Pittsburgh and Eddie Lacy to Green Bay.
Those are the two players under the microscope for this week’s Friday Toss-Up.
Is Craig Dahl right about 49ers tipping their plays?
Craig Dahl (43) will now experience the Rams-49ers rivalry from the other side. (David Welker/Getty Images)
Former Ram and current 49er Craig Dahl made some NFC West waves this week when he revealed how the St. Louis Rams defense had, to some extent, solved San Francisco’s offense in 2012. The 49ers tipped their plays, Dahl told the San Jose Mercury News, allowing the Rams to often figure out whether a run or pass play was coming at them.
“Different personnel and different alignment stuff really were the big keys as far as giveaways,” Dahl, who left St. Louis to sign with San Francisco this offseason, told the Mercury News. “It’s been addressed and corrected. They knew most of it before I even got here. We just reconfirmed it. It’s ongoing self-study and self-scouting that got it cleared up, too.” That revelation was met with scorn from Dahl’s former Rams teammate Cortland Finnegan, who tweeted, “Craig Dahl is lame and weak for that glad he with another squad we know how he play thanks for the tips we know who 2 go at.”
The Rams played the 49ers, then with Alex Smith at the helm, to a 24-24 tie in San Francisco and later knocked off the Colin Kaepernick-led 49ers, 16-13 in St. Louis.
It’s that latter game that we are putting in the spotlight here. Was Dahl right about the 49ers’ tipping their plays? It sure seems like it, based on what the game tape shows …
Declining Player to Watch: Andre Smith
Andre Smith could be a one-season wonder. (Michael Keating/AP)
As we power through the summer toward training camps, Chris Burke will highlight players that interest him this season for various reasons. This week, he’s looking at three players who might regress in 2013.
This all boils down to expectations.
Through two-plus seasons after being taken No. 6 overall in the 2009 draft, Andre Smith looked like he might be a massive bust. Then, rather suddenly, the light came on — Smith closed the 2011 season with several solid performances, then in 2012 played as one of the NFL’s elite right tackles. The Bengals rewarded him with a three-year, $18 million contract.
So what exactly are they paying for?
Willis McGahee release paves way for Montee Ball in Denver
Willis McGahee should not have trouble finding work with another team, following his release by the Broncos. (David Zalubowski, AP)
The Denver Broncos thinned out their crowded backfield on Thursday, releasing veteran Willis McGahee, possibly paving the way for rookie Montee Ball to take over as the No. 1 RB option. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported McGahee’s release.
McGahee’s contract ($2.5 million in 2013 and $2 million for ’14), his decision to skip voluntary OTAs and the fact that he’s coming off a broken leg all combined to put the 31-year-old’s roster spot in jeopardy. He had even less wiggle room after the Broncos spent a second-round pick on Wisconsin’s Montee Ball, a player they have talked up incessantly since drafting him. Denver then squeezed McGahee out in early work at its mandatory minicamp, with Ball and Ronnie Hillman reportdly receiving much of the reps.
Still, McGahee’s release comes as somewhat of a surprise — especially to McGahee, who said on Tuesday that he planned to be the Broncos’ starting back come Week 1, according to USA Today‘s Lindsay Jones.
Declining Player to Watch: Wes Welker
After a falling out with the Patriots, Wes Welker quickly latched on with the Broncos. (Ed Andrieski/AP)
As we power through the summer toward training camps, Chris Burke will highlight players that interest him this season for various reasons. This week, he’s looking at three players who might regress in 2013.
It seems almost comical now (and it was a bit at the time, too), but the New England Patriots went through a brief spell early in 2012 when they seemed ready to phase Wes Welker out of their offense. Welker played sparingly in a Week 1 win over Tennessee, then opened Week 2 on the bench in favor of Julian Edelman.
Welker wound up reclaiming his usual role as Tom Brady’s go-to receiver again, of course, en route to a team-leading 118 receptions and fifth consecutive Pro Bowl honor. But the Patriots barely made a squeak when Welker hit free agency, allowing him to leave for the rival Broncos on an affordable two-year, $12 million deal that Patriots could have easily matched.
Which leads us to this question: Did Welker thrive simply because he was part of the Patriots’ system?
