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Take the back and run, maybe

Denver has shown that taking a RB in the draft, no matter the need, can pay off. Will Bucs follow suit?

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 17, 2001

TAMPA -- Shortly after being named Bucs offensive coordinator, Clyde Christensen proclaimed that Warrick Dunn would be the team's primary ball carrier next season.

Convinced that his stunning performance late last year was no aberration, Christensen said the Bucs would no longer limit Dunn's carries. They were finally going to find out whether his 5-foot-8, 185-pound frame could take the pounding.

So with Mike Alstott recovered from his knee injury and Rabih Abdullah proving efficient in his new-found role as a versatile back, the Bucs wouldn't appear to have an immediate need at the position.

But be cautious. Even with Dunn, Alstott, Abdullah, Aaron Stecker and Charles Kirby returning, coach Tony Dungy said it makes sense to pay attention to all of the running backs in Saturday's NFL draft, particularly those who might be around in the middle to late rounds.

"You look at Denver; they keep drafting guys in the fourth, fifth, sixth rounds and they are 1,000-yard rushers," Dungy said. "They keep bringing good young players in and that's what (we're trying to do)."

Dungy talks about the Broncos because Denver's success in selecting running backs late in the draft is unprecedented.

In the sixth round of the '95 draft, the Broncos grabbed Terrell Davis, who repaid them a few years later with huge contributions en route to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. But even after Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns in the 1998 season, the Broncos selected Georgia running back Olandis Gary in the fourth round.

When Davis sustained a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game of 1999, the Denver front office looked brilliant when Gary gained 1,159 yards as a rookie.

With Davis and Gary in the fold, the Broncos turned more heads last season by taking little-known Mike Anderson in the sixth round. When Davis and Gary went down injured, the Broncos again seemed prophetic as Anderson finished with 1,487 yards.

Taking the player you think is best, even if you already have a slew of running backs, Dungy said, is sometimes the smartest thing.

"If you change your views on that you make a mistake," he said. "(You can't say), "Hey, we're close to the playoffs so we'd better draft this or better get this guy or whatever.' You have to keep getting good players, and guys that you like, and that's what helps you."

Unless the promise to make Dunn an every-down back is a smoke screen, the Bucs aren't likely to be in position to draft Mississippi's Deuce McAllister, Wisconsin's Michael Bennett, TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson or Tennessee's Travis Henry, all of whom are expected to be first-round picks.

And there is this added barrier: With Dunn and Alstott clamoring for carries, the prospect of taking a top back in the first few rounds could lead to bickering.

"It all comes down to where did I take (a running back)," said Jerry Angelo, Bucs director of player personnel. "If we take a running back in the first round, then yes, he's going to want to carry the ball. The higher we take him, the more expectations we have for him to play.

"Regardless of what your expectations are, it's still a bit of a hit-and-miss process. In the first year you have to let a rookie be a rookie. Very seldom do you see a rookie hit the ground running like Jevon Kearse or Jamal Lewis did. They are exceptions. The rule is usually the other way."

But considering the impressive collection of running backs who will be sitting by their phones this weekend, the Bucs can grab someone valuable late in the draft, then let him learn from the bench in case re-signing Dunn, whose contract is up at the end of 2002, proves too costly.

One such back might be Maryland's LaMont Jordan. Considered one of the not-so-secret secrets in the draft, Jordan's size (5-10, 225 pounds) and low-to-the-ground running style are making him more attractive as a second- or third-round pick. There are some who even consider him a late first-rounder.

"He's a true sleeper," Angelo said. "He had a great junior year but didn't have as a good a senior year. I think the team was not as good and the offensive line was young, yet he was 231 pounds at the time and ran like a 4.4 and had some big games.

"He played well against Florida State, and I remember a game that we scouted against Virginia. Thomas Jones rushed for about 70 yards and (Jordan) rushed for about 250-plus yards that day. It was clear that he was the better running back on that given day."

In the end, there are two givens with the Bucs running game: Dunn will get the ball, and Alstott will want the ball. It probably would not help to add to the fray a high-round backwith his own carry demands.

"Where do you take that guy, in the first round or the second round?" Angelo said. "Well, you don't want to take an insurance policy when you don't have anything wrong. Who wants to pay a high premium when you have nothing wrong. Sure, we liked a kid last year that we thought would have been a hell of a back, but we didn't need him. If it's the right position, we'll take him. But it has to be the right situation."

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