Jul 27 2012
Is There a Birdgang Plan C at Running Back?
The two-headed running back tandem of Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams have the potential to be something special in 2012. Beanie Wells is coming off his best year as a pro, topping the 1,000 yard mark for the first time including an impressive 228 yard rushing performance against the St. Louis Rams. Ryan Williams flashed Chris Johnson-esque moves early in the 2011 camp before suffering a season-ending injury in preseason.
While Wells managed to play in 14 games last year, he does have a history of injury and is hobbled once again to start the 2012 camp. Both players have said they will be ready for the opener against Seattle….but what if they aren’t? Is a team that appears to be loaded with offensive weapons comfortable moving forward with Alfonso Smith as the starter? I’m not.
I will admit, last year I was curious to see what Smith could do. Unfortunately, what I saw gave me no evidence that he could be an everyday starter. The game in Seattle was less than impressive and could have been a win had there been anything resembling a rushing attack. Unfortunately, Smith is not the answer for 2012 either. So, is it time to consider free agent options?
There are viable options available…and we are not talking about the Chester Taylors of the world. We are talking proven veterans who can start on many teams in this league still. Anyone ever hear of Cedric Benson, Ryan Grant or even Cadillac Williams? Of course, Cedric Benson is the most desirable of the group but all have played at a high-level at some point and could provide a stop-gap insurance policy capable of giving the Cardinals some depth to support Whisenhunt’s grind it out philosophy. It is worth placing a call to see what it would take to get a veteran back up the hill for camp. But will they?