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<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/alabama-s-lacy-visits-rams/article_321abd0a-a137-5daf-bb34-849730bb9247.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... b9247.html</a>
In Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson, the Rams have had only two feature backs since 1999, an unbroken string of excellence for 14 seasons.
They made seven Pro Bowls between them. Jackson logged eight 1,000-yard rushing seasons; Faulk had three as a Ram. Faulk was league MVP in 2000, the NFL’s offensive player of the year three consecutive seasons (1999-2001) and a first ballot Hall of Famer (Class of 2011).
They are the No. 1 (Jackson) and No. 3 (Faulk) career rushing leaders in franchise history, with Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson sandwiched in between.
But now, with Jackson off to Atlanta via free agency after voiding the final year of his contract, someone new must step into the backfield. Will it be Alabama’s Eddie Lacy?
Lacy, who paid a pre-draft visit to Rams Park on Tuesday, could be a Rams target in the first round of next week’s draft. At 5-11, 231, he has a big body but light feet not unlike former Rams (and Pittsburgh) great Jerome Bettis. Similar to Jackson, if you’re serious about bringing Lacy down, you better hit him low; high isn’t going to work.
At the NFL scouting combine, Lacy was asked to describe his best attribute as a runner.
“Just being able to be a powerful runner if I need to, or an agile runner and make people miss,” he replied.
That’s a lethal combination, one that has Lacy almost universally acclaimed as the best running back in the 2013 draft and the only back worthy of a first-round selection one week from Thursday.
Even so, like almost every elite prospect there are questions and doubts about Lacy in one area or another. He had a tendency to get nicked up at Alabama — more than nicked up, actually; in 2011 he hobbled through the year with a turf toe injury that required surgery after the season.
This offseason, just before the combine in February, he suffered a hamstring injury during training. Originally, he hoped to run at Alabama’s March 13 pro day, but that turned out to be wishful thinking. Lacy didn’t run until last week, logging times from the mid-4.5s to low 4.6s in the 40-yard dash.
To most observers, that was about as expected. To others it was slightly disappointing. Worse yet, some felt he was out of shape.
Others play down his rushing feats on Alabama’s 2012 national championship team because of the stellar offensive line in front of him, a line that will feature two first-round draft picks April 25 in guard Chance Warmack and tackle D.J. Fluker.
“I feel as though we complement each other because you have a great offensive line and you have a great backfield as well,” Lacy said. “So I don’t feel as if one position is doing good because of the other.”
Keep in mind, too, that Alabama plays some of the nation’s toughest defensive fronts on almost a weekly basis. Watch and see how many Southeastern Conference defensive linemen and linebackers get drafted.
Even Lacy’s first-round draft status is viewed almost as a negative. Running backs, the saying goes, can be found anywhere in the draft. And that’s true to a degree. Take 2012, for example. There were 16 running backs who gained 1,000 yards in the NFL last season.
Among those 16, one was undrafted, one was a seventh-rounder, one was a sixth-rounder, five were third-rounders and two were second-rounders. But there were still more 1,000-yard rushers who were first-round picks in the group — six — than any other round.
Like most premier running backs at Alabama under coach Nick Saban, Lacy had to wait his turn. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was followed by Heisman finalist Trent Richardson, who was followed by Lacy.
Lacy wasn’t a starter until last season, his junior season, so he’s got low mileage entering the pros. By all accounts, he started somewhat slowly in 2012, perhaps still getting up to speed following the turf toe surgery. But what a finish. He rushed for 181 yards (at 9 yards a carry) and scored two touchdowns in the SEC championship game victory over Georgia. A Georgia defense, mind you, chock full of NFL draft prospects.
Against Notre Dame’s vaunted run defense in the BCS title game, Lacy ran for 140 yards (7 yards a carry) and scored two TDs.
For the season, he rushed for 1,322 yards (6.5 yards a carry) and scored 17 touchdowns. In theory, he could provide a big-back element in St. Louis now that Jackson’s gone. With Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson taking a share of the workload, Lacy wouldn’t necessarily have to be a workhorse. Coach Jeff Fisher’s knack for keeping his players fresh and minimizing injury might keep Lacy on the field and out of the training room.
Other options at the position include UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin, Florida’s Mike Gillislee and South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, all three of whom made pre-draft visits to Rams Park. Franklin had a monster season for the Bruins last season. Like Lacy, Gillislee didn’t become a feature back until 2012 and became the Gators’ first 1,000-yard runner since 2004 (or Steven Jackson’s rookie year in the NFL).
Lattimore could begin the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list because of his severe knee injury last season. Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell had a “suite” visit with the Rams at the scouting combine and also had a private film study meeting with the Rams at his pro day. At 230 pounds, he certainly fills the big-back mode.
Additionally, the Rams have shown interest in Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy, who became the first runner in that school’s history to log back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Locally, there’s always Wisconsin’s Montee Ball of Timeberland High in Wentzville. With his NCAA record 83 career touchdowns, Ball could become a walking first-aid kit for what ails the Rams in the red zone.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/alabama-s-lacy-visits-rams/article_321abd0a-a137-5daf-bb34-849730bb9247.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... b9247.html</a>
In Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson, the Rams have had only two feature backs since 1999, an unbroken string of excellence for 14 seasons.
They made seven Pro Bowls between them. Jackson logged eight 1,000-yard rushing seasons; Faulk had three as a Ram. Faulk was league MVP in 2000, the NFL’s offensive player of the year three consecutive seasons (1999-2001) and a first ballot Hall of Famer (Class of 2011).
They are the No. 1 (Jackson) and No. 3 (Faulk) career rushing leaders in franchise history, with Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson sandwiched in between.
But now, with Jackson off to Atlanta via free agency after voiding the final year of his contract, someone new must step into the backfield. Will it be Alabama’s Eddie Lacy?
Lacy, who paid a pre-draft visit to Rams Park on Tuesday, could be a Rams target in the first round of next week’s draft. At 5-11, 231, he has a big body but light feet not unlike former Rams (and Pittsburgh) great Jerome Bettis. Similar to Jackson, if you’re serious about bringing Lacy down, you better hit him low; high isn’t going to work.
At the NFL scouting combine, Lacy was asked to describe his best attribute as a runner.
“Just being able to be a powerful runner if I need to, or an agile runner and make people miss,” he replied.
That’s a lethal combination, one that has Lacy almost universally acclaimed as the best running back in the 2013 draft and the only back worthy of a first-round selection one week from Thursday.
Even so, like almost every elite prospect there are questions and doubts about Lacy in one area or another. He had a tendency to get nicked up at Alabama — more than nicked up, actually; in 2011 he hobbled through the year with a turf toe injury that required surgery after the season.
This offseason, just before the combine in February, he suffered a hamstring injury during training. Originally, he hoped to run at Alabama’s March 13 pro day, but that turned out to be wishful thinking. Lacy didn’t run until last week, logging times from the mid-4.5s to low 4.6s in the 40-yard dash.
To most observers, that was about as expected. To others it was slightly disappointing. Worse yet, some felt he was out of shape.
Others play down his rushing feats on Alabama’s 2012 national championship team because of the stellar offensive line in front of him, a line that will feature two first-round draft picks April 25 in guard Chance Warmack and tackle D.J. Fluker.
“I feel as though we complement each other because you have a great offensive line and you have a great backfield as well,” Lacy said. “So I don’t feel as if one position is doing good because of the other.”
Keep in mind, too, that Alabama plays some of the nation’s toughest defensive fronts on almost a weekly basis. Watch and see how many Southeastern Conference defensive linemen and linebackers get drafted.
Even Lacy’s first-round draft status is viewed almost as a negative. Running backs, the saying goes, can be found anywhere in the draft. And that’s true to a degree. Take 2012, for example. There were 16 running backs who gained 1,000 yards in the NFL last season.
Among those 16, one was undrafted, one was a seventh-rounder, one was a sixth-rounder, five were third-rounders and two were second-rounders. But there were still more 1,000-yard rushers who were first-round picks in the group — six — than any other round.
Like most premier running backs at Alabama under coach Nick Saban, Lacy had to wait his turn. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was followed by Heisman finalist Trent Richardson, who was followed by Lacy.
Lacy wasn’t a starter until last season, his junior season, so he’s got low mileage entering the pros. By all accounts, he started somewhat slowly in 2012, perhaps still getting up to speed following the turf toe surgery. But what a finish. He rushed for 181 yards (at 9 yards a carry) and scored two touchdowns in the SEC championship game victory over Georgia. A Georgia defense, mind you, chock full of NFL draft prospects.
Against Notre Dame’s vaunted run defense in the BCS title game, Lacy ran for 140 yards (7 yards a carry) and scored two TDs.
For the season, he rushed for 1,322 yards (6.5 yards a carry) and scored 17 touchdowns. In theory, he could provide a big-back element in St. Louis now that Jackson’s gone. With Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson taking a share of the workload, Lacy wouldn’t necessarily have to be a workhorse. Coach Jeff Fisher’s knack for keeping his players fresh and minimizing injury might keep Lacy on the field and out of the training room.
Other options at the position include UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin, Florida’s Mike Gillislee and South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, all three of whom made pre-draft visits to Rams Park. Franklin had a monster season for the Bruins last season. Like Lacy, Gillislee didn’t become a feature back until 2012 and became the Gators’ first 1,000-yard runner since 2004 (or Steven Jackson’s rookie year in the NFL).
Lattimore could begin the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list because of his severe knee injury last season. Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell had a “suite” visit with the Rams at the scouting combine and also had a private film study meeting with the Rams at his pro day. At 230 pounds, he certainly fills the big-back mode.
Additionally, the Rams have shown interest in Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy, who became the first runner in that school’s history to log back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Locally, there’s always Wisconsin’s Montee Ball of Timeberland High in Wentzville. With his NCAA record 83 career touchdowns, Ball could become a walking first-aid kit for what ails the Rams in the red zone.
