Beware the running back with the prestigious reputation.
Early in the NFL season, defenses are zeroed in on stopping the run.
“I feel it,” Broncos tailback Mike Anderson said. “You have more safeties playing down in the box. Teams are reverting back to one safety playing back, one safety running in the middle of the field to help stop the run, which is putting the corners out there, isolating them.”
Defenses seem to be throwing caution to the line of scrimmage.
The Broncos, who had a back rush for at least 1,100 yards in nine of their past 10 seasons, don’t have anyone on pace for 500 yards entering their third game Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Denver is hardly the only team whose running attack is off to a walking start. The Jets’ Curtis Martin, who has 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, is averaging 2.5 yards a carry. That’s all-pro efficiency compared with the 2.2-yard average of Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis.
LaDainian Tomlinson, Ahman Green and Corey Dillon are among the perennial 1,000-yard rushers whose early pace is below that milestone this season.
Instead, the NFL’s top running backs are Tampa Bay rookie Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Pittsburgh’s first-year starter Willie Parker. What do they have in common? Each is unproven.
“You’re probably seeing a lot of eight-man fronts to stop those good backs,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “The other backs haven’t got that respect yet, but they will.”
Few running backs get more respect than whomever the Broncos line up behind their quarterback. What has been most impressive about the Broncos’ running game isn’t necessarily those nine 1,000-yard seasons since 1995, as it was five backs taking turns at the milestone.
Yet two games into this season, Anderson – who has essentially played one game because of a painful rib cage – is the Broncos’ leading ground gainer with 54 yards. The old Broncos running backs, whether they were Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis or Anderson circa 2000, used to have 54 yards at the quarter.
The running slump has not gone unnoticed around the league.
“Their running game hasn’t got going,” Chiefs cornerback Patrick Surtain said. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to come out on Monday night with great emphasis on trying to run the ball. We’ve got to stop that first of all.”
Even if the Broncos’ game plan this week places a greater emphasis on the run, they may never again trample opponents like they did in the past. Opposing defensive philosophy, particularly at the safety position, has changed.
“You look at safeties nowadays, they’re all bigger guys, run-stoppers, 220 pounds,” Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander said. “Where it used to be they were an extra DB.”
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The Broncos have one of those 220-pound safeties. John Lynch said his job description has changed dramatically since he entered the league 13 seasons ago with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Primarily concerned with pass coverage in his early years, Lynch now is asked to provide run support as much as he’s asked to play a deep center field on the pass.
“When I came in there weren’t a lot of teams using the eight-guys-in-the-box principle,” Lynch said. “I just happened to play for one of the first coaches to do it, Tony Dungy.
“People often say, ‘There must be something wrong if you have 12 tackles as a safety.’ Well, not always so. Lots of times, that’s your job.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
