My New Favorite 2-Down Back

As I sat watching the Chargers and Raiders MNF game, I found myself yelling something over and over, “GIVE THE BALL TO LT!” It took a couple of those yells and a stellar performance by Darren Sproles to have this troubling thought come into my head, “LT could be a legitimate 2-down back now.”

Or maybe not. It’s still way too early to tell. It’s only the first game of the season and although he did fumble the ball once, he had 55 yards, a 4.2 YPC and an equalizing TD. Solid stats for a football week filled with underwhelming performances from premier backs. However, if it wasn’t so obvious after last year's playoff win over the Colts, Sproles is ELECTRIC! And seeing his increased role, especially on third downs, is a welcome sight and disheartening at the same time.

Over the summer I clung to any tidbit that included Tomlinson’s name and his health status. I was happy that he received the preseason reps he felt he needed to get into a regular season rhythm. I traded Drew Brees and Calvin Johnson in my fantasy league just to get LT, Rivers and some others (if that doesn’t say homer, I don’t know what does). And I was proud of the competitiveness he showed when he said that he was the best running back in the league.

I agree with you LT. You can be the best... 2-down back in the league. At this stage in your career, it will preserve your legs for a deep playoff run.  Being the best 2-down back will allow Sproles’ role to continue to grow. You won’t have to run with the sparse openings offered by your offensive line as much. You won’t have to carry the ball 20 plus times anymore.  You can just focus on getting those hard earned yards on first and second down.

But I hope that I’m wrong.  I want to see you in the game when it’s on the line.  I want to see you there in the Marty proclaimed “Goldzone” getting the 6-8 yard TD’s like you used to.  I want to see you in a helmet on the field instead of a spectator on the sidelines. I want to hear your name as THE definitive running back on the Chargers, instead of being questioned every 5 minutes by the broadcast team. I hope that you can prove all your doubters utterly wrong.

We’ll see. Until then, I’ll still wear the #21 authentic jersey. I’ll still call for your name when the offense isn’t flowing consistently. I’ll still blame the offensive line for not opening holes for you. I’ll still believe you can get 1,500 yards and 12 plus touchdowns this season. If that doesn’t happen, Sproles receives all the third down calls, and my fantasy football trade looks like highway-robbery, its ok. You’re still my favorite Charger and running back of all-time, regardless if you’re a 2-down back or not.