Washington Redskins: What To Do About the Running Backs?

After Quinton Ganther's two-touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders yesterday, he has now become the "stud" running back in Washington D.C. 

Like Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright before him—and Marcus Mason in the preseason—the fans have taken to Ganther and want to see him handle the ball more often.

He had a fantastic game yesterday; in fact, as the Raiders were beating the 'Skins off the ball at the start of the second half, and throwing Campbell around like a rag doll, I was wondering why he wasn't getting more touches.

Finally on the third drive, he was given those touches and made the most of them.

However, we need to put this into perspective. He was up against the 30th ranked run defense. The Raiders were so eager to go after Campbell that they left gaping holes in the middle, allowing Ganther to pick his way through.

Not to take away from his performance; it was nice to see a Redskin back get three to five yards after contact while dragging several defenders with him on second efforts.

But is it time to jump on the Ganther bandwagon?

I say, "Why not?"

Let's face it Redskin Nation, we have a problem with the salary cap. We've got a lot of money going to a lot of players that aren't necessarily earning it.

We need to find ways to cut out some of the spending so we can allocate it to the offensive line.

A perfect spot would be at the running back position.

Why, you might ask?

Well, I've always agreed that a good defense and a stout offensive line are what win championships.

For the most part, that defense is in place.

A few adjustments need to be made to the secondary in the off-season, which could simply mean a new secondary coach.  Mostly because I feel a lot of the big plays given up are due to guys being in the wrong position, not so much the players themselves.

This brings me to the offensive line.  I've always felt that if you've got a line that can open up holes and protect the passer, than you can get away with good players in the back field, not necessary great ones.

In order to get the kind of offensive line we need in D.C., cutting or trading away Portis  and Betts would save the team money on the cap.  Sure, we'd take a bit of hit in the next few seasons, but it would free up money for the future.

So, is Ganther a back we can depend on for the next five seasons? 

Probably not.  If I were running things for the Redskins, I'd spend most of the 2010 draft on linemen and maybe a quarterback if they can't resign Campbell.  Then in the 2011 draft I'd invest my second round pick in a speedy back and keep Ganther around for short yardage plays.

So, that's my solution for the Redskins and their running back dilemma, though I know the team won't do that.  While they may unload Betts in favor of Ganther, the owner is too infatuated with Portis to even think about letting him go.