Sports Buzz- Dolphins considering adding a RB

No Knowshon Moreno please.

I do not get the interest in him. If there ever was a back who was overrated and really middling who benefits entirely from the offense he is in, it is Moreno. If you want a back who will do nothing really special and mire you in mediocrity - and likely get a contract bigger than he deserves - then by all means sign the guy.

Otherwise, no thank you.

 

But, one does have to go inside the stats here - this is just not a legitimate comparison of Lynch to Miller or Seattle to Miami.

On the average: It's simply not legitimate to compare a guy with 10-11 carries a game to a guy with 18-20. All else being equal rushing average is often skewed higher with fewer carries.

Second, this is also skewed if the RB has some speed and can break off big runs vs one that is a grind it out type. This is the case with Miller/Lynch. To illustrate: if a RB is churning out 3, 4, 5, 3, 5, 7, 2, 4, 3 yards each time, you can afford to do that and not have 3 and outs or put your passing game in as serious a jeopardy vs a guy who goes 2, 1, 1, 3, 2, 25, 2, -2, 4. The latter will average more but it won't be effective yards.

Seattle's running game is entirely different from Miami's. Lynch is a power back who grinds out yards and they know that if he is shut down early they can eventually get things going as he wears down defenses. No one on Miami compares to Lynch.

More than that, a chunk of their running game comes from Wilson - who averaged 33 yards a game in rushing last year. His abilities to scramble and take off are well known. And he often moves the chains on 3rd down.

(Another factor that skews avg which is not applicable in the SEA-MIA comparison but still relevant and undermines a RB or team rushing avg. is whether a team has a great passing attack, is throw first, versus run first. If they are geared to be a throw first team with a strong passing attack they will often be able to run draws which will get more yards as the D is off balance).

Seattle is also a completely different team in terms of offensive style and defense. Their whole structure is different from Miami. That makes a difference. Their defense is dominating. Even if their offense goes 3 and out, they are not so worried about it. Their offensive focus is to keep the ball, make a few big plays and grind down the other team. Wilson is not a stat maven; he's not going to sit back in the pocket and throw for 380 yards and 4 TDs. He's going to make some big plays to keep the ball moving on offense and get a TD here or there (or set one up). Miami just is not built that way.

They do have a very mediocre offensive line - especially in the running game. But, the situation is very different from Miami.