CHANGING GAME
RB Lindsay not playing small
Fans of Broncos rookie running back Phillip Lindsay should get used to hearing platitudes about him from opposing defensive coordinators.
“Lindsay is a rocket!” Baltimore defensive playcaller Don Martindale told reporters Thursday. “You always have to be aware. Your antennae go up when he’s in the game.”
Lindsay has made that kind of impact through two games, rushing 29 times for 178 yards entering Sunday’s matchup against the Ravens.
A surprising part of the Broncos’ 20 start is how much Lindsay has been in the game — 54 of 140 snaps on offense (38.6 percent) — and how much he has been involved — 32 total touches.
Lindsay and the Broncos are on the cusp of rare territory, if not already there.
Players of Lindsay’s size — he is listed at 5foot9, 190 pounds — aren’t regarded as bruising backs, capable of carrying a large share of the carries and running between the tackles. The theory is smaller guys take bigger hits and aren’t capable of bouncing off defenders to claw for more yards. Lindsay is changing the narrative. There are few comparisons to Lindsay, which makes it difficult to project how many touches could be too many.
Using Pro Football Reference, the search included being 5foot8 or shorter and 195 pounds or lighter and rushing for 2,500 career yards.
Only four players met the requirement: Joe Morris (57/195, 5,585 yards), Justin Forsett (58/195, 3,890), Darren Sproles (56/190, 3,376) and Buddy Young (54/175, 2,727).
Telling about the quartet’s career statistics is their average carries per game: Morris 12.8, Forsett 6.7, Sproles 4.0 and Young 5.7.
Lindsay is at 14.5 carries per game. It’s unlikely he will keep up that pace since only four players in the NFL averaged that many last season over 16 games (at least 232 carries).
But Lindsay may be on his way to creating a new kind of back. Maybe he is more of a runner than a gadget guy.
My camp theory about Lindsay: He would make the team because the Broncos were using him in too many different situations during practice and the preseason games to not be carving out/creating a role for him.
Where I was wrong: I thought Lindsay would strictly be a changeofpace player. Motion outside to create a passing game mismatch; someone who would get his carries to the perimeter and outside the basic structure of the Broncos’ run game. I thought he’d have a maximum of 45 touches per game, figuring offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave would have a special set of plays for him, but little more.
Lindsay is tied with the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, Oakland’s Marshawn Lynch and Chicago’s Jordan Howard — three nodoubt featured backs — for 14th in carries. Lindsay also has three catches. I figured he would be around 10 carries and eight catches through two games. Got that backward.
And here’s where we enter the surprising part of the Phillip Phenomenon: Lindsay is being used as if he were a significantly bigger player.
Twenty of Lindsay’s 29 rushing attempts can be considered “inside” runs, between the hash marks or the offensive tackles. He has gained at least five yards on 10 of those attempts, including last week’s 53yard run.
The Broncos don’t feel Lindsay needs a fullback in front of him. Only four of his carries have included a blocking back. He has been lined up in the Iformation (quarterback under center, running back seven yards behind the line of scrimmage) on 19 of his rushes.
For sure, Musgrave has kept some of the wrinkles traditionally associated with a player of Lindsay’s size and quickness. Against Seattle, quarterback Case Keenum stepped right before pitching left to Lindsay, who gained 14 yards when he beat defensive end Frank Clark to the edge. And Lindsay has had success on delayed plays (including the 53yarder).
The more Lindsay has been given, the more he has thrived. And it hasn’t changed his mindset.
“He’s still that same Phil,” Musgrave said. “I think he’s really focused. In the meetings, he’s outstanding — brighteyed, ready to take notes and retaining the game plans we’re installing. He’s keeping on, keeping on.”