Don’t be alarmed by RB trends

THERE are different types of alarms. Some are nonintrusive, soft beeps, maybe reminding you your food is done in the microwave. Some can be jarring, like the loud blasts of a bedside clock or cell phone. Others can be ear-splitting torture, like that of a smoke detector.

Well, after Week 1 of virtually every NFL season, there are smoke detectors across the land scream- ing at league managers. What those managers have to determine is whether there is really a fire, or if they just overcooked the bacon.

Primary among these alarms are those surrounding James Robinson. The Jaguars running back was thought to be the alpha in the Jacksonville backfield after an injury to firstround rookie Travis Eitenne.

But new coach Urban Meyer apparently has others ideas. At least, that is how it looked in a blowout opening loss to the woebegone Texans. Robinson got just five carries (25 yards) to Carlos Hyde’s nine (44 yards). Neither was a major factor in the passing game, and neither reached double digits in PPR points.

But before we start panicking that the house is on fire, let’s check to make sure it’s not just the stove. In the first half, when the Jaguars were still in the game for part of the time, there were seven times Robinson touched the ball or was targeted, and just three for Hyde.

Coming out of the break, down 27-7, Hyde started seeing more of the action, getting eight touches/targets to just five for Robinson. That includes Hyde getting virtually all the work late — the final six RB touches/targets.

So do we panic? Not yet. We’re gonna fan the alarm with a towel but keep our eyes open for any additional smoke. This likely was a result of game-flow, with the Jags falling so far behind. I mean, Meyer can’t be dim enough to lean on an over-the-hill back who was just “pretty good” at his peek while disregarding one of the team’s best players from the previous season, right?

Yet, the Madman is a bit more alarmed by what’s going on in the 49ers’ backfield. We anticipated third-round rookie Trey Sermon to be the heir if (once) Raheem Mostert went down with an injury. Instead, Sermon was a healthy inactive, and it was sixthround rook Elijah Mitchell who stepped in when Mostert went down early Sunday.

Mitchell essentially torched the bad Detroit defense in the fashion we expected from Mostert (19-104, one TD). So, to rip from our own Twitter account: Is Elijah Mitchell the New Trey Sermon before the Old Trey Sermon could even become the Real Trey Sermon?

The 49ers traded two picks to move up and grab Sermon, so we don’t think they’re ready to give up on him yet. But it is obvious he has work to do to get in the good graces of his coaches, and the best we can hope for in the immediate future is a timeshare with Mitchell.