David Montgomery is replacing Jamaal Williams in Detroit, so I took notice when those two showed up together in one of the stat charts I like to track.
It can be useful, I think, to look at how backs on the same team compare. You’ve got two players running behind the same line, often running similar plays in similar situations, so it can be telling when one is better than the others.
Breece Hall, for example. We saw him bust some runs before he went down with a torn ACL, looking like and up-and-coming back, and that’s supported by the numbers. He averaged over 2 more yards per carry than New York’s other running backs.
In the case of Montgomery and Williams, they both averaged about a yard less per carry than the other running backs on their teams. When those teams had D’Andre Swift and Khalil Herbert on the field, they were busting more long runs.
In the case of Williams and Swift, it must be pointed out, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. Williams handled a lot more of the short-yardage situations, and it’s tougher to pick up yards on those plays. When a player is coming in as a change-of-pace, running more draws, it’s easier to pick up yards.
In general, I like Montgomery. I think he’s a little better than Williams, and I think he’s going to be scoring the bulk of the short touchdowns for that offense (and the Lions ran for 23 TDs last year). Nonetheless, I saw it, and I’m passing it along.
RUNNING BACKS VS. OTHERS ON THEIR OWN TEAM | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Team leader | Rushing | Other RBs | Diff |
NY Jets | Breece Hall | 80-463-5.78 | 258-947-3.67 | 2.12 |
Cleveland | Nick Chubb | 302-1525-5.04 | 136-493-3.62 | 1.42 |
Houston | Dameon Pierce | 220-939-4.26 | 112-321-2.86 | 1.40 |
Dallas | Tony Pollard | 193-1007-5.21 | 269-1037-3.85 | 1.36 |
LA Chargers | Austin Ekeler | 204-915-4.48 | 140-461-3.29 | 1.19 |
Green Bay | Aaron Jones | 213-1121-5.26 | 197-808-4.10 | 1.16 |
Baltimore | J.K. Dobbins | 92-520-5.65 | 260-1211-4.65 | .99 |
Jacksonville | Travis Etienne | 220-1125-5.11 | 139-576-4.14 | .97 |
Miami | Raheem Mostert | 181-891-4.92 | 154-610-3.96 | .96 |
Minnesota | Dalvin Cook | 264-1173-4.44 | 93-324-3.48 | .96 |
Kansas City | Isiah Pacheco | 170-830-4.88 | 165-670-4.06 | .82 |
Las Vegas | Josh Jacobs | 340-1653-4.86 | 38-156-4.10 | .76 |
New England | Rhamondre Stevenson | 210-1040-4.95 | 144-623-4.32 | .63 |
Indianapolis | Jonathan Taylor | 192-861-4.48 | 190-744-3.91 | .57 |
Philadelphia | Miles Sanders | 259-1269-4.89 | 109-476-4.36 | .53 |
New Orleans | Alvin Kamara | 223-897-4.02 | 107-383-3.57 | .44 |
Arizona | James Conner | 183-782-4.27 | 133-516-3.87 | .39 |
LA Rams | Cam Akers | 188-786-4.18 | 132-524-3.96 | .21 |
NY Giants | Saquon Barkley | 295-1312-4.44 | 85-361-4.24 | .20 |
Atlanta | Tyler Allgeier | 210-1035-4.92 | 245-1174-4.79 | .14 |
Washington | Brian Robinson | 205-797-3.88 | 228-879-3.85 | .03 |
Tennessee | Derrick Henry | 349-1538-4.40 | 61-275-4.50 | -.10 |
Tampa Bay | Leonard Fournette | 189-668-3.53 | 154-562-3.64 | -.11 |
Carolina | D'Onta Foreman | 203-914-4.50 | 212-979-4.61 | -.12 |
San Francisco | Christian McCaffrey | 159-746-4.69 | 233-1156-4.96 | -.27 |
Cincinnati | Joe Mixon | 210-814-3.87 | 101-424-4.19 | -.32 |
Seattle | Kenneth Walker | 228-1050-4.60 | 123-629-5.11 | -.51 |
Buffalo | Devin Singletary | 177-819-4.62 | 114-599-5.25 | -.63 |
Pittsburgh | Najee Harris | 272-1034-3.80 | 112-520-4.64 | -.84 |
Denver | Melvin Gordon | 90-318-3.53 | 277-1222-4.41 | -.88 |
Detroit | Jamaal Williams | 262-1066-4.06 | 165-818-4.95 | -.89 |
Chicago | David Montgomery | 201-801-3.98 | 167-849-5.08 | -1.10 |
—Ian Allan