Running on empty

Sporting News, The, Sept 7, 1998 by Dan Pompei

The Chiefs' lack of a good running back is all too noticeable on an otherwise loaded roster

Not having one dominant running back is one thing. Not having one decent running back is another.

Marry Schottenheimer's philosophy always has been that he doesn't need one dominant back, and it has served him well. He would love to have one, mind you. That's why the Chiefs were interested in signing Robert Smith and Natrone Means in the offseason. But other than Christian Okoye in Schottenheimer's early years with the Chiefs, he never really has had a workhorse in the backfield.

When he was trying to sign Marcus Allen in 1993, he told Allen that if Allen wanted more than 50 percent of the team's handoffs, he should sign with another team. Only once in Schottenheimer's full 13 seasons as a head coach has one of his backs recorded more than half of his team's handoffs. (In 1989, Schottenheimer's first season in Kansas City, Okoye accounted for 370 of the Chiefs' 559 rushing attempts.)

There's nothing wrong with this philosophy as long as you have a group of decent backs to divide the carries. The Chiefs do not appear to. Their tailbacks, as a group, are almost certainly the weakest in the NFL. And the Chiefs' tailbacks stick out like an empty shelf in a supermarket because their roster is well-stocked at every other position. Even with their sorry state in the backfield, the Chiefs are unquestionably one of the three most talented teams in the AFC-possibly the most talented.

Donnell Bennett, the starter at tailback, has dropped 16 pounds but still runs like the fullback he once was. As a running back, Tamarick Vanover is a great return man. Rookie Rashaan Shehee is an unfinished product. The team had high hopes for Jesse Haynes, but he held onto the ball as if his Fingers were coated with Kansas City barbecue sauce before being cut. Only Pro Bowl fullback Kimble Anders is a sure thing. Hence, the team's recent desperation interest in outlaws Bam Morris and Lawrence Phillips.

A school of thought suggests that even with this group, the Chiefs will be able to run the ball effectively. After all, what did the Chiefs lose? Greg Hill averaged only 3.5 yards per carry last season on a team that averaged 4.1. Marcus Allen accounted for only 23 percent of the Chiefs' carries. Undoubtedly, Allen will be missed on the goal line and in short-yardage situations. But Hill and Allen are replaceable.

For the last three years, the Chiefs ranked among the top five teams in the NFL in rushing, and their personnel at running back wasn't exceptional in any of those years. They have been able to run the ball because they have the best interior offensive line in the NFL. Of guards Dave Szott and Will Shields and center Tim Grunhard, Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson says, "I would match them with any three."

The Chiefs' running game is defined by its inside punch. Last season, 62.6 percent of the team's running plays came between the tackles. That was second to Tampa Bay's 69.9 percent.

"We design it to run behind those three." Chiefs offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye says. Most of the running plays Raye calls start with the premise of the running back going inside.

In the case of the Chiefs, blockers have atoned for the inadequacies of the running backs. Good blocking can get even a mediocre back between 3.5 and 4.0 yards per carry. But at some point, the running back has to get some yards on his own.

If Szott, Grunhard and Shields can't make a star out of Bennett, the Chiefs may de-emphasize the running game. Schottenheimer, one of football's finest coaches, understands the value of the running game, but in training camp he talked about "casting aside the mantle of conservatism," and has stressed scoring more points. His recent reconstruction of the Chiefs has been all about adding explosive offensive players. Elvis Grbac, Andre Rison, Derrick Alexander and Tony Gonzalez all have been acquired in the past two years.

"We're fighting the stigma of not scoring enough points," Raye says. "You have to take more chances to score more points. So you're hamstrung as to how much you can run. But we're not going to throw it 60 or 70 percent of the time. With all the zone blitz going on, you'll lose your quarterback doing that."

A big play here or there, and the Chiefs might have been Super Bowl champions a year ago. But the big plays won't be possible unless the Chiefs also can run the ball.

There will be a drop-off in the Chiefs' running game. To what extent may determine if Schottenheimer finally gets to a Super Bowl.

Training camp surprises

You may have written off some of the names. You may not recognize some of the others-yet. But if their performances in training camp and the preseason are any indication, you will soon.

Alexander, DL, Vikings. The former first-round pick (1995) has bulked up to 290 and seems like a different player. He will get some reps at tackle as well as end.

Tavian Banks, FiB, Jaguars. The Jaguars are wondering why this flash of a runner lasted so long (101st pick) in the draft.