Here's a run down on COP RBs who "should be available:
Sproles- (10)- 51 carries, 273 yds, 5.4 avg. 60 catches, 526 yds, 8.8 avg
(09)- 96 carries, 376, 3.9. 48 catches, 527, 11.0 avg
Bush- (10)- 42 carries, 168 yds, 4.0 avg. 39 catches, 245 yds, 6.3 avg.
(09)- 87 carries, 513 yds, 5.9 avg. 57 catches, 430 yds, 7.5 avg.
K Smith- (10)- 33 carries, 125 yds, 3.8 avg. 11 catches, 123 yds, 11.2 avg
(09)- 217 carries, 747 yds, 3.4 avg. 40 catches, 409 yds, 10.2 avg.
Jason Snelling- (10)- 88 carries- 325 yds, 3-7avg. 46 catches, 309 yds, 6.7 avg
(09)- 142 carries, 613 yds, 4.3 avg. 30 catches, 260 yds, 8.7 avg.
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I don't know that Jason Snelling is a "change of pace" back. He's a fullback taking tailback carries. He runs hard and low to the ground behind his pads, is powerful, but has no real speed or quickness to make him a change of pace.
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Kevin Smith makes a lot of sense and we looked at him in 2008 but the Lions snagged him before we had a shot.
Another name I like is Steve Slaton.
But even then, I suspect they would love to find a UDFA COP back whom they can control their rights for 4 yrs at a low salary. -
If the Dolphins are really interested in Reggie Bush then I imagine they should take a look at Darren Sproles.
Honestly I'm not hot on the change of pace back idea. I think we need a guy that can take carries, real carries out of real formations. Sproles is a gimmick. Bush is a gimmick. I watch Darren Sproles out of the backfield and hot damn it's tough to cover that guy on routes and keep him from hurting you. You have to have man coverage responsibility on him and the defender has to cheat all the way, overwhelm him. If that's what we want, that's fine, but someone else has to share carries with Sproles because the only carries I'd probably want to give him would be draws out of the shotgun, or tosses and such. -
Looks like the Reggie Bush option is likely to be taken off our table. Given that, I still like the idea of getting Sproles + another powerback. maybe it's just someone, UDFA, who can be an upgrade over Hilliard
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/07/reggie_bush_says_his_no_1_prio.html
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Pat Kirwan, from NFL.com, named Snelling as one of the COP backs Miami may have interest in, so I included him. He does have great hands, and is a VG receiver. He is not someone who I would like.
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Well, to me thinking strategically:
-Offer a 90% contract to one of the better COP backs
-"if" they turn it down then also make a play for K Smith or Slaton, or GB's Brandon Jackson all of whom are reasonably priced
-If that also falls through then find a UDFA back(s) like Locke, or a cheap Vet like Portis or a Mewelde Moore, and toss them into the mix with Hilliard/Sheets.
I like Sproles, but we are 17 million under the cap (103 millie) depending on how heavily Soliai's Franchise Tag hits us, if we are 5 million under we have to dig around the bargain bin for a COP back, and Sproles is off of the menu as that leaves us nudging the Cap just to get our Draft Picks signed.
Just looking at the numbers, there will most certainly be cuts, back to back 7-9's how man "untouchable" players really are on the roster? Either way though, that is sobering to me at least.