How To Handle The Vikings Running Back Situation

The Minnesota Vikings running back situation is something that has been in question since the end of the season.  Fans knew Chester Taylor wasn’t going to stick around, and of course we were right (he is now a Chicago Bear).  The Vikings made a run at LaDainian Tomlinson, but he signed with the Jets instead.

Then the Vikings looked internally… could Albert Young do it?  Maybe, but to be sure they had their bases the Vikings decided to move Darius Reynaud to the running back position as well.

Then comes the draft, and with their second pick of the weekend, the Vikings selected Toby Gerhart… a running back.

So what exactly does that mean for Albert Young?  How about for Darius Reynaud?

The first step the Vikings need to do is to hire me to come up with personnel game plans for them.

Since that won’t happen, they need to at least read this blog.

But since that won’t happen either, I’ll go ahead and just tell you guys what they should do.

1. Toby Gerhart = Innovation

First of all, they should think outside the box a little bit.  They need to get rid of Nafahu Tahi (or at least make him a backup), and be innovative with the fullback position.  The Vikings should consider Toby Gerhard their fullback, but they should NOT use him in the same manner that they used Tahi.

Last year Tahi carried the ball 3 times for 5 yards, and caught the ball 10 times for 67 yards.  In 2008 he didn’t carry at all, and he caught the ball 16 times for 37 yards.

He’s not exactly a necessary piece of the offensive puzzle.  His job is basically to block.

But why waste an offensive position (that’s not an offensive lineman) JUST to block.  Toby Gerhart can block.  He may be 20 pounds lighter than Tahi, but I don’t think those 20 pounds will make THAT much of a difference.  But the difference that Gerhart will make comes in the innovation.  He wouldn’t be a traditional fullback.  Instead he’d be one that got more carries and more catches.  The Vikings could line him up in an I-formation with Peterson behind him, and the other team would truly not know who was getting the ball.

Gerhart is a good strong runner, he can block, and he’s a lot faster than Tahi.  If the Vikings handed off to him from the fullback position a few times a game, and threw to him a few more, imagine how much more effective the play action becomes!  But Gerhart is also an athlete.  On some plays you could motion him out and he becomes a viable receiver as well.

How many times do you think teams game-planned for situations when Nafahu Tahi took a handoff?

Gerhart could change that, and any time you add some guesswork to opposing defenses gameplan, it frees up the Vikings offense.

2. Albert Young = The New Chester Taylor

Secondly, they need to give Albert Young the position that Chester Taylor played last year.  Make him the official third down back.  Albert Young is a solid runner and a patient runner.  He can also catch very well out of the backfield, and he’s a smart player.  He is basically a young version of Chester Taylor.  Let him play like one.

(read the Lemke’s Lot Interview with Albert Young from March)

I’ve made it known that I’m a big fan of Albert Young, mainly because he’s a former Hawkeye and I watched him play in college.  However, I really don’t think I’m being biased here.  I think Young is ready to fill this role.

Young only carried the ball 12 times last year, but he averaged 4.4 yards per carry.  10 of those carries came in the 4th quarter of the week 17 game against the New York Giants.  Young got to carry the load for an entire quarter, playing without the benefit of having Favre under center, or Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian as the wide-outs, and he rushed for 40 yards.  Nothing fancy, just very reliable.  In the pre-season, rushing behind 2nd and 3rd string linemen, he averaged 3.5 yards per carry, and he was a consistently safe target for guys like John David Booty to throw to.

Young is the safest bet the Vikings have as a third down back.

3. Darius Reynaud = More Innovation

I think Reynaud needs to be officially listed as the third running back on the depth chart behind Peterson and Young, but I think the Vikings need to add him in their plans for being innovative.

Since his move to running back, I see Reynaud as the Reverse-Percy-Harvin.  Harvin is a wide receiver who can do it all.  He’s a dangerous route runner who can also line up in the backfield and be an explosive runner.

The Vikings need to establish Reynaud as the reverse version of that… a good runner who can motion into the slot and be a great route runner.

Reynaud probably won’t get a lot of looks specifically at running back or wide receiver, but with the option of being able a good option to keep the other players fresh through out the game.  Reynaud has decent speed and he’s shown on his punt returns that he has the ability to make defenders miss.

The Moral Of The Story:  Innovation, Innovation, Innovation.

Imagine what the Vikings could do if they lined up on the field with Reynaud as their halfback, Gerhart as their fullback, Percy Harvin as a wide receiver, and Joe Webb as a wildcat quarterback?  The Vikings could have 4 guys on the field that can do multiple things to keep the defenses guessing at the same time that they gave Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and a receiver or two a quick breather.

Obviously something like this shouldn’t happen often, but if the Vikings flashed that lineup 2-4 times per game (they could throw it out there once per quarter), it could be just enough to make opposing defenses have to take time planning how they’re going to defend it.

… and less time for defenses to practice for Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre is always a good thing for the Vikings

Related articles from the web

• It’s “Official”: Reynaud Is A Running Back (vikingsgab.com)
• Could Joe Be the Vikings’ New Secret Webb-on? (dailynorseman.com)