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Sorry, Fantasy Football fans, Matt Patricia hates you.
The Detroit Lions coach also hates fun, pencil cases and unicorns – I guess this is the last case, but it's okay.
Kerryon Johnson is clearly the best back of the Lions, but Patricia said on Monday that he was not considering increasing the rookie's workload.
"I think we have a lot of good backs, and we try to use them appropriately," said Patricia, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "I think Kerryon played a big part of the game. He played 20 times at 55 [yards], it's a good amount. In addition, we had two more halves, as well as two two-minute training sessions with other staff modules, and so on. So, there were a lot of representatives for Kerryon. "
In four weeks, Johnson averaged 5.7 yards per run over his 38 totals for 216 yards and a score. The burst of the rookie, his ability to create yards from small folds, his speed at the edge, and the effectiveness between tackles are an element that Lions have not had since a long time. Despite Johnson's stellar play, the Lions continue to give the ball to LeGarrette Blount (35 runs, 95 yards, 2.7 YPC).
Kerryon Johnson's hanging rate, per week: 23%> 47%> 44%> 37%
Johnson averaged more yards after first touch (2.9) than LeGarrette Blount on a * * postponed basis (2.7), by PFF. The litters are 38 to 35, hardly in favor of Johnson. #The Lions
â € "Graham Barfield (@ GrahamBarfield)
October 1, 2018
Detaining Sunday in Dallas meant that Detroit was in return mode, which necessitated the use of Theo Riddick. Johnson's bad lock so far could hamper his playing time. Pro Football Focus has awarded the rookie a 20.0-pass protection rating in four games, the fourth-worst performance among skilled players. Riddick, meanwhile, holds the highest degree of protection against the passage of PFF.
If it was just a case where the game script was determining the time, Johnson's use could be forgiven.
However, if we take Patricia's word, it's not just a scenario problem, but a conscious effort to reduce the rookie's workload. The rocket scientist has studies.
"We are doing a lot of studies on the full seasons and the position of the guys at the end of the season, especially the backs," said Patricia. "You will find a lot of teams where guys, maybe a little earlier in the season, were at a high production level, and then at the end of the season, the wear of this position is pretty extreme, you are coming to the end of the year and these guys may not be so present.
"You look at the situation from a general point of view, from one game to another and from one game to the other, obviously we try to compete and win at a high level, so we want to have our best We think we have a very good group of half-strengths, all of whom are great players, and we're just going to try to continually improve them, as we are at every position. "
Johnson is not the first young running back to see his playing time slowed down by a coaching staff who is trying to protect a long-term investment. We had his last year with Svin's dynamic back Alvin Kamara, who has witnessed 8.75 hits per game (3.75 passes per tilt) in the first four weeks of last season. New Orleans did not much accelerate its race until the end and it has never seen more than 12 races in a game last season. Johnson and Kamara are obviously not the same player, but the idea of not crushing a young runner is transferable.
This will not prevent locals from claiming the best start back to see more contacts. Patricia may soften her position as the season progresses, but for now, Detroit will not abuse her most talented racing skills.
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