Thomas and Bell - The same player

thekourt — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:36:16 -0000

There seems to be a lot of jumping on and off the Thomas and Bell bandwagons by Saints fans. Thomas goes down, and Bell has two huge games, and suddenly Bell is the next big thing. The Bell goes down, Thomas has two great games (while we got very little done in the passing game), and PT is suddenly the MVP. Now Bell comes in for our second half comeback against the Dolphins, and Bell is "the best running back on the team."

This is a waste of energy Saints fans. They are basically the same player.

I mean this as no disrespect to either back, as they are both having phenomenal seasons, but there's little to no difference between their running styles, or their effectiveness. Both are hard runners, who find gaps and push ahead for 2-3 yards after every initial hit (unlike some backs..., [cough] Reggie [cough]). Both have remarkable quickness when they break past the point of attack. Both are averaging between 4.5-5.1 ypc in the games where they are featured. And both have had the opportunity to play only the second half of a game, when they used their fresh legs to gash HUGE holes in the defenses. (PT against Buffalo, 14 carries for 126, 9.0 ypc; MB against Miami, 12 carries for 80, 6.7 ypc). They are literally interchangable.

And this is a remarkable boon for the Saints offense. The Saints can rely on having a strong back ready for tough running throughout the game, because they have two equally effective backs to handle the load. And when you consider that they have the ultimate change of pace back in Bush, it's no surprise that their running attack has been unstoppable.

So stop worrying about who's the #1 back, or who should be the feature back. There is no #1 back; There will be no feature back. Just a two-headed monster terrifying opposing defenses.

SB Nation User Blog: thekourt

Thomas and Bell - The same player