One of the biggest questions facing the Indianapolis Colts for the upcoming campaign will be how the carries will be divided between their starting running backs in Marlon Mack and rookie Jonathan Taylor.
Since trading up to pick him in the second round, the Colts have talked immensely about a 1-2 punch—sometimes even referring to it as a 1-1 punch. But who gets the lead role? Which player winds up with the most carries?
Most of the time, the game will dictate who gets the most snaps in the backfield. But running backs coach Tom Rathman suggested there might be a hot-hand approach coming to Indy.
“I’ve done it both ways. I mean, starter will go two series, give the backup a series, and then you go from there. And then it starts playing itself out,” Rathman told reporters Thursday. “So, I mean, I can literally seeing it going any way, I mean, where Marlon’s in one play, in comes Jonathan. Boom. Alright, here comes Nyheim, where you’re rotating these guys in and out of the football game.”
While most of the hype has been about the rookie Taylor and his potential running behind the elite offensive line for the Colts, Mack is no slouch either. The latter is coming off of a 1,000-yard season that also included eight touchdowns. He’s averaged 4.5 yards per carry over the last two seasons.
Both Mack and Taylor are likely to split snaps and carries on early downs to begin the season. Maybe Mack gets the early lead as the starter because he’s earned as much, but Taylor can force the Colts’ hand if he proves to be the more explosive back.
“I know as a football player you don’t really get the groove and the feel of the game doing that, but at the same time, those are things that you have to develop into — you have to earn the opportunity to get out on the field — and like I said you play that consistent football, that good football, winning football, you’re gonna be out on the field,” Rathman said.
It is most likely going to be a committee for the time being in the Colts backfield. Both Mack and Taylor are explosive players who can handle a starter’s workload while Hines will be the one to catch the majority of passes in the room.
It will be interesting to see what the split actually comes down to and it may simply be a hot-hand approach when the mid-way point of the season arrives.
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