Touchdown Hero: LeGarrette Blount is overrated (even with 18 TDs)
A career year for LeGarrette Blount looks good on paper, but lacks quality upon further inspection.
Is LeGarrette Blount good? Yeah, of course he is. The dude can ball.
But is Blount a difference-maker? A game-changer? Someone to specifically game plan for?
I’ll answer that with an italicized no.
At the ripe age of 30, the New England Patriots feature tailback put together a career year. He led the NFL in touchdowns (18) and ran for 1,161 yards, good for eighth best in the league.
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And he did this.
Considering his size – 6-foot-0, 250-pounds, to be exact – that’s easily one of the more impressive plays you’ll see from the 2016 season.
While I understand that LeGarrette Montez Blount had a productive year, that same year also lacks much in the way of quality.
The first stat that jumps out at you is obviously the number of touchdowns Blount scored. He found pay dirt all but three games in the regular season and was nearly unstoppable around the goal line.
Is that really something to write home about, though? Handing the ball off to a 250-pounder in short-yardage situations in an offense that’s already designed for running backs to excel?
Again, I’ll answer that with an italicized no.
Next on the agenda is the yardage he racked up on the ground.
Blount feasted on lesser defenses throughout the season and took full advantage of porous defensive fronts. When facing tougher units, No. 29 was nowhere to be found, evidenced by his eight carry, 31-yard effort versus the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round.
His best game actually came back in Week Seven against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he totaled 127 rushing yards on 24 carries, including two touchdowns.
I can guarantee you he won’t come close to those numbers in this Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
So, is a short-yardage, matchup-dependent bruiser going to make the difference between a win and a loss when it matters the most?
In any case, before I let you go, here’s another key statistical nugget to keep in mind.
Blount finished the season second in rushing attempts with 299.
Blount also finished the season 15th in yards per carry (3.9) among backs that had at least 200 rushing attempts.
Just let that sink in for a moment.
Next: NFL Mock Draft: Trading Garoppolo
So, is a short-yardage, matchup-dependent bruiser going to make the difference between a win and a loss when it matters the most?
I’ll answer that with one last italicized no.