Ready to ride the Theo Riddick hype train

Ready to ride the Theo Riddick hype train

footballheads have already been gifted with a pair of young running backs to froth over this offseason.After Atlanta's was billed by bra s at the combine as Jose Cruz Jersey a , Detroit's is now being touted as a breakout candidate after of .The offseason is a special place, a lawle s frontier ripe for glowing puff pieces and spine-tingling overstatement.Riddick is a talented young player, but let's look closer before hopping on the hype train, shall we? but he's capable of carrying it more than what we gave it to him," coach Jim Caldwell said of Riddick last week, per ESPN.com. "But he's also, you can also see his numbers of out of the backfield, catching the ball. Things of that nature, they jump out at you."So he's got a unique skill there, but he's also a good ball carrier, so we'll see how that goes."Riddick managed just 2.6 yards per carry off 20 attempts last season, while none of his 29 career carries have gone for more than nine yards. remains the clear-cut option between the tackles.Still, there is no denying Riddick in space. The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder was a , Aledmys Diaz Jersey exploding onto the scene in Week 6 against the with 75 receiving yards off five grabs. He piled up eight catches for 74 yards against the the following week, laying the bedrock for a pa sing-down role that saw him haul in 34 balls for 316 yards and four scores in his second NFL season.Riddick's 2.45 yards per route run in 2014 were Carlos Beltran Jersey the , per Pro Football Focus. he's been productive and certainly we're going to use him in the future," offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said in December.Still, there is scant evidence to suggest that Riddick and Bush are interchangeable on the ground. Bush averaged 1,026 yards rushing per season between 2011 and 2013 at 4.6 yards per carry. Riddick has never run for more than 16 yards in a game. When he was on the field last season, opponents knew the were angling to pa s.A receiver at Notre Dame before he took over backfield duties, Riddick's 4.68 speed certainly brings another dimension to Detroit's offense, but I side with 's Kevin Patra in remaining leery about tagging him as Bush's replacement:T-minus 14 minutes before the Theo Riddick fantasy value conversations start. Kevin Patra (@kpatra) Bush was due $3.25 million next season. His release Charlie Morton Jersey likely had as much to do with his unwillingne s to accept a pay cut as anything they saw in Riddick. After all, Bush still showed juicy burst and versatility in space when healthy last season.The know what Riddick is, with general manager Martin Mayhew saying last week that he Detroit, though, remains a strong candidate to spice up the backfield through free agency and a runner-rich draft.Will Riddick's role expand? Sure. Should we spend Jeff Bagwell Jersey the spring and summer months churning out flowery think-pieces declaring his greatne s? I'd pump the brakes on that operation.The latest Podcast and tells you which big-name players could be released. Find more content on .

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