Only for Guild Members » The Bears have long been famed

for their running game Jonathan Bullard Jerseys 2019 , but Nagy and Pace have changed focus." From The Desk Of...Roster AnalysisNFC North Roster Comparison: Running BacksNew,31commentsThe Bears have long been famed for their running game, but Nagy and Pace have changed focus. CDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:NFC North Roster Comparison: Running BacksTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Dylan Buell/Getty ImagesThis is the second installment in a series to look at the rosters in the NFC North. As much as possible, I’m trying to set aside any biases and just look at how the individual players stack up against one another. After starting with quarterbacks, I’m moving on to running backs. SB Nation has already released its list, and it placed the Bears’ group at the top, and fifth overall--ahead of the Saints and Alvin Karama. I have to admit that I find their reasoning a little shaky.When the improvements to a roster come from a 500-yard back and a guy whose claim to fame is PFF likes him, I sort of feel the need to pause. I am a bit of a critic of the idea that teams need a bell-cow back, back placing the Bears rushers ahead of both the Cowboys (Elliott) and the Giants (Barkley) seems optimistic.However, the Bears do not play in the NFC East, so let’s look at how things stack up in the home division.#1) Green Bay PackersLet’s get something out of the way--the Packers were at the bottom of the league last year in rushes per game, and their running backs are not asked to do much more than keep defenses slightly more honest against Aaron Rodgers’ passing attack. Almost any back playing for Green Bay will benefit from the change in expectations. However, this group did do well last year when they were given the chance.Aaron Jones was 10th in the NFL in terms of defense-adjusted yards above replacement, and 7th in DVOA. He was 6th in terms of success rate, getting the yards he needed based on down and distance 55% of the time. He led the NFL in yards per attempt (5.5), per Pro Football Reference. In other words, Jones is a good, efficient running back. He would have been more impressive overall if not for a two-game suspension and an injury. One way or another, however, he is highly productive.Jamaal Williams gives the Packers a second running back in the top thirty-two when it comes to success rate, and his DYAR and DVOA were also Top 25. That’s nice depth to have. To round out the group, Green Bay still has Kapri Bibbs (claimed off waivers) and added a 6th-round pick to their group (Dexter Williams). They picked up veteran fullback Malcolm Johnson as well.In short, this is a complete group with a dangerous lead back who can run and catch White Cody Whitehair Jerseys , a reliable backup, and some diversity in the rest of the room.#2) Chicago BearsNew acquisition Mike Davis was 11th in DVOA and 14th in success rate in 2018. That’s better than Tarik Cohen, who failed to qualify among rushers based on number of attempts but who had a negative score both in terms of DYAR and DVOA. Yes, Cohen made impressive things happen. He also ran backwards a lot, somehow being a boom-or-bust back with relatively few booms (3 rushing touchdowns, and a ‘longest’ run 7 yards short of what his quarterback recorded). Still, Cohen was 9th in the league in all-purpose yards, and he was the only NFC North player to crack the top ten in that category. Cohen is a dangerous receiving weapon, and that should count for something in this evaluation. Cohen and Davis are also backed up by third-round pick David Montgomery.It’s always a little challenging to project a college player into the NFL except in general tiers, and Montgomery is a solid second-tier prospect. It makes sense that he fell as low as he did, but it’s also likely that he will provide real contributions to his team. Even if he spends his rookie year working his way into the system while spelling David and Cohen, the Bears seem to be in good shape at running back. There is not elite talent in this group, but there is depth and variety, and that matters in the modern NFL. I am hoping that I am underselling Montgomery and that this group deserves to pass Green Bay, but until the rookie shows me more, I am being conservative in my evaluation. It is also possible, however, that I am not giving Detroit enough credit.#3) Detroit LionsKerryon Johnson was 5th in DVOA, and his success rate of 53% was good for 12th. He was second in the league in yards per attempt (5.4). If not for an injury that kept him from playing more, he likely would have done a lot more damage to other teams. As it was, in 10 games (and only 7 starts), the rookie cleared 850 total yards from scrimmage, and he was on a pace to break a thousand yards rushing.Meanwhile Cody Whitehair Jerseys 2019 , Theo Riddick is a nice utility piece, but it’s probably telling that Pro Football Reference has him listed as a wide receiver for 2018, and the next season he gets a thousand yards from scrimmage will be his first. Zach Zenner and C.J. Anderson round out a running back room that has the virtue of being relatively complete, and that’s assuming Ty Johnson (a 6th-rounder out of Oklahoma State) doesn’t amount to anything.It wouldn’t take much to convince me that the I have the Bears a little too high and the Lions a little too low, but until I know more about how Johnson’s knee is doing, and until I see more from one of the secondary backs, I think the overall position in Detroit is on shakier ground than the group playing for Chicago. The problem the Lions face is that they need Johnson for this group to be taken seriously, while both the groups in front of them have at least two dangerous players.#4) Minnesota VikingsThe nicest thing that I can say about the Vikings based on their Football Outsiders’ stats is that they were held back by a really weak offensive line. The Vikings did not have a very dangerous rushing attack in 2018, and unless the Garrett Bradbury was under-drafted at #18, then Minnesota probably did not do enough to turn things around that dramatically. It’s worth pointing out that the entire group struggled to make anything of the limited holes they did gain, although from time to time Dalvin Cook showed flashes.Offensive line woes aside, neither Latavius Murray (31st in success rate) nor Dalvin Cook (41st in DVOA) did much to help out the offense. Murray has moved on the the Saints, replaced by Alexander Mattison or Ameer Abdullah, depending on which depth chart you believe. If it’s Mattison, then Vikings fans better hope that the scouts who saw the Boise State player as a project with a 4th-round grade were wrong (he was taken in the third); it it’s Abdullah, then the Vikings are going to have to hope that a player waived by Detroit somehow takes a big step forward this season. The Vikings are underwhelming at running back, and of all of the evaluations in this piece, this is the rank that I feel the most comfortable in. CHICAGO (AP)The Cleveland Browns got pushed to the brink of a winless season, and the anger and embarrassment were as easy to spot as the mistakes they made. DeShone Kizer called it a low point in his life. Coach Hue Jackson made his feelings clear, too. Kizer threw two more interceptions and the Browns committed two turnovers in the red zone on the way to a 20-3 loss to the struggling Chicago Bears on a snowy Sunday.Article continues below ... One more loss and the Browns will join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams to go 0-16. It’s not hard to see why Kizer called this ”one of the more difficult moments in my life.” He insisted this will be ”one of the more pivotal years in my career.” ”You’ve got to understand what rock bottom looks like before you can even climb to the top,” Kizer said. The Browns (0-15) could hit rock bottom when they wrap up the season at AFC North leader Pittsburgh next week. But whether they’re playing first-place teams or last-place teams, the Browns (0-15) keep racking up losses. They’re 1-30 in two seasons under Jackson. And after beating the then-San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve last year, there was no holiday celebration for them this time. ”I’m (ticked) off because I never saw this being this way in my two years – ever White Leonard Floyd Jerseys ,” Jackson said. ”I’ve been coaching football for a long time, been through a lot of things, seen a lot of things. I just know without question we’re gonna get this fixed. … I’m not going to let this define our organization, our players, our coaches, as we move forward.” Kizer threw for 182 yards and ran his league-leading interception total to 21. One of those was to a wide-open Kyle Fuller in the end zone in the second quarter. Defensive end Myles Garrett had what looked like a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter with the Browns trailing 6-3 wiped out because Carl Nassib was offside. Rashard Higgins lost a fumble near the goal line that Chicago (5-10) recovered in the end zone. And Josh Gordon, playing through an illness, had just two catches for 19 yards. Mitchell Trubisky threw for 193 yards and ran for a touchdown against his hometown team to help the Bears pick up the win in what might be coach John Fox’s final home game at Soldier Field. With a 14-33 record, he could be on his way out after three seasons. The Bears at least avoided the ultimate indignity in a season full of them by not losing to the Browns. HAUNTING HOMETOWN TEAM Trubisky, who grew up near Cleveland, played a big role, completing 14 of 23 passes facing a blitzing defense. He scrambled for 44 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter that made it 20-3. And he played turnover-free ball after getting picked off three times by Detroit in the previous game. ”They’ve got a really good pressure package and they get to the quarterback really well and disguise it really well on the back end,” Trubisky said. ”That’s what we wanted to do was just offset it with the screens. We hit them with a couple big ones and that was really big for us. We’ve got to keep using that and keep the defense on their heels any way we can.” Though he finished with 44 yards on 22 carries, Jordan Howard ran for two scores, and the Bears came away with the win after dropping six of seven. QUOTABLE ”Don’t be fearful, be grateful. No matter where you’re picked. If you’re part of the Browns, or you’re part of Chicago, whoever you are, be grateful of the opportunity. There is no curse, there is no problem here. You got to be able to execute and finish games.” – Garrett on what he would tell players who don’t want to be drafted by the Browns. NO COMMENT Jackson declined comment on reports that he will hire an offensive coordinator in the offseason and hand over play-calling duties. INJURY REPORT Browns: Garrett got poked in the eye on the first play of the fourth quarter but returned to the game. Bears: RT Bobby Massie played through a slight knee injury he suffered in the first quarter. He exited late in the game, though Fox said he could have stayed in if needed. … G Josh Sitton (ankle) and TE Adam Shaheen (chest) were inactive. UP NEXT Browns: At Pittsburgh on Dec. 31. Bears: At Minnesota on Dec. 31. —