TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Earnest Graham beams when he talks about Tampa Bay’s complement of running backs.
Derrick Ward and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams have each rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season. Clifton Smith entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and became a Pro Bowl kick returner as a rookie.
Then there’s Graham, another undrafted free agent who led the Bucs in rushing two years ago after injuries sidelined Williams and Michael Pittman.
“We really have a good group,” Graham said, noting that the contrasting styles of the runners, plus the team’s new zone blocking scheme, gives the Bucs the potential to have an imposing attack after ranking 18th in the league in rushing a year ago.
Ward ran for 1,025 yards while sharing playing time with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw for the New York Giants in 2008. Williams, who’s back following offseason knee surgery, gained 1,178 yards for Tampa Bay as a rookie four years ago.
le injury forced him to miss the final six games of last season.
Smith spent seven weeks on the practice squad before having such an impact in nine games as a kick returner that he was selected for the Pro Bowl.
“Derrick’s used to playing in a system where a number of guys got carries and they were able to pound guys. He definitely brings that attitude to us,” Graham said.
“Cadillac looks great. He’s coming along, very explosive out of his cuts. And, of course, Clifton is a real electric guy. He can make some splash plays. I think we have a very interesting group, and I think we will be able to last the whole season.”
The running game sputtered with the first offense on the field during a 27-20 preseason-opening loss at Tennessee, losing yardage or being stopped for no gain on three of eight rushing attempts.
Graham carried four times for 1 yard.
Nevertheless, coach Raheem Morris was not discouraged, saying the offensive line was still adjusting to the new zone blocking scheme.
“It’s hard to execute in practice because you can’t cut in practice, you don’t get a real good feel for it,” Morris said.
st got the bad lick of it because we were just getting used to it.”
The Bucs finished with 138 yards rushing against Tennessee, although 43 came on quarterback Josh Johnson’s fourth-quarter touchdown run. Fourth-string running back Kareem Huggins also ran for 43 yards.
Morris will look for continued improvement in Saturday’s preseason game at Jacksonville, even though the starters are likely to play less than a half again. That very well could mean more paltry numbers for Graham, who’s listed No. 1 on the depth chart.
“Earnest is a win-by-attrition back. He’s not going to give you the dynamic splash play,” Morris said. “Unless he gets the ball a good amount of times, he’s probably not going to look real great.”
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