The Lions backfield is getting a bit crowded, and they will probably add another back in the 2018 NFL draft. So where does that leave Ameer Abdullah? Lions GM Bob Quinn says he still has high hopes for the back, and Abdullah still has a prominent role with the team.
“Sure does,” Quinn said at the NFL’s annual meeting. “My first year Ameer had the (Lisfranc) injury, so he really didn’t do much. Last year, he was still kind of working through it, got back and we felt he was 100 percent. You can ask Ameer, he didn’t have a good enough year in terms of anyone’s expectations, his own, or mine or the team”.
Quinn on this coming season for Abdullah:
“I think I’ve got big hopes for him this season, that he comes back and has a great offseason and is ready to roll.”
Talk around town now, is that Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia will try to do it the “Patriot-way” and this is an example of that happening. New England has always been known to have different options when it comes to running backs. One week a guy will bust loose for a big game, and then you won’t hear from him for weeks, stat wise. It’s all about having different options and being able to throw different looks at opponents week in and week out. Quinn and Patricia want that versatility in the backfield.
“I think with the stable of backs that we have with adding LeGarrette, I think we have a lot of versatility and guys that can kind of do different things, which is kind of what you need over the course of a long season,” Quinn said.
When asked recently about possible schemes offensively for this upcoming season, head coach Matt Patricia said they will be looking for a more balanced look from the Jim Bob Cooter led offense.
Patricia on offensive balance:
“I think that’s the way that you threaten a defense the most, so we certainly need to be balanced from that standpoint,” Patricia said. “Jim Bob does a great job of understanding scheme all the way across the board, whether it’s run, pass, all of that, and he certainly was coaching extremely hard last year to try to get that all to work. So hopefully we’ll do a better job this year. I think just in general, hopefully, everything will be different just by me being there as opposed to what it was last year and just a function of I’m a different person than what they had last year.”
Currently, on the roster, Detroit has six running backs and with the possible addition of a rookie out of the draft, that is just too many, even if you’re thinking in a “Patriot-way”. Along with Abdullah, the Lions signed Blount in free agency, re-signed Zach Zenner, and will return Dwayne Washington, Tion Green, and Theo Riddick. Quinn has said that he will keep on 4 or 5 running backs, so someone will have to go.
It’s good that they have confidence in Abdullah, but looking at all the running backs they have, changes are coming. Last season Ameer Abdullah led the Lions with 552 yards rushing.
