I love running back tandems. There’s something about two guys tearing it up on the ground, competing for the “starting spot”, yet rooting for each other at the same time because they know they make each other better. Usually tandems feature two backs who specialize in different aspects of the position. One will usually be quicker while the other is a more powerful runner, or maybe one guy excels in the passing game and lines up more on third downs. This is where De’Veon Smith and Jacques Patrick are different, because their styles seem to be identical. They are punishing running backs who are hard to bring down. The fact that Tampa Bay has two of them means that they are always coming in fresh and don’t get worn down themselves allowing the Vipers to do crazy shit like run 45 times for 230 yards. 30 of their those carries on Sunday went for 3 yards or more, so essentially 75% of the time they ran the ball, the down was successful. This duo is currently first and third (respectively) in the league in rushing, which is an impressive feat at a time when the game has moved overwhelmingly towards passing the ball.

4. Josh Johnson

Week 1, Josh Johnson was injured and Week 2, he played like booty. Since then, this guy’s been lights out…sort of. Week 3, he was lights out, but Week 4, half of his skill position guys were hurt. Nelson Spruce (still 3rd in receiving) and Montez Carter (3 TD’s in Week 3) were both hurt, and their backups didn’t play well. There were a few awesome throws that were just flat out dropped. Concerns about Josh Johnson’s escapability are real, but it’s worth mentioning that New York’s defense excels at getting after quarterbacks as 3 of their guys lead the league in sacks. This was a combination of a poor matchup and bad injury luck, but I see Josh Johnson and the Wildcats getting back into form against the Vipers in Week 5.









Predictions





CAUTION: I am an idiot. If you lose money because of betting advice I give you, you are also an idiot.

Current Record: 2-5-1

1. Seattle Dragons (+13) at Houston Roughnecks