Giving Kerryon Johnson more carries vs. Cowboys wouldn?t have changed anything Kerryon Johnson: 9 carries http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-dwayne-washington-jersey , 55 yards, 1 TDLeGarrette Blount: 7 carries, 12 yardsIt?s hard to look at that and not think, ?Why is Blount getting any carries at all?? The picture looks even worse when you look at the season totals. Johnson is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 38 rushes. Blount is averaging 2.7 yards per carry on 35 rushes. Yeah, Johnson is getting three more yards PER CARRY than Blount right now. These facts fuel the fire that the Detroit Lions are being downright irresponsible with their running back usage. Despite the large disparity in productivity, their touches are nearly identical and their playing time is fairly similar (104 snaps for Johnson, 70 for Blount). Fans were especially frustrated with the Lions? usage of Johnson on Sunday against the Cowboys. After taking the opening carry for 32 yards, Johnson ran the ball just eight more times the entire game, effectively shutting down the team?s running game the rest of the way. However, looking a little closer into the situation, it becomes pretty clear: Giving Kerryon Johnson more carries on Sunday would?ve made very little difference in the overall outcome. Here?s why:Kerryon Johnson wasn?t efficient running the ballLast week, I gushed about Johnson?s amazing performance against the Patriots. Nearly every one of his carries throughout the first 55 minutes of that game were ?successful.? Here?s what I wrote:Basing success on Football Outsiders? metrics, against the Cowboys, Johnson was successful on just three of nine rushes. Another impressive part of Johnson?s performance in Week 3 was his ability to eliminate rushes of little-to-no gain. Only one of 16 runs was stopped for a yard or less. Against the Cowboys, it was a much different story:Here was the progression of Johnson nine carries in order: 32 yards, 4, -1, 1, 0, 3, 2, 0, 8, 6. So during the middle portion of the game?when many argued Johnson deserved more touches?Johnson had 5 yards on six carries. Admittedly, LeGarrette Blount wasn?t any better (1.7 YPC for the game), but it?s not like Johnson was giving Detroit?s running game a boost at that point in the game. Rhythm mythMany believe that for a running back to be successful, he needs to be in the game consistently to get a feel for the game. Players will especially harp on this point, as Ameer Abdullah did this offseason on the Michael Rapaport podcast:?It?s frustrating, especially coming from Nebraska where I was the guy,? Abdullah said. ?I knew I was going to get the ball at least 20 times a game, and for me, it?s not necessarily getting a certain amount of touches, it?s getting meaningful touches and getting into a rhythm.?But there is little empirical evidence supporting the idea of ?getting into a rhythm?. Several studies have been done on the topic, and?much like the basketball ?hot hand? myth?there is no statistical basis for this theory. From PFF?s Kevin Cole:All you have to do is go back to last week and see that Johnson was still very effective despite splitting time with Blount throughout the entire game. Here?s a look at the progressions of carries from Week 3:Blount, Blount, Johnson, Blount Womens Tracy Walker Jersey , Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Johnson, Blount, Johnson, Johnson, Blount, BlountIf Johnson?s rhythm was disrupted by this constant switching of backs?often times in the middle of drives?we certainly didn?t see any signs of it in his on-field performance in Week 3, so there?s no reason to believe Johnson?s lack of rhythm was the cause of his struggles on against the Cowboys.T.J. Lang injuryLang has been one of the Lions? best offensive linemen since he joined the team last year. Unfortunately, the injury has caused him to miss a lot of time, and the Lions have struggled to find an adequate replacement. That was certainly the case on Sunday. Before his injury, the Lions rushed for 40 yards on six carries. Yes, that is heavily skewed by a 32-yard run, but the rest of the way, Johnson and Blount combined for just 27 yards on 11 carries (2.5 YPC). The other factor here is the Dallas defense. The Cowboys are allowing just 3.6 yards per carry as a team (sixth best). This isn?t the Patriots defense, there was just not much room to run, and with Lang out Womens Da'Shawn Hand Jersey , Detroit couldn?t run the ball no matter who was in the game.When would the Lions have given Johnson more carries?I?ve seen a lot of people complain about Johnson getting more touches, but I haven?t seen many suggest specific times he should?ve been in the game. And herein lies the problem. In the first half, Johnson got six carries, which is a respectable number. I can understand if you wanted a little more in the first half (Blount had five), but if you think the Lions abandoned their gameplan in the second half, that would be highly misleading.The Lions offense barely even had the ball in the second half. Because of the defense?s ineptitude, the Lions had just three possessions in the second half and 16 total plays. By comparison, the Cowboys had four possessions and 42 plays.So of the Lions? 16 second half plays, they gave Johnson the ball three times. Should that number have been higher? Maybe, but remember, they were also playing from behind for much of the second half, so there weren?t a lot of opportunities to run the ball. Also, the Lions managed to score touchdowns on two of their three possessions in the second half, so it?s not like their overall efficiency needed much improvement. Or to sum up a little less poetically:DurabilityNo one wants to say it, but Kerryon Johnson isn?t built to be a complete workhorse back in the NFL. That option is only available to a very select few, your Ezekiel Elliotts and Adrian Petersons. At 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, Kerryon Johnson doesn?t have the body size to get 20+ carries a game, and the Lions would be abusing their power if they were to do that to a player like him just a few games into his NFL career.Auburn didn?t seem afraid of that (he averaged 23.8 carries per game his senior year), but it resulted in a broken-down Johnson. The days of a workhorse back are nearly through in the NFL, and Johnson doesn?t fit the profile for that increasingly rare role. That being said, there?s a pretty big difference between nine and 20 carries per game. On an average week, there?s no doubt that Johnson should be getting closer to at least 15 carries a game. But against the Cowboys, the opportunities weren?t there, the productivity wasn?t there, and the game situation made it so a more involved Kerryon Johnson wouldn?t have likely changed anything about how the game played out. ?Chucky? is back on the sideline at the Coliseum.Jon Gruden makes his return for the Oakland Raiders when they host the Detroit Lions in their exhibition debut on Friday night.Gruden last coached a home contest in Oakland on Jan. 12, 2001, when the Raiders beat the Jets 38-24 in a playoff game. Oakland lost the ?Tuck Rule? game in New England the following week and Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay after the season, where he won the 2002 NFL title.Now he?s back for a second stint in Oakland after spending the past nine seasons as a TV analyst for ESPN.?I?m looking forward to it bigtime,? he said. ?I?ve got some things obviously I?ve got to work out. So I?ve got to work myself through calling plays again and managing some tough situations. I?m anxious to see if I can do it.?The game also marks the debut for new Lions coach Matt Patricia, hired this offseason after a highly successful stint as defensive coordinator for New England.The Lions will leave starters in just long enough to break a sweat before backups compete for spots on the roster. The Lions? third-string quarterback, Jake Rudock, will have a lot to play for. Rudock made the team as a rookie last year, but veteran Matt Cassel was signed to be Matthew Stafford?s backup. Patricia may choose to keep two quarterbacks. Rookie running back Kerryon Johnson will have a chance to make an impression and perhaps push veteran LeGarrette Blount for a starting spot.Elsewhere on Friday night: the Atlanta Falcons travel to face the New York Jets.And Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings meet the Denver Broncos, while the Chargers head to the desert to meet the Arizona Cardinals to finish off the first full weekend of preseason games.LEARNING TO FLYFalcons coach Dan Quinn will make sure rookies get their chance at playing time right off the bat Friday.With that in mind, Quinn said he hopes to play all four quarterbacks Graham Glasgow Jersey White , with starter Matt Ryan and backup Matt Schaub playing early. Rookie Kurt Benkert and Garrett Grayson, who played on the practice squad in 2017, will follow the veterans.?You want to make sure that a guy doesn?t run out of time, where he didn?t get enough turns or looks,? Quinn said. ?So one of the things that we?re really committed to is playing the rookies and the first-year guys. If you look back in our history, our play time for the preseason would show that.?An Atlanta rookie to watch is running back Ito Smith, competing for the No. 3 job behind Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.Sam Darnold will make his NFL debut for the Jets and the rookie could make a strong case for winning the job with a solid performance. The No. 3 overall pick out of USC is competing with Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater to be the starter, but Darnold will be given every opportunity this preseason to come out on top.?First NFL game, going out there and being really emotional is something I?m looking forward to,? Darnold said. ?At the same time, I realize I have to be smart in all my decisions and sound with everything.?Yeah, I?m probably going to be a little emotional ? not emotional as in like crying or anything like that ? but it?s definitely going to be awesome to be out there first NFL game. I?m also going to be aware of every situation and everything that is going on.?Darnold has impressed his coaches and teammates with how quickly he has been able to process the offense. While he has been up and down at practice since ending a three-day camp holdout last week, the former USC star has certainly flashed the skills that made him so coveted.HELLO THEREThe Vikings-Broncos matchup Saturday night features more intrigue than the typical preseason opener.Denver QB Case Keenum gets to face his former teammates whom he helped reach the NFC championship game before management dumped him in favor of Kirk Cousins, the jewel of this winter?s free agent class.Keenum said this week he?s eager to face the Vikings.?Definitely. I mean, I got a firsthand view of how good a defense it is, so I know we?ve got our work cut out for us. It?s going to be a great test. I?m excited to go compete against a really, really talented defense,? Keenum said.Keenum went 12-4 for the Vikings last season after injuries to Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater, but Minnesota moved on in the offseason, winning the Cousins sweepstakes with, among other things, a strong roster, a sparkling new stadium and a fully guaranteed contract for $84 million over three years.Keenum signed a two-year, $36 million deal in Denver.OLD FRIENDSMany stars won?t play when the Chargers visit the Cardinals, but the youngsters getting plenty of playing time are likely to include Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen and Los Angeles linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.The LA-area natives know plenty about each other after spending the past three years in crosstown competition, with Rosen at UCLA and Nwosu at USC.?I?m looking forward to seeing him again,? Nwosu said with a grin. ?I?ll give him a nice hug, like I did in college.?Coach Steve Wilks, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and quarterback Sam Bradford will make their Cardinals debuts.Do not expect Bradford or running back David Johnson, back from a season-ending wrist injury suffered in Game 1 of the 2017 season, to make much more than token appearances.The Cardinals? preseason focus will be on identifying a wide receiver group behind Larry Fitzgerald, sorting out the running backs behind Johnson, and securing the cornerback spot opposite Patrick Peterson.?It?s been great,? Johnson said of the new offensive scheme. ?Mike McCoy really knows how to bring out everyone?s strengths.?