There are few certainties in life. Death, taxes, and your favorite football team enduring various injuries are three of the most prominent of the bunch. 2015 is no different from past years in regard to the latter as many teams are already trying to keep afloat with their second and third string players. Having big names and high quality talent in the starting lineup is always a priority, but in a league where injuries are occurring (and mounting) more than ever, having capable backups has become a need of equally paramount importance.
Michael Vick got off to a rocky start in his temporary replacement of incumbent starter Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. Last night though against San Diego he showed flashes of a former self that makes him the perfect backup in this day and age. On the game winning drive, Vick showed escapability as well as a knack to keep a seemingly dead play alive. His skill set may be limited at this point of his career, but having that unique repertoire is vital to being a productive backup. Being able to integrate yourself into a coach’s scheme, all the while putting your own signature on the way it is executed, allows a team to absorb an injury like the one to Roethlisberger and still be able to compete.
The Cowboys are proving they have adequate depth to stay afloat in the NFC East, but with each passing week that depth is continually tested. The big blows came over the first few weeks as Tony Romo and Dez Bryant were relegated to the sidelines. Since then top receiving back Lance Dunbar has gone down for the season and the man signed to take Bryant’s spot on the roster, Brice Butler, blew his hamstring on the first play of Dallas’ loss to New England. After next week’s bye, Dallas may get both Butler and Bryant back. The biggest question facing America’s Team won’t be how to incorporate the two back into the fold, but who will be throwing to them. Brandon Weeden has been a bigger problem than originally anticipated at the QB spot and it may be time to go to former Pro Bowler Matt Cassel, whom the team acquired from Buffalo last month. That move and the move earlier in the year for Christine Michael has Dallas showing the league that worrying about your third unit is becoming nearly as important as contemplating your first.
The latest team to have to turn to their backups is the Kansas City Chiefs. Adding to the insult of a loss to the toothless Bears, Jamaal Charles went down with a torn ACL for the second time in his career. Losing the all-time NFL leader in yards per carry will be tough, especially for a team struggling to move the ball through the air. However, the Chiefs have a two headed monster waiting in the wings in Knile Davis and Charcandrick West. Davis has filled in for an injured Charles before. But when Charles is healthy, Davis has been steadily deployed in the return game and in the flat on passing downs. The Chiefs think West could be the better replacement in the long run and keep Davis from having to deviate from his current role in the offense and on special teams. Even if perennial underachiever Ben Tate is brought into the locker room, it’ll be this duo making the transition to a Charles-less Chiefs experience a smoother one.
As more and more big names get banged up, we’ll learn more about the under the radar moves that were made this offseason. Even the most studied of NFL aficionados is prone to that “He’s playing there?” moment now and again. Injuries are going to bring these moves from the fine print of the sports pages to the front pages quicker than you’d want. Quick! Who are Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr’s stand-ins?
Now one should always feel down when one of their stars is carted off the field or limps to the sidelines wincing in obvious pain. One should in the same vain not expect a fourth quarter performance like Vick’s from Monday Night Football. However, as more teams plan for the increasing attrition of the NFL game, you should make damn sure your club’s backups can take the ball and literally run with it.