Running Back Depth

Ealey's departure sent a mere ripple along the depth chart. Washaun was as behind on the clipboard as he was in attitude. The lack of a running attack is something that has been addressed in the off season. But there's much work left to do. 


Yesterday the rumor mill chugged along heartily as people speculated as to the future of Caleb King. But from comments Coach Richt made last night, it's pretty clear at this point that King is still very much a part of the RB equation.


Put the cart down and slow your gallop folks. Grades are all in Monday. I have a really good feeling everything's gonna be okay.


In the mean time, here's a few points I'm pondering.

• Caleb had a good Spring, as far as that goes. The GDay game aside, I think this is something we can measure pretty realistically based on Coach Richt's public comments recently, especially regarding Ealey. If King had entered Spring drills with anything less than a smile on his face I'm fairly certain we would've heard about it.
• That's not to say CK's past isn't fully behind him. The reason he missed the bowl game may seem like a minor detail in some eyes, but setting things right academically would be a huge stiff arm. If we don't hear anything negative in the next several days about his grades, that would be a great thing. 
• Let me re-emphasize that...it would be a GREAT thing. As much as some fans want King to hit the highway, I'll continue to contend that having him in the backfield this Fall is extremely important from both a consistency standpoint and a protection standpoint.
• Malcome was a breath of fresh air this Spring. I still wonder how much he can create on his own. And I wonder that because of our offensive line's struggles and inconsistency last season. But he's shown he has good vision and can grind out some yards that's for sure.
• Thomas is not an every down back. Last season made that clear, abundantly clear. However, used effectively he can be a change of pace back when put into space with good blocking. He should never be put in any danger of getting lost in Ben Jones' armpit...or worse, well...nevermind.
• Crowell. The red carpet has been rolled out. Everyone's eager to see what he does with it. The faster he absorbs things (playbook, blocking assignments, pass routes...) the more versatility McClendon and Bobo have in their backfield.

Right now I like the group we have. We have some experience that is eager to make the most of his last opportunity. We have some size and a lot of speed. More than anything we have a group that can help an offensive line out some as it grows into what we need it to be.

We'll see where things are closer to September 3rd.