Fantasy News
I’m not sure what Seattle’s plans are for T.J. Duckett, whom they signed to a five-year deal on Tuesday. Maybe Duckett will be used in short-yardage situations. Maybe he’ll grease the skids for the team to release Shaun Alexander. Or maybe the Seahawks won’t select a running back in the draft, and Duckett will be simply part of the team’s attack at that position, along with Alexander and Maurice Morris.
Duckett weighs 252 pounds, so there’s some speculation that he’ll be used in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Seattle ranked next-to-last last year in converting running plays when 1 yard was needed to either score or keep a drive alive – just 16 of 32. But note that the only team that was even worse on those plays was the team that Duckett played for – the Lions.
The leaning here is that Duckett probably won’t become Seattle’s goal-line back. Alexander isn’t as big and runs painfully tentatively at times, but he’s kind of a Marcus Allen type back – he’s got a nose for finding openings and getting into the end zone when the chips are down. Alexander was the best short-yardage runner in the league in 2005 (his monster season), converting 34 of 40 carries when Seattle needed either 1 or 2 yards for a touchdown or on a running play on third or fourth down. Alexander hasn’t been as effective on those plays the last two years, but he’s been hurt by problems on the team’s offensive line, which hasn’t been as good since losing Steve Hutchinson to Minnesota. Alexaner has gone 11 of 18 and 7 of 13 on those plays the last two years.
Duckett is huge, but he’s never been a great short-yardage runner. On the same type of plays, he’s gone 19 of 32 over the last three years, which is only average.
More likely, this Duckett signing is probably intended to give Seattle some flexibility. If a talented runner such as Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart is available when Seattle picks 25th in the first round, the Seahawks could select that back and then release Shaun Alexander. But if Seattle winds up missing on the top running back prospects, now it’s got another back that it can use in combination with Alexander. Duckett played pretty well last year for Detroit, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Both Duckett and Alexander, by the way, are poor pass catchers. And neither contributes on special teams. Maurice Morris is definitely better than those guys (and whatever rookie the team might select) in terms of receiving, special teams and pass blocking, so I think Morris’ role looks secure. Morris should continue to be a change-of-pace back and play on third downs.
--Ian Allan
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