Redskins Morris Proving To Be Anything But Ordinary

Through the first half of the 2012 season, the Washington Redskins offense has been pretty impressive, and while all praise is being directed at Rookie Hall of Famer Robert Griffin III, fellow rookie Alfred Morris is doing his share in making this offense one to remember.

Morris, a sixth-round pick who has started all eight games of his rookie season has racked up 717 yards and five TD’s, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry and breaking the 100 yard mark three times already. While it is still early to compare Morris to this careers of great backs like oh, I don’t know – Terrell Davis, we can admire what he has done in such a short time — and only dream of what he has the potential to become.

Morris’ 717 yards rushing are pretty impressive as a running back, not to mention a rookie. He ranks third in the NFL for overall rushing through the first eight games; bested only by Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson. Petty good company to keep for a sixth-round pick out of Florida East Jesus University.

With an 83 yard performance Sunday, Morris will become the ninth rookie since the merger to rush for 800 yards in his team’s first nine games. The last back to accomplish the same feat? Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson in 2007.

While Morris’ individual achievements have been awe-inspiring, his impact on the offense runs deeper than whether he can break the 100 yard mark each game. Morris has already become the type of player that you must account for. Every minute that opposing defenses spend on prepping for Morris is another minute they don’t spend on Robert Griffin III.

While that sounds like one homers happy thought, the point is Morris and Griffin are perfect for each other. Each one keeps the defense guessing as to what the other is going to do next, keeping them off balance. With the wealth of talent in the NFL today, you need every edge you can get, and the fact that defenses are no longer able to stack the box against the Redskins and make them one-dimensional is priceless.

Think I’m wrong? The proof is in the numbers. With just 24 rushing yards on Sunday, Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris will become the first rookie RB/QB tandem to rush for 500+ yards during the season in NFL history.

Finding late round gems like Morris are huge for a Redskins front office that is going to have to continue to replicate that success after trading so much for RG3.

Thankfully each week Morris takes the sting off the loss of those picks by playing at a much higher draft grade than the sixth round pick where he was actually taken.

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