Tom Rathman Convinced Colts Running Back Carries 'Will Play Itself Out'
INDIANAPOLIS — In a bolstered backfield with several options, expect the Indianapolis Colts to spread the carry workload mostly between 2019 leading rusher Marlon Mack and rookie Jonathan Taylor.
That said, running backs coach Tom Rathman expects backups Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins to be improved in their third NFL seasons. And how those carries get divided up will depend upon who plays well.
Rathman, a former nine-year fullback who won two Super Bowl rings, has a simple, bottom-line outlook when asked about carry distribution.
“Obviously we know what talent is there,” Rathman said in a Thursday Zoom video conference call. “But obviously you’ve got to do it when you take the field. So the more you play to our expectations really and get your job done, the more opportunity you’re going to have.
“If you want to play winning football, you’ve got to play at a high level and you’ve got to play consistent football. I’m talking snap after snap. There can’t be any lulls in that performance. That’s really what we’re working on with the three guys that we’ve had the last two years, is the consistency.”
The Colts ranked seventh in rushing offense in 2019. And Rathman was wearing a “Run The Damn Ball” hat for his media chat.
Mack had a career-high 1,091 rushing yards in his third season. The Colts traded up three spots in the second round of the NFL draft to select Taylor, a Wisconsin workhorse who rushed for 6,174 yards in three seasons and earned the Doak Walker Award twice as college football’s top running back.
The Colts traded up in the second round to draft running back Jonathan Taylor.
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Hines has carved out a niche as a versatile, third-down back because of his pass-catching skills and elusiveness in the open field. He’s caught 107 passes in two NFL seasons. Wilkins, a better rusher and blocker than Hines, has averaged 5.5 yards per rush with 559 rushing yards in a reserve role for two years.
“I mean, it all depends on the development (with) these guys, where they get in that first game. Is Jonathan Taylor going to be at the level that Marlon Mack is? Mindset, understanding how to play the game, well Jonathan hasn’t played any NFL football. So he still has to grow into that role. We all see it. We all anticipate it. We all expect it. But are you going to see it right away? I can’t say that.
“But hopefully he comes out of the gates and, boom, he’s playing at the same level as all these other guys. They all elevate their game. In the past, having two backs, I’ve never had a problem with it. I think it just kind of plays itself out.”
Colts running back Marlon Mack has 2,357 rushing yards in three NFL seasons.
Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
Rathman said he doesn’t expect any hard feelings in the running backs room about who’s getting what.
“And Marlon is smart enough that he does a nice job of when he needs a break, he comes out of the game. If you’ve watched the last two years, watch when Marlon comes out, a lot of times he takes himself out.
“It’s going to play itself out. And then I don’t think any of these players are going to have an attitude, regardless of who we have out on the field. I think that when they get their opportunity, they need to maximize their ability to execute in those situations and play that consistent football. And like I said, the more consistent you play with the football, probably the more you’re going to play.”
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
