Alfred Morris reflection
By: Jake Rajala
It felt like yesterday when I added the undrafted running back Alfred Morris off waivers in my first fantasy league. Morris and his pal, RG3, were explosive studs on the Washington offense. All he did was run for 1,613 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in his rookie season. This led him to earn second team All-Pro honors.
The rise of Morris.
Morris made the Pro Bowl in his second and third seasons. In 2014, he suffered an ankle injury and a knee injury. He fell flat and looked like a RB2 in 2015, as he unleashed 751 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
He went to Dallas to die.
He only registered 243 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in his first season for America’s team. He only ran for 547 rushing yards in his second Cowboys season. After Dallas, he went to San Francisco, Arizona, and New York Giants. He couldn’t quite get into a solid pace.
I don’t believe there was a significant injury that held Morris from dominating in the back end of his career. Even Zeke, who had the most carries in the league as a rookie, played well in his sixth and seventh seasons. His effort wasn’t able to counter the wear and tear that took him down.
RG3 proved to be a playmaker early in his career, but he faded out. This was the same story for Morris. Morris wasn’t quite able to serve as a pass catcher to help out when he couldn’t be a dangerous runner.
Morris will be remembered as a bit of a fluke. He reminds me of Peyton Hillis, who could drag multiple defenders on his back. Peyton earned himself the face of Madden. Well, Peyton didn’t shine after his 2012 season.
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