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Eagles RB
Duce Staley
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PHILADELPHIA — Duce Staley’s value to the Eagles was clearly evident in their
first two games this season.
Give the running back room to roam through opposing defenses, and he’s capable of
carrying the team to victory. Such was the case in the season opener, when Staley became
just the second player in franchise history to rush for 200 yards — Steve Van Buren
also did it in 1949 — in the Eagles’ 41-14 win over the Cowboys.
Design your defense with eight or nine players in the box in an effort to stop Staley,
and you have a good chance of beating the Eagles. Just ask the Giants, who used that
strategy to limit Staley to 11 yards on seven carries in a 33-18 Giants’ win in Week
Two.
"We had heard all this talk about how well they ran the football and how they were
just waiting for their next victim," Giants CB Jason Sehorn said. "But if a team
can only do one thing and you take it away from them, it makes it easy for the defense. It
was kind of evident that they were not going to be able to run the ball."
That factor may be what separates Staley from some of the other elite backs in the NFL.
Based on talent, desire and durability, Staley should pile up the rushing yards on a par
with standouts such as St. Louis’ Marshall Faulk, Indianapolis’ Edgerrin James
and Tennessee’s Eddie George. The biggest difference is in their supporting casts.
Defenses can’t concentrate on Faulk because they risk getting burned by Kurt Warner
and his receiving corps. Try to stop James, and defenses must deal with Peyton Manning and
Marvin Harrison. Pay too much attention to George, and defenses can get hurt by Steve
McNair’s run-pass threat.
The Eagles are confident that second-year QB Donovan McNabb will eventually develop
into a top-flight passer and runner. But until he gains maturity and consistency, the
Eagles must rely on Staley to carry the load on his muscular shoulders.
"Duce is a very underrated running back," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said.
"He may be the most underrated running back in the league."
He’s arguably more valuable to his team than any of his rivals, considering his
performances in 1998 and ’99. Staley not only rushed for a combined 2,338 yards the
past two years, he was easily the most important cog in the offense over that span.
When he wasn’t running the ball, he was catching it, snaring a combined 98 passes.
His two-year total of 3,064 combined yards was the fifth-highest in the league, trailing
only Faulk (4,656), Curtis Martin (3,375), George (3,366) and Ricky Watters (3,209).
Last season, Staley’s 1,567 yards from scrimmage accounted for 40.9 percent of the
Eagles’ offense, the highest percentage in the NFL.
"You can’t compare me to Marshall Faulk," Staley said. "That guy is
… he’s just great. He’s phenomenal."
Well, how about Ricky Williams? Despite Staley’s productive season in ’98,
Eagles followers were clamoring for Reid and director of football operations Tom Modrak to
use the No. 2 overall pick in the ’99 NFL Draft on Williams, the record-setting,
Heisman Trophy winner from Texas.
One year later, Staley is inching toward a Pro Bowl berth while Williams’
dreadlocks seem longer than his yards per carry with the Saints.
"I don’t worry about those comparisons anymore," Staley said. "I
know Ricky is a good back. He’s a great back. He’s going to come into his own
either this year or in the years to come. He’s going to get the job done."
Staley’s already getting it done, though some of his talents don’t show up in
the box score. In addition to being a solid runner and receiver, he is recognized as an
excellent blocker who is very effective at picking up blitzing linebackers and safeties.
And he gains as much satisfaction from that as he does in breaking off a long run.
"You have to take pride in other aspects of the game," Staley said.
"That’s all about trying to be a complete back. You can’t just do one thing
right and expect the other things to fall into place."
There is a chance that Staley won’t have another game like the one he enjoyed vs.
the Cowboys or the one he endured vs. the Giants.
Reid, who was concerned about the workload he had to place on Staley last season, is
hoping to use Brian Mitchell and Stanley Pritchett as change-of-pace backs. Reid is also
looking for McNabb and the rest of the passing game to form a more balanced offense.
The Eagles revamped the offensive line, as well, to help Staley get more openings.
Most of his yardage vs. Dallas came behind canyon-sized holes provided by ORT Jon
Runyan, who was signed as a free agent from Tennessee.
"Duce reminds me a lot of Eddie George because their attitudes are the same,"
Runyan said. "They both work hard every day and don’t care about getting hit as
long as they can get the extra yard."
If Staley can keep going the extra yard and the linemen can produce a few more holes,
there’s a chance Staley could win the NFC rushing title, perhaps even make the Pro
Bowl.
But he’s already proven his worth to his teammates. Although others are just now
realizing it, Staley has long been considered the key to the Eagles’ offense.
"We’ve always known he is a great running back, and the game against Dallas
was just another example of it," Eagles C Bubba Miller said. "He might be one of
the league’s best-kept secrets, but there isn’t a man in this locker room who
didn’t already know how good he is."
David Weinberg covers the Eagles for the Atlantic City (N.J.) Press |
