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ES: Alfred Morris doesn't know what "the rookie wall" is

themurf

By themurf
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themurf

themurf

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Lost amid all of the fanfare and attention being heaped upon his Heisman Trophy winning teammate is that fact that Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris is putting together a fairly remarkable inaugural season.

The Florida Atlantic product currently ranks fifth in the league in rushing with 982 yards and six touchdowns, which means if he can pick up 18 rushing yards at some point during the next five games, he'll be Washington's first 1,000-yard rusher since head coach Mike Shanahan came to town.

In fact, the last Redskins running back to gain at least 1,000 yards in a season was Clinton Portis, who last accomplished that feat in '08. It should be noted that Morris' favorite player growing up was, in fact, Portis, which makes this that much sweeter for the rookie back.

"I don't think anybody expected Alfred to be where he's at right now in terms of his production and stuff," said tight end Logan Paulsen. "But when you watch him run, he's such a physical guy. The first guy rarely brings him down and that's something that's invaluable. As a guy who blocks a lot, it's like you have a little bit of a margin for error almost because he's going to still make a play."

Roy Helu Jr. Evan Royster. Tim Hightower. Ryan Torain. Tashard Choice. Keiland Williams. James Davis. Larry Johnson. Rock Cartwright. Ladell Betts. Quinton Ganther. Marcus Mason. Those are all of the running backs who have been given a chance to show what they're made of since the last Redskins 1,000-yard rusher. None of them came close to the level of production Morris has logged through just 11 games.

"That's just a testament to how he's worked," Paulsen said. "He just runs with such tenacity and that's so awesome to see."

Paulsen isn't the only player who enjoys blocking for a one-cut runner like Morris.

"I think he has great vision," said*center Will Montgomery. "He's really good at reading one hole at a time and finding an opening. And once he gets to the second level, he's got the ability to make the last defender miss. Like the run he had against Tampa where he broke it for a long touchdown. That was crazy, and he has that ability each week."

He's not the fastest guy on the football field. Hell, he's not even the fastest player in his own backfield. But Morris still moves the chains with remarkable consistency and dishes out more punishment than he receives. This is why his offensive line loves blocking for him.

"He's going to turn a negative run into a positive," Montgomery said. "And with a positive run, he can turn it into a 50-yard run. With a guy like that running as hard as he does, and as shifty as he is, I think a lot of good things are going to happen for him."

Earlier in the year, Morris would come off the field during third downs in favor of Royster, who the coaching staff felt was better in pass protection. During the last few games though, Morris essentially stays on the field until he feels like coming off for a breather.

“He’s getting much more comfortable with the system," Shanahan said. "I told him he can stay in there as long as he wants to. When he gets tired, he comes out on his own. He’s got a good feel for our protections right now. Any time he’s in the game, he’s an added threat for us. He feels good enough to pick up all the different protection schemes. He’s strong enough right now where he’ll put his hat in there and do the things that he needs to do to give us good protection. I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s always a threat running the football, so that’s why he’s in there.”

He's gone from unheralded draft pick to one of the most productive backs in the NFL. He's a guy most Redskins fans couldn't pick out of a lineup before the season started, who has already become an every-down back. It's crazy to think how quickly Morris has become a household name during his rookie year, and he admits gaining 1,000 yards this season will be a memorable achievement.

"It will mean a lot," he said. "I honestly didn't think I'd be rushing for 1,000 yards as a rookie. I didn't think I was even going to see the field until the fifth or sixth game, so for that to happen it would be an honor -- especially with such a storied franchise."

And yet, almost as soon as he finished that sentence, Morris followed it up with one caveat.

"I've still got a lot of work to do," Morris said. "Rushing for 1,000 yards doesn't mean anything if you're not in the postseason, if you're not winning. That's what I care about is winning.

The 23-year-old has been Washington's workhorse this season -- carrying the ball 208 times in 11 regular season games as well as 39 times during three preseason games. Those 247 carries are already more than he had in either his junior or senior seasons, which is why some people are beginning to wonder if it's only a matter of time before the sixth-round pick hits the dreaded rookie wall.

"I feel great. I was built for this," he said. "I was made for this. That's not me being ****y or arrogant, it's just the truth. I can take a lot of beatings, I guess. It's a long season and a lot of people say I'm going to hit the rookie wall. I don't know what the rookie wall is because I haven't met it yet. I don't think I'm ever going to meet the rookie wall. Mentally I just grind through it and physically, I feel great. More than anything I feel that it's a mental grind."

Morris is currently on pace to finish the season with 1,428 yards and nine touchdowns. This is noteworthy because, if it happens, Morris will have put together the fourth-best rushing season in franchise history -- behind Portis is '05 (1,516 yards), Portis is '08 (1,487 yards) and Stephen Davis in '01 (1,432 yards).

For the record, some of the most product running backs in Redskins history -- guys like John Riggins, Terry Allen and Larry Brown -- never finished a season with 1,400. But if Morris can avoid the rookie wall, he's truly got a chance to make his first season a memorable one.

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tibbidoe

tibbidoe

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It's crazy that Mike, once again, pulled a 1,000 yard rusher from his magic hat. Says a lot about his ability to see good backs and how good his ZBS is. Kudos also to the OL doing what they do.

AlMo has it rough as a rookie, going head-to-head for weekly honors and all with RGIII. Great problem for us fans.

HTTR

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DogofWar1

DogofWar1

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Morris, I think, along with Alfonzo Dennard, are the early picks for steals of the 2012 draft. The big difference is that Dennard was once viewed as a 1st or 2nd rounder, Morris came out of nowhere. He's outperforming every rookie RB but Martin, and making it look easy.

And the guy is quite beast. Great vision, good footwork, good power, he pretty much has everything you want in a runningback, except maybe a little bit of speed. I love watching the guy, because it's exactly like the other players said, at any time he's a threat to bust a huge run because he can find the hole, hit it, and then ignore anyone who tries to arm tackle him.

For his sake, and ours, I hope he never hits anything resembling a wall, and plays for us many many years.

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Chew

Chew

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Drafted him in my fantasy football league because I had a feeling he would be a beast. Have started him every week but the bye week.

Same here! That night when Shanny declared him the starter, I dropped Helu and picked up Alf. Run Alfred, you big ****, RUN!!! Love that dude!

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skinsfan07

skinsfan07

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Same here! That night when Shanny declared him the starter, I dropped Helu and picked up Alf. Run Alfred, you big ****, RUN!!! Love that dude!

Funniest thing was that some non Skins fan in my draft room tried to say "Noooo, Helu/Royster are the starters!" and I'm sitting here like...."Uhm, I think I know my favorite team a little bit better than you do buddy." Guess who got the last laugh in that one?

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Dirt

Dirt

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Awesome piece. Man, if you just simplify it, and think about it....if the Redskins are going to be known as one of the strongest running teams (even without RG3's numbers), and have a passer with the league's best accuracy and TD/INT ratio.... unstoppable..

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pjfootballer

pjfootballer

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Drafted him in my fantasy football league because I had a feeling he would be a beast. Have started him every week but the bye week.
Same here! That night when Shanny declared him the starter, I dropped Helu and picked up Alf. Run Alfred, you big ****, RUN!!! Love that dude!
Funniest thing was that some non Skins fan in my draft room tried to say "Noooo, Helu/Royster are the starters!" and I'm sitting here like...."Uhm, I think I know my favorite team a little bit better than you do buddy." Guess who got the last laugh in that one?

I didn't draft him, but I did pick him up prior to week 1 when he was named the starter. I already had Helu and had drafter Royster in the 12th and final round. Then in week 4, two people tried to put in a claim for him. I'm like, "what part of me picking him up in week one did you not understand?" Good thing, because, as always, Darren McFadden broke down again. With Stephen Jackson, I've had a reliable 1-2 punch with Morris.

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Audible_Red40

Audible_Red40

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Once he sat in preseason with the "starters", I, along with other ES'ers had the hunch. My draft was shortly after that, and snagged him up with the last pick of the draft. Most had never heard of him and I just said "watch out", with confidence. Although I had nothing to prove it on, was mostly a big hope. The hope has turned into reality, and this dude is balling out there.

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nuposse87

nuposse87

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If he ever does end up reaching "the rookie wall" he'll prolly just truck right through it. This guy is underhyped. He's becoming a better pass blocker too, I hope Portis gives him a few pointers every now and then on that front. He's a pass catching game away from being a completely elite back in my mind.

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CommDownMan

CommDownMan

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I didn't draft him, but I did pick him up prior to week 1 when he was named the starter. I already had Helu and had drafter Royster in the 12th and final round. Then in week 4, two people tried to put in a claim for him. I'm like, "what part of me picking him up in week one did you not understand?" Good thing, because, as always, Darren McFadden broke down again. With Stephen Jackson, I've had a reliable 1-2 punch with Morris.

I didn't draft him and with the auction rules we have I'm glad I didn't. I can keep him next year as well for $7 (Rice and Foster went $60+). We can only keep $20 worth of players so I'm thinking a Beltway tandem for about $70ish next year. Steven Jackson and Jamaal Charles doomed me this year.

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