Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Thursday, March 27th: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Here’s DuckD’s preview of the Running Back position:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: RUNNING BACK

Probable Starter: Jeremiah Johnson sr.
Depth: Andre Crenshaw jr., Remene Alston so.
Incoming: LaGarrette Blount jr., LaMichael James fr.

Analysis: As with the QB position, we should be set at RB if Jeremiah Johnson can fully recover physically and mentally from his knee surgery. JJ has been a terrific player the past 3 (well 2.5 I guess ) seasons, averaging over 6 yards per carry for his career. Career rushing, 181 carries for 1135 yards and 17 TDs. He also is adept as a pass catcher and solid blocker, as well as special teams standout (though I don’t know if he’ll play much ST this fall as the starting RB). Many have felt that JJ’s talents are a better fit for the spread offense than Snoop’s were, and if he can stay healthy we should see a great year out of JJ.

Crenshaw has proven himself to be a capable backup. When JJ went down, he stepped up, and produced solid numbers behind Snoop: 82 carries for 415 yards (including a 39 yard run at The Big House) and scoring 4 TD’s. He could use a little more power for the inside running, but much like JJ, he is a great all-around back. He will battle for #2.

Remene Alston saw very limited action last year. He has shown flashes of being a special player, but it has yet to transfer over from practice to the games. What I have seen in practices leads me to believe that he could be a solid contributor with more experience.

LaGarrette Blount comes in with some pretty sizable expectations. He has been compared to Rueben Droughns by the coaches, and has Jonathan Stewart’s shoes to fill as the “power” back. I think he will be given every opportunity to be the 1B to JJ’s 1A, or at least be the solid #2 back. Blount is a big back, but also has good moves and speed, as well as athleticism. He could be a very special player. He also reportedly would like to return punts and kicks. At 6′2, 230lbs, that is a BIG DAMN punt returner!

LaMichael James is the second of the LaBoys. He’s not a huge guy at 5′9 185, but has terrific quicks, moves, and speed. The coaches have said that he is similar to JJ, so hopefully he can bulk up a bit like JJ did (and it wouldn’t hurt if he could develop his own Stiff Arm of Death!). I think James has the kind of talent that will make it very difficult for the coaches to redshirt him this fall. He could make an instant impact as a return man, if not in the regular rotation in the offensive backfield. Regardless, James looks to be the future at RB. And the future looks bright!

Tomorrow: WIDE RECEIVER

Tags: Ducks, Football, oregon, Practice, Spring