by David ElfinFiled under: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins, NFC East
Although he had missed the final eight games of 2009 with a concussion, Washington's Clinton Portis was the unquestioned king of NFC East running backs when the season started. Portis was reunited with Mike Shanahan, the coach who had drafted him for Denver in 2002 and whom he had provided with 3,099 yards in just two seasons before trading him to the Redskins in 2004.However, Portis finished the year on injured reserve and well on his way out of Washington in yet another sign of the topsy-turvy division. First-year starters Ahmad Bradshaw of New York, LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia and Felix Jones of Dallas wound up as the NFC East's top backs while Portis wasn't even Washington's No. 2 rusher, finishing behind another former Bronco, Ryan Torain, as well as rookie free agent Keiland Williams.
So here's a look at the state of the NFC East's running backs as the Eagles begin the playoffs and the rest of the division begins thinking about next season.
GIANTS -- Yes, the Eagles finished with 127 more yards on the ground than Big Blue, but that was because of Michael Vick, who led all quarterbacks with 676 yards, more than all but 16 NFC running backs produced. Bradshaw and former starter Brandon Jacobs switched roles for New York during training camp and remained a dynamic duo no matter their order. Bradshaw started off especially hot, leading the NFC in rushing, while Jacobs, unhappy about being demoted, spent time in coach Tom Coughlin's doghouse after hurling his helmet into the stands during a loss at Indianapolis. However, by midseason, Bradshaw had come down with a bad case of the disease that once plagued Jacobs' standout predecessor, Tiki Barber: fumble-itis. And since there's nothing that aggravates the dour Coughlin more than turnovers, Jacobs returned as the starter for much of the stretch run.
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/07/giants-come-out-ahead-in-topsy-turvy-season-for-nfc-east-running/
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