Beanie Wells is running well, running strong
Sep 21, 2011, 3:45 PM | Updated: 4:48 pm
Beanie Wells is averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season, an average that ranks sixth among NFL running backs.
However, the third year pro still feels like he’s not getting the most out of his runs.
“I still left some [yards] out there,” Wells said with regards to Sunday’s game against the Redskins. “There’s always going to be room for improvement in every game.
“I just have to minimize those little slip-ups that I do have.”
While it would appear there are times Wells misses out on some long runs, the stats say it’s not due to a lack of toughness.
According to Mike Sando’s ESPN NFC West Blog, Doug Clawson of ESPN Stats and Information says Wells has been a much stronger runner this season.
According to Clawson, Wells has averaged 6.9 yards per carry on 14 rushes up the middle. He’ll be facing a Seattle Seahawks defense in Week 3 that has allowed only 2.5 yards per carry up the middle, fourth-best in the NFL. Overall, Wells is averaging 3.1 yards after contact on each carry, second to the Atlanta Falcons’ Michael Turner among players with at least 15 carries.
While Wells has had some decent lanes to run through, gaining yards after contact shows he’s not exactly going down at first contact.
So while two games is a very small sample size, it appears the Cardinals may have themselves a feature back who can make plays when given opportunities.
