Daryn Colledge proves his worth against Rams
Sure, Beanie Wells deserves credit for setting a franchise
record with 228 yards rushing Sunday in St. Louis, but
according to ProFootballFocus.com, he had some help
along the way.
Specifically from left guard Daryn Colledge.
Colledge, who left the Super Bowl champion Green Bay
Packers to sign with the Cardinals before the season, has
had an uneven first season in the desert. He was dominant
Sunday.
Back in 2008 we saw him as one of the best young guards in
the league but for whatever reason, after the Packers
disastrous use of him as a left tackle early in 2009, he’s
seemed little more than a journeyman player. Here though,
he looked backed to his 2008 best, giving up nothing in
pass protection and making a very good player in James
Laurinaitis (-4.4) look particularly poor. For those who
are thinking he did most of that damage at the second
level, you’d be wrong. Nearly everything the Cardinals did
was focused on getting him pulling either right, where he
would usually then come up against Laurinaitis or left
where he would get the better of ex-teammate Brady
Poppinga (-3.5). For example at 7:10 left in the third
Wells picks up seven yards behind his block as Poppinga
ends up on the ground.
The Cardinals offensive line has had its issues this
season, and while Colledge has been a slight
disappointment, you won’t find many pointing a finger in
his direction.