ProFootballFocus: Cardinals’ Andre Ellington excels after contact, Rashard Mendenhall not so much
Dec 19, 2013, 6:43 PM | Updated: 6:44 pm
Andre Ellington has been nothing short of a revelation for the Arizona Cardinals in 2013.
The former sixth-round pick is second on the team in rushing yards (558) and rushing touchdowns (3), leads the team with seven rushes of 20 yards or more and also has 34 receptions for 351 yards and a touchdown.
But as ProFootballFocus.com detailed in a ‘Between the Tackles’ piece Thursday, his season might even more impressive than meets the eye.
Despite his somewhat diminutive stature, the 5-foot-9 standout out of Clemson ranks in the top 10 in both yards after contact on inside (2.47 per carry) and outside (league-leading 4.62 per carry) rushes.
Ellington is one of only three players — Adrian Peterson and Rashad Jennings being the others — to be in the top 10 of both lists.
However, while Ellington has embraced contact during his first NFL campaign, his teammate and the Cardinals’ leading rusher, Rashard Mendenhall, apparently has not.
The first-year Cardinal ranks in the bottom 10 in both yards after contact on inside (1.67 per carry) and outside (1.78 per carry) rushes.
Mendenhall is one of only three players — Ray Rice and Willis McGahee being the others — to make both dubious lists.
