Tailback

CARLISLE, Pa. -- Brian Mitchell was mobbed by autograph seekers yesterday as he left the Washington Redskins weightlifting tent after a morning workout.Instead of trying to dodge them, Mitchell signed every notebook, picture and even the back of one kid's shirt until all the fans got their autographs and the crowd melted away.Mitchell, who'll be 25 on Aug. 18, is obviously enjoying his time in the spotlight."I have a motto that if you never get asked for your autograph, you're not doing something good.

Freshman receiver-returner Stefon Diggs - who had been a constant during Maryland's injury-plagued season - has been ruled out of Saturday's game at Clemson because of an injured ankle. Diggs was seen around campus this week wearing a walking boot. He is among three players - running back Wes Brown (ankle) and receiver Tyrek Cheeseboro (concussion) are the others - listed as “out” for Saturday. That does not include the nine players - including all four true quarterbacks - who are listed as “out for the season.” Diggs has caught 43 passes for 721 yards and six touchdowns.

During halftime of Navy's 31-3 rout of Colgate on Saturday, an irate woman, dressed in Navy blue, was venting her anger at the public address announcer."

Towson knows that if it cuts down on penalties and reduces its turnovers, it has the potential to be one of the elite teams in the Football Championship Subdivision. On Saturday night, the Tigers addressed one and kept the other manageable in a 24-19 win over Maine at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Quarterback Grant Enders led Towson with 104 yards rushing, including a 52-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to ice the victory. Tailback Terrance West (Northwestern) pitched in 96 yards on 18 carries for the Tigers (3-3, 2-1 Colonial Athletic Association)

Glenelg senior running back James McKenney patiently waited for his turn in the offensive spotlight as a featured back, serving as Paul Brosenne's understudy for the past two seasons.Now with Brosenne (1,442 yards, 14 touchdowns) graduated, it is McKenney's time to star, and the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Gladiators tailback is making the most of his chance.McKenney is a major reason Class 2A Glenelg (5-2, 2-2) has state playoff hopes, leading the county in rushing with 830 yards on 143 carries with seven touchdowns.

COLLEGE PARK - One of the most spirited position battles thus far in Maryland's preseason is being waged at tailback, where several Terrapins are bidding for carries and a chance to back up likely starter Bruce Perry and probable No. 2 Josh Allen. Unfortunately for sophomore Mario Merrills, it hasn't been a fair fight. Nagging hamstring injuries have forced the former Wilde Lake star to the sidelines, while several other tailbacks have stepped up and caught coach Ralph Friedgen's eye. "It's just been very frustrating," said Merrills, who pulled his hamstring about two weeks before the start of preseason and reinjured it in Thursday's practice.

There were some notable no-shows when Maryland's freshman football players reported for preseason practice yesterday.Dermal Brown, a tailback out of Newburgh, N.Y., who signed a letter of intent with the Terps last February, opted to continue contract negotiations -- and appears close to a deal -- with the Kansas City Royals rather than begin practicing at Maryland. Brown, who attended freshman orientation at Maryland this summer, was the 14th selection overall in the June free-agent baseball draft.

One year after reaching the high point of his collegiate football career, Matt Romeo has been obliged to surrender some of the limelight. "It's hard sometimes," said Towson's senior tailback. "I have to accept the fact that my role now is to share the spot. So, whenever I get in there, I have to make the best of my carries." Through the misfortune of fellow backs Mikal Lundy and Ray Harris - both of whom were shelved by injury in the second game of last season - Romeo became the featured runner as a junior.

COLLEGE PARK -- In a perfect Maryland football world, running back LaMont Jordan and coach Ron Vanderlinden would be on the same page in their approach to the game.But Jordan and Vanderlinden still don't see eye-to-eye on all phases of football, as they begin their third season together today with the first full-team workout.Jordan, a junior, is still trying to persuade Vanderlinden to give him the ball at least 22 times every game and seldom wants to come off the field even though he is hurting physically.

As Towson State's Maurice Sydnor rattles off the names, his smile grows along with his list.Tony Vinson. Brian McCarty. Larry Washington. Each was a 1,000-yard rusher for the Tigers over the previous four seasons. And no discussion of this year's backfield, which includes Sydnor, would be complete without mentioning one of those former standouts.Vinson reached the milestone twice, then gave way to McCarty, who was succeeded by Washington. And before any of them was David Meggett, who in 1988 became the most decorated player in Towson football history.

Maryland running back Wes Brown -- the team's leading rusher -- will miss the Virginia game with a shoulder injury, the school said Thursday. Details were unavailable. Brown was listed as "out" on the injury report. He has rushed for 150 yards and a 4.5 yards per carry average. Brown, a true freshman, and sophomore Justus Pickett were expected to get the bulk of the carries following last week's Wake Forest game. Safety Matt Robinson is out again with a groin injury. Receiver Kerry Boykins and linebacker L.A. Goree are also out. Maryland said earlier Thursday that kicker Nick Ferrara (hip)

Maryland is fortunate to have tailback depth. The team has not designated a starter for Saturday's Wake Forest game among Wes Brown, Brandon Ross, Justus Pickett and Albert Reid. Each has more than 15 carries this season, with Brown leading in yardage (127) and average yards per carry (5.5). Brown may be the most powerful at 210 pounds. Pickett has been used a third-down back. Reid started the opening game, and Ross started the last game. “It's an advantage in that they each bring something different to the table,” offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said.

You've already got a true freshman quarterback, so why not pair him with a true freshman tailback? Maryland said today that Albert Reid -- a 5-foot-10, 200-pound true freshman from Washington -- will start Saturday in the opener against William & Mary. That's because the original starter, redshirt freshman Brandon Ross, has a hamstring injury. Reid will likely share the spot Saturday with sophomore Justus Pickett and true freshman Wes Brown. It'll be running back by committee.

When Ray Rice set a season low with just eight carries in a 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 4 and then surpassed that with just five rushing attempts in a 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 13, much teeth-gnashing ensued. Even the Ravens running back wasn't happy with his involvement in the offense at those times, but with three more contests in the regular season and what appears to be at least one game in the postseason, Rice is beginning to think that the reduced workload is beginning to pay dividends now. “I don't want to say I saved my best for last, but I think the fact that I wasn't getting the carries early on was a blessing in disguise for me right now,” he said Wednesday.

Among the rushing marks Ray Rice set Sunday in the Ravens' 24-10 win against the Indianapolis Colts, Rice joined Jamal Lewis as the only tailbacks in franchise history to record three consecutive seasons of 1,000 rushing yards, For Rice, who now has 1,029 yards this season, reaching that achievement is something that he will treasure. “It means a lot to me,” Rice said. “Anytime I do something, I give my credit to the offensive line. But to do three straight [1,000-yard rushing seasons]

The relationship between a tailback and fullback can be symbiotic. The tailback's production can be linked to the fullback's ability to create running lanes, and the tailback's gains can reflect positively - or negatively - on the fullback. Ray Rice and Vonta Leach clearly enjoy the kind of relationship that allows them to edify and criticize each other openly. Rice needles the 6-foot, 260-pound Leach, teasing him about his weight. Leach returned the favor last week, snapping a picture of the top rushers in the NFL (Rice ranked 14th at the time with 722 yards)

Le'Ron McClain can run, catch and block. Turns out he can coach, too. The fullback was instrumental in tailback Ray Rice's first touchdown in the Ravens' 33-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and Rice's 22-yard run off left tackle came courtesy of what McClain said, not what he did. "I said to him: 'Just trust me, man. [No.] 51 [Vikings linebacker Ben Leber] is not going to take me on. He's going to try to run. So just stay on my hip and you'll score,' " McClain recalled Tuesday.

In the eyes of Ravens guard Jeff Blackshear, running back Errict Rhett is an offensive lineman's dream."Errict Rhett is a grinder. He's going to grind on every down," Blackshear said. "He's a hard runner, a tough runner, and he's going to talk stuff on every play. He's going to talk trash while he's running. We haven't really had a chance to play smash-mouth football since the preseason. We had that today."In the wake of yesterday's 101-yard rushing performance -- his first 100-yard game in his two years with the Ravens -- Rhett may have seized a chance to grab the starting tailback job for the time being from Priest Holmes.

After surrendering 109 yards to Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, the Ravens rush defense gets another difficult assignment in Cincinnati Bengals tailback Cedric Benson. Benson's 593 yards this season rank a modest 14th in the NFL, but he has gained more yards on the ground than the Ravens' own Ray Rice (559 yards). And two years ago, Benson became the first back since the Miami Dolphins' Ricky Williams (2002-2003) to gain more than 100 yards in consecutive meetings against the Ravens.

With 109 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch joined the Jacksonville Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew as the only two tailbacks to rush for 100 yards against the Ravens this season. And like Jones-Drew, Lynch helped his team score an upset of the Ravens. On Sunday, the Seahawks stunned the Ravens, 22-17. “It wasn't me to be honest,” said Lynch, who amassed 135 yards and one touchdown on 23 attempts against the Dallas Cowboys the previous Sunday.