Lea: Panthers should create 'Double Trouble 2.0' with McCaffrey, Davis
Posted October 15, 2020 9:17 p.m. EDT
Updated October 16, 2020 8:53 a.m. EDT
Boy, 2009 was a fun year to be a Carolina Panthers fan. The team only went 8-8 that season, but the emergence of "Double Trouble" kept many of us engaged. Seeing the promise of DeAngelo Williams and Joanthan Stewart both sharing the backfield and pushing the ball down the field for the Panthers just gave me and others hope for the future of the team (let's just promise not to bring up 2010 after this.. cool? Cool).
in that 2009 season, Williams rushed for 1,117 yards, while Stewart gained 1,133 yards. No running back duo in the NFL has compiled such a successful season together since "Double Trouble." In 2019, Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram both eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the Baltimore Ravens, but of course, Jackson is a quarterback. As a matter of fact, Williams and Stewart are the only duo in NFL history to both rush over 1,100 yards each. Other duos could only get over 1,000 yards each.
Long story short, "Double Trouble" in 2009 is literally the greatest rushing duo that has ever existed in the NFL. It may not be this year, but if the Carolina Panthers can keep Mike Davis around and keep him and Christian McCaffrey healthy, the Panthers may have "Double Trouble 2.0" on their roster. (I'm borrowing "Double Trouble 2.0" from a friend, and fellow journalist, Desmond Johnson.)
Before Christian McCaffrey went down with his high ankle sprain, Davis only gained a single yard in two games. he also only had a single rushing attempt. In the three games since McCaffrey has been on the injured reserve list, Davis is averaging 73 rushing yards per game. Seems like a modest amount, but if the Panthers continue to give Davis enough touches when CMC comes back and he can maintain that average, he'll hit 1,000 yards this season.
In McCaffrey's two games he played this season, Week 1 versus Las Vegas and Week 2 versus Tampa Bay, he averaged 78 yards rushing. We don't know how many games he will officially miss, but 78 yards per game, over the course of 16 games, would be good enough for 1,248 yards. That's not bad at all.
Now, I know that the 2020 NFL and the 2009 NFL are completely different, and the Panthers rushing that much may neglect the passing game. Having two running backs eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards each would be very hard to do, plus both are very good at running routes and catching the ball out of the backfield. That would mean that maybe they wouldn't catch the original "Double Trouble" in rushing yards, but maybe "Double Trouble 2.0" would also set some running back duo receiving records.
This is where WRAL SportsFan columnist Lauren Brownlow would call me (overly) optimistic in my thought process.
But how do the Panthers (see: Joe Brady) plan to use two running backs effectively when McCaffrey comes off of IR? In the first two games of the season, McCaffrey had 41 of the Panthers 54 rushing attempts, about 80% of all rushing attempts. That was the problem for me and part of what Richard Sherman recently pointed out — that the Panthers offense became predictable because of their continual force-feeding of CMC.
In the three games since CMC's injury, the Panthers have rushed the ball 83 times. Mike Davis had 45 of those rushes, which is about 54% of the team's carries. That gets at the heart of Richard Sherman's argument, CMC or not.
The first two games, four out of five times, you knew CMC was getting the handoff —two losses. Since then, Davis only got half of the rushes, oh and the Panthers won three straight. Now, imagine that Joe Brady spreads the wealth between both running backs, along with occasional runs from Curtis Samuel, Alex Armah and Teddy Bridgewater. Defenses won't know what's happening and it'll constantly keep defensive coordinators on their toes. It also could make both players more effective in the passing game and create more one-on-one opportunities for Robby Anderson, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel.
This isn't a knock on McCaffrey or his dynamic ability. As a matter of fact, I still believe that he's the Panthers best offensive weapon. But I also think that McCaffrey would be more effective (and maybe would stay more healthy in the long run) if Brady uses their other offensive weapons to compliment him.
McCaffrey should not get 80% of the team's rushing attempts when he returns, but that doesn't mean to not give him the ball. Give him the rock. But he'll have more room to produce if the wealth is spread around and the Panthers can effectively create the 2020 version of 'Double Trouble'.
And hopefully, there will be a fully healthy (and signed) 2021 version.
