Do the Washington Redskins have a running back controversy brewing on their hands? Earlier last week, head coach Mike Shanahan noted he intended to give backup Roy Helu Jr. a decent amount of carries, noting the running back deserved increased playing time. Well he certainly made the most of the opportunity, leaving questions of who the starting running back is moving forward.
In the Redskins' win over the Chicago Bears, Helu put up three touchdowns, stealing the show from starter Alfred Morris. The backup finished with 41 yards off 11 carries and three touchdowns. Morris put up the most yards, finishing the day with 95 yards on 19 carries, but he failed to score. In the past three games, Helu has over 200 total yards and four touchdowns.
"It's cool. I don't want to overlook it, but the greater thing is I contributed in a win," Helu said, via CSNWashington.com. "It is amazing and I am very thankful to be back and be contributing, it's just kind of bittersweet because we still need to fight our way out of this hole we're in."
Morris remained complimentary of his backup noting he was happy with the attention Helu was getting. The backup was uncertain for the 2013 season after missing all of 2012 with an Achilles injury. Instead, Helu has proven to be an excellent second option for the ground game, offering a nice change of pace to the position. Despite the Week 7 performance, both have downplayed the idea of a controversy at the starting spot.
"Both of us strive to be more complete backs," Helu said. "We encourage each other on the sideline. We don't know which way the game will go."
Helu notes that certain offensive packages call for him as the go-to guy while others rely on Morris and his strengths. The backup appears to be the better red zone option, something he downplayed to reporters after the game.
"The role in the red zone was unique to the tempo we had with our offense," Helu said. "We had worked down the field with Alfred being in, and it was just like giving him a break."
Shanahan is just happy to have two quality running backs on the roster to help out quarterback Robert Griffin III. In total, the Redskins had over 200 yards rushing between the two backs and Griffin. Pairing the read option with two quality running backs will certainly help the Redskins going forward.
