In the pass-happy NFL, most teams operate on the premise that they can never stockpile enough receivers. The more, the merrier.
Depth at running back can be an afterthought. The prevailing thought: acquire a guy who withstands 25 carries per game, plus a serviceable back-up who affords him the occasional breather.
Cincinnati, old-fashioned in many ways, subscribe to the once-popular two-headed tailback model, each taking turns in the backfield. It worked for the Bengals a quarter-century ago, when the thunder of Ickey Woods and lightning of James Brooks delivered them the Super Bowl.
The same approach has proved moderately successful this season. A pair of backs with colourful names and contrasting styles have no 100-yard games between them, but they rank tied for 18th and 22nd among league rushers.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis brings the straight-ahead power and Giovani Bernard the darting elusiveness. The only comparable duo is Buffalo’s Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller.
“Those guys complement each other well,” the Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said. “Benny’s obviously a banger and Gio can do some different things.
“The important thing is to keep them fresh and try to stick with it.”
The veteran Green-Ellis has outrushed the rookie by 32 yards, but he is not a dual threat. Bernard’s receptions outnumber his by 47-3.
“Bernard is one of those guys along the lines of Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew,” the guard Andrew Whitworth told the team website. “As small as he is, the physicality and speed he plays with, he’s a tough match-up.”
Bernard was the first running back selected in the April draft, though not until the second round, which hints at the league’s reduced emphasis on the position. His body type and talents are so diametrically different from the bulky, plodding Green-Ellis that defences must flip a switch when one replaces the other.
The timeshare arrangement allows Green-Ellis to retain energy for the fourth quarter, when the Bengals deploy him while leading to burn minutes off the game clock with steady gains.
His role as a “closer” of sorts has prompted teammates to call him Mariano Rivera, after the recently retired baseball pitcher renowned for finishing off games.
He has heard another sobriquet much longer. “BenJarvus Green-Ellis” has so many names that the combination sounds like the title of a law firm. Hence, he answers to “Law Firm”.
Giovani Bernard suggests an Italian opera singer, but he is the son of Haitian immigrants who settled in South Florida. In the locker room, he is simply “Gio”.
With the Law Firm and Gio, the old-fashioned Bengals invoke an old saying: Sometimes, two heads are better than one.
sports@thenational.ae
