Prisco: Fall-back guys
When I did an End Zone segment earlier this week with Jason Horowitz of CBSSports.com, he asked me what defined a breakout season.
"Easy," I said. "It's a year unlike any experienced by the player and one that defines him as somebody to watch."
OK, then -- who are this year's breakout players? I have 10 nominees, and they can step forward when their names are called. The envelope, please:
Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore: When I pulled into the Ravens' training camp, my first question was, what the club does for a playmaker? I was told to watch Rice. I did, and now I know why the Ravens are pumping him up.
Rice runs. He catches. He blocks. So he's 5-feet-7. He is elusive, effective and a reason to believe the Ravens might be able to move the ball up and down the field.
"He's kind of got that Barry Sanders-type of running style," said linebacker Terrell Suggs. "You never know where he's going to be, and he's hard to tackle."
A year ago Rice averaged 4.2 yards a carry but was limited in the playoffs by injuries. Now he's healthy, and he's Cam Cameron's secret weapon. Look for the Ravens to rotate him with Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain to keep him fresh, but look for the Ravens to get him a substantial number of touches.
"I think coaches can tell how confident a player I am now," said Rice. You will, too.
Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay: I'll be honest, when I pulled into Green Bay last month I wouldn't have known Jermichael Finley from Charles Finley. Then I watched practice, saw Aaron Rodgers lob touchdown passes to No. 88 and made a note to ask the quarterback about him.
"Physically, he's amazing," said Rodgers. "He was unguardable [last year] on the scout teams. Then, when he got on the first team in practice, he kind of moved slower. Now he's up to speed, and he's a 4.5 guy, with great hands and great ability. A guy like that is a huge weapon."
Finley led the Packers in catches this summer and scored twice in one game. Rodgers believes in him, and you will, too, when you see him in the red zone.
Chris Henry, WR, Cincinnati: He had a big preseason, with twice as many catches as the Bengals' No. 2 pass receiver, and he'll have a bigger regular season. In fact, I say he winds up with more touchdowns and maybe, just maybe, more catches than Chad Ochocinco.
The key here is that Henry has discovered life off the police blotter, and hallelujah, he seems to like it. In fact, he hasn't given the Bengals trouble in a while, and he is a legitimate deep threat.
Like Ochocinco, you never know how or when you might lose him, and I'm talking psychologically as well as physically, but for the moment he looks as fit, ready and focused as I've seen him. He had 19 catches last year in an abbreviated season. He will have three times that many this year and a lot more TDs.
Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland: He didn't make much of an impression as a rookie because he didn't play much as a rookie. But now he should and beware: This guy is a load.
If there's a problem with McFadden taking off, it is this: He plays on a dysfunctional team that hasn't had a winning season since 2002, and he plays in a crowded backfield that includes Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. McFadden is the star here, with people last summer calling him the most complete Raiders rookie since Marcus Allen. Maybe, but we won't know until Oakland starts feeding him the ball.
He can run with it. He has outstanding hands. And he can operate the Wildcat. The Raiders made McFadden the fourth pick in the 2008 draft for a reason: He has a world of talent and is a difference maker. Now it's time he is given the floor to offer a demonstration.
John Carlson, TE, Seattle: He led the Seahawks in catches as a rookie, and he could lead them again this season. All I know is every time I looked up this summer, he was pulling down another pass over the middle.
Just a hunch, but his numbers climb as the Seahawks rely more and more on Matt Hasselbeck's arm. Personally, I'll take Carlson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh for 140 to 150 catches this season, with Carlson among the league leaders at tight end.
He has great hands. He has good size. He knows how to get open. Most important, he has the confidence of the quarterback throwing the ball. Carlson is a budding star and will get the attention he deserves when the Seahawks start winning again. That should be this fall.
Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco: He was the sixth pick in the 2006 draft because, basically, he was the tight end who could do everything. Yeah, well, it's time he starts living up to that reputation.
Davis averages 34 catches a year and never scored more than four touchdowns. But all that changes now because now he has Jimmy Raye running an offense that will feature Frank Gore and a short-to-medium passing attack, with Davis the wild card.
Whenever I brought up Davis' name at 49ers camp, people seemed excited that finally, finally, they might get a read on the guy. Forget that Mike Singletary aired him out in Singletary's first game as a head coach. Vernon Davis has talent, and the 49ers have awakened to it. I put him down for 60 catches.
Greg Olsen, TE, Chicago: What's the deal with tight ends? They're all over my board, and for a good reason: They can be a quarterback's best friend, whether they're catching passes, opening holes or chipping an onrushing lineman.
Olsen is another star on the horizon, and with Chicago fielding a lineup of so-so wide receivers, it makes sense that Jay Cutler look to Olsen. First, the two are friends on and off the field. Second, Olsen has good hands and could be Cutler's security blanket over the middle.
Olsen was the Bears' second-leading receiver a year ago and had more touchdowns (five) than any Bears pass catcher. His numbers in both categories will go up this season, especially as Cutler gains more confidence in the guy.
"Greg is really ready to take another step," offensive coordinator Ron Turner told the Chicago Tribune. I believe him.
Demetrius Bell, T, Buffalo: Well, surprise, surprise. We've been telling you all summer how this guy was pushing Langston Walker, and it turns out he pushed him right out the door.
Bell is the next solid offensive lineman waiting to happen in Buffalo, with comparisons made by teammates, coaches and player personnel experts to Jason Peters -- only better. The Bills have been touting Bell for a long time and obviously believe in him -- they have him protecting Trent Edwards' back.
Had Bell not injured his back late last month, the feeling is this move might have been made earlier. Nevertheless, it was going to be made sooner or later. Now Bell learns on the fly, and good luck, Buffalo. He never started a game and plays on an offensive line that is new at every position.
Felix Jones, Dallas: I saw Jones early last season and thought he was the ideal fit for Dallas. He's a perfect change-of-pace reliever for Marion Barber, an outside threat who can outrun defenders and serve as a dangerous receiver in space and someone coach Wade Phillips once compared to Thurman Thomas.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention how good Jones is on kickoff returns, too.
Anyway, he's a legitimate weapon who might have had a breakout season as a rookie had he not suffered a torn hamstring that ended his season. Now he's back, and look out. Dallas will use him to rotate with Barber again and used him at the goal line this summer -- with Jones scoring two touchdowns.
Jones is a gifted back who would have had more attention in college if he hadn't played at the same school (Arkansas) as McFadden. Now he can get all the attention he deserves if he avoids injuries and the Cowboys start to turn to him. If they stick to the run, featuring Barber and Jones, rather than trying to make Tony Romo a star, they could be OK.
Nate Washington, WR, Tennessee: If he is able to overcome a hamstring injury, Nate Washington could make an immediate impact on all of us. Provided physicians clear him to play, Washington will be on national TV Thursday when the Titans play Pittsburgh in the season opener.
Washington, who was the Steelers' third receiver a year ago, has always been known as someone who could run -- a perfect part for the vertical passing game. What the Titans are discovering is that he's much more than that, with defensive backs on the team raving about his ability to make all the catches.
Of course, maybe that's because it's been so long since Tennessee has had a decent wideout. All I know is that he fills a void on the Titans, a legitimate deep threat who can run under Kerry Collins' missile shots.
"I want to come in and have an instant impact," Washington said. I say he will.
Fantasy: Sleepers, breakouts, busts
