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Coach Dan Quinn said it wasn't by design for Ito Smith to get more carries than Coleman in Sunday's 26-16 loss to Baltimore, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
The rookie had seven carries for 22 yards and one catch for no gain, while Coleman took six carries for eight yards and caught one pass for three more yards. Smith hasn't made much of a case for himself with a mark of 3.2 yards per carry, but it wouldn't be crazy to give him more opportunities down the stretch of a lost season. Coleman is sitting at 4.0 YPC after back-to-back dud performances in tough matchups, with his value heading the wrong way in a contract season. He does get a rebound matchup Week 14, facing a Packers defense ranked 20th in YPC (4.6) and 25th in rushing yards allowed per game (127.8). Despite what Quinn said Monday, it won't come as any surprise if Smith gets half the work or more in future weeks.
