While the football world effervesced watching Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah gash the New York Jets' defense last week, the rookie had a different take on his performance.
"I think my first preseason game went OK, borderline good, but by no means great," Abdullah wrote in a blog post on the team's official website. "I missed a lot of holes. I was a little rusty, but that's what I expected getting back into game shape, seeing things at game speed again. There was definitely a lot to learn from. I have a good idea of how the competition will be across the league, what to expect on Sundays and Mondays."
Abdullah rushed six time for 67 yards -- 9.6 average -- including a spectacular 45-yard scamper in which he spun Jets linebacker Demario Davis like a dreidel.
Abdullah would have us believe a performance that incited Gang Green head coach Todd Bowles to compare the rookie runner to Barry Sanders was just a knocking-off-the-rust game. If that's the case, we should expect more dizzying performances from the second-round pick.
Most of what Abdullah penned was athlete jargon, praising his offensive line and saying he plans to work harder to improve. The platitudes are likely to make his coaches very happy.
The Lions have ingrained the thought that Abdullah will be handed nothing as a rookie. For the second time this season, they placed the second-round pick second on the depth chart, behind Theo Riddick -- an illustration of how laughable depth charts are at this stage.
Fellow rookie running back Zach Zenner -- who flashed in the opening preseason game as well -- also proliferated the team's continuing posture that Joique Bell will start when healthy.
"I think it plays a big role, yeah," Zenner said of playing special teams to earn a roster spot, per the Detroit Free Press. "Especially when Joique returns, he's set up to be the starting running back at this point. So for me to make an impact on this team I think for sure right away it's going to have to be special teams."
The key to the Abdullah discussion is the "right now" time frame. While Bell might begin the season as the starter and will certainly have a role in the offense, the potential Abdullah already flashed will eventually win out.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down Week 1 of the preseason and kicks off a week's worth of spectacular fantasy insight.
