STRENGTHS
Tyrone is a running back…no, he’s a wide receiver…no he’s a returner on special teams…no he’s a slot receiver…will the real Tyron Tracy please stand up, please stand up? Tyrone has overall excellent athletic talent. He is smart and has good speed. Tyrone can catch the ball down the field like a receiver because he has been a receiver for most of his career. He has good hands and can adjust to the ball in the air. As a running back he is patient with quick feet and has enough strength to break tackles to gain the tough yards. Tyrone’s running style reminds me a lot of former Broncos Terrell Davis. They both run with patience, different gears, and the wiggle needed to break tackles and fall forward. Tyrone gives good effort pass blocking and seems to read the blitz very well but the truth is, with his talent you have to wonder why. Why is he in the backfield on a passing down blocking? Why isn’t he being used as a checkdown or lined up in the slot? This is the reason I have renamed this type of player the WRB or the “why running back”. Tyrone is a WRB and taking him off the field or using him to pass block makes me ask the offensive coordinator… WHY! Why aren’t you putting the ball in this kid’s hands running or catching on any down?
CONCERNS
Tyrone gives good effort pass blocking for his Quarterback but his form leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, that is to be expected considering he hasn’t been a running back until this season. The question is, WHY is he in the backfield blocking at all?
BOTTOM LINE: 2.67
Tyrone is a perfect fit as the new “why running back” for the style of offense being used in the NFL. He is the right size and weight and can run the ball outside or inside of the tackles just like the old style of running back. He is the old-style tailback who used to play in a two-back offense. The difference is, that teams now are looking more for that style of running back like Thurman Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffery, and others who are excellent receiving the ball down the field and not just as a check-down option behind the line of scrimmage. This type of running back has been around for years but it has been very hard to find them because those that can catch are not strong enough through the tackles to run and take the pounding. Those running backs who were strong enough to take the pounding struggled to catch the ball after ten yards off the line of scrimmage. Marshall Falk could do both but, there were not many in the league, at that time, who could do both, and those who could were an anomaly. Tracy can do both, and he can do both very well but he is not the anomaly anymore, now he is a necessity. Give him some time, he’s is still new to the running back position but whatever you do, keep him on the field and not as a blocker.
