The Cardinals are last in the league in rushing attempts, with 196. Cardinals running back Beanie Wells knows the numbers, and he doesn’t like them.
“If I got [carries] on a consistent basis then the sky is the limit,” Wells told KTAR. “I can be one of the elite backs in this league. I just want the football and I’m sure Tim [Hightower] does too. We want to run it collectively as a football team.”
But Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t want to run it. Every team in the league has at least 35 more rushing attempts than the Cardinals this year, which is partly by design and partly because the Cardinals have been behind in so many games that they’ve tried to pass to catch up.
Wells says he and Hightower could form the basis of a strong 1-2 rushing attack if given the chance. Instead, Hightower has 91 carries for 438 yards, while Wells has 78 carries for 270 yards.
“We want to get out there and get a feel for the game,” Wells said. “Get a groove going. And it takes more than one game of getting 17 or 20 carries here [and there] to get a groove going, we need it on a consistent basis.”
The Cardinals’ offense hasn’t had much of anything on a consistent basis this year.