Lions running back Ameer Abdullah said last week that he hoped for a chance to finish the season strong after sitting out a pair of games with a neck injury and he was back in the lineup against the Bears last Saturday.
Abdullah didn’t get much of a chance to finish strong, however. He only played eight snaps on offense and saw Tion Green get most of the work at running back after Theo Riddick left the game with a wrist injury.
Abdullah said Monday that he “wouldn’t know why I would be” in the doghouse and suggested questions about his role would be better suited for head coach Jim Caldwell, but he did admit to being frustrated by the change.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Abdullah said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s definitely something that I just want to take in and do my best to grow from it. That’s it.”
A look at Abdullah’s production this season provides an easy explanation for his reduced playing time. Abdullah is running for a career-low 3.4 yards per carry and he offers less as a receiver than Riddick, which may also cause the Lions to opt for a lasting change to the look of the backfield come the offseason.