Cards land some high-profile help for Beanie Wells

Posted by Mike Florio on April 29, 2011, 6:42 PM EDT
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Viewed as one of the top running backs in the draft, Ryan Williams ended up being the second one selected, only 10 picks after 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

Williams is the newest member of the Arizona Cardinals.

The move comes only two years after the Cardinals used a first-round selection on Beanie Wells.

As a rookie, Wells rushed for 793 yards.  Last year, appearing in 13 games with two starts, Wells rushed only 397 yards, averaging 3.4 yards per carry.

Williams set the single-season Virginia Tech rushing record in 2009, with 1,655 yards.  Last year, a hamstring injury and a running-back rotation kept Williams under 500 yards.

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9 responses to “Cards land some high-profile help for Beanie Wells”

  3. I’m on a California born transplant now living in AZ and I’d like to see the Cards do well. I hope this works for them!

  4. The title said help for Wells, or replacement for Wells.
    Knowing Beanie since he was @ Garfield HS. I’m not surprised to see AZ is drafting his replacement after only 2 yrs. Won’t be surprised to see him working at McDonalds back in Akron in another 2 years.

  5. I haven’t known Wells since HS, but I will say a little competition never hurt anyone! They may end up with a killer tandem backfield.

  7. Arizona had to beef up the running game for any chance in the division, especially not knowing who their QB is.

    And whoever the QB is he’ll benefit from a good running game. It’s sensible. Williams could be The Guy –which would be awesome– either way, sounds like he can be part of a solid platoon.

    Have to fess I don’t watch college ball so I don’t know much about Ryan Williams. Hoping it’s a good pick!

  8. “We’ve decided to forgo throwing the ball at all this season. In our assessment, the best chance of success for the Cardinals in 2011 is to become an all-running team. The passing attack is highly overrated. We’re exploring the possibility of converting Fitzgerald into what we might call a “hybrid running back.” We think Skelton can hand off as well as anybody in this league.

  9. The Cardinals drafted running backs because Beanie Wells did the two things that get you sentenced to bench sitting, no matter how talented you are. 1- Talk like you have talent and you are the person who can help the team get better (the “You Insulted Whisenhunt’s Giant Ego” infraction), and 2- Criticize management when you don’t get enough playing time as a result of infraction #1 (the “Managers and Owners Are Gods” infraction.) These backs were not drafted because the Cardinals have changed their minds about running — they were drafted to replace the talented Wells who made the mistake of speaking the truth. For all you critics of Wells, don’t worry — any other coach in the league already knows of his talent: he will be a pro-bowler for a winning team in the near future. And the Cardinals’ management and ownership will be sitting in last place deciding if they should find a new replacement coach.
    Unfortunately, our #1 pick, Mr. P from LSU, did the same thing. He said he expects to start, that he has always been a starter, and that he would be the one to “turn the program around” in Arizona. For this, he will play little, and be gone after a couple of unhappy years.

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