When Jim Schwartz was the defensive coordinator in Tennessee, he saw how LenDale White was often used effectively in tandem with Chris Johnson.
Johnson was the lead back and would play most of the game. If the team had a lead in the fourth quarter, White would often finish off the game to save Johnson wear and tear. It sounds like he has the same idea when it comes to Jahvid Best and this year’s second round pick Mikel Leshoure.
“Jahvid Best, when healthy, proved that he can be an explosive playmaker,” Schwartz said on the radio Tuesday via the Detroit News. “But he isn’t built to be a short-yardage back when there’s three minutes left in the game and you’re protecting a seven-point lead, but Leshoure is.”
So Best’s job is to make big plays, and Leshoure’s job is to close. (He gets coffee.) Best, like Matthew Stafford, needs to show he can stay healthy for a full season after turf toe slowed him down throughout 2010.
If both Best and Stafford are healthy, the Lions offense could be scary.