Appearing on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast earlier this week, Lions backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky corroborated Joique Bell's account of Theo Riddick as uncoverable in offseason practices.
With new coordinator Joe Lombardi importing the Saints offense to Motown, Riddick is expected to play the Darren Sproles role in a three-headed backfield.
"I'm telling you, if he doesn't have 50 catches this year, I'll be surprised because he's going to have opportunities and he's very talented at it," Orlovsky said. "I think he's going to play that Sproles role, for sure."
It strains credulity that a timeshare running back would have more receptions (50) in his second season than snaps (49) in his first season, but Orlovsky insists there are specific packages drawn up to put the ball in Riddick's hands.
"He's going to have eight passes a game," Orlovsky said, "whether they're screens, whether they're one-on-ones, whether they're checkdowns, where they're going to be pass plays called for him."
If Riddick sees as large of a role as Orlovsky predicts, it's going to put a dent in the workloads of Bell and Reggie Bush. We can envision a three-headed RBBC since Lombardi comes from the Saints, but we'll see how much buzz Riddick is generating in camp now that Bell is completely healthy.
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