In three preseason games – all of which he has started – Tim Hightower has 25 carries for 170 yards, an average of 6.8 yards per carry. He had a 58-yard gain last week against Indianapolis, and has shown the ability to break the big play. Of his 25 rushing attempts, five have gone for 10 or more yards – 20 percent of his attempts. In his three seasons in Arizona, only 11.8 percent of his carries went for 10 or more yards.
Hightower seems already comfortable in Coach Mike Shanahan’s zone-blocking system, which favors running backs who can anticipate an opening and make one cutback to open space. On the touchdown run against Baltimore, the system was on full display. Left tackle Trent Williams threw an excellent block on Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, and receivers blocked well downfield, as Shanahan demands they do.
Don't look now, but with the emergence of Tim Hightower, Mike Tolbert, Beanie Wells and Reggie Bush, there is suddenly a lot of depth in the middle rounds at RB. Any of these guys would make decent RB2-types on the cheap.
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