Why does everybody say he was our best 3rd down back, the dude rarely played. I must be missing something
I base it on his skill set. Pass protection, hands, fluidity, speed.
When I watch him I see Shane Vereen of the Patriots. He was a 2nd round RB who did next to nothing his first couple of years and then last year had 47 receptions coming out of the backfield which is more than Stacy, Richardson, and Cunningham had combined last year. Vereen always had the skill set, but he didn't get the opportunity until they had those issues with their TEs and had to adjust their offense.
I believe that Pead could excel in a 3rd down role and be a very effective pass catcher out of the backfield on a team that will get him the ball and use him in that fashion. Just hasn't happened with the Rams which should come as no surprise on a team that seemed to have had trouble figuring out what the do with Austin and even Cook.