Still Waiting

Toby Gerhart nearly won the Heisman Trophy after an excellent senior season at Stanford. He finished second to Alabama running back Mark Ingram. With 1,871 and 28 touchdowns, Gerhart drove Stanford back to relevancy that season. His presence made things easy for freshman quarterback Andrew Luck. That great college career got Gerhart selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He had the running talents to be the "bell-cow" back for several teams in the NFL. Instead, he's drafted by the team with a running back that rarely leaves the field. Adrian Peterson. Gerhart was never going to see sustained carries as long as Peterson was healthy. Gerhart thought that he'd have a shot in 2012 after Peterson suffered a severe knee injury at the end of the 2011 season. Instead, Peterson made a miraculous recovery and was ready for the start of the season. A season in which he rushed for 2,097 and was named the NFL MVP. Toby Gerhart was never going to have a chance in Minnesota.

Gerhart hit free agency last March. The Jacksonville Jaguars quickly signed him to be the "bell-cow" back that he was supposed to be for some NFL team four years ago. After a string of down years, the Jaguars feel like a team on the rise. They have a new direction, a potential franchise-changing quarterback in Blake Bortles, and a rising, young coach in Gus Bradley. Now they had their running back. Gerhart was listed on many lists of players ready for a breakout year. In limited carries over four years in Minnesota, Gerhart always looked like a back that could carry the load. It may have come later than he had expected but Gerhart's NFL career was finally getting started.

Instead, Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox hauls down Toby Gerhart with a horse-collar tackle in the first half of his first game as the Jaguars top running back. The Jaguars were leading 17-0 at the time and were looking to control the game with time-consuming Gerhart runs. After sitting out a couple of series, he returned but did little as the Jaguars saw their big lead slip away. The nature of the tackle and the awkwardness with which he went down on the play prompted great concern. Fortunately, it doesn't look like Gerhart will miss any games. He'll be limited in practices this week but he should be fine against the Washington Redskins next week.

It must be disappointing to sit for four years, finally get a chance to shine, and then have those high hopes fizzle in the first game. Fortunately, Gerhart wasn't seriously hurt on the play. It could have been a lot worse. He's waited for four years. One more week shouldn't be too tough.