(S29) PT 1 - Training Camp

[SwankyPants31]

Richard Gilbert entered training camp with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this season. There was a single word he kept hearing, nagging at the back of his mind constantly. It wasn’t a word he would use to describe himself, but it was a word he had read repeatedly about himself from other people all throughout the previous season and even into the offseason. That word was “underutilized”. Throughout the media, from mock drafts to fantasy football previews people would question the Colorado Yeti’s usage of the running back who had just completed the last of his “prime” seasons before hitting regression. The truth of the matter was that Gilbert was being utilized just fine, only differently than what most people seemed to expect or look for. Gilbert excelled and was extremely valuable in the passing game. While most people would point to his “only” 450 receiving yards and 4 TDs as a counterpoint to that, his value comes from his blocking, not his receiving ability. In the prior season, Gilbert tallied 59 pancakes, which was not only the most out of any non offensive linemen, but was also a season record for running backs. Knowing his career would be coming to a close sooner than later at this point, Gilbert was motivated to come back and prove to the league that he still had it in him, and it was all going to start at training camp.