Arizona Cardinals running back Rashard Mendenhall continued to struggle to take hold of the team’s No. 1 RB role. He got his fourth-straight start with his new team on Sunday, but even his old coach in Pittsburgh, Bruce Arians, is now getting tired of Mendenhall’s act.
Following a terrible performance in Sunday’s 13-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which Mendenhall accounted for 21 yards on 12 carries with a pair of fumbles, Arains’ biggest complaint was how he scampered out of bounds late in the game as the Cardinals were trying to burn time off the clock.
"“Rashard had a very tough day, and he can’t play that way,” Arians said. “He can’t run out of bounds. He’s a veteran. And to run out of bounds at the end of the game, that was probably the worst mistake he made all day.”"
Once Arians sees that Mendenhall is holding back what’s already a limited offense, he’ll see that rookie RB Andre Ellington needs to get more touches. The Cardinals have the No. 25 rushing offense in the NFL, but it’s not just the rushing yards Ellington provides.
Andre carried the ball four times for 29 yards to go with three receptions for 22 yards. That’s 51 yards of offense on just seven touches for an offense that ranks No. 24 in the league in total offense.