The ideal situation at running back is to have a great all-around back who can do everything, like an Edgerrin James or a Marshall Faulk. If you don't have that, there's nothing wrong with having two backs with clearly defined roles, similar to what the Redskins had in their heyday, with John Riggins as the power back and Joe Washington as the third-down, change-of-pace receiving back. However, when you have a situation with no clearly defined roles and no clear-cut No. 1, it can be a major problem. Heading into training camp, the following teams do not have a clearly defined No. 1 back. What follows is a look at the contenders for the starting jobs on these teams.

Arizona Cardinals: Thomas Jones, Michael Pittman
Pittman is a power-speed type with a big heart. He runs very hard, doesn't have a lot of frills and can catch the ball, but he lacks elusiveness and has had durability problems in the past. Jones is a very skillful runner who doesn't have great speed or power, catches the ball very well and has excellent run vision. Jones appeared nervous and unsure of himself as a rookie, which also was the case when he was an underclassman at Virginia and was called upon to replace Tiki Barber. But once Jones started to feel comfortable, he became the best back in Virginia history.

Buffalo Bills: Shawn Bryson , Travis Henry, Sammy Morris
The rookie, Henry, has the best chance to be a first- and second-down back. He's a very powerful runner with a low center of gravity and tremendous desire. On the other hand, Morris is a terrific receiver with good run skills, adequate speed and very good balance and body control but questionable durability. Bryson has the best speed of the three and is a breakaway threat, but he also has the fewest run skills. Hands-wise, Bryson's between Henry and Morris.

Carolina Panthers: Tim Biakabutuka, Richard Huntley
Both Biakabutuka and Huntley are very skillful runners who look like world beaters at times and like they are not good enough at other times. Biakabatuka may be the more explosive of the two, but Huntley catches the ball better. Both are not smart runners in terms of down and distance. Huntley is known as a fumbler who will blow some blocking assignments, while Biakabutuka can't take a weekly licking and keep on ticking. With both backs, you never know which version will show up on any given day.

Chicago Bears: James Allen, Skip Hicks, Anthony Thomas
Allen gained more than 1,000 yards last year, but he leaves you asking, "What's special about this guy?" He's not fast, elusive, this or that, but he knows how to bleed yardage. Hicks is the big enigma. He's got tremendous first-round-type talent, but he's going to be a bust in the NFL -- and he has been to date -- unless someone can find his heart. Someone suggested that when he runs the ball, they should play the song, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." Hicks is a very controlled runner, to put it nicely. In other words, he does a lot of gliding once he spots the hole, and he's late hitting the hole very often. Also, he does not do a good job of finishing his runs. Thomas does a great job finishing his runs. He was a very strong, productive runner at Michigan. He's not especially elusive or especially fast, but he has gotten faster and he has a short burst of speed. None of these backs are great receivers.

Cleveland Browns: James Jackson, Travis Prentice, Errict Rhett
Rhett is an all-time tough guy who is beaten up and has a hard time staying healthy. Prentice really struggled as a rookie and has to show more, but he runs with some power at times. Jackson is a rookie, and he never was a heavy-duty back at Miami (Fla.), where Browns head coach Butch Davis coached. Jackson probably is the best fit on third downs, though his hands are good, not great.

Denver Broncos: Mike Anderson , Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary
All of these backs had at least one great year in the league. Anderson's the only one who hasn't been hurt yet, and he's coming off a near-1,500-yard season as a rookie. None of these backs have great speed, and they're all good cut-back runners, which fits the Broncos' system. It may come down to who's the healthiest. In terms of talent, you'd have to rate Davis as the best with Anderson second and Gary third, but Gary's the toughest.

Green Bay Packers: Ahman Green, Dorsey Levens
As long as Green holds onto the ball, he will start over Levens, whose durability has become a big question in recent years. Green seemed to mature into a man last year, showed courage, ran hard and has great speed. Levens just looks like a back who has seen better days, but he's a much better receiver than Green and is more effective picking up the blitz.

Kansas City Chiefs: Priest Holmes, Tony Richardson
The Chiefs hope Holmes snaps their run of running backs-by-committee and becomes a true No. 1 back. He never could win that job outright with the Ravens, and he was easily beaten out by Jamal Lewis last year. But Holmes is a superb backup and change-of-pace back. Throughout his career, he's rushed for good yardage, but most of his yards have come against bad teams, such as the Bengals. Richardson will be the fullback in most situations, but when the Chiefs go to a one-back offense or want more power in the backfield, he'll go to either the one-back or tailback.

Minnesota Vikings: Michael Bennett, Doug Chapman, Moe Williams
The Vikings would like the rookie, Bennett, to win the job with his great speed and explosive running ability, but they don't know if he's ready after just one year as a starter in college. He's the most gifted and explosive of the three, but in college he was clueless when it came to picking up the blitz. Chapman is the unknown, never appearing in a game as a rookie last year. He is a good receiver and a guy who gained a lot of yardage at Marshall as a change of pace. Williams is basically a special-teams guy who has been around a number of years and hasn't done much except be an effective goal-line runner at times.

New England Patriots: Kevin Faulk, J.R. Redmond, Antowain Smith
Smith can do for the Patriots what Lamar Smith did for the Dolphins last year and be a heavy-duty rusher if he gets the ball enough. He is the type of power runner who needs a lot of carries to be effective. Redmond is a skillful runner and receiver who showed flashes of ability as a rookie. With him, the question is, can he stay healthy? He's had very bad luck with injuries in recent years. Early in his college years, he was a very durable back, and it was thought he might win the Heisman. Faulk is a gifted back whose big problem is that he chokes consistently. In big situations throughout his career, he's fumbled, hit the wrong hole and screwed up. He has ability and he teases you, but year in and year out going back to his college days when he was a fumbler, Faulk has always made mistakes.

New Orleans Saints: Deuce McAllister, Ricky Williams
Ideally, the Saints want to rotate these players, with Williams playing most of the time and McAllister half the time and on special teams. Williams is an extremely good runner. He's not elusive, but he can make you miss, and he has exceptional power and tremendous balance. Williams is an explosive runner but not a breakaway runner. McAllister runs more upright, is not as effective running in the middle of the field, is a better outside runner, is a terrific receiver and has breakaway speed for a big back.

New York Giants: Tiki Barber, Ron Dayne
Barber is the big-play maker, and Dayne is supposed to be the power back in the "Thunder and Lightning" backfield. Barber provided the lightning, but Dayne dished out very little thunder last year. Barber is an excellent receiver and gifted runner in the Marshall Faulk mold, but he's not as gifted or powerful as Faulk. Dayne was out of shape as a rookie and too tentative, but if he learns the playbook, how to block and how to run pass routes, he could be a key player.

Oakland Raiders: Charlie Garner, Tyrone Wheatley
Wheatley is the starter, but Garner will play a lot. Last year Wheatley got most of the carries, but this year the carries will be split more evenly since Garner is a lot more durable than last year's No. 2 back, Napoleon Kaufman.

San Francisco 49ers: Kevan Barlow, Garrison Hearst, Paul Smith
Barlow is a big, fast rookie with skills. He looked phenomenal in Senior Bowl practices but laid an egg in the game. In college, he tended to run hot and cold, but he had some great games. Smith is a second-year power runner who needs to work on catching the ball. If Barlow ever plays up to his potential, he is the 49ers' guy and will be a third-round steal. But he's had some minor surgery already. His durability, his toughness and his heart always have been questioned in the past. Hearst is a wild-card entry, but even if he does come back, you don't know how effective he'll be.

Seattle Seahawks: Shaun Alexander, Ricky Watters
Here's the dilemma: Seattle would like to rotate them, but Watters cannot accept not being a No. 1 back, and that's one reason he's had some troubles on other teams. He's still a skillful runner, a very, very determined runner and one of the toughest runners in the league. Watters has obviously lost a step, but he's still good for 1,000 yards and 50 catches if a team starts him as the featured back. He always wants to be the center of attention. Watters is a very selfish player, but he also is a warrior. Alexander is a skillful runner who is more willing to accept his place. He looked good as a rookie, and at Alabama he was very productive. He does not have great breakaway speed by any means, but he's quick, shifty and elusive with good balance. His durability has been a little bit of a question in the past.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Alstott, Warrick Dunn
There's no controversy if Dunn can stay healthy and assume a role similar to Marshall Faulk's in St. Louis. When Alstott was hurt last year and Dunn was given his role, Dunn thrived, and so did the Buccaneers. They were less effective when they ran the ball by committee. When Alstott is at his best, he's a John Riggins type of power tailback with superior balance. While Dunn is a more dangerous receiver, Alstott probably has the better hands. Despite his size, Alstott is not a great blocker. Last year he had a fumble problem and seemed to lose a little bit of his confidence at times. Although he's not what one would call an explosive, pure power runner, he has great strength throughout his body. Dunn is very strong for his size, but ideally he should play at 185 pounds, because when he gets heavy, he loses some of his great quickness.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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