"He's returning kicks, he's running the ball and he's catching the ball out of the backfield," said Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell of rookie second-round pick Ameer Abdullah following Sunday's season-opening 28-33 loss to the San Diego Chargers.
"I'm not certain there's anything more (he can do) than that."
Best rookie debut for Lions since Barry Sanders
Abdullah did not start in his NFL debut on Sunday in San Diego, but he led all other Lions running backs in snaps, touching the ball in 23.4% of the Lions' 47 offensive plays.
Catching four passes for 44 yards, carrying for 50, and taking three kick returns out of the end zone for 150 yards, Jim Caldwell says this is the role that the former Nebraska player is expected to remain in.
"He had 199 yards or so of total offense," said Caldwell. "That's the kind of role that I think you'll see him play, for the most part."
First carry, first TD
The shine of Abdulla in his career debut caught the eye of even his star wide receiever teammate Calvin Johnson.
"The guy has some shake-n-bake, man," Johnson said of Abdullah. "He can get up and down the field for us."
Just minutes into Sunday's season opener in the Chargers' Qualcomm Stadium, Abdullah wasted no time in displaying that shake-n-bake skill, scoring the first touchdown of the Lions' 2015 campaign.
His first career carry saw him seemingly effortlessly juke by All-Pro safety Eric Weddle to reach open field and the end zone, successfully completing a 24-yard TD.
What better way to kick off one's NFL career?
"It's definitely special," Abdullah said. "I've dreamt about playing in this league since I was 6 years old, and for my first (carry) to be a touchdown is special. I know my father is probably watching and smiling.
Honorably, the 22-year-old added, "But I would've traded that run for a win any day."
Rookie utilized
With his 11 touches on offensive, Abdullah still wasn't the most-used RB during Week 1; Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers; 42.4% of his team's offensive touches), LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills; 36.4%) and Alfred Morris (Washington Redskins; 36.2%) were three of the most heavily utilized running backs in the season-opening games.
Even among other RBs and rookies that impressed and were key assets in Week 1, none doubled as kick returners for their team as Abdullah did for Detroit.
Although he noted that he wants to ensure Joique Bell (eight touches) and Theo Riddick (two) remain involved in the offense, Caldwell was in defense of the heavy usage of the rookie Abdullah. Most of the Lions' third-down snaps early in the game were contested by Abdullah with Riddick on the field most during the Lions' final drive in the closing minutes.
It may have just been Week 1, but Bell could soon be overtaken as the Lions' starting tailback by the shining rookie Abdullah.