We live amidst a changing game. As the memories of Super Bowl LVI fade into the mist, as most of us talk about the halftime show and the game’s final two minutes being the only thing worth watching, I am once again reminded that running backs are no longer important. I take that back. Of course, they are. But for those of us who grew up watching Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore, LaDanian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Thurman Thomas, Curtis Martin and so many others, it bears note that the position is no longer of the utmost importance. I tread lightly as I say this for running the ball effectively is just as important as it has always been. It just doesn’t cost as much. Carry on at: Goodbye, Running Backs aka why Emmitt Smith’s all-time rushing record may never be broken - Sports Chump
Hey, Chymp. I got a WordPress error when clicking the link, "Sorry, you're not allowed to preview drafts". I removed the preview part from the URL and it worked... Emmitt's record will last forever because he was the last RB to mantain a high level well into his mid-30s. The closest one was Adrian Peterson but even he couldn't manage to stay on top in the latter part of his career. As for Zeke Elliott, I knew we'd regret the contract they gave him, considering Dak would command at least 40 million per year eventually. I still hate the decision to draft him, and I still think we should've taken Jalen Ramsey and I don't think I'll ever get over it. I still love Zeke, but this year he's hurting the team more than he's helping it. Now we have to decide... Amari Cooper, Tank Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Michael Gallup...we can only keep one, maybe two, and it sucks. We can't cut Zeke at least until 2023 with that contract. Jerry overrates his draft hits so much...
I'm surprised those three running backs in particular, Gurley, Barkley, and Elliott's careers appear to be all but over so damn soon. We can see dominant backs in college and NFL teams won't touch 'em because franchises figure they're already spent. Really surprising to see the position, or at least the names of those who play it, be banished into relative obscurity. The days of the every down back are done for now. The metrics tell us that. I'm gonna have to alter my fantasy draft picks next year accordingly. Oh, and thanks for fixing my mistakes, lol. I'm sure it won't be the last.
Isn't it ironic? Teams don't base their offense around the running game anymore, like back in the 90s, or the 60+ years before that. Yet running backs careers are shorter and shorter, and sometimes they're not even 3-down backs anymore. How would Emmitt have fared in this era? What about Barry Sanders? Walter Payton? Those guys took literal poundings and kept going and going for what seemed like forever. Their offenses revolved around them. In the Cowboys dinasty the offense would go as far as Emmitt would take them. It's impossible to think about that now because it's a passing league now.
Teej... Here's one example. I can't believe Leonard Fournette can't find a home. All he's done his last few years with the Bucs is prove he's as dominant a back as there is, or at least as serviceable, most definitely somewhere in between. I thought for sure after the Super Bowl season he had that he'd find a team that would pay him nice money. Kid's still young. Yet here he sits still unsigned with hopefully the Bucs getting him back. As you mentioned, totally different ball game from just a few years ago.
It's been proven that paying running backs is a mistake. Zeke is crippling the Cowboys cap so much they had to trade their #1 WR and restructure everybody. The Panthers are desperate to trade CMC and no one will take him. Fournette is a good example. The production is there, but teams just don't want to pay them anymore. Every team that has paid a running back in the past half decade is suffering the consequences. I think even the Giants are trying to trade Saquon Barkley!! He's due for an extension and I don't think he's going to get one...
I'm happy we got Fournette back, at any price. You're right, there's just not a market out there for overpaying running backs when you can find them just as durable for cheaper. I wonder how much Barkley's got left in the tank.
Can't wait for next year when we can dump Zeke's contract and see if we can extend Pollard with 1/4 of what Zeke got.
On a related note, did I just see that Adrian Peterson is coming back for one more season in Minnesota? Isn't that guy like 80 or something?
Peterson was drafted the same year I graduated from college, and he's 80 according to Chump. That should tell you how old I am XD
