Are Running Backs a Premier Position?
There was a time when the running back was the premier position on a football team. The time to say that RBs are no longer a premium is now. Over the past few years we have begun to see the trend. A trend of running backs being the product of a system rather than producing numbers on sheer talent. Of course there are always exceptions to every rule and trend; Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Ladanian Tomlinson are our modern exceptions.Denver is the prime example of how a system can make any back look good. Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, and Tatum Bell have all performed exceptionally well in the past years under the Shanahan offensive system. You could plug Kevin Jones in there and he would rush for 1500 yards and 15 tds. Seattle and Kansas City are a few more examples. Shaun Alexander is a good back, and probably one of the best backs in the league, but playing behind the Seattle offensive line inflates his stats. Just look at the holes Walter Jones can open up for Alexander. Any running back can fit through one of those holes. The Seattle line makes Alexander look so much better than he really is. Kansas City, even without Roaf, can produce insane rushers. Dee Brown, Larry Johnson’s back up, could rush for 5 yards a carry if given the opportunity.
Every year a new crop of RBs comes out of college and into the NFL. These backs are just as talented as the ones already there (except the few exceptions). What makes a running back appear better is not how fast his 4.0 time is, it’s how well he fits into the system. The system is more important than the player you put in it. That’s why I am saying running backs are no longer a premium. The days of taking a running back number 1 overall should be over. Last years draft was flooded with running backs and they all went high too. In my opinion high draft picks should be spent on defense.
Today’s running backs need to have something that RBs of old didn’t necessarily need, and that is soft hands. Running backs must be able to catch the ball out of the backfield in today’s NFL. Tomlinson and Faulk are the perfect examples of what a running back of the future will possess. Speed, vision, and hands.
Quarterbacks and receivers have always been a premium in the NFL. QBs are usually the highest paid players, and solid WRs are very hard to come by. Each team can have 2,3, or 4 WRs on the field at one time, but they will only have 1 back at a time. Have great WR depth is much more important than having RB depth. Any capable back can step on the field and run through a hole. The RB market is saturated and should see a decline in value within the next few years.
image taken from nfl.com
posted by David Lithman at 1:33 PM
5 Comments:
Rock on!
College QBs are tricky, and that's what make the quarter back position a premium. You don't know where you can find a stud QB.
RBs are different. You can find servicable running backs for your system anywhere.
I agree that Alexander's stats are inflated by playing behind a great line. But you have to remember that one of the most important things a player can do is be on the field. Alexander hasn't missed a start in his career, and that's something that many top backs can't say. His ability to stay healthy means that the Seahawks haven't had to go with their second string runner, and no matter how good the backup may be, they're almost never as good as the starter (besides Chester Taylor in Baltimore).
Of course, that's not something that can be easily predicted in the draft. Still, Bush has to be at worst the second guy off the board. If the Texans get the top pick they should take an offensive lineman, but beyond that all of the other 2-loss teams really could use a gamebreaker in the backfield.
But has Alexander been able to stay on the field because he isn't taking the abuse other running backs? Does his Oline protect him enough to stay healthy.
Whereas a guy like Fred Taylor gets completely pounded in 2 secnods due to a poor oline
I'm not sure what you mean. Alexander has nearly 1600 career carries. Presumably, he's being hit on nearly all of them. To not have any one of those result in a serious injury isn't a function of his offensive line, it's because he's been both lucky and genetically blessed.
If we were talking about QBs, who can avoid getting hit if they have a good O-line, I don't think linemen matter when it comes to injury frequency. Unless you think you're more likely to get hurt on a one-yard gain than a five-yard gain.
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