Ranking the AFC East backfields

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Without any surprise whatsoever,GGN otherwise known as the infamous blog site Gang Green Nation puts NE at the bottom of the list in terms of talent in the backfield in the AFC East Division

Around the AFC East, Week 6: BackfieldRankings - Gang Green Nation

While I think NE does not have the most talented backfield in the division I certainly think they should be at #2 (despite Maroney ), I think the most dangerous and talented backfield belongs to the Dolphins if you go by last season because Ronnie Brown and the return of Ricky Williams made them very dangerous,but GGN put the Jets at #1 which IMO is ridiculous.

I do think if you want to compare backfields in this division you certainly can say it appears at this time to be very competitive and hard to decide since all 4 teams have some kind of talent on their roster at that position.

How do you rank them?

I say ...


1) MIAMI
2) NEW ENGLAND
3) JETS
4) BUFFALO

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

There is already a thread on this. And how the hell do you rank Miami over New England? The Pats ran for over 140 yards with Morris, Faulk, Lamont Jordan and Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. Now the Pats added Fred Taylor who is an upgrade over Jordan and Maroney comes back as an upgrade over Green-Ellis.

Also, Miami got most of their yards when they out of the Wildcat.

 

[jmt57]

I think the "fantasy football effect" has a lot to do with rankings such as this. The Pats have a running back by committee, with different players for various situations and defenses. The other teams have more well known names. As pointed out in the other thread, the Pats had the best team rushing stats in the division last year - something very few fans or members of the media are aware of.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

There is already a thread on this. And how the hell do you rank Miami over New England? The Pats ran for over 140 yards with Morris, Faulk, Lamont Jordan and Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. Now the Pats added Fred Taylor who is an upgrade over Jordan and Maroney comes back as an upgrade over Green-Ellis.

Also, Miami got most of their yards when they out of the Wildcat.

I am basing this on last year - We don't know what Fred Taylor has left,its pure speculation and we all know that from previous knowledge that its likely Maroney will get hurt sooner or later - I just think Brown and Williams are a pretty good tandem and this comes from a football fan who hates the Dolphins more than anyone.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Didn't see that poll mods, merge please

 

[feldspar]

There is already a thread on this. And how the hell do you rank Miami over New England? The Pats ran for over 140 yards with Morris, Faulk, Lamont Jordan and Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. Now the Pats added Fred Taylor who is an upgrade over Jordan and Maroney comes back as an upgrade over Green-Ellis.

Also, Miami got most of their yards when they out of the Wildcat.

The Pats have a better blocking line and better receivers, not to mention better coaches. That naturally translates into a better running game no matter who is running because they have those advantages. Maimi has better running backs IMO.

 

[jmt57]

The Pats have a better blocking line and better receivers, not to mention better coaches. That naturally translates into a better running game no matter who is running because they have those advantages. Maimi has better running backs IMO.

So it really comes down to two related, yet separate debates:

• Who has the best running backs?
• Who has the best running game?

For the first question, we're looking strictly at the running backs and their skills - in a vacuum, if you will.

The second question takes everything in: the effect of the offensive line, downfield blocking by the receivers, the passing game setting up opportunities for the running backs to succeed, etc.

In my opinion it's a whole lot easier to come to a conclusion for the second question since the first scenario depends on too much speculation. In addition, the answer to the second question is a whole lot more meaningful than the answer to the first question.

So forget about who has the best running backs; who has the best running game?

 

[feldspar]

So it really comes down to two related, yet separate debates:

• Who has the best running backs?
• Who has the best running game?

For the first question, we're looking strictly at the running backs and their skills - in a vacuum, if you will.

The second question takes everything in: the effect of the offensive line, downfield blocking by the receivers, the passing game setting up opportunities for the running backs to succeed, etc.

In my opinion it's a whole lot easier to come to a conclusion for the second question since the first scenario depends on too much speculation. In addition, the answer to the second question is a whole lot more meaningful than the answer to the first question.

So forget about who has the best running backs; who has the best running game?

This is exactly what I've been trying to say. The success of the running game depends on the whole rest of the offense, just like it is with the passing game. All so-called skill positions depend on the rest of the unit. A receiver with a bad QB or bad offense is going to look a lot worse...just look at Wes Welker; his production just about doubled from his best year after he came to New England. Or look at Randy Moss in Oakland. Or consider the quarterback: If a QB has receivers that can't get open and his blockers don't give him enough time to throw the ball, he's going to look bad. Or the running back... If a RB's blockers don't give him holes to run through and a passing game other teams don't respect, allowing them to stack 8 men in the box, the RB is going to have less success.

If you want to look at the success of the running game, all you have to do is look at the stats, particularly yards-per-carry, third down conversions, and TDs. Also, don't forget to include RB receptions or fumbles. Stats are the major pointer here, although they might not tell the whole story. Although outrageously good stats don't lie, you can't assume to know who the best running back is because he has better stats. You could only tell whose running attack is more successful.

Then there is the issue of how much a team leans on it's running game: The Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl ranked dead last in the running game during the regular season. They were dead last in attempts, yards gained, and second-last in yards-per-carry.

Of course you can talk about who has the better RBs, though. But, like you said, that enters the realm of opinion, and most people in the AFC East have a bias for the backs on their team. Add to that that there are different types of running backs with different running styles, and there is no real answer to the question.

Who is the best back in the league, Adrian Peterson?

 

[feldspar]

So forget about who has the best running backs; who has the best running game?

Well, the Jets had the best statistical running game last year if you go by the stats. They had the best yards-per-carry stat and only one less TD than the Patriots, who had almost 100 more attempts.

If you go by last year, it would be the Jets, New England, and then Miami and Buffalo tied for last (their stats were very similar). I don't think we'll be seeing the same thing this year. The Jets won't be as effective in the run as they were last year with Favre as QB. They'll start an inexperienced QB no matter if it's Clemens or Sanchez, so their opponents will probably bring constant pressure to the line and stack 8 in the box. I also predict that this team will run a lot, but with less success than last year.

The return of Brady and the addition of Fred Taylor will make the Patriots running game better than last year IMO.

In Buffalo, the addition of T.O. is going to spread defenses out a lot more, so we won't see them putting eight men in the box so much. The Bills will be a lot improved in the running game IF their line can be halfway decent, which is a huge question mark. We'll see what Lynch can do with more help if the line can pull together. Lynch is a monster that doesn't know the meaning of the word quit when he has the ball. Rumor has it that they will be running the no huddle a lot, too.

The Dolphins I'm not so sure about. Like others have said, I don't think the Wildcat is going to be as effective this year. I wish I could take back saying the Dolphins have the best RBs in the AFC East...I really don't think that, now that I've thought about it. Ricky Williams used to carry the whole Dolphins team on his back for a couple years, but he's not what he once was since the flake-out four years ago. Before that, he had that monster year in 2002, but, other than that, he's been on the high-end of average and without a decent QB. Ronnie Brown broke the 1,000-yard barrier only once in his four year career, and that was only by 8 yards.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

My Guess for this year

Pats- Taylor is going to be bigger than people expect
Jets- Jones is decent
Miami
Bills



Bills are losing Lynch for the first 3 games but they have another pretty versital RB. I forget his name

 

[MoneyFX]

New England was a TOP 5 RUSHING team with most of the starters injured for the majority of the year. So it goes like:

1. MIA
2. NE
3. NYJ
4. BUF

 

[Peekaboo]

Until the Bills get Lynch back it goes...

Jets - Jones, Washington
Bills - Lynch, Jackson, Rhodes
Phins - Brown, Williams
Pats - Taylor, Maroney

C'mon now. Until Maroney can stay healthy, the Pats do not have an effective one-two punch.

 

[WelshPat]

Using stats in this arguement is a bad way too do it IMO. RB Stats like yards per carry don't take into account how good that teams OL was EG The Jets O-line was much better than the Bills

If i had to pick just on who i think has the best runners, i would go:

Buffalo- Lynch and Jackson
Miami- Brown (the most talented RB in the divison) and Williams
Jets- Jones and Washington
NE

I think if you looked up "average" you would see Thomas Jones face. The guy was a huge bust intill he started running behind top 10 OL's, but Washington is a great 3rd down back.

NE has a lot of good RB's but the lack of a number 1 (Fred Taylor can't be considered it anymore) hurts them compared to the others.

 

[MarvLevy]

Using stats in this arguement is a bad way too do it IMO. RB Stats like yards per carry don't take into account how good that teams OL was EG The Jets O-line was much better than the Bills

If i had to pick just on who i think has the best runners, i would go:

Buffalo- Lynch and Jackson
Miami- Brown (the most talented RB in the divison) and Williams
Jets- Jones and Washington
NE

I think if you looked up "average" you would see Thomas Jones face. The guy was a huge bust intill he started running behind top 10 OL's, but Washington is a great 3rd down back.

NE has a lot of good RB's but the lack of a number 1 (Fred Taylor can't be considered it anymore) hurts them compared to the others.

Thanks for not being a complete homer. Trust me, the Bills have a lot of weaknesses but running back is certainly not one of them. There are a top 5 group in the NFL, yet they are ranked last in the AFC East. Please.

My rankings
1) Bills- Lynch (beast but needs to stay out of trouble), Jackson (he of 150 yards against the Pats and one of the best #2 rbs in football), and Rhodes (former 1,000 yard rusher, had 9 tds and 45 recs last year, and is the Bills #3)

2) Fins - Brown (isn't worth the #2 pick but still is a good back), Ricky Williams (very productive as a #2), and Cobbs (made some big plays)

3) Jets - Jones (a good solid back but nothing spectular), Washington (playmaker who probably should get the ball more), and Greene (seems to be a good pick but has proven nothing on the NFL level).

4) Pats - Maroney (looked like a stud as a rookie has struggled to remain healthy and productive since), Taylor (probably has a year or 2 left in the tank but is coming off a poor season which could signal the end is coming), and Green-Ellis (stepped in and did an admirable job).

 

[BradyFTW!]

In terms of just talent at RB and nothing else?

1) Buffalo
2) New England
3) New York
4) Miami

As I elaborated on a little more in the other thread, I'm totally unsold on Miami's RBs. Both suffered major injuries in 2007, Williams isn't exactly young, and they benefited from a gimmick offense last year. New England has the depth to withstand injuries, which, unless you have a particularly awesome starter, is probably more important than having a clear-cut #1 nowadays. Jones being 31, unhappy with his contract, and with a lot of mileage on his body over the last 4 years would scare me if I were a Jets fan (but I'm a Pats fan, so it delights me).

IMO Lynch is the best RB in the division, and Jackson might be the best #2 guy. And Rhodes is no slouch either; all four backfields in the AFCE are good, but Buffalo's is the best and it isn't even particularly close.

 

[BradyFTW!]

4) Pats - Maroney (looked like a stud as a rookie has struggled to remain healthy and productive since), Taylor (probably has a year or 2 left in the tank but is coming off a poor season which could signal the end is coming), and Green-Ellis (stepped in and did an admirable job).

If Green-Ellis even makes the team, he'll be firmly behind Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk on the depth chart.

 

[Gunnails]

Until the Bills get Lynch back it goes...

Jets - Jones, Washington
Bills - Lynch, Jackson, Rhodes
Phins - Brown, Williams
Pats - Taylor, Maroney

C'mon now. Until Maroney can stay healthy, the Pats do not have an effective one-two punch.

========================================

I agree with PB for the most part here.

It's close, but I rank the best backs as Lynch#1, Brown #2, then choose your personal favorite for #3.

When you combine continuity on the line and the backfield I like the Jets.

The Jets had the best team rushing stats in the division last year - something very few fans are aware of.

 

[Deus Irae]

Jones was the best "#1" RB in the division last season. Faulk was the best 3rd down back. The rest is just filling in the blanks.

 

[Wildo7]

1) Jets
2) Fins
3) Bills
4) Pats

 

[MoneyFX]

Is it me or has everybody forgot that the Pats have SAMMY MORRIS & KEVIN FAULK (A 3rd-down shadow of the other Faulk, Marshall)??????? I say:

MIA (Brown, Williams)
NE (Taylor, Morris, Maroney, Faulk)
NYJ (Jones, Washington, Greene)
BUF (Lynch, Jackson, Rhodes)

NE's backfield will perform the best out of all 4 this season.