PonyExpress
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Most Dominant All-Around Running Backs in NFL History
The Pats’ drafting Maroney has definitely got me interested in the history of the RB position, and prompted me to wonder about some of the greatest at the position. Last time I posted a thread about “most dominant pure runners†I received a lot of criticism and much of it was justified. When you start ranking greatest RBs in NFL history you enter sacred territory to football fans and have to approach it with due respect, which I didn’t. So I went over the top, and decided to look more carefully at the issue. First I decided to look at the most dominant “all-around†Rbs in NFL history, in terms of yards from scrimmage. My method was as follows: I narrowed the pool of players to be considered down to players who appeared on the top-50 rushing list all-time, players in the HOF at the HB/FB position, plus a few Wild Cards (William Andrews, Chick Foreman, Billy Sims, Wendell Tyler, and Chuck Muncie) who had excellent primes. Then I cherry-picked the 5 best years of each player, which I called “prime years†(creative, huh). Then I ranked all the players against each other in 3 categories: (1) Yards from scrimmage per game played by each player’s team during his 5 prime years (per team game instead of per player’s appearance, thereby valuing durability as a factor in dominance); (2) average yards per touch, rushing and receiving combined; and (3) TDs per game played by team during player’s 5 prime seasons (once again factoring in durability). I valued these three categories equally, a subjective but not irrational valuation. After ranking the players against each other in these three categories, I added up the results and listed the candidates in order. Here are the results. Key:
Player Name (Prime Years), Yards per Game (Rank)/Yards per Touch (Rank)/TDs per Game (Rank)/ Final Score.
Tiebreaker: Average YPG.
1.J.Brown (1958,61,63-5)137.1 (1) /5.91 (5) /1.07 (3)/ 9
2.M.Faulk (1994, 98-01) 135.0 (2) /6.02 (4) /1.01 (5)/ 11
3.L.Moore (1957-61)107.5 (19) /9.73 (1) /.97 (7) / 27
4.Simpson (1972-76)126.3 (5) /5.49 (9) /.77 (17)/ 31
5.Sanders (1991, 94-97) 124.7 (6) /5.48 (10) /.78 (16)/ 32
6.Holmes (1998,01-04) 111.4 (15) /5.38 (15) /1.04 (4)/ 34
7.Payton (1977,79,83-85)130.2 (4) /5.26 (19) /.79 (15)/ 38
8.Barber (2000, 02-05)123.4 (7) /5.52 (8) /.61 (26)/ 41
9.****erson (1983-4, 86-88)131.3 (3) /5.00 (29) /.87 (10)/ 42
10.E.Smith (1991-95) 121.8 (10) /4.77 (35) /1.11 (2)/ 47
11.Thomas (1989-93) 119.9 (11) /5.33 (17) /.69 (21) 49
12.Tomlinson (2001-05) 121.9 (9) /4.77 (35) /1.00 (6) 50
13.S.Alexander (2001-05) 110.6 (16) /4.82 (34) /1.23 (1) 51
14.M.Allen (1982-85,95) 110.0 (17) /5.18 (22) /.85 (12) 51
15.L.Kelly (1966-69,71) 96.2 (33) /5.42 (13) /1.01 (5) 51
16.E. James (1999-00,03-05)123.3 (8) /4.86 (33) /.86 (11) 52
17.W.Andrews (1979-83)114.8 (12) /5.46 (11) /.55 (29) 52
18.A.Green (2000-04)113.0 (13) /5.17 (23) /.76 (18) 54
19.J. Taylor (1960-64)101.4 (28) /5.14 (25) /1.04 (4) 57
20.C.Foreman (1973-77)106.1 (22) /5.07 (28) /.94 (8) 58
21.B.Sims (1980-84) 98.3 (30) /5.45 (12) /.64 (24) 66
22.J.Brooks (1985-6,88-90) 91.4 (40)/6.12 (3) /.66 (23) 66
23.H.Walker (1986-88,92-3)104.0 (25) /5.40 (14) /.54 (30) 69
24.Sayers (1965-9) 88.3 (42) /5.80 (6) /.69 (21) 69
25.F. Taylor (1998,00,02-04)106.5 (21) /5.16(24) /.61 (26) 71
26.R.Craig (1985-9) 104.9 (23) /5.32 (18) /.54 (30) 71
27.T. Davis (1995-8,01)104.6 (24) /5.00 (29) /.76 (18) 71
28.Dorsett (1977-8,81,83,85)106.6 (20) /5.14 (25) /.60 (27) 72
29.C.Garner (1999-03) 97.7 (31) /5.80 (6) /.41 (36) 73
30.McElhenny (1952-3,56-8)81.5 (51) /6.52 (2) /.72 (20) 73
31.J.Perry (1950,52-4,58) 82.7 (49) /5.71 (7) /.67 (22) 78
32.O.Anderson (1979-81, 83-4) 110.6 (16) /4.92 (32) /.53 (31) 79
33.C.Martin 1995,99-01,04) 112.0 (14) /4.49 (45) /.69 (21) 80
34.Campbell (1978-81,83)103.4 (26) /4.55 (42) /.84 (13) 81
35.Watters (1995-6,98-00) 107.8 (18) /4.59 (40) /.63 (25) 83
36.G.Riggs (1984-7,89) 94.6 (34) /4.42 (47) /.50 (32) 83
37.F.Harris (1972,74-6,79) 92.5 (37) /4.95 (31) /.75 (19) 87
38.Muncie (1977,79,81-3) 86.3 (45) /4.97 (30) /.83 (14) 89
39.W.Tyler (1979,81,83-5)82.3 (50) /5.35 (16) /.63 (25) 91
40.Dillon (1997,00-02,04) 98.4 (29) /4.67 (38) /.63 (25) 92
41.C. Warner 96.4 (1983,85-88) (32) /4.54 (43) /.76 (18) 93
42.McNeil 90.3 (1982,84-86,88)(41) /5.20 (21) /.47 (35) 97
43.E.George (1996-00) 104.0 (25) /4.32 (49) /.63 (25) 99
44.R.Williams (1999-03)102.0 (27) /4.49 (45) /.56 (28) 100
45.Dunn (1997-8,00,04-05) 92.5 (37) /5.11 (26) /.39 (38) 101
46.Hearst (1995,97-8,01-02) 93.4 (36) /5.07 (28) /.39 (38) 102
47.M.Pruitt (1979-83) 92.0 (38) /4.74 (36) /.55 (29) 103
48.Riggins (1972,75,79,83-4) 85.7 (46) /4.35 (48) /.88 (9) 103
49.R. Smith (1995,97-00)83.2 (48) /5.25 (20) /.40 (37) 105
50.T. Allen (1992,94-6,99) 87.1(43) /4.35 (48) /.79 (15) 106
51.Bettis (1993,96-7,00-01) 94.5 (35) /4.57 (41) /.50 (32) 108
52.S. Davis (1999-03) 91.9 (39) /4.53 (44) /.61 (26) 109
53.JHJ (1954,57,60,62,64) 75.7 (53) /5.09 (27) /.53 (31) 111
54.C.Warren (1992-6) 86.4 (44) /4.64 (39) /.53 (31) 114
55.E.Byner (1985,88,90-92) 85.1 (47) /4.72 (37) /.48 (34) 118
56.Csonka (1970-74) 71.5 (54) /4.82 (34) /.49 (33) 121
57.G.Rogers (1981-3,85-6) 81.1 (52) /4.45 (46) /.63 (25) 123
58.R.Hampton (1991-5) 81.1 (52) /4.15 (50) /.56 (28) 130
Observations:
1.Herschel Walker seems to be ranked much higher than I expected. But there was a reason Minnesota traded so many draft picks to Dallas to acquire him. He was a monster early in his NFL career both rushing and receiving, and one of the great pass catching RBs in NFL history.
2. During SB 39 there was a reason BB scoffed at the idea that Westbrook was comparable to Marshall Faulk. BB compared Westbrook more to Kevin Faulk, which I take as a major attempt at humor for BB. Marshall Faulk is second, and a close second, to Jim Brown for dominance during his prime, which is amazing.
3. Lenny Moore of the Colts lined up as a flanker much of the time during his prime, but so did M. Faulk. He is in the HOF as a HB, led the league in rushing during his career, and held the consecutive games with a TD record until Tomlinson broke it last year.
4. Priest Holmes’ career seems to have ended with a whimper, but it is easy to remember how productive he was with 3 straight 2,000 yard seasons and breaking the TD record.
5. Chuck Foreman may be one of the most underrated players in NFL history.
6. William Andrews and Billy Sims are forgotten but were among a handful of the most dominant players in the NFL history during their primes.
7. James Brooks was the offensive engine behind Cinci’s SB offense during Esiason’s prime. He averaged an amazing 6.12 yards per touch, more than any post 1960-HB.
The Pats’ drafting Maroney has definitely got me interested in the history of the RB position, and prompted me to wonder about some of the greatest at the position. Last time I posted a thread about “most dominant pure runners†I received a lot of criticism and much of it was justified. When you start ranking greatest RBs in NFL history you enter sacred territory to football fans and have to approach it with due respect, which I didn’t. So I went over the top, and decided to look more carefully at the issue. First I decided to look at the most dominant “all-around†Rbs in NFL history, in terms of yards from scrimmage. My method was as follows: I narrowed the pool of players to be considered down to players who appeared on the top-50 rushing list all-time, players in the HOF at the HB/FB position, plus a few Wild Cards (William Andrews, Chick Foreman, Billy Sims, Wendell Tyler, and Chuck Muncie) who had excellent primes. Then I cherry-picked the 5 best years of each player, which I called “prime years†(creative, huh). Then I ranked all the players against each other in 3 categories: (1) Yards from scrimmage per game played by each player’s team during his 5 prime years (per team game instead of per player’s appearance, thereby valuing durability as a factor in dominance); (2) average yards per touch, rushing and receiving combined; and (3) TDs per game played by team during player’s 5 prime seasons (once again factoring in durability). I valued these three categories equally, a subjective but not irrational valuation. After ranking the players against each other in these three categories, I added up the results and listed the candidates in order. Here are the results. Key:
Player Name (Prime Years), Yards per Game (Rank)/Yards per Touch (Rank)/TDs per Game (Rank)/ Final Score.
Tiebreaker: Average YPG.
1.J.Brown (1958,61,63-5)137.1 (1) /5.91 (5) /1.07 (3)/ 9
2.M.Faulk (1994, 98-01) 135.0 (2) /6.02 (4) /1.01 (5)/ 11
3.L.Moore (1957-61)107.5 (19) /9.73 (1) /.97 (7) / 27
4.Simpson (1972-76)126.3 (5) /5.49 (9) /.77 (17)/ 31
5.Sanders (1991, 94-97) 124.7 (6) /5.48 (10) /.78 (16)/ 32
6.Holmes (1998,01-04) 111.4 (15) /5.38 (15) /1.04 (4)/ 34
7.Payton (1977,79,83-85)130.2 (4) /5.26 (19) /.79 (15)/ 38
8.Barber (2000, 02-05)123.4 (7) /5.52 (8) /.61 (26)/ 41
9.****erson (1983-4, 86-88)131.3 (3) /5.00 (29) /.87 (10)/ 42
10.E.Smith (1991-95) 121.8 (10) /4.77 (35) /1.11 (2)/ 47
11.Thomas (1989-93) 119.9 (11) /5.33 (17) /.69 (21) 49
12.Tomlinson (2001-05) 121.9 (9) /4.77 (35) /1.00 (6) 50
13.S.Alexander (2001-05) 110.6 (16) /4.82 (34) /1.23 (1) 51
14.M.Allen (1982-85,95) 110.0 (17) /5.18 (22) /.85 (12) 51
15.L.Kelly (1966-69,71) 96.2 (33) /5.42 (13) /1.01 (5) 51
16.E. James (1999-00,03-05)123.3 (8) /4.86 (33) /.86 (11) 52
17.W.Andrews (1979-83)114.8 (12) /5.46 (11) /.55 (29) 52
18.A.Green (2000-04)113.0 (13) /5.17 (23) /.76 (18) 54
19.J. Taylor (1960-64)101.4 (28) /5.14 (25) /1.04 (4) 57
20.C.Foreman (1973-77)106.1 (22) /5.07 (28) /.94 (8) 58
21.B.Sims (1980-84) 98.3 (30) /5.45 (12) /.64 (24) 66
22.J.Brooks (1985-6,88-90) 91.4 (40)/6.12 (3) /.66 (23) 66
23.H.Walker (1986-88,92-3)104.0 (25) /5.40 (14) /.54 (30) 69
24.Sayers (1965-9) 88.3 (42) /5.80 (6) /.69 (21) 69
25.F. Taylor (1998,00,02-04)106.5 (21) /5.16(24) /.61 (26) 71
26.R.Craig (1985-9) 104.9 (23) /5.32 (18) /.54 (30) 71
27.T. Davis (1995-8,01)104.6 (24) /5.00 (29) /.76 (18) 71
28.Dorsett (1977-8,81,83,85)106.6 (20) /5.14 (25) /.60 (27) 72
29.C.Garner (1999-03) 97.7 (31) /5.80 (6) /.41 (36) 73
30.McElhenny (1952-3,56-8)81.5 (51) /6.52 (2) /.72 (20) 73
31.J.Perry (1950,52-4,58) 82.7 (49) /5.71 (7) /.67 (22) 78
32.O.Anderson (1979-81, 83-4) 110.6 (16) /4.92 (32) /.53 (31) 79
33.C.Martin 1995,99-01,04) 112.0 (14) /4.49 (45) /.69 (21) 80
34.Campbell (1978-81,83)103.4 (26) /4.55 (42) /.84 (13) 81
35.Watters (1995-6,98-00) 107.8 (18) /4.59 (40) /.63 (25) 83
36.G.Riggs (1984-7,89) 94.6 (34) /4.42 (47) /.50 (32) 83
37.F.Harris (1972,74-6,79) 92.5 (37) /4.95 (31) /.75 (19) 87
38.Muncie (1977,79,81-3) 86.3 (45) /4.97 (30) /.83 (14) 89
39.W.Tyler (1979,81,83-5)82.3 (50) /5.35 (16) /.63 (25) 91
40.Dillon (1997,00-02,04) 98.4 (29) /4.67 (38) /.63 (25) 92
41.C. Warner 96.4 (1983,85-88) (32) /4.54 (43) /.76 (18) 93
42.McNeil 90.3 (1982,84-86,88)(41) /5.20 (21) /.47 (35) 97
43.E.George (1996-00) 104.0 (25) /4.32 (49) /.63 (25) 99
44.R.Williams (1999-03)102.0 (27) /4.49 (45) /.56 (28) 100
45.Dunn (1997-8,00,04-05) 92.5 (37) /5.11 (26) /.39 (38) 101
46.Hearst (1995,97-8,01-02) 93.4 (36) /5.07 (28) /.39 (38) 102
47.M.Pruitt (1979-83) 92.0 (38) /4.74 (36) /.55 (29) 103
48.Riggins (1972,75,79,83-4) 85.7 (46) /4.35 (48) /.88 (9) 103
49.R. Smith (1995,97-00)83.2 (48) /5.25 (20) /.40 (37) 105
50.T. Allen (1992,94-6,99) 87.1(43) /4.35 (48) /.79 (15) 106
51.Bettis (1993,96-7,00-01) 94.5 (35) /4.57 (41) /.50 (32) 108
52.S. Davis (1999-03) 91.9 (39) /4.53 (44) /.61 (26) 109
53.JHJ (1954,57,60,62,64) 75.7 (53) /5.09 (27) /.53 (31) 111
54.C.Warren (1992-6) 86.4 (44) /4.64 (39) /.53 (31) 114
55.E.Byner (1985,88,90-92) 85.1 (47) /4.72 (37) /.48 (34) 118
56.Csonka (1970-74) 71.5 (54) /4.82 (34) /.49 (33) 121
57.G.Rogers (1981-3,85-6) 81.1 (52) /4.45 (46) /.63 (25) 123
58.R.Hampton (1991-5) 81.1 (52) /4.15 (50) /.56 (28) 130
Observations:
1.Herschel Walker seems to be ranked much higher than I expected. But there was a reason Minnesota traded so many draft picks to Dallas to acquire him. He was a monster early in his NFL career both rushing and receiving, and one of the great pass catching RBs in NFL history.
2. During SB 39 there was a reason BB scoffed at the idea that Westbrook was comparable to Marshall Faulk. BB compared Westbrook more to Kevin Faulk, which I take as a major attempt at humor for BB. Marshall Faulk is second, and a close second, to Jim Brown for dominance during his prime, which is amazing.
3. Lenny Moore of the Colts lined up as a flanker much of the time during his prime, but so did M. Faulk. He is in the HOF as a HB, led the league in rushing during his career, and held the consecutive games with a TD record until Tomlinson broke it last year.
4. Priest Holmes’ career seems to have ended with a whimper, but it is easy to remember how productive he was with 3 straight 2,000 yard seasons and breaking the TD record.
5. Chuck Foreman may be one of the most underrated players in NFL history.
6. William Andrews and Billy Sims are forgotten but were among a handful of the most dominant players in the NFL history during their primes.
7. James Brooks was the offensive engine behind Cinci’s SB offense during Esiason’s prime. He averaged an amazing 6.12 yards per touch, more than any post 1960-HB.