OT: Are RB's becoming important again?

[NFL Mystique]

Several years ago, it was common to see QB's throwing for 4500-5k yards consistently. It's week 16 and no QB has thrown for 4k yards.

Do you think this is a product of defenses catching up to offenses. Offenses using a power run game to take advantage of nickel and dime defenses. Thus, they throw less. Or a combination of both?

I am sure it will revert back again to explosive offenses. Of course, the big question is when.

 

[TheRainMaker]

The era where RB's where undervalued will always be a mystery as defenses get smaller.

 

[Thelonious]

Ehhh. I kinda think they were always important. The passing game took a jump, partly because of certain offensive principles imported from college, but probably more because of rule and reffing changes over a decade or so. This resulted in more attention being paid to passing compared to running, but I don't think that means running became any less important, though it might - illegitimately, I think - have distracted attention from it. The two are not in any case really separable. Certainly play action demonstrates this, but it is true more broadly: there are other interrelationships in practice between the two. When I taught philosophy, I used to invoke what I called the "salt principle," under which such a question as, "Which is more important to the make-up of salt, sodium or chlorine" was considered. It's a poorly-formed question: both are important,. In some particular instance, you might have an excess or a deficiency of one or the other, but both remain essential.

 

[n1997y]

Ehhh. I kinda think they were always important. The passing game took a jump, partly because of certain offensive principles imported from college, but probably more because of rule and reffing changes over a decade or so. This resulted in more attention being paid to passing compared to running, but I don't think that means running became any less important, though it might - illegitimately, I think - have distracted attention from it. The two are not in any case really separable. Certainly play action demonstrates this, but it is true more broadly: there are other interrelationships in practice between the two. When I taught philosophy, I used to invoke what I called the "salt principle," under which such a question as, "Which is more important to the make-up of salt, sodium or chlorine" was considered. It's a poorly-formed question: both are important,. In some particular instance, you might have an excess or a deficiency of one or the other, but both remain essential.

Potassium chloride is a salt. So is potassium nitrate, lol.

 

[NFL Mystique]

I guess they were important. Just not to the extent they are now. It's especially important to have a good running game with a young QB.

I worded the title poorly. My bad.

 

[DC Patriots]

I’m not sure they ever lost value. I think the question has been the value of paying big money to an established back looking for a second contract vs drafting a college player. Understand that looks like the position being less valued but i think it’s more the value of a star vs a jag in the offense and the tendency for backs to drop off in production as they age

 

[RobertWeathers]

The numbers do not show a resurgence.

NFL Season By Season Rushing & Receiving | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Check out the NFL Season By Season Rushing & Receiving Stats including league totals and averages and more on Pro-football-reference.com

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[Nehalem]

The numbers do not show a resurgence.

NFL Season By Season Rushing & Receiving | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Check out the NFL Season By Season Rushing & Receiving Stats including league totals and averages and more on Pro-football-reference.com

www.pro-football-reference.com

Wow. 2025 is in 23rd place for total offensive yards

 

[Toofy]

Still you need a solid oline and great offensive coaching to make running backs effective . Too many prerequisites . RBs don't generate yards on their own barring few. Hence the undervalued nature of the position.

I think constant chopping and changing of coordinators as well as high expectations on QBs have made them all unidimensional and not the razor sharp QBs of 2000 and early 2010s. Hence passing game became impacted and running is again at forefront.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Great ones will continue to get paid. Not great ones will continue to not get paid.

 

[Sect140]

Great question, a few years ago it was difficult for a RB to get paid, but now that defenses have gotten smaller and faster to defend the passing offenses I believe the RB position and running game has become a priority again. I’m hoping the true fullback makes a comeback into the running game. Bill used to say the offense got its toughness from James Develin.

 

[jmt57]

The rules have changed to the point where a five-yard completion is easier than a five-yard run, with comparable risk.
A 10 or 15 yard completion is far more likely than a 10 or 15 yard run, and barely any riskier.

In terms of value, running backs take such a pounding their careers are much shorter than other positions.
An elite football player is better off playing receiver, and if that's not possible due to size, safety.

 

[Huckleberry1]

The era where RB's where undervalued will always be a mystery as defenses get smaller.

Mi think the reason running backs have been undervalued is because they have been much easier to find than QB's, Edge, CB, OT, and top WR's.

 

[Water Boy]

There will always be a yin yang with respect to passing and running offensive balance and how its defended.

I'm not sure how much more passing oriented teams can get offensively or defensively.

I just hope that the NFL doesn't morph into a flag football league (seriously).

 

[PatsFan2]

The good thing with RB's is that you can get a decent one in the Fourth Round. Rham himself was one.

 

[Ring 6]

Several years ago, it was common to see QB's throwing for 4500-5k yards consistently. It's week 16 and no QB has thrown for 4k yards.

Do you think this is a product of defenses catching up to offenses. Offenses using a power run game to take advantage of nickel and dime defenses. Thus, they throw less. Or a combination of both?

I am sure it will revert back again to explosive offenses. Of course, the big question is when.

I think the shift is this:

At some point offenses tried to replace a part of the running game with short passes taking advantage of front 7s built to stop the run.
QBs didn’t go from 50% completion being average to 60+ because they just threw the ball better but because they added high percentage short passes to replace some of the running game. 200/400 becomes 360/600 if you add a couple 100 dink and dunk passes with 80% completion rates. (This also dropped yards per reception from the teens down closer to 10 on average).

Now for almost every team nickel is base, and running the ball is becoming better option than dunk and dunk. Remember all the WR screens you use to see? The 1 yard pass to a WCO fb in the flat? Long handoffs.
Now against note light boxes it’s becoming a better option to run into the advantaged numbers that to throw a short pass in space and ask WRs to break tackles.

So I don’t think it’s more of a focus on running to win. You still need to either make chunks okays or physically dominate to have an effective offense. But there are somewhere around 10 plays per game that include runs and short high percentage easy passes that both are designed for the same goals.
I think it will continue to move in the direction it is until defense get bigger.
Sort of like if the 11th man on defense is a run defender, throw it but if he’s an extra db run it.

 

[Vindicate]

Several years ago, it was common to see QB's throwing for 4500-5k yards consistently. It's week 16 and no QB has thrown for 4k yards.

Do you think this is a product of defenses catching up to offenses. Offenses using a power run game to take advantage of nickel and dime defenses. Thus, they throw less. Or a combination of both?

I am sure it will revert back again to explosive offenses. Of course, the big question is when.

I don't think it will. I think we swung way far in one direction and are now equalizing. Defenses will do the same. They went very light and are slowly adjusting back to a center that is hybridized with both size and speed, but not tipping in either direction.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

The running game has not lost value imo.
Sure the RB position has been devalued from a contract standpoint, but 7 of the last 10 SB winners have out rushed their opponent.
People freaked out when Gibbs was drafted 12 overall, but imagine the Lions Offense without him.
RBs have a short shelf life, and teams are afraid to pay big money for a RB that isn't a top 5 guy (except Wolf, nice contract).
Football will always have bad weather games.
Teams will always be trying to protect a lead and bleed the clock.
Teams will always try to pound opposing defences into submission.
Teams will always try and combat pass rush by running the ball.
Just because the RB position isn't one of the highest paid or highest drafted position like in years past, that is not the same as devaluing the run game.

 

[Brick27]

Mi think the reason running backs have been undervalued is because they have been much easier to find than QB's, Edge, CB, OT, and top WR's.

Yeah this is interesting. It seems there is more variance and range in the positions you mentioned and their resulting impact vs. RB. And the gap from being say a top 25th percentile or 75th percentile RB isn’t as dramatic as it maybe is with those other positions.

 

[Vindicate]

Mi think the reason running backs have been undervalued is because they have been much easier to find than QB's, Edge, CB, OT, and top WR's.

I'm not saying this as an argument, I'm posing it from a point of me possibly misunderstanding something, but: I've never understood the argument that RBs are easier to find than WRs. I feel like it's 100% the inverse.