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Is 1000 The New 1500 For Running Backs?


Kerrigan91

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2000 yards has always been the standard for elite running backs, especially in the past when most teams went with one running back. If you had a top ten back, you could almost count on 1500 yards rushing, if for no other reason than just the sheer number of carries.

 

However, with the running back-by-committee approach that seems to be growing through the NFL, most teams are less willing to give backs the carries necessary for 2000. 1500 yards is now a major accomplishment for a running back. Has 1000 yards become a benchmark for running backs now, or is the standard still higher?

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You only need a "runningback by committee" if you don't have an Elite back capable of running for 2000- IMO.

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Is there something wrong with me posting here, or do you like to troll any non-Browns fan?

 

Nothing wrong as long as you can take the heat.

 

You didn't really endure yourself to Browns fans in the Deadskins thread. But have it. Just seems like no one must want to play with you from whence you came.

 

Zombo

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Nothing wrong as long as you can take the heat.

 

You didn't really endure yourself to Browns fans in the Deadskins thread. But have it. Just seems like no one must want to play with you from whence you came.

 

Zombo

 

Yeah, I guess I did come in guns blazing. I tend to get defensive (sometimes overly so) when people start saying stuff like "Snyder runs the Skins" and similar things. I'll try to tone it down.

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Yeah, I guess I did come in guns blazing. I tend to get defensive (sometimes overly so) when people start saying stuff like "Snyder runs the Skins" and similar things. I'll try to tone it down.

 

Actually, you know your football better than that other dork who started the thread. I just like to push buttons on newbies, newbie Browns fans included.

 

I always liked the Skins. We have a common dislike of the Ratbirds, I assume.

 

And we have Ernest Byner and Bobby Mitchell.

 

And ugly Hawgs and Dawgs.

 

Zombo

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Actually, you know your football better than that other dork who started the thread. I just like to push buttons on newbies, newbie Browns fans included.

 

I always liked the Skins. We have a common dislike of the Ratbirds, I assume.

 

And we have Ernest Byner and Bobby Mitchell.

 

And ugly Hawgs and Dawgs.

 

Zombo

 

Throw the Steelers in and you have a deal :lol:

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2000 yards has always been the standard for elite running backs, especially in the past when most teams went with one running back. If you had a top ten back, you could almost count on 1500 yards rushing, if for no other reason than just the sheer number of carries.

 

However, with the running back-by-committee approach that seems to be growing through the NFL, most teams are less willing to give backs the carries necessary for 2000. 1500 yards is now a major accomplishment for a running back. Has 1000 yards become a benchmark for running backs now, or is the standard still higher?

 

 

I am going to answer your question by saying a definitive NO. And here is why:

 

In the history of the National Football League running backs have rushed for 1500 yards in a season 80 times.

Of those 80, 46 of them have been accomplished since the year 2000. So, in 80 years of NFL history 1500 was accomplished only 34 times, in the last 13 seasons it has been accomplished 46 times, for an average of 3.5 1500 yard rushers per season since 2000.

So, no, given this history I do NOT think that we need to water down the "standard" for what consstitutes and elite season for a running back. If that 1500 figure is only attained by 3-4 rushers per year, keep that as the elite standard.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_single_season.htm

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I don't think the benchmark has ever been 2000 yds a season....1000 has always been the number, but I agree, it is low when you compare apples to apples.

 

 

History lesson for you kid...I am in my 60's, so even if you are in your 40's, you're still somewhat a kid....and at any rate, no disrespect intended...

 

 

In 1963 Jim Brown gained 1863 yards rushing....in a 12 game season....project to today and that is almost 2500 yards gained.

 

 

That's the gold standard.

 

 

Realistically, 90 yards a game average is my standard.....in todays game, 1440 is the number. You do that, you're stud.

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I don't think the benchmark has ever been 2000 yds a season....1000 has always been the number, but I agree, it is low when you compare apples to apples.

 

 

History lesson for you kid...I am in my 60's, so even if you are in your 40's, you're still somewhat a kid....and at any rate, no disrespect intended...

 

 

In 1963 Jim Brown gained 1863 yards rushing....in a 12 game season....project to today and that is almost 2500 yards gained.

 

 

That's the gold standard.

 

 

Realistically, 90 yards a game average is my standard.....in todays game, 1440 is the number. You do that, you're stud.

 

I agree with alot of this post.

 

2000 has never been the benchmark. Not even close. Only a handful of guys have even done it.

 

1400-1500 yards seems like the benchmark for a good RB.

 

If anything IMO 1000 is nothing special to me. Seems to me like to many players float around the 1000 yard mark.

 

This year alone there were 15 1000 yard rushers and that isn't including AP, Forte, Demarco Murrary, Fred Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Rashad Mendenhall who were all close and would have probably hit 1000 if healthy. And Michael Bush and Ben Tate who were both very close as back up running backs.

 

point is 1000 means shit. I don't consider it a benchmark of a good back when it seems like everyone and the mother ca have a 1000 yard year. 1000 yards is about 65 yards a game ... that is basically a guy doing there job and nothing special.

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I don't think the benchmark has ever been 2000 yds a season....1000 has always been the number, but I agree, it is low when you compare apples to apples.

 

 

History lesson for you kid...I am in my 60's, so even if you are in your 40's, you're still somewhat a kid....and at any rate, no disrespect intended...

 

 

In 1963 Jim Brown gained 1863 yards rushing....in a 12 game season....project to today and that is almost 2500 yards gained.

 

 

That's the gold standard.

 

 

Realistically, 90 yards a game average is my standard.....in todays game, 1440 is the number. You do that, you're stud.

 

I agree with alot of this post.

 

2000 has never been the benchmark. Not even close. Only a handful of guys have even done it.

 

1400-1500 yards seems like the benchmark for a good RB.

 

If anything IMO 1000 is nothing special to me. Seems to me like to many players float around the 1000 yard mark.

 

This year alone there were 15 1000 yard rushers and that isn't including AP, Forte, Demarco Murrary, Fred Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Rashad Mendenhall who were all close and would have probably hit 1000 if healthy. And Michael Bush and Ben Tate who were both very close as back up running backs.

 

point is 1000 means shit. I don't consider it a benchmark of a good back when it seems like everyone and the mother ca have a 1000 yard year. 1000 yards is about 65 yards a game ... that is basically a guy doing there job and nothing special.

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I don't think the benchmark has ever been 2000 yds a season....1000 has always been the number, but I agree, it is low when you compare apples to apples.

 

 

History lesson for you kid...I am in my 60's, so even if you are in your 40's, you're still somewhat a kid....and at any rate, no disrespect intended...

 

 

In 1963 Jim Brown gained 1863 yards rushing....in a 12 game season....project to today and that is almost 2500 yards gained.

 

 

That's the gold standard.

 

 

Realistically, 90 yards a game average is my standard.....in todays game, 1440 is the number. You do that, you're stud.

 

Russ, they actually did play 14 games in 1963. Still, he averaged 133 yards a game that year, and if he had 2 more games he would have gotten about 2130 total yards with that average...which still would have bested Dickersons record in 16 games.

But both would have been surpassed by OJ the year he went over 2K, which was also only a 14 game season. With 2 more

games OJ could have pushed about 2300 yards.

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Once upon a time 1000 yds in 12 game schedule was the standard so 1333 yds should be it for a one-third longer, 16-game schedule.

 

Of course the problem with "1333" is it's not "sexy"... round numbers are sexy, e.g., 1000, 2000.

 

1500?? Really not sexy either.

 

Since in today's NFL, a run-game is not sexy, can any run total be sexy? If yes, I'd argue it's 100 ypg or 1600 total.

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Once upon a time 1000 yds in 12 game schedule was the standard so 1333 yds should be it for a one-third longer, 16-game schedule.

 

Of course the problem with "1333" is it's not "sexy"... round numbers are sexy, e.g., 1000, 2000.

 

1500?? Really not sexy either.

 

Since in today's NFL, a run-game is not sexy, can any run total be sexy? If yes, I'd argue it's 100 ypg or 1600 total.

The only guy in history that ever averaged 100 yards per game for his career is Jim Brown. Barry Sanders averaged 99.8.

Seventy five runners in history have average 100 yards per game for a single year. The highest per game average for a year was OJs 1973 season where he averaged 143.1 per game, second was Jim Brown in 1963 with 133.1. Eric Dickerson average 131.6 in 1984

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Here is the list of the runners who averaged 100 yards per game for a full season, by the number of seasons in which they accomplished that fact:

 

Jim Brown 7 times

Eric Dickerson 5 times

Barry Sanders 4

OJ Simpson 3

Walter Payton 3

Emmit Smith 3

LaDanian Tomlinson 3

Earl Campbell 2

Terrell Davis 2

Tiki Barber 2

Ricky Williams 2

Shaun Alexander 2

Priest Holmes 2

Larry Johnson 2

Edgerrin James 2

Steven Davis 2

 

Thirty one players did it once in their career including: Billy Sims, Deuce McCallister, Julius Jones, Spec Sanders, Larry Brown, Joe Morris, Arian Foster, Ottis Anderson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ottis Armstrong, Jamal Lewis, Chris Johnson, Clinton Portis, Ahman Green, Jamal Anderson, Jerome Bettis, Adrian Peterson, Marcus Allen, Corey Dillon, Fred Taylor, Gerald Riggs, Michael Turner, Curtis Martin, Frank Gore, Barry Foster, Jim Taylor, George Rogers, Jim Nance, Tony Dorsett.

(now: given this, is there really any argument about who the greatest runner of all time was?)

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