Running Backs: A Thing of the Past?

[Little Jerry Lawler]

From the 1930's to 1980's, the position of running back was seen to be the most important position in football. Teams ran the ball all the time and even when teams started using West Coast offenses, the run was used to set up the past. However, there have been only four running backs drafted #1 in the past thirty years and teams are throwing now more than ever. Wide receivers can arguably be considered as the number two position behind quarterback in the NFL. I believe the position of running back is becoming obsolete and you will see running backs not being drafted as high as they have previously been.

So do you think that running backs are still crucial to a team's success or are they just secondary in today's NFL to quarterbacks and wide receivers?

Bonus Question: Will it be easier or harder for a running back to get into the Hall of Fame if he starts his career now or ten years earlier?

 

[Big Sexy]

It's not so much the running back position becoming less important as it is the game of football just evolving. It's easier to score with a great quarterback and passing game then it is running the football. That doesn't mean running backs have lost importance it just means that the quarterback position and the passing game has become more important.

There are still plenty of great running backs and plenty of teams that run the ball a lot. Of the six 2,000 yard rushers in history 4 have come in the last 13 years. Just this past year there were 6 teams that ran the ball around 500 or more times on the season. The number of teams doing that has been fairly consistent over the last few years.

As far as the draft goes, there are two main reasons running backs aren't getting drafted as high as they used to. One is because of longevity. Even the best running backs don't have any more then 10 really productive seasons. It is also an easy position to find in later rounds. Of the 15 1,000 yard rushers last season only 4 of them were top 10 picks, 7 of them weren't even first rounders, and 2 of them went undrafted.

So again it's not necessarily the running back position that is losing importance, it's more the evolution of the game and the fact that passing plays a much more major role then it used to.

 

[Stormtrooper]

So do you think that running backs are still crucial to a team's success or are they just secondary in today's NFL to quarterbacks and wide receivers?

I do not at all think the Running Back position is becoming obsolete. It may be the "uncool" way to build a good team, but it is still possible to be a great team by running the ball effectively. The best example of this is the 2009 New York Jets. They couldn't pass the ball well (thanks to a Rookie QB), but managed to make it to the AFC Championship Game thanks to the #1 rushing game in the NFL (and the #1 defense). Everyone said that their offensive attack was a "throwback" offense, because it isn't the common way to have a productive offense anymore. But just because it isn't done anymore doesn't mean it is obsolete, or that it can't work. The 2008 Ravens were the same way (again, thanks to a rookie QB). They ran the ball well (and played good D), and were able to make it to the AFC Championship game, despite a so-so passing game.


I understand why you would think that the running back has become obsolete. To me, there are 3 reasons why this opinion has been built in recent years.
1. The decline of the straight up running game in college. With more and more teams becoming pass oriented or option oriented, running backs never get to reach their collegiate potential, which leads to both running backs not gaining enough publicity to be a #1 overall pick, and running backs falling deeper in the draft (where they usually prove to be good picks).
2. The advent of the 2-back system in the NFL. Because of the amount of contact running backs take, their lifespan in the NFL used to be minimal, especially for physical runners. Now, I can't think of a single team that utilizes a 1 back system. Now teams, instead of looking for 1 amazing running back, would rather have 2 very good running backs.
3. The increased emphasis on the passing game in the NFL. Most teams now are leaning heavily on the passing game. This is not necessarily due to the running back, but rather the quarterback. The highest paid player on most every team is the quarterback. Running the ball takes the ball out of these elite players hands.

Bonus Question: Will it be easier or harder for a running back to get into the Hall of Fame if he starts his career now or ten years earlier?

It may be a little harder, but I think at the end of the day the truly Hall-Of-Fame worthy players will stand out, and get into the Hall. Guys like LaDainian Tomlinson will have no problem getting in 5 years after their last game. Maybe marginal Hall-of-Famers, or guys who don't belong won't get as much consideration, but Hall-Of-Fame caliber players will always find a way to shine, and get enshrined.

 

[The Death Rattle]

Really great responses. I would also like to add a couple of things to ponder. The first is that the running back platoon is becoming more of a necessity because of injury concerns. Teams can not risk paying a player millions of dollars to miss ten games a year. Thus, running back is not really seen a singular position anymore. It is usually viewed as a group.

Secondly, I believe the recent trend of teams not taking running backs so high comes from the obsession of virtually every team to find their "franchise quarterback". Look at the number of wasted picks spent trying to find "the guy". Teams gambling on guys higher than they should means that good players fall. The league values the quarterback so highly that they convince themselves of the greatness of players who have never taken a NFL snap. Teams also use the thought process of "if you want a quarterback, you have to take him early". Sam Bradford goes first in the draft, but he was widely considered somewhere between the 5th to 9th "best player available" in most publications.

 

[Ty Burna]

So do you think that running backs are still crucial to a team's success or are they just secondary in today's NFL to quarterbacks and wide receivers?

Absolutely running backs are still important. A good running game gives you the ability to grind out the clock and wear defenses down, not to mention if it is successful can really open up the passing game. Now as far as the single great dominating running back, I don't see that happening anymore. It's running back by committee or the two back system. The days of Emmitt Smitth and Barry Sanders running the ball every single time is gone. There are advantages to the two back system, you keep your running backs fresh as well as give match up problems to the defense.

Not only this but running backs are very viable threats out of the backfield for the passing game for an offense. Not every team has the ability to throw five wide receivers out at the same time and spread a defense enough to be efficient. You need to have a great pass blocking line, as evidence by the Patriots two years ago. And even then, a great pass rushing team can completely blow past the line and get to the quarterback, so I don't see the five wide receiver set becoming a standard in the NFL.

Going further into this, I'll take a look into my own team this year. Favre comes back and starts the year off with decent numbers. Not great, but decent. Meanwhile Peterson tore it up for those games, which allowed Favre to go into Game manager mode (except for that ridiculous last second TD against San Francisco), and just complete passes to keep the drive going. In that situation the run was important to get the pass game moving and make it a complement to the running game. Later in the year, teams focused on stopping Peterson and that running game, which caused Peterson's numbers to fall, but look at what Favre did to those defenses that went that route. Everything started with the running game. It won the games in the beginning of the year, and because the focus was on the running game, the passing game flourished.

Now compare this to a team that is pass happy and disregards the run completely. Are defenses going to be fooled into thinking run? Not likely which will allow defensive ends and outside linebackers the ability to pin their ears back and go right for the QB. Defensive secondaries will always be reading the QB's eyes and looking for where the play is going, since the defensive line and linebackers can focus on putting pressure on the QB. There are disadvantages to abandoning the run, just as there are disadvantages to having a weak passing game. Everything will even out soon, history has shown that to be true.

Bonus Question: Will it be easier or harder for a running back to get into the Hall of Fame if he starts his career now or ten years earlier?

I don't think it will be either to be honest with you. It's all about the performance on the field and the stats, awards, championships, accolades they rack up along the way. Even with the two back system you still have your primary running back ala Deangelo Williams or Adrian Peterson, and even a Chris Johnson. It's how they do over the stretch of their career that will determine their Hall of Fame availability and clearly the running game isn't phased out at all. Hell we had a 2,000 yard rusher last year.

 

[Davi323]

Talent will rise to the top...even with the running back platoons, you still end up with Chris Johnson having a monster year last year. I think that the apparent decline at the position has more to do with the talent level of RBs in general, and less to do with the decreased importance at the position. This is actually how most teams have done it, when they haven't been blessed with a Barry Sanders, Tomlinson, Walter Payton, Bo Jackson or Emmitt Smith. The 80s and 90s had an unusual amount of top notch talent at the position, so those teams used one guy as their primary back...but for everyone else, two backs splitting the load is normal.

 

[BooCocky]

I've been saying this for a while and I'll say it again. The spread offense in college is hurting the game. You aren't finding good running backs because teams do not run at the College level. Running backs used to be the most athletic position. They used to use the quickest players. Now the athletes go and play wide receiver.

Running backs are still important but the NFL isn't a one back system. Its a two or a three. Look at the NYG, or the Jets of last year. They were able to run the ball effectively. The NFL is a pass happy offense because we love seeing touchdowns. No one loves a running football team unless they're your hometown team. Running backs are still very important because you aren't going to win with balance. But I can name two positions that are far more important. Besides there have been four, two thousand yard rushers in the last 15 years. The running game isn't going anywhere. Especially if your team has a shitty quarterback.