Ranking the running backs, team by team (oh God)

[SoFlaJets]

note to Jets fans...um keep scrolling downward-SoFla

Tim Gerheim / FootballOutsiders.com

Posted: 7 hours ago

At some positions, depth is exclusively a matter of injury. The starter is the starter, and if all goes well, he's always the starter. Peyton Manning doesn't come off the field in certain formations. The Chiefs don't spell Willie Roaf on some plays or take him out for a series to keep him fresh. Evaluating those positions is about ranking the starters first and foremost, then making small adjustments based on the quality of the backups and the likelihood that they will play.

The same is not true for running backs. Herm Edwards wants the Chiefs to run the ball more than 500 times this year, and no team had fewer than 360 rushing attempts in 2005. 350 carries is heavy use for a single back. That leaves a lot of work for the rest of the depth chart. Add in the increasing number of teams that use a running back committee rather than a clear first-string starter, and it's clear that when ranking the NFL's 32 teams on their running backs, you have to consider more than just 32 players.

These rankings started with the productivity of each team's halfbacks in 2005 and then were adjusted subjectively for things like age (the cruel reality of the NFL, especially for running backs), the quality of fullbacks, and the likelihood of improvement or decline. Teams like the Giants, Falcons and Cardinals (including Edgerrin James) would top the charts based on last year, but they all rely heavily on aging backs likely to pull either a Curtis Martin

[SoFlaJets]

16. New Orleans

So begins the career of Reggie Bush, messiah. It's probably a shock to him to move to a team, and particularly a backfield, that's not as talented as what he had around him at USC. The popular perception is that the Saints didn't really need Bush (though they're glad to have him) because Deuce McAllister is a franchise back. He isn't; he's not consistent enough to help the offense stay on the field and score points. But like Jamal Lewis, McAllister would make one of the best (and least affordable) backup running backs in the league. Aaron Stecker and fullback Mike Karney are excellent complementary pieces.

17. Oakland

While the franchise was collapsing all around him, LaMont Jordan quietly posted the 10th best combined (rushing and receiving) DPAR among all running backs. However, that rank comes with an asterisk. There was a big gap between the top nine elite backs and Jordan, who had just two-thirds as many DPAR as ninth-ranked LaDainian Tomlinson. Jordan also doesn't have the supporting cast that guys like Tomlinson and Clinton Portis enjoy. When short-yardage bruiser Zack Crockett is the second-best back on your team, you have to really hope the best back on your team doesn't get hurt.

18. Miami

This is the Ronnie Brown show. Now that Ricky Williams is gone, the Miami backups are pictured in the Football Outsiders dictionary under "replacement level." But our KUBIAK projection system loves Brown

[SoFlaJets]

The thing that immeadiately jumps right out at you is Herman Edwards' desire to run the ball 500 times!!!-KC is gonna be hard to game plan against-just like us after the famous "we're gonna try and get Curtis his thousand yards" statement

what a friggin moron

[Sperm Edwards]

The thing that immeadiately jumps right out at you is Herman Edwards' desire to run the ball 500 times!!!-KC is gonna be hard to game plan against-just like us after the famous "we're gonna try and get Curtis his thousand yards" statement

what a friggin moron

actually they did run the ball like 500x last year - Herm said that he'd like to run the ball MORE than they did last year. Maybe he means run the ball 600x.

I thought the same thing when Parcells said it back in '98. If you want to run the ball 500x because you're protecting a lead, I agree wholeheartedly. If you think that running the ball 500x is what GETS you the lead, you're not paying attention.

If your defense has given up tons of points and you're chasing them, only an idiot would continue to run the ball continually so you can reach your magic 500-carries. I mean, if you could FINALLY stop them on defense, you'd might catch up by the 6th quarter. I still remember Hackwards doing that here. Down by 2-3 TD's in the 2nd half and they're still trying to "control the clock" or "set up the pass" by running the ball 70% of the plays with seemingly no concept of how much time there is left in the game.

It depends on the score & it depends on your team. Look at the reg season for Indy - their offense was lethal & even with the #2 defense in PA they were very middle-of-the-league in rushing attempts, en route to a 13-0 start.

I will never understand the sense in announcing this garbage, or announcing intentions of any kind to the media (and therefore to your opponents). Let them find out after the game (or the season) what your intention was. Or better yet, just say something without saying anything, like "we're going to try to put points on the board" or "we're going to try lots of things" or "we're going to mix it up a lot" etc.

Oh - and I agree with the article. Our team's RB's (certainly at this point) look pitiful compared to the rest of the league.

[SoFlaJets]

Looks like this Hartigan kid has a good shot at making this team-unlike in years past where we'd get a guy like Ian Smart (who showed some promise) but really knowing full well he had as much of a shot as we did in making the cut

Also,another good point SE about why WOULD you announce your intentions?Herman Edwards continues to amaze and baffle me at the same time.Glad he's gone...

[raffyD]

Looks like this Hartigan kid has a good shot at making this team-unlike in years past where we'd get a guy like Ian Smart (who showed some promise) but really knowing full well he had as much of a shot as we did in making the cut

Also,another good point SE about why WOULD you announce your intentions?Herman Edwards continues to amaze and baffle me at the same time.Glad he's gone...

Good point SFJ, remember that RB from that Canadian college? I think it was Derrick Ward, a 7th round pick who we dumped and now is doing quite well on the Giants and is expected to help take some of the load off of Tiki (I said some, but not that much).

[aec4]

I hope I can play fantasy football against this guy. I'll take #24 Stephen Jackson over a lot of people above him.

[SoFlaJets]

what's becoming clearer is that we NEED legs-Blaylock and Martin can't really be counted on at THIS point IMO-both are question marks,even though I am not so stooopid as to EVER count out Curtis Martin

[Barton]

Well for once I agree with the Jets ranking.

Curtis Martin - old, way past his prime. Was never great and is now a complete waste of a good jersey. Somebody throw him in the wishing well and hope he sinks......

Blaylock - maybe if we have some good blocking he can make some big plays, but he's a career backup.

Houston - ran tuff last year at times, I like him. He should start for us. But he'll never be a guy that can carry an offense. Thats not a real diss on the guy because most RBs in the league cant carry an offense either.

Summary - Our running backs really suck as a whole.

Next year - Adrian Peterson!

[faba]

Our long term future at running back is not presently on the team- to be determined

[#27TheDominator]

Ron Dayne is #15!?!?! Don't mind the ranking, but I'll bet we don't have the worst rushing offense for the season. To tell the truth, much more than age, I think the biggest problem Curtis will have to face is an unsettled (potentially horrible) passing game.

[PatsFanTX]

Ron Dayne is #15!?!?! Don't mind the ranking, but I'll bet we don't have the worst rushing offense for the season. To tell the truth, much more than age, I think the biggest problem Curtis will have to face is an unsettled (potentially horrible) passing game.

Not to mention two rookie starters on the OLine.

[Sperm Edwards]

not to mention he's slow & can't break a tackle

[124]

Everytime I see you people bash a 1st ballot HOF'r I just laugh and hope that he returns from injury and proves you all wrong.

[Sperm Edwards]

Everytime I see you people bash a 1st ballot HOF'r I just laugh and hope that he returns from injury and proves you all wrong.

You honestly want Curtis Martin getting even 100 carries this year? For what? He's not going to help us win any games. His presence isn't going to keep a safety or two in the box for play-actions. He hits the hole as fast as a pregnant penguin. With his age/size he's too slow/weak to break a tackle. He's not our future. Every carry he gets is less evaluation & game experience we get of someone who might actually be on the team by the time we make our next playoff run. We don't need another season of him falling down as soon as someone breathes on him hard. Enough.

[PatsFanTX]

Everytime I see you people bash a 1st ballot HOF'r I just laugh and hope that he returns from injury and proves you all wrong.

Are you a Jet fan or a CuMar fan?

The worst thing the Jets can do this year is make CuMar the featured RB.

Time to move on. There is absolutely no use for a old RB with greatly diminishing skills.

He'll do worse than Emmitt Smith did in Arizona.

[#27TheDominator]

Are you a Jet fan or a CuMar fan?

The worst thing the Jets can do this year is make CuMar the featured RB.

Time to move on. There is absolutely no use for a old RB with greatly diminishing skills.

He'll do worse than Emmitt Smith did in Arizona.

Bull. You play the best player. If he can't play fine, but there is no reason not to give him a shot. He had one bad year. The guy has been a horse FOREVER. Besides, there is no reason to throw some young back to the wolves because it's likely they won't be on the team by the time they make their next playoff run either. I think that 10 carries a game is more than enough for Washington and Houston. There's still 20 + carries there for Curtis if he can take them. He's still better than Ron Dayne.

[PatsFanTX]

Bull. You play the best player. If he can't play fine, but there is no reason not to give him a shot. He had one bad year. The guy has been a horse FOREVER. Besides, there is no reason to throw some young back to the wolves because it's likely they won't be on the team by the time they make their next playoff run either. I think that 10 carries a game is more than enough for Washington and Houston. There's still 20 + carries there for Curtis if he can take them. He's still better than Ron Dayne.

And that my friend, is exactly the reason why the Jets have not played in a Super Bowl for 37 years.

The Jets are in a totally rebuilding mode and you want to give CuMar 20+ carries, all based on what he has done in the past, rather than going with youth at the RB position?

Typical Jets losing mentality in rewarding players for what they have accomplished in the past.

[SoFlaJets]

you can't can't Curtis out-only a fool would.We haven't read a word from him like we've heard from Chad (no bravado or "count on me" statements).I don't know maybe the QB is questioned more than a HOF RB but the guy ahead of me said it right -- you play the best player,and right now that BP APPEARS to BE Martin.Who else?Blaylock?Cedric?Leon Washington or longshot Hartigan?

Martin still has the ability to rip off 135 yard games a couple times a year.

He may be to Mangini what Adrian Murrell was to Parcells HIS first year here

One thing about Martin is love or hate him you HAVE to respect the man-both on and off the field

[PatsFanTX]

Martin still has the ability to rip off 135 yard games a couple times a year.

Really???

Martin is very slow hitting the hole.

He can not break runs to the outside.

He goes down with a touch of a finger or a blade of grass.

He does not "punish" defensive players.

How can a 33-year old RB with all those diminishing skills break off "a couple of 135-yard games" this season?

[#27TheDominator]

Not to mention two rookie starters on the OLine.

Funny, the article saw them as a plus. "It will be easier going for the backs behind first-round offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold..."

Not sure I agree, but if I'm running the ball I'd rather have this years offensive lineman and a little bit of a passing game than a vet line and no passing game to take the heat off.

[Sperm Edwards]

He had one bad year.

That statement holds more weight if his one bad year was so very long ago. It was this past season.

The guy has been a horse FOREVER.

He's what - 33 & has 4000 carries/receptions? And people think he should get 200 more? Look - he's obviously a tough guy; no one doubts that. But just because he CAN carry the ball 200x this year doesn't mean that we should have him DO it.

Besides, there is no reason to throw some young back to the wolves because it's likely they won't be on the team by the time they make their next playoff run either. I think that 10 carries a game is more than enough for Washington and Houston. There's still 20 + carries there for Curtis if he can take them.

As a backup, the "young back" has a MUCH higher chance of being "on the team by the time they make their next playoff run" simply by virtue of cap space, speed, and the versatility of being able to use one on special teams.

I don't see what you base the bold-faced statement on. Houston was better than Curtis last year running behind a mostly worse OL & a worse QB than Curtis. Washington - who knows? He may be a bust-galore & he may be Jamal Anderson. But don't base it on his draft slot. He was a 4th-rounder in an INSANELY deep draft. If he was in the '05 draft he'd have gone 2 rounds earlier & then people would be saying how he's a feature-back of the present/future.

He's still better than Ron Dayne.

Career-wise? You'll get no argument from me. But for 2006? I guess we'll see after this year. Going into 2005 I'm sure you would've said the same about Curtis vs Thomas Jones or Rudi Johnson.

[#27TheDominator]

Curtis ran like crap last year. I don't propose we give him any particular number of carries. I propose he is the starter and we should see how he does before we condemn him to the bench. He's on the team and they are paying him. Let him run. If he runs like last year I'll be the first to call for his replacement.

I liked Houston coming out of college, and I probably look at Washington with as rosey colored glasses as anybody, but Martin should be given the opportunity to prove last year was a fluke. He was hurt and he played like it. Give him a couple of weeks. Personally, I believe he'll be fine. Not great, not as good as a few years ago, but pretty damn good.

[SoFlaJets]

Really???

Martin is very slow hitting the hole.

He can not break runs to the outside.

He goes down with a touch of a finger or a blade of grass.

He does not "punish" defensive players.

How can a 33-year old RB with all those diminishing skills break off "a couple of 135-yard games" this season?

here's proof.....even with an old,atrocious,slow and overweight OL

10/16/05 @BUF L 17-27 18 148 8.2 49 1

[PatsFanTX]

here's proof.....even with an old,atrocious,slow and overweight OL

10/16/05 @BUF L 17-27 18 148 8.2 49 1

I just love how Jet fans supprt their arguements using one friggn game as an example.

What about his games against the Bills (19 carries for 67 yards) and and the Pats (13 carries for 33 yards) last year?

[SoFlaJets]

I backed up my statement with the facts Tex-hey if he can put a game like that up HURT who's to say he can't healthy and with a better OL in front of him-last year was a total abberation and we all know it-WE do - pundits and Pats fans don't I guess

[PatsFanTX]

I backed up my statement with the facts Tex-hey if he can put a game like that up HURT who's to say he can't healthy and with a better OL in front of him-last year was a total abberation and we all know it-WE do - pundits and Pats fans don't I guess

You claimed he would break off "several" 135-yard games this year and you support that opinion by citing one game last season.

He is a year older, another step slower and goes down with a touch of a hand.

RB's like that, especially in the twilight of their career, do not break off "several" 135-yard games.

Blind delusion, if you ask me.

[Sperm Edwards]

Curtis ran like crap last year. I don't propose we give him any particular number of carries. I propose he is the starter and we should see how he does before we condemn him to the bench. He's on the team and they are paying him. Let him run. If he runs like last year I'll be the first to call for his replacement.

I liked Houston coming out of college, and I probably look at Washington with as rosey colored glasses as anybody, but Martin should be given the opportunity to prove last year was a fluke. He was hurt and he played like it. Give him a couple of weeks. Personally, I believe he'll be fine. Not great, not as good as a few years ago, but pretty damn good.

Why, if you think he's going to be 34-35 during our next realistic playoff run (as of pre-season), does Curtis - who WILL NOT BE HERE by then - get the benefit of the doubt but a faster & more powerful 2nd-year player (who dropped in the draft b/c of a hyperthyroid condition that's been addressed now) - AND a rookie who can run around like a jackrabbit - should not.

Figure out which one of them (if it's only one - nothing at all wrong with RBBC) is our future & let him make his in-game gaffes this year. Martin looked like garbage before he & any OLmen got hurt anyway so that's a lame excuse. If he was so hurt, and that was the cause of his <3.0 ypc for most of his games, then as a team-player I would think he'd say "gee - I'm hurting the team more than I'm helping out there. Even though Herm [who was leaving for KC anyway as we now know] is letting me stay in there to get my 1000 yards, maybe I should tell him to give someone else a shot & forget about my career stats." Right. Just like he did in 2002.

here's proof.....even with an old,atrocious,slow and overweight OL

10/16/05 @BUF L 17-27 18 148 8.2 49 1

Actually, that IS proof. Everyone here saw that game & you know that it came on two runs through GIANT holes that Ron Dayne would've had little trouble taking all the way to the house. Curtis got caught on both of them. Our OL was all of those things last year. But they gave Curtis more than he took advantage of. If not for those two mammoth holes in the same game (which we lost anyway, in part b/c Curtis was too slow to score when the opportunity was there), he otherwise averaged UNDER 3 ypc. Real team player.

[Maxman]

You claimed he would break off "several" 135-yard games this year and you support that opinion by citing one game last season.

He is a year older, another step slower and goes down with a touch of a hand.

RB's like that, especially in the twilight of their career, do not break off "several" 135-yard games.

Blind delusion, if you ask me.

Tx,

Is Curtis a Hall Of Famer? Or are you just saying he is done now? The way you blast him you make it sound like he was never any good.

[SoFlaJets]

You claimed he would break off "several" 135-yard games this year and you support that opinion by citing one game last season.

He is a year older, another step slower and goes down with a touch of a hand.

RB's like that, especially in the twilight of their career, do not break off "several" 135-yard games.

Blind delusion, if you ask me.

Here's what I said.......

"Martin still has the ability to rip off 135 yard games a couple times a year."

a COUPLE as in two-who's blind?

[SouthernJet]

Here's what I said.......

"Martin still has the ability to rip off 135 yard games a couple times a year."

a COUPLE as in two-who's blind?

agree,,,

if healthy,, thats my only concern, I have a bad vibe about his health this year, especially behind a young line,,

[SoFlaJets]

agree,,,

if healthy,, thats my only concern, I have a bad vibe about his health this year, especially behind a young line,,

Hey SJ if Curtis ( or anyone) can't cut the mustard so to speak I have confidence that Mangini (unlike his predecessor) WILL do what's right and put the best player in there-no matter who he is or what position he plays

[AFJF]

here's proof.....even with an old,atrocious,slow and overweight OL

10/16/05 @BUF L 17-27 18 148 8.2 49 1

SoFla, its funny you use that game as an example because it was that game that reminded me how badly we need a game breaking running back. That game allowed Curtis two of his biggest runs of the season and on each play, he had a hole wider than Courtney Love to run through, nobody in front of him, and on both occassions he was caught from behind. I honestly have a hard time thinking of many starting backs in the NFL that wouldn't have taken both those carries to the end zone. No doubt in my mind any of the other three backs on the jets roster this year would have scored on those plays. Curtis is a nice RB and might be the nicest guy in the NFL. I hope the Jets find a way to keep him on their payroll in some capacity for years to come. That being said, I can live with the CS giving him a shot to play but if he has lost even a half a step from what he was last year, he's no longer a starting caliber NFL RB IMO.

[SouthernJet]

Hey SJ if Curtis ( or anyone) can't cut the mustard so to speak I have confidence that Mangini (unlike his predecessor) WILL do what's right and put the best player in there-no matter who he is or what position he plays

absolutely

[SoFlaJets]

SoFla, its funny you use that game as an example because it was that game that reminded me how badly we need a game breaking running back. That game allowed Curtis two of his biggest runs of the season and on each play, he had a hole wider than Courtney Love to run through, nobody in front of him, and on both occassions he was caught from behind. I honestly have a hard time thinking of many starting backs in the NFL that wouldn't have taken both those carries to the end zone. No doubt in my mind any of the other three backs on the jets roster this year would have scored on those plays. Curtis is a nice RB and might be the nicest guy in the NFL. I hope the Jets find a way to keep him on their payroll in some capacity for years to come. That being said, I can live with the CS giving him a shot to play but if he has lost even a half a step from what he was last year, he's no longer a starting caliber NFL RB IMO.

Agreed AFJ-that's the one thing about Martin and Tom Tupa after we stole them that I was most excited about-the ability to rip off 70 yarders and what's weird is neither one ever could for us-Lamont Jordan would have been able to-he had that explosiveness to take it to the house-then again too,bro Martin was hurt since friggin Zach Thomas jumped on his leg in what,week 2?