Greatest Running Backs EVER....PREPARE!

Best Running Backs EVER: PREPARE!

A few days back I wrote a blog promising the BEST running backs EVER in the NFL. Well, I now have my list and I am ready to reveal to the universe (or whomever cares to read my blogs) the best running back to ever play in the NFL.

I will count them down from 25 to number one…hey, it helps build the suspense!

I mentioned to you about my “formula”; I will explain that as we go along. When I first thought about doing this, I realized that I have my favorites but I didn’t want to try to favor them. So what I did was come up with some characteristics that establish a GREAT running back.

See, we all have our own ideas on what makes the greatest running back ever, so you know that what I share certainly won’t be the “end all” of debates. But what I am going to do is share with you HOW I got my ranking and why each of these legendary backs are where they are.

But to start, I had to justify a formula. I had to come up with 4 basic elements that make a great back. If you read my earlier blog, you already know, but I will go over them again:

The first major element is TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS. I mean, what good are you if your team never makes it to a championship or finds some level of success. Guys, football is a TEAM sport, and a great player makes his team great. This is very critical when you want to talk about the best running back ever.

So I broke this element into 3 particular values. I gave 10 points for every Superbowl the back ever won, 5 points for every Superbowl they lost, and 2 points for every Conference Championship they lost. I am rewarding the absolute best a team can achieve, but I also reward those that got there but lost, as well as those who were the elite of their conference.

“But that’s not fair to guys who played BEFORE the Superbowl!”

Don’t worry, I did something for that, I’ll tell you about it when we get there.

The second element is INDIVIDUAL STATS. It makes sense that the greatest have to put up some legendary numbers, right? Even though football is a team game, it is the individuals that make it great. We cannot ignore the greatness of a player, even on an average team.

I broke down this element into 3 sections: Yards gained, touchdowns scored and average yards per carry. Any player that finished #1 gets 10 points for each category, for a total of 30 points. Any player that finishes in the top 5 gets 7 points each. Any running back that finishes in the top 10 gets 5 points each, and any back that finishes in the top 20 gets 3 points each. I also award 1 point for any running back that finishes in the top 30 all time for each of those categories. So the max a running back can get is 30 points here, but only if they are #1 in Yards career, touchdowns career AND average yards per carry.

I also adjusted the average yards per carry to separate the competition a bit. Most guys average about 4 yards, so I decided to award 10 points for any back that averages 5 yards or more per carry, 7 points for any back that averages 4.8 yards per carry, 5 points for any back with 4.6 yards per carry and 3 points for any running back that averages 4.4 yards per carry. I also awarded 1 point for any back that averages 4.2 yard or better per carry.

Theoretically, the values for team accomplishments is still better than this element, but it can add quite a bit to any player’s numbers.

The third element in my formula is INDIVIDUAL AWARDS. I mean, if you are so GREAT, then there should be awards given to you, right? Now I know today they come up with all kinds of silly awards, and if I went purely on what was awarded today, then there would just be too many points given out. So I decided to break this element into 6 parts, banking it off the most prestigious awards given to an NFL player.

To me, the most important award a player can receive is the MVP, whether by the league or as the Superbowl MVP, so I am awarding 10 points for every MVP a running back gets. I also decided to award 5 points for every Offensive MVP, NFC Player of the Year and AFC Player of the Year a player gets. Yeah, I think they stopped doing the conference POY thing, but it still proves superiority, so I awarded that.

I also gave 2 points for Rookie of the Year, and that includes Offensive Rookie of the Year. So a player could get 4 points for being the Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the overall ROY.

In addition, I also awarded 1 point for every Pro-Bowl that running back was selected for. Note I did not say ALL PRO, just Pro-Bowl.

A great running back should be able to rack up here, picking up a ton of points…if they are GREAT.

Finally, I added in what I call, ERA ADJUSTMENT. Some people may not like this, but I think greatness has to be penalized based on the fact that the players that are out now are generally better in every way than players of old. That does not mean that every running back that is in the NFL now is BETTER than those of the 1970’s, but it does mean that the game has gotten much better. For that reason, I have to deduct points from the “old school”.

What I decided to do was subtract 1 point for every decade of that player from the time he retired. If a running back retired in 2000 or later, I take off NO points. If he retired anywhere between 1990 to 1999, he loses 1 point off his total. If he retired anywhere from 1980 to 1989, he loses 2 points…and so on.

Why is this necessary? Because there has to be a tempering to indicate that the running backs of the NFL have progressed, otherwise someone who played back in 1950 is equal in every way to an athlete who plays now…and we KNOW that isn’t true.

So everything is in place, and now I can begin right?

Special note; don’t get bent out of shape with the results folks, I’m not an MIT or Yale grad, just a sports fan.

Ok, in my research, I wrote down over 60 of some of the most well-known backs in NFL history. I ran my formula for each and tabulated the results. But before I begin, let me give you a couple of names that did not make my top 25 list, and my justification for it.

Christian Okoye: 8 points.

If I did a top 40, he would not be up there because the points are just too low. But why, might you say? I personally LIKED Christian Okoye, I remember how well he played for the Chiefs. I even have some of his football cards. But the formula shows some very obvious flaws as to why he cannot be the greatest of all time, or even on the list of best 25.

First off, there are NO points for team success. Okoye’s team never made the Superbowl or even AFC Championships. If you are great, there has to be some indication in the success of the teams. Second, there are NO individual stat points. He is not on the top 30 in yards, or touchdowns and he averages under 4.2 yards per carry. He actually got 9 points because he went to 2 Pro-bowls and got a couple of awards, but he lost a point because of era adjustment. It’s really a shame because as I understood it, he got out of the sport because he was not enjoying it, in fact, he didn’t like football at first. If he had played a little longer, maybe the Chiefs would have done some things. I still like him though.

Herschel Walker: 2 points

“WHAT??”

I know, I was kinda disappointed myself, Hershel Walker was one of my favorite running backs, but my formula says he is not anywhere near the best in the NFL. Why? Well, like Christian Okoye, he has no real post season experience. No Superbowl or conference championships. Second, he does not rank high on yards or touchdowns, but does average over 4.2 yards, so he gets one point for that. He does not get but 2 points on the Individual awards element, but then loses one point to era adjustment. So 2 points is all he gets.

What this kinda tells me is that sometimes we have ideas of what great is, because we have certain feelings for certain players, but sometimes you have to look at the whole scope of his work in the NFL. This does not mean these two guys are not good, it just means they are not in the realm of the GREATEST. It takes a player that makes his team great, has legendary stats, and wins awards and can survive the tests of time. Only can these guys make my list of the top 25 of ALL TIME.

So, roll out the carpet, it’s time to count them down…..

DANGER college football games

DANGER College Games To Watch

DANGER! DANGER!

Every week there are some very important college football games that will end up being the “make or break” games of the season for certain teams. Let’s chew on that for a bit…

Before I continue, first off, a big thumbs up to Toledo. Yeah, I know they lost to Fresno State, but it really takes some guts to go for the win at home against a top 25 team. I say to any fan of Toledo, you made a fan here. But ups to you guys!

Oh, and some have asked about the “Greatest Running Backs EVER” list…I just recently finished it and will start sharing that very soon, stay tuned for that.

Now, what are the danger games for this weekend?

Well, as I write this, there is a game later tonight between #1 ranked USC and Oregon State…

Nope, not a danger game… next…..

But Friday when Uconn goes to Lousiville, THAT can be a danger game.

Beware oh ye of a questionable 4-0 mark….you have yet to really be tested. This is a very important game for the conference that seems as weak as the ACC. Uconn has to make a solid point by proving that it is worthy of a top 25 spot by becoming 5-0 and beating a quality team in Louisville.

It’s quite likely that we’re looking at one of these two teams to make a strong case for that BCS bowl…not the Championship because nobody in the Big East is gonna qualify for that.

These two teams, and South Florida, will decide who will play for the BCS bid, or settle for a lesser bowl. Beware Huskies…

Beware ECU, you are in danger vs. Houston….

Yeah, I know ECU took a hard shot by NC State, and in one poll they are not even in the top 25 anymore, but they are home against Houston, and things SHOULD be fine for them. The problem is that ECU has had a few injuries, and the fizzling sound is that of a swollen ego deflating. One week you’re the darling of the NCAA, next week you’re midcard.

Right now there is only the slimmest chance that ECU could play in a BCS bowl, even if they should win every game from now on. Conference USA just isn’t strong enough to support a good strength of schedule, so ECU will have a hard time the rest of the year. But they still have that target on their heads, and will get every team’s best effort. One more loss will destroy ANY hopes of a BCS. They can’t overlook Houston, who were 8-5 last year.

Beware ECU, one more loss and you’ll be back in pack with the rest of the average teams in the NCAA…

Gird thy loins Florida State….beware!

Last week’s loss to Wake Forest proved that you should have NEVER been ranked in the first place, and shame on you for scheduling two Southern Conference teams to beat on (one being my beloved Cats). Scoring over 100 points gave you a false sense of confidence, and Wake Forest proved that it was only smoke and mirrors. But this game vs. Colorado will determine your success or failure before you even get halfway through.

Should FSU lose this game, it will spell the end of the season. Florida State simply cannot go 0-2 in Division I games and still carry any sense of confidence into the remaining games. Granted the ACC isn’t gonna scare anybody, but with Clemson and Virginia Tech still out there with Wake Forest, it may be a mountain FSU can’t climb if they lose this game vs. Colorado.

You season is on the line…NOW.

Beware West Virginia…your postseason life hangs by fingernails….

Oh how the mighty have fallen, once #8 in the nation, now thrown out of the top 25 with the bum’s rush. I really thought this team was destined for greatness, but after the ECU loss and the loss to Colorado, you now have to wonder if this team is even going to get 6 wins. In less than 2 weeks, they’ve gone from potential National Championship contender to POSSIBLE bowl game.

With no Division I games, WVA needs 6 wins quick, fast and in a hurry. It starts with Marshall. And to be honest, I still think they should win this game, but the key is by how much. They need to stop the Thundering Herd big, winning by at LEAST 3 touchdowns if they are to try to lay claim to any Big East title. With Auburn on the schedule, I cannot give WVA every win. It is quite possible they can win 9 games, and salvage a pretty decent season. But I don’t see them winning every game in the Big East, they have not proven that they can win at all. If they do not beat Marshall by at least 21 points, I think the engine of winning will be gone…and so will a 6 win season.

Danger be unto thee, BOTH Purdue AND Notre Dame…

Notre Dame was exposed for the soft schedule they set before them, and paid for it. So much for Lou Holtz’s prediction of a perfect season. Any sane person could have predicted that. But now Notre Dame has to “man up” in a critical home game. If they lose this game, it may expose the underbelly of this wanna-be BCS team, enough to encourage their next four opponents to step it up. Understand this, regardless of what Notre Dame’s record is, every opponent will see it a great feather to hand them a loss.

A loss to Purdue COULD throw red flags about the true strength of the Irish.

But what of the Boilermakers?

The Big 10 is hard enough as it is just to survive, but Purdue has Penn State, Ohio State and currently undefeated Northwestern back-to-back-to-back. And oh by the way, their next game after that is against currently undefeated Minnesota. The road looks very difficult for Purdue, and to get to the promised land of 6 Division I wins, they MUST beat Notre Dame. Their 3-5 conference record may mean trouble, so the sooner they can get wins, the better. A loss to Notre Dame could spell a disappointing season.

And finally, danger signals to Virginia Tech as they play Nebraska…for BOTH teams.

ECU ripped Vtech’s season apart with that loss in Charlotte, and to be honest, this isn’t the Virginia Tech team of old. It’s not right to see Virginia Tech not ranked, but the entire ACC seems to be on a off year. Granted they did beat Georgia Tech, and believe me that will mean something down the road, but a win here could possibly put them back on track to a top 10 ranking by the end of they year. They don’t play Wake Forest in the regular season, but if Virginia Tech plays in the ACC Championship, it may well be with ONLY one loss…you’re gonna be sick to your stomach when you think of that ECU loss…

But for Nebraska, this is a game they MUST win. Beating Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State is fine and all, but last year those teams finished 14-21 combined…all losing records. But they count as far as Division I wins, so congrats to setting up a cupcake path to a bowl.

Now EARN it.

Nebraska won only 2 conference games last year, but got their anatomy rearranged by Kansas. The Big 12 is tough, and they’ve got to see Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas. While these are tough teams, the bottom half of the Big 12 won’t intimate too many teams, so it is possible that Nebraska could be 5-5 before their last 2 games of the year…but I say that assuming that they will lose to Virginia Tech.

So this game vs. the Hokies means a heck of a lot more than they know. Lose this game, and your post season dreams (albeit on several cupcakes) will be in doubt. Win this game, and you stand a good chance of going bowling…

So take caution ye teams of Division I (yeah, I know that’s not what they call it, but I don’t work for any big time media). For some, the entire season hangs in the balance on this weekend’s games. For others, the chance to make a BCS will be decided. Beware ye teams…

Beware….