Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Greatest rbs #17, #16, #15...

Greatest Rbs ever, #17, #16, #15...

So now we are moving up the ladder and as we go forth, there are likely to be some names you know quite well, and some that you may not remember…depending on your age.

But if anything, what I hoped to have proven by now is that the top running backs of the NFL are not all within the last 10 years. I think any bar room debate on this would usually favor the current players or those who have retired in the last 5 years or so, but when you REALLY sit down to think about it, the history of the NFL has produced a lot of very, very good running backs.

Already we have identified great running backs from today on back to the 40’s and all in between. At first I figured that only those in the last 20 years would dominate the list but I have slowly found that there is so much history to this game, that I have only touched part of it. Believe me, I am finding a new respect for guys like Bronco Nagurski, Steve Van Buren and Lenny Moore.

Now, to make a correction, I mentioned in the previous blog on the greatest ever identified #20, #19 and #18. I accidentally mentioned #18 twice, those being Lenny Moore and Bronco Nagurski. Even though they were tied with 37 points, I gave the nod slightly to Bronco because of team accomplishments.

Now, let’s continue with the countdown….

#17 Larry Csonka 38 points

Well…how many running backs do YOU know that played on a perfect team? Any guy that can win two Superbowls, get Superbowl MVP and play on a perfect team, well, he’s GOTTA be on this list. Larry Csonka was one of those tough nosed players that was an incredible piece to the Miami Dolphins and their Superbowl runs. A lot of stats may have changed since Larry Csonka has left the game in 1979, but his greatness still remains. Quite worth of this list.

Why not higher? If this poll was done about 10 years ago or so, Larry would certainly be higher. The strong case for Larry Csonka is his championship rings. Few running backs get the chance to win a Superbowl, let alone win two. As great as Larry Csonka was, the weak point in the formula for him was the individual stats. Larry was not on the top 30 in rushing yards or touchdowns, but was barely on the list with the yards per carry.

Why on the list? Superbowl champs should always be on the list, and two-time Superbowl champs should be up here as well. Larry Csonka is legendary for being on the perfect team, and although some teams have had a perfect regular season record (Patriots), no one has a perfect season…except the Dolphins, thanks in part to Larry Csonka.

#16 Tony Dorsett 39 points

If you run a short list of Superbowl Champion Running Backs, how can you NOT add this name. Anybody who calls themselves a Cowboys fan knows this cat, and he OUGHT to get a free pass to any Dallas Cowboy game. Tony Dorsett was (is) one of the most decorated running backs of football history. You’re not going to get a lot of arguments from die-hard football fans about this one, Tony is one of the best. It’s ironic that his season ended with the team he helped Dallas beat in the Superbowl…the Denver Broncos.

Why not higher? Within 3 points up or down of my list, there are 6 other guys who are great. Tony Dorsett ranks about half of them because not only does he have Superbowl Championship experience, he also has individual stats that still stand today. He’s on the high end of rushing yards, he ranks high on touchdowns and is on the top 30 for yards per carry. He also has individual awards as well. While he does not have as many individual awards like OJ Simpson or Larry Csonka, he has much more post season experience than the Juice and many more individual stat points than Csonka.

Why on the list? Well, if you gotta ask, you don’t know football. In fact, Tony Dorsett is on the list because of his greatness, but at the same time, he is in a tie with the next guy. You don’t have to win 5 Superbowls or be MVP every year to be great… but he is on the list because he has been one of the best ever.

#15 Paul Hornung: 39 points

A tie yes, but I give the nod to Paul. Even four decades later, there is such greatness dripping from this legend that he MUST be on this list. Before there was a Superbowl, Paul Hornung was winning championships. He was there in the pre-Superbowl era, as well as being there at the very first Superbowl. Before there were great legends in Green Bay like Brett Farve and Reggie White, there was, and apparently will ALWAYS be, Paul Hornung.

Why not higher? I mentioned that Paul Hornung and Tony Dorsett were even at 39 points. Technically that is a tie, but I give the nod to Paul because of his team accomplishments. He scores incredibly high in this element because he has a Superbowl rings and NFC championships…remember, this was before there WAS a Superbowl. But for all his team accomplishments, the era adjustment takes off from his greatness and his individual stats are very low.

Why on the list? You don’t get two Superbowl rings and Conference Championships AND become a legend in Green Bay Packer history and NOT make this list. He edges out Tony Dorsett because of his team accomplishments, but there are other running backs that are even greater than Paul Hornung. He’s great, no doubt about that, but not quite THE greatest.

So this takes us inside the top 15 of all time, now we start edging closer as we continue the countdown. Before I go, I wanted to share another very good running back that did not make the greatest short list and why.

Gale Sayers: 13 points

This one actually hurts my feelings. A couple of days ago I was watching Monday Night Football and Gale Sayers was in the stands. When I first started reading about football, this was perhaps the GREATEST running back I never saw play. He was before my time, but he was one of two backs that I never saw play, but greatly admired.

But why is he not on the list? Surely he is one of the greatest backs of all time? This is what bothers me, because I had to leave my favorites behind and run each player through my formula the same way.

When I did, I first had to award points for team accomplishments…that was the first problem. As great as Gale Sayers was, his teams never really accomplished much when it mattered. Remember, a great running back makes his team great. I could not award any points for the team accomplishment element.

When it came to individual stats, there was a slight problem too. Remember, Gale Sayers played for only 6 years, and had just under 5000 yards in his career. That alone puts him near the bottom of all 60+ running backs I tested. So he was not on the top 30 for touchdowns or yards all time, but had the best yards per carry of them all, so he got out of a possible 30 points in the individual stats department, a total of 10.

In the Individual awards element, he got 6 points total for his pro-bowls and Rookie of the Year, but lost 3 points because of era adjustment (retired 1971). In the end, he just didn’t have enough points to put him on my list.

I gotta tell you, I was half tempted to change the formula, but to do that would not be fair to what I set out to do. Gale Sayers in on my short list of FAVORITE running backs ever, but I am trying to share the GREATEST running backs ever. And unfortunately on my list, he was not up there.

Don’t take that as an insult to his or anyone else’s greatness, it was just that I had to narrow the field down to 25, and he was not up there. He’s still a legend to me, as well as everybody in Chicago who knows the Bears history.

Oh well, we’ll pick it up next time, hope you will continue to follow along….

And then there were...EIGHTEEN???

And then there were…EIGHTEEN???

Before I really took a look at the standings, I thought there might be like 4 or 5 teams left undefeated in Division I (yeah that’s right I said Division I). But on further review, I found that there were a dozen and a half undefeated teams remaining out of 119 Division I schools. That is pretty amazing after 3 or 4 games, but we know it can’t possibly continue…right?

Well of course it can’t continue. Some of these teams have to play one another, so there will be a lot of teams getting their first loss very soon. I personally will be surprised if there are more than 6 teams undefeated after the next two weeks.

So if you don’t mind, allow me to share with you those (temporarily) lucky undefeated teams, and what their possible fates may be:

Well, we can’t start in the ACC because there ARE no undefeated teams, so we have to bounce to the Big 12. There are currently 5 teams that are undefeated, so this is going to get really interesting. This means that at BEST, only one team can walk out undefeated. That team will very likely be playing for the BCS Championship…but only if they go undefeated.

Right now it might appear that Missouri is in the driver’s seat in the North Division. They are the only undefeated team in that division, and are highly ranked on the polls. They won their biggest game of they year (thus far) against then ranked #20 Illinois, and then feasted on a few teams that we cannot utter in this paragraph….

Are they for real?

Well, this is a very quality team, and I actually liked watching them last year. But you have to ask, can they run the tables in their division? Consider that Oklahoma is NOT in their division…nor on the regular season schedule. Consider that their two losses came from this very team…and you gotta wonder… I mean, if you take out Oklahoma, this team mopped up the rest of the conference that they played by an AVERAGE of three touchdowns…that smells like dominance.

Unless Missouri gets too caught up in their own press clippings, I can see them going undefeated until they get to the Big 12 Championship…and well, where does the second place team of the Big 12 go in the bowls…Cotton? Or maybe they will be slotted as one of the at large BCS bowl bids….

That means that I am implying that the winner of the South Division is going to take the Big 12 Championship. But I might argue that this division is harder than the other, because of Oklahoma and Texas. Yes I know that Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are both undefeated as well, but let’s look at that…

Oklahoma State has 4 wins against teams that won’t really factor into the BCS, but a couple of those teams were quality wins. To make the nation see what these Cowboys are about, they have set up the gauntlet of doom, with games against 4 of the current top 10 teams…I am sorry, but a team that won 7 games last year cannot possibly survive this…this is just too brutal.

Texas Tech was one of those teams that delivered points like Dominoes Pizza. Hot and fresh…and frequent. I used to look for Texas Tech on the schedule to see if our area would show them. If you ever need to find a high scoring team, this is your best bet. Heck they even beat Oklahoma last year, so they got some punch in them. Problem was they lost 4 games, to Oklahoma State, Missouri, Colorado and Texas A&M

This division is too strong, and as much as I like these guys, they can’t sweep.

So that leaves the two heavyweights, Texas and Oklahoma. And OH what a time it will be in two weeks when they meet up, Sooner to Longhorn. Could we be looking at the winner taking their place as one half of the BCS Championship? If they go undefeated, that is guaranteed. But one may wonder if Texas is slipping a bit. I mean, last year they lost 2 home games. You can’t be a National Champion with home losses…especially 2 of them.

Oklahoma lost 3 games last year, one to West Virginia, one to Texas Tech and one to Colorado…proving that the Big 12 is pretty tough top to bottom. But what have we really seen of these two powerhouses? Well, we know that whatever the score is with Texas, they are likely going to score 52 points…well, they did 3 of the 4 games this year. And we know that Oklahoma has a quality win over TCU. It’s possible that barring injuries, the home team may have the slightest of advantages…very slight.

But can any team in the Big 12 go undefeated? If you go by last year, that answer is simple…NO.

The Big East currently has 2 undefeated teams, Connecticut and South Florida. When was the last time a Big East team competed seriously for the National Title? Been awhile, hasn’t it?

I will certainly give credit to those Huskies, they have brought a football program from almost nowhere to one that you better pay attention to. I even wondered if their early win streaks were kinda…soft. But a brawling battle vs. Louisville showed that this team is indeed worthy to be mentioned amongst the top 25, and at 5-0, you better listen.

But this came at a terrible cost. With the starting QB and Tight End with Broken bones, this team will certainly limp to the finish, and to win it all, you cannot limp. And with 4 of the next 6 games on the road, this is not going to be easy. Granted the Big East isn’t gonna scare anybody in the top 15, but they will likely beat each other up. Can Connecticut go undefeated? Even healthy that answer is no, so the answer after major injuries does not change.

So surely South Florida is in the driver’s seat, right? An impressive win over ranked Kansas and a win vs. an NC State team at home who just came off a huge upset over ECU. South Florida was ALMOST the darlings of the NCAA, rising as high as #2...but could not handle the pressure.

But the Big East has a lot of question marks this year, and it seems that the healthiest team can get through this almost unscathed. Louisville isn’t showing much so far, Rutgers seems to be on a down year, Uconn has major injuries and people still wondering about Pittsburgh, this South Florida team just MIGHT be a team that can go undefeated…but are they ready to do that? Hard to say.

In the Big 10, who woulda thought that Northwestern would be undefeated? I know one of the guys on PTI (one of my favorite shows on television) is a Northwestern alum and is probably clicking his heels. But don’t dance too long, this ride will end soon.

Of all of the current undefeated teams, Northwestern is the greatest pick to NOT finish undefeated. It is going to be VERY hard for this team to go undefeated considering their past and the competition of the Big 10. I think this balloon will deflate quickly once the hole is punched.

It’s odd that Northwestern won’t be playing the other undefeated team in Penn State. And to me, this is a feel-good story. Only a couple of years ago the idiots that work in the media was running stories that Joe Paterno should retire. What gives these idiots the right to tell a man who is an institution to retire? I for one am very glad to see that Penn State is doing so well. If a man can coach, let him coach, stop being so prejudiced with his age!

But having said that, can this Penn State team go undefeated? No games are guaranteed in the Big 10, so these guys will have to “bring it” every weekend. I just think the competition is just too tough for anybody to clear out the conference. And they also have to play Ohio State, which may be a huge game for both sides. It’s gonna be tough for either of these two teams AND Ohio State to claw through this. We could be looking at the Rose Bowl contender, rather than BCS contender.

Conference USA once thought they had their best chance at the BCS with ECU, but those hopes came crashing down very quickly when ECU lost not one, but two games in a row. But the real deal in the conference is Tulsa. This team has scored 219 points in 4 games!!!!!

What is going on over there??

The sad fact for ECU is that they don’t have Tulsa on the schedule, so the only way they can try to avenge those two losses is to meet Tulsa in the Conference Championship. But by then it might not matter, Tulsa will have lost a game by then. Yes this team was very good last year, winning 10 games, but to be GREAT you have to clean up the conference AND win the conference championship, something this team did not do. I am not saying they are doomed to fail, they seem to be the best team in Conference USA, but they slipped to two foes last year, I expect it to happen again, at least once. Undefeated, not likely, but they’ve got one heck of a shot at it….

Few people talk about the Mid-American Conference because these teams don’t make any kinda noise when it comes to BCS crashing. But there is still an undefeated team there in Ball State. Nobody’s gonna put this team in the top 5, and the strength of schedule is going to cripple any chances of this team getting a BCS bowl, but IF this team can go undefeated, it might make enough waves for somebody to strongly consider putting them in a high profile bowl…I mean, everybody likes winners….

Nobody talked about the Mountain West Conference early this year, but you cannot ignore it now. Up until last week there were 3 undefeated teams, and TCU losing to Oklahoma dropped it to two. But you still have Utah and BYU both undefeated… and ranked.

Utah’s quality wins over Michigan and Air Force makes them legit, and they will meet BYU at the end of they year…the stakes could be monumental, but can they stay undefeated until then? It’s gonna be tough, but any team that can beat Michigan in their own home turf can certainly play well on the road…maybe they CAN go undefeated until…

Until BYU.

BYU is also undefeated because they beat up on two Pac 10 teams. They are now the new darlings of the NCAA, but I wonder if they can beat the other three teams of the conference. TCU was recently ranked, Air Force is not an easy game at all, and then there is Utah. I gotta tell ya, if I had to bet on EITHER Utah or BYU being undefeated by the time they meet…I might lean to Utah…

But BYU is most people’s bet to sweep and possibly get that invite to the BCS bowl. The Championship Bowl…not quite sure yet…

I’d talk about the undefeated teams in the Pac 10, but then…there are none…

But the SEC has several. But if you told me that on this date, that the two undefeated teams in the SEC East were Vanderbilt and Kentucky, instead of Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina OR Georgia, I would say my final prayers…the world would be coming to an end.

(he said, crossing fingers)

But yet this is the case in the SEC. After Georgia’s embarrassing defeat, only Vandy and Kentucky are undefeated in the conference. But with the competition there so tough, there is no way either of these teams are going to sweep. It is already a credit that they have perfect records thus far, but I think by the end of the season, these two teams might be back near the bottom…this division is just too strong.

In the West, you have Alabama and LSU… well, we KNOW they gotta play each other, so one will lose. But I just kinda wonder if Alabama has been given too much credit. I mean, they beat then #9 Clemson…and where are those Tigers now? They beat Georgia, and I won’t take anything away from that, yet you still wonder how people can say they are the best team in the nation other than Oklahoma? I don’t see it. A 7-6 team flipping to an undefeated team in one year…I don’t see it. They might finish well, but undefeated, no.

Can the same be said of LSU? This is tough because we all know the SEC is extremely tough. And with a very hard game vs. Florida, we will see who is really the force to be reckoned with. It’s just too hard to come out undefeated in the SEC, but if there is any team with a chance, I have to nod to LSU. If so, look for them in the BCS Championship.

And then, there’s the Smurfs….

In the WAC Conference, Boise State is undefeated and possibly poised to make another run at the BCS bowls. Beating then ranked #17 Oregon was proof that this is no average team. Boise State has shook the world before, and they are in a position to do it again. If Hawaii was the power of last year, it would actually help Boise State because they need every quality win they can get. But the WAC is very weak, and the strength of schedule will rip them apart when it matters. But an undefeated team cannot be ignored, and they WILL be in the BCS bowls. But one loss, no matter to whom, will destroy any hopes of that.

So, my picks for the National Championship? Easy.

Syracuse vs. Duke

WHAT???

Oh, sorry about that, just had a brain fart… I better go take a nap…