LaDainian and Emmitt

[joseephuss]

When the year began LT had 11,760 rushing yards through 8 seasons. He ran for 730 yards this year giving him a total of 12,490 rushing yards through 9 seasons.

Emmitt had 11, 234 rushing yards through his first 8 seasons and 12,563 yards through his first 9 seasons.

LT has fallen off the pace and trails Emmitt by 76 yards after 9 years in the league. That is only based on years played in the NFL. LT is 30 years old after 9 seasons, while Emmitt was only 29 after 9 seasons. A year in age can make a difference. Emmitt only played 3 seasons of college ball at Florida while LT played all 4 at TCU. Those 369 carries that LT had his senior season in college still take a toll on the body compared to the 241 carries Emmitt had as a rookie in the NFL at that same age(21). Anyway that means that LT is now 1473 yards behind Emmitt at the same age.

Before this season began I thought the chances of LT breaking the all-time rushing record were slim at best. I now think they are non-existent. Looks like we need another contender to step up and it may be a while before that happens.

Speaking of running backs, what about Reggie Bush? He had his best year as far as yards per carry finally finishing a season over the 4.00 yds/carry barrier with 5.57 yards per carry this year. Too bad he finished with the lowest total rushing yards of his career with 390 yards. He also finished with the lowest receiving yards total of his career as well with 335 yards. He now has 1940 yards rushing for his entire 4 year career. This was the guy that was supposed to change the way the running back position was played. He has 1934 career receiving yards for a total of 3874 yards from scrimmage.

For comparisons sake, Emmitt had 6934 yards from scrimmage(5699 rushing/1235 receiving) after his first 4 years.

There once was another running back who had 6537 yards from scrimmage(4057 rushing/2480 receiving) after his first four years in the NFL. He came into the NFL under similar circumstances.

His arrival was hyped, but not quite as much as Reggies.

He came in with a Heisman trophy.

He joined a team that already had a veteran pro-bowl starter on the roster(the Saints had McCallister), so he had to/got to split carries.

He caught a lot of passes and set what was then the team record for receptions in a single year.

That running back was Herschel Walker.

 

[Hostile]

I think San Diego will release LT this off season. They'll draft someone to run with Sproles.

 

[DFWJC]

It's a different era now with huge salaries, concerns about concussions, backfield tandems, etc.... so unless they add games to the schedule, Emmitts record could be around for a long time.

 

[Big Dakota]

No Shot.................

 

[AmishCowboy]

All that talk ended quickly.

 

[BAZ]

It's quite scary how RB's can go from heros to nothing so quick. Edgerrin James comes to mind.......maybe not hero......but ya know........

 

[BeWare94]

When the year began LT had 11,760 rushing yards through 8 seasons. He ran for 730 yards this year giving him a total of 12,490 rushing yards through 9 seasons.

Emmitt had 11, 234 rushing yards through his first 8 seasons and 12,563 yards through his first 9 seasons.

LT has fallen off the pace and trails Emmitt by 76 yards after 9 years in the league. That is only based on years played in the NFL. LT is 30 years old after 9 seasons, while Emmitt was only 29 after 9 seasons. A year in age can make a difference. Emmitt only played 3 seasons of college ball at Florida while LT played all 4 at TCU. Those 369 carries that LT had his senior season in college still take a toll on the body compared to the 241 carries Emmitt had as a rookie in the NFL at that same age(21). Anyway that means that LT is now 1473 yards behind Emmitt at the same age.

Before this season began I thought the chances of LT breaking the all-time rushing record were slim at best. I now think they are non-existent. Looks like we need another contender to step up and it may be a while before that happens.

Speaking of running backs, what about Reggie Bush? He had his best year as far as yards per carry finally finishing a season over the 4.00 yds/carry barrier with 5.57 yards per carry this year. Too bad he finished with the lowest total rushing yards of his career with 390 yards. He also finished with the lowest receiving yards total of his career as well with 335 yards. He now has 1940 yards rushing for his entire 4 year career. This was the guy that was supposed to change the way the running back position was played. He has 1934 career receiving yards for a total of 3874 yards from scrimmage.

For comparisons sake, Emmitt had 6934 yards from scrimmage(5699 rushing/1235 receiving) after his first 4 years.

There once was another running back who had 6537 yards from scrimmage(4057 rushing/2480 receiving) after his first four years in the NFL. He came into the NFL under similar circumstances.

His arrival was hyped, but not quite as much as Reggies.

He came in with a Heisman trophy.

He joined a team that already had a veteran pro-bowl starter on the roster(the Saints had McCallister), so he had to/got to split carries.

He caught a lot of passes and set what was then the team record for receptions in a single year.

That running back was Herschel Walker.

At his current pace LaDainian will have to play until he's 40 to get Emmitt's record. With all his recent frailty, I don't see that happening. Emmitts record is a testament to his legendary durability. No team runs with one back anymore and the league has become so pass happy that no one will break this record for a long, long time if ever.

 

[Avery]

LT won't hit it as the Chargers have made no bones about wanting to involve Sproles more.

It's too early to say if AP or CJ can equal LT or not, but people forget about how productive Emmitt was for so many years when he were talking about drafting a replacement for him in his 30's.

 

[DFWJC]

At his current pace LaDainian will have to play until he's 40 to get Emmitt's record. With all his recent frailty, I don't see that happening. Emmitts record is a testament to his legendary durability. No team runs with one back anymore and the league has become so pass happy that no one will break this record for a long, long time if ever.

true...and also the incredible good fortune that Barry Sander retired early and did not care about those records. I'm an Emmitt fan, but just pointing out the obvious.

 

[DFWJC]

LT won't hit it as the Chargers have made no bones about wanting to involve Sproles more.

It's too early to say if AP or CJ can equal LT or not, but people forget about how productive Emmitt was for so many years when he were talking about drafting a replacement for him in his 30's.

Serioulsy doubt CJ or AD could do it for several reasons including long-term durability. It's a different game now with salary caps, earlier retirements (because pay is so high and increasing concussion worries), running back tandems, and more passing.

 

[joseephuss]

After two seasons Chris Johnson has 3234 yards. After two seasons Emmitt had 2500 yards. The difference is that CJ is already 24 years old in just his second NFL season. When Emmitt was 24 years old he had played 4 NFL seasons and totaled 5699 yards. That is a lot to make up.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

true...and also the incredible good fortune that Barry Sander retired early and did not care about those records. I'm an Emmitt fan, but just pointing out the obvious.

It takes a lot to get the rushing crown. Heart, health, talent, etc.

Emmitt isn't "fortunate" that Barry was a quitter.

The fact that Emmitt wrote down his goals his rookie year and worked his entire career to fulfill them is a testament to the kind of player he was.

Which is, of course, just one more reason why Emmitt was the better running back.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

After two seasons Chris Johnson has 3234 yards. After two seasons Emmitt had 2500 yards. The difference is that CJ is already 24 years old in just his second NFL season. When Emmitt was 24 years old he had played 4 NFL seasons and totaled 5699 yards. That is a lot to make up.

Waaaayyyy premature to even think CJ has a remote shot.

Heck, I remember many Commanders fans on the old ESPN boards swore up and down that Clinton Portis would break Emmitts record back in 2004.

 

[jcdavey]

When the year began LT had 11,760 rushing yards through 8 seasons. He ran for 730 yards this year giving him a total of 12,490 rushing yards through 9 seasons.

Emmitt had 11, 234 rushing yards through his first 8 seasons and 12,563 yards through his first 9 seasons.

LT has fallen off the pace and trails Emmitt by 76 yards after 9 years in the league. That is only based on years played in the NFL. LT is 30 years old after 9 seasons, while Emmitt was only 29 after 9 seasons. A year in age can make a difference. Emmitt only played 3 seasons of college ball at Florida while LT played all 4 at TCU. Those 369 carries that LT had his senior season in college still take a toll on the body compared to the 241 carries Emmitt had as a rookie in the NFL at that same age(21). Anyway that means that LT is now 1473 yards behind Emmitt at the same age.

Before this season began I thought the chances of LT breaking the all-time rushing record were slim at best. I now think they are non-existent. Looks like we need another contender to step up and it may be a while before that happens.

Speaking of running backs, what about Reggie Bush? He had his best year as far as yards per carry finally finishing a season over the 4.00 yds/carry barrier with 5.57 yards per carry this year. Too bad he finished with the lowest total rushing yards of his career with 390 yards. He also finished with the lowest receiving yards total of his career as well with 335 yards. He now has 1940 yards rushing for his entire 4 year career. This was the guy that was supposed to change the way the running back position was played. He has 1934 career receiving yards for a total of 3874 yards from scrimmage.

For comparisons sake, Emmitt had 6934 yards from scrimmage(5699 rushing/1235 receiving) after his first 4 years.

There once was another running back who had 6537 yards from scrimmage(4057 rushing/2480 receiving) after his first four years in the NFL. He came into the NFL under similar circumstances.

His arrival was hyped, but not quite as much as Reggies.

He came in with a Heisman trophy.

He joined a team that already had a veteran pro-bowl starter on the roster(the Saints had McCallister), so he had to/got to split carries.

He caught a lot of passes and set what was then the team record for receptions in a single year.

That running back was Herschel Walker.

yeah there's no way LT breaks the yards or td record IMO


and if sd wins a sb i could see him retiring and not even playing in 2010

 

[joseephuss]

Waaaayyyy premature to even think CJ has a remote shot.

Heck, I remember many Commanders fans on the old ESPN boards swore up and down that Clinton Portis would break Emmitts record back in 2004.

It really is. It is kind of like a round of golf. I may start off very well on the first few holes, but then I blow up somewhere in the middle of the round or late in the round and end up shooting over a 100 again. Emmitt was able to play every hole pretty well and finished all 18 in the round. LT has faded late in the round and CJ has yet to face the entire course.

This is the kind of record that you really don't even consider someone breaking until they have played at least 9 or 10 seasons. And that is something because 9 or 10 seasons is a lifetime in the NFL especially for the running back position. And the record was that way when Payton still held it. Now Emmitt has 1629 more yards than Sweetness finished with at the time.

 

[DFWJC]

It takes a lot to get the rushing crown. Heart, health, talent, etc.

Emmitt isn't "fortunate" that Barry was a quitter.

The fact that Emmitt wrote down his goals his rookie year and worked his entire career to fulfill them is a testament to the kind of player he was.

Which is, of course, just one more reason why Emmitt was the better running back.

I figured someone would take that as me saying Barry > Emmitt...which I was not. I was just pointing out the fact that Barry had a nice lead and retired near his peak....kind of just stating the facts.

I am an Emmitt fan by the way, but I do think personal goals meant more to him than to others. I know two players that played with him, and they said it was a fact....and they did not mean it in a bad way. Emmitt looked out for Emmitt, by skipping preseason work, running out of boaunds when it was smart to do so, etc. He preserved himself well.

 

[Phoenix]

When the year began LT had 11,760 rushing yards through 8 seasons. He ran for 730 yards this year giving him a total of 12,490 rushing yards through 9 seasons.

Emmitt had 11, 234 rushing yards through his first 8 seasons and 12,563 yards through his first 9 seasons.

LT has fallen off the pace and trails Emmitt by 76 yards after 9 years in the league. That is only based on years played in the NFL. LT is 30 years old after 9 seasons, while Emmitt was only 29 after 9 seasons. A year in age can make a difference. Emmitt only played 3 seasons of college ball at Florida while LT played all 4 at TCU. Those 369 carries that LT had his senior season in college still take a toll on the body compared to the 241 carries Emmitt had as a rookie in the NFL at that same age(21). Anyway that means that LT is now 1473 yards behind Emmitt at the same age.

Before this season began I thought the chances of LT breaking the all-time rushing record were slim at best. I now think they are non-existent. Looks like we need another contender to step up and it may be a while before that happens.

Speaking of running backs, what about Reggie Bush? He had his best year as far as yards per carry finally finishing a season over the 4.00 yds/carry barrier with 5.57 yards per carry this year. Too bad he finished with the lowest total rushing yards of his career with 390 yards. He also finished with the lowest receiving yards total of his career as well with 335 yards. He now has 1940 yards rushing for his entire 4 year career. This was the guy that was supposed to change the way the running back position was played. He has 1934 career receiving yards for a total of 3874 yards from scrimmage.

For comparisons sake, Emmitt had 6934 yards from scrimmage(5699 rushing/1235 receiving) after his first 4 years.

There once was another running back who had 6537 yards from scrimmage(4057 rushing/2480 receiving) after his first four years in the NFL. He came into the NFL under similar circumstances.

His arrival was hyped, but not quite as much as Reggies.

He came in with a Heisman trophy.

He joined a team that already had a veteran pro-bowl starter on the roster(the Saints had McCallister), so he had to/got to split carries.

He caught a lot of passes and set what was then the team record for receptions in a single year.

That running back was Herschel Walker.

If Herschel had not first gone to the USFL, his stats would have been much better in the NFL. I forget...is he in the HoF? If not, he definitely should be. After all, it's not the "NFL HoF".

LT is not going to eclipse Emmitt. I guess the two threats out there right now today, albeit many years of productivity away, would be Chris Johnson, and Adrian Peterson. They're both studs.

Takes a lot though. A tremendous amount. The years are not kind, generally speaking. Bodies break down, teams have their cycles. Takes skill, luck, perseverance to reach where Emmitt did. So many x-factors.

I really don't expect to see another RB eclipse Emmitt in the foreseeable future, probably not in my lifetime, and I'm 48. No, wait, let me rephrase that: "I'M 48! I'M A MAN!" ha ha.