CFZ Running backs today

[exciter]

Eh, for every Emmitt there’s how many Earl Campbell or Gale Sayers? Your trying to lump an individual player’s physical breakdown into a position group.

 

[Shane612]

I think NFL has become pass dominant league.
The run game is merely there to keep the defense honest. Plus life of a RB was never very long, anyway.
RBs like Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, OJ Simpson, Larry Csonka, Franco Harris, Walter Payton, Tony Dorsett and Earl Campbell are nothing but "Misty Watercolored Memories" in our minds.

 

[J12B]

I feel the athletes of today are generally faster and stronger. RB's may be getting hit harder today than in past decades.
Emmitt might not have lasted as long had he played in the current era.
Are there fewer grass fields today?

This 100%

The game play is much faster and hits are causing more wear and tare.

 

[Diehardblues]

What happened to running backs in the NFL? They're so fragile and soft in comparison to just a few years ago.

Barry Sanders was still at the top of his game when he hung it up after 10 years.

Emmitt played 15 years. So did Adrian Peterson.

Earnest Byner played 14, Jerome Bettis 13, Thurman Thomas 13, Ricky Watters 10, Eddie George 9, and a long list of guys played 8 seasons.

Nowadays, it's magical if a guy can play 6 seasons and still be worth a crap. Why?

The game isn't as physical as it was in the 90s and 00s. Guys played hurt and through concussions a lot more.

Running backs used to have a lot more carries than they do today. Two-back systems weren't utilized much.

Is it the money? Laziness? Lack of commitment? Social media distractions?

The breed of running backs had changed.

I think it has more to with Cap management. Unless it’s one of the very Elite RB’s it just isn’t sound Cap Mgmt to retain beyond Rookie contracts.

In most cases can find a suitable replacement in mid to early rounds. Just can’t over invest in RB’s anymore.

And once they suffer an injury it lessens their chances of resigning even more when you can go out and draft a replacement.

In a pass happy league the RB on most part seem smaller and probably why not as durable. More emphasis on speed than size.

 

[Cebrin]

Think of it as 90''s grunge rock, and all those who shamelessly redid it with a "twist" in the 2000's. Some of them did a great job, others are mostly immensely forgettable.

The lesson here is that 1990 was 30 years ago, and that music along with what was great in the 50's 60's 70's and 80's is still relevant. So when something withstands time, it grows a following. Especially when there's massive $ involved.

Essentially the league has grown, and therefore we are literally at a point where parents are grooming their athletic kids to play sports at a young age because they know how big of a meal ticket it can be. We used to just groom soldiers. Worst case scenario the kid graduates from college on a full ride, and becomes a presumably highly productive member of our society.


It's not rocket science really. If you tape a 5 dollar bill 12 feet up on the wall you can bet someone in P.E. is going to get it. Magnify that by MILLIONS.

(End all: Faster, Stronger, and not allowed to play hurt as much as back then because they cost too much)

 

[Buzzbait]

What happened to running backs in the NFL? They're so fragile and soft in comparison to just a few years ago.

Barry Sanders was still at the top of his game when he hung it up after 10 years.

Emmitt played 15 years. So did Adrian Peterson.

Earnest Byner played 14, Jerome Bettis 13, Thurman Thomas 13, Ricky Watters 10, Eddie George 9, and a long list of guys played 8 seasons.

Nowadays, it's magical if a guy can play 6 seasons and still be worth a crap. Why?

The game isn't as physical as it was in the 90s and 00s. Guys played hurt and through concussions a lot more.

Running backs used to have a lot more carries than they do today. Two-back systems weren't utilized much.

Is it the money? Laziness? Lack of commitment? Social media distractions?

The breed of running backs had changed.

Larry Csonka played 11 years in the NFL.
Interesting post erod@

 

[erod]

Eh, for every Emmitt there’s how many Earl Campbell or Gale Sayers? Your trying to lump an individual player’s physical breakdown into a position group.

I named several, and could name several more. Not just Emmitt.

 

[erod]

This 100%

The game play is much faster and hits are causing more wear and tare.

That's the thing. It's not faster and stronger than the 90sc at all. Not in the least. Deion, Larry Allen. Reggie White, Rod Woodson, and and a hundred others would dominate this league.

The 90s were the pinnacle of faster, stronger, tougher, and better.

Same goes for the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

 

[links18]

Props for using “anosorion.”

Geez, fat fingers....

 

[WillieBeamen]

Once more, it is a myth that has perpetuated for too long. Athletes are not bigger, faster and stronger. I've been hearing that since the early 80s and if it were remotely true then players would be 10 feet tall, 500 lbs, and run 3.5 forties.

Just from the Cowboys past: nobody today is faster than Bob Hayes, nobody is bigger than Kevin "Andre the Giant" Gogan, and nobody is stronger than Larry Allen.

LOL

 

[McKDaddy]

Once more, it is a myth that has perpetuated for too long. Athletes are not bigger, faster and stronger. I've been hearing that since the early 80s and if it were remotely true then players would be 10 feet tall, 500 lbs, and run 3.5 forties.

Just from the Cowboys past: nobody today is faster than Bob Hayes, nobody is bigger than Kevin "Andre the Giant" Gogan, and nobody is stronger than Larry Allen.

Not in singularity but as a whole they are absolutely bigger, faster, stronger. Heck, HOFers stand beside some of these dudes now and look like grade school children. The combine just completed and just look at how many dudes ran sub 4.4.

They are certainly better athletes. Sure some of it is that they now train from childhood and it's only natural that the longer the sport exists the more people really understand it and how to prepare to play the game.

 

[BEARCATSKLZ]

It is called Free agency. Hard to keep consistency at the O-Line with the cost of good O-Line Play; RBs go as your O-Line... No running back can be effective without lanes to run. Those great RB all had consistency in O-line play... RBs used to force trades due to teams not investing in their O-Lines... #Cory_Dillon,

If we are truly focused on the run.. (this year)... we need to invest in the O-Line.

 

[erod]

Not in singularity but as a whole they are absolutely bigger, faster, stronger. Heck, HOFers stand beside some of these dudes now and look like grade school children. The combine just completed and just look at how many dudes ran sub 4.4.

They are certainly better athletes. Sure some of it is that they now train from childhood and it's only natural that the longer the sport exists the more people really understand it and how to prepare to play the game.

Absolutely false. Most Hall of Famers shrink after their playing days. Always have.

 

[TwistedL0g1k]

On the interesting subject of the improvement of NFL players over time, one can google things like "have NFL player become stronger" etc... I discovered there is actually quite a bit of research on this. After reading a few articles, and seeing the statistics, I don't believe there is any debate on this subject.

 

[Teague31]

Dime a dozen. The smart move was to move on from zeke and pollard. Roll with Malik and a draft pick.

 

[Trendnet]

What happened to running backs in the NFL? They're so fragile and soft in comparison to just a few years ago.

Barry Sanders was still at the top of his game when he hung it up after 10 years.

Emmitt played 15 years. So did Adrian Peterson.

Earnest Byner played 14, Jerome Bettis 13, Thurman Thomas 13, Ricky Watters 10, Eddie George 9, and a long list of guys played 8 seasons.

Nowadays, it's magical if a guy can play 6 seasons and still be worth a crap. Why?

The game isn't as physical as it was in the 90s and 00s. Guys played hurt and through concussions a lot more.

Running backs used to have a lot more carries than they do today. Two-back systems weren't utilized much.

Is it the money? Laziness? Lack of commitment? Social media distractions?

The breed of running backs had changed.

Here's your list of all time leading runners - https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_career.htm

In short, op's comments are stupid

 

[Ranching]

What happened to running backs in the NFL? They're so fragile and soft in comparison to just a few years ago.

Barry Sanders was still at the top of his game when he hung it up after 10 years.

Emmitt played 15 years. So did Adrian Peterson.

Earnest Byner played 14, Jerome Bettis 13, Thurman Thomas 13, Ricky Watters 10, Eddie George 9, and a long list of guys played 8 seasons.

Nowadays, it's magical if a guy can play 6 seasons and still be worth a crap. Why?

The game isn't as physical as it was in the 90s and 00s. Guys played hurt and through concussions a lot more.

Running backs used to have a lot more carries than they do today. Two-back systems weren't utilized much.

Is it the money? Laziness? Lack of commitment? Social media distractions?

The breed of running backs had changed.

Bigger, faster defensive players....

 

[Aven8]

Crazy that Zeke is only 27 years old.

 

[Sydla]

I think it's a variety of things. As someone noted, less practices probably doesn't help. I think the size and speed of defenders is a factor. When Emmitt was playing, it was rare for guys that big to run that fast. Now those types of freak athletes are way more common.

 

[Blackrain]

What happened to running backs in the NFL? They're so fragile and soft in comparison to just a few years ago.

Barry Sanders was still at the top of his game when he hung it up after 10 years.

Emmitt played 15 years. So did Adrian Peterson.

Earnest Byner played 14, Jerome Bettis 13, Thurman Thomas 13, Ricky Watters 10, Eddie George 9, and a long list of guys played 8 seasons.

Nowadays, it's magical if a guy can play 6 seasons and still be worth a crap. Why?

The game isn't as physical as it was in the 90s and 00s. Guys played hurt and through concussions a lot more.

Running backs used to have a lot more carries than they do today. Two-back systems weren't utilized much.

Is it the money? Laziness? Lack of commitment? Social media distractions?

The breed of running backs had changed.

What happened to running backs in the NFL? They're so fragile and soft in comparison to just a few years ago.

Barry Sanders was still at the top of his game when he hung it up after 10 years.

Emmitt played 15 years. So did Adrian Peterson.

Earnest Byner played 14, Jerome Bettis 13, Thurman Thomas 13, Ricky Watters 10, Eddie George 9, and a long list of guys played 8 seasons.

Nowadays, it's magical if a guy can play 6 seasons and still be worth a crap. Why?

The game isn't as physical as it was in the 90s and 00s. Guys played hurt and through concussions a lot more.

Running backs used to have a lot more carries than they do today. Two-back systems weren't utilized much.

Is it the money? Laziness? Lack of commitment? Social media distractions?

The breed of running backs had changed.

The whole world's gotten soft why should running backs be any different.

The only thing people worry about now is moving the mouse.
If it takes any more effort than that they're really not into it.

Staying it long enough to get paid and get out That's all they care about super bowl rings me no more to them than something you got out of a gumball machine.

They're in it for the money they don't want to put out any more effort than absolutely necessary and get paid the maximum That's the reality.

Glad I got to watch football in the '60s '70s '80s and '90s when men were men and the game was really the game