Ok TGP, It's time for a Top 10 RB list

[housemd 338]

New Orleans was dumb to not use him more. Every time he touches the ball he adds life to their offense. As a Falcons fan, I hate when he's in because he always kills us. Thomas is massively underrated.

I agree that he's underrated but he isn't a top 10 RB. Arian and Jamaal Charles should be there.

[Kayoh 1]

I agree that he's underrated but he isn't a top 10 RB. Arian and Jamaal Charles should be there.

Arian is a product of Houston's system. Tate & Forsett both had better YPA than him but he was fed the most. Literally the most actually, he's the only back in the NFL to have gotten more rushes than Peterson this year. Jamaal Charles isn't a top 10 RB. He thrives on bad run defenses and his YPA is only as good as it is because of his 4-5 70+ yard runs padding his stats. Pierre needs some recognition.

[housemd 338]

Arian is a product of Houston's system. Tate & Forsett both had better YPA than him but he was fed the most. Literally the most actually, he's the only back in the NFL to have gotten more rushes than Peterson this year. Jamaal Charles isn't a top 10 RB. He thrives on bad run defenses and his YPA is only as good as it is because of his 4-5 70+ yard runs padding his stats. Pierre needs some recognition.

Tate and Forsett having a better YPA than Foster is completely irrelevant. Bernard Pierce has a better YPA than Rice,so does that actually change something? No,Rice is still a top 5 back.

 

As for Charles,saying that he thrives on bad run defenses is ridiculous. He's faced 5 top 15 run defenses in the league(Tampa,Steelers,Broncos x2,Chargers x2,Panthers) and he put up some really impressive numbers,including a 100-yard game against us. Also,what's wrong with 70+ yard runs? AP had a few of those,Doug Martin a couple I think and it doesn't hurt them at all. Isn't that "padding the stats",too?

[Dutch 874]

No Arian Foster or Jamaal Charles on your list but you have Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Thomas on your list??

 

Arian is a product of Houston's system.

 

5. Alfred Morris - I couldn't rank him above Doug Martin due to the Shanahan scheme, but he's still phenomenal. Not a lot of standout RBs this year.

 

[Kayoh 1]

No Arian Foster or Jamaal Charles on your list but you have Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Thomas on your list??

 

 

 

 

 

Alfred Morris averages 3 yards after contact per rush.

 

Arian Foster averages 2.2 yards after contact per rush.

 

Their OLines/schemes are almost equal, too. Foster's gets him 1.9 per rush, Morris 1.8. Near identical, but even if you want to play technicalities, Foster's OL is better than Almo's. The difference is what they do after contact, where Alfred Morris accumulated 1,001 yards on his 335 carries, where Foster only managed 766 on his 351 carries.

 

I'm not looking at this like "herp derp hu duz da best n fantasy" I'm looking at it from the standpoint of putting these players in a vaccuum. Who does the most with the least? Who forces the most missed tackles, who is the most elusive, who gets the most yards after contact, who gets more than just what their OL gives them? Jamaal Charles only gets about 41.5% of his yards after contact. Compare that to Peterson or Spiller who are both at 60% or better. Pierre Thomas? 62.2%. Alfred Morris? 62.5%.

 

Arian Foster? 53.7%. The only RBs (with 100+ attempts) who's YPC is less % after contact than Foster are Charles, Chris Johnson, and Reggie Bush. He's just not that great. Compare that to somebody like Doug Martin, who gets nearly 70% of his yards after contact, or even Alfred Morris, who, despite being in a similar zone/cut blocking scheme as Foster, averages 62.5% of his yards after contact, and you realize that Foster is the product of a system and being fed the ball 20+ times a game consistently, and not actually that great of a back.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I feel like the rise of Will Montgomery had a lot to do with how well Morris ran the ball, but by that logic, AP's success would be partially aided by the rise of John Sullivan. I don't want to hear about lines or schemes or opponents. Top 10 backs are top 10 backs.

 

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Ray Rice

3. Marshawn Lynch

4. Jamaal Charles

5. Arian Foster

6. LeSean McCoy

7. Doug Martin

8. Alfred Morris

9. Chris Johnson

10. MJD

 

This is off the top of my head. Feel free to point out anybody I left off.

 

I considered dropping MJD completely off the list, but he was gone because of injury. I don't really think he's the same player anymore, but I'll let next year show me whether or not that's the case before I discard him entirely.

[Dutch 874]

Alfred Morris averages 3 yards after contact per rush.

 

Arian Foster averages 2.2 yards after contact per rush.

 

Their OLines/schemes are almost equal, too. Foster's gets him 1.9 per rush, Morris 1.8. Near identical, but even if you want to play technicalities, Foster's OL is better than Almo's. The difference is what they do after contact, where Alfred Morris accumulated 1,001 yards on his 335 carries, where Foster only managed 766 on his 351 carries.

 

I'm not looking at this like "herp derp hu duz da best n fantasy" I'm looking at it from the standpoint of putting these players in a vaccuum. Who does the most with the least? Who forces the most missed tackles, who is the most elusive, who gets the most yards after contact, who gets more than just what their OL gives them? Jamaal Charles only gets about 41.5% of his yards after contact. Compare that to Peterson or Spiller who are both at 60% or better. Pierre Thomas? 62.2%. Alfred Morris? 62.5%.

 

Arian Foster? 53.7%. The only RBs (with 100+ attempts) who's YPC is less % after contact than Foster are Charles, Chris Johnson, and Reggie Bush. He's just not that great. Compare that to somebody like Doug Martin, who gets nearly 70% of his yards after contact, or even Alfred Morris, who, despite being in a similar zone/cut blocking scheme as Foster, averages 62.5% of his yards after contact, and you realize that Foster is the product of a system and being fed the ball 20+ times a game consistently, and not actually that great of a back.

 

 

 

 

Alfred Morris had an amazing season but he is the beneficiary of the RG3 effect. Having a mobile QB opens up holes for RBs because the defense has to play different. They have to play to possibly prevent the QB run. DE's have to contain etc which creates lanes for the RB. With that being said, I'm not taking anything away from Alfred Morris who did his job in taking advantage of what was in front of him. But between having a mobile QB open up lanes for the RB and Shanahan's reputation of spitting 1,000 yard rushers out his ass with that zone block scheme... yeah.

 

Now, Arian Foster is a proven RB with a body of work. The reason why I put an emphasis on that is because we know that he isn't a one year wonder. His production is still up there but his average per carry definitely went down. Foster wasn't as explosive this year as he has been the last couple of years. He just grinded out hard yards and moved the chains. But he's put together 3 great seasons and is no way Arian Foster NOT in the top 10 or a rookie better then him. Consistency is what matters. That's just absurd.

 

Jamaal Charles only gets about 41.5% of his yards after contact. Compare that to Peterson or Spiller who are both at 60% or better. Pierre Thomas? 62.2%. Alfred Morris? 62.5%.

 

Just wanted to touch on this part. Are you just judging the RBs only on the yards after contact? What about the times that Jamaal Charles didn't get contacted because he found the hole and darted (speed kills) up the middle untouched? Or how about the times when he outran defenders to the sideline then burst up the sideline for the score? Runners have different play styles. Some are more physical then others and some are speedsters / finesse runners. Production is production and you can't downplay J.C's production because of yards after contact.... He has averaged over 5.3 yards per carry (6.4 in 2010 which is an nfl record) since he's been in the league which is simply unheard of. The boy can ball.

 

 

The fact that Ahmad Bradshaw and more importantly Pierre Thomas who has only accumulated 473 yards on the season and 1 TD is shouldn't have even warranted a response tbh. I actually thought you were trolling until I saw post of you defending your picks. At the end of the day, it's your opinion so rock on bro.

Edited January 12, 2013 by dutchff7

[BLUE 1,026]

I love Ahmad Bradshaw, and I agree that he's a beast in pass-pro, but having him above guys like Ray Rice, Shady McCoy, Jamaal Charles and just boggles my mind ...

 

I'd put Ahmad somewhere in the teens ...

Edited January 12, 2013 by BLUE

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Kayoh brings up an interesting point about the fact that the Saints backs (Ivory and Thomas) are both underrated. Simply because they are in a pass heavy offense, they don't receive the amount of touches to exploit the fact that they are both above average runners. Chris Ivory is one the hardest runners in the league IMO, I think any NFC South fan can agree with that.

 

However, in terms of production for their team and placed in the overall pool of RB's at large...they don't touch the top 20. Untapped talent, unfortunately.

[Dutch 874]

Kayoh brings up an interesting point about the fact that the Saints backs (Ivory and Thomas) are both underrated. Simply because they are in a pass heavy offense, they don't receive the amount of touches to exploit the fact that they are both above average runners. Chris Ivory is one the hardest runners in the league IMO, I think any NFC South fan can agree with that.

 

However, in terms of production for their team and placed in the overall pool of RB's at large...they don't touch the top 20. Untapped talent, unfortunately.

 

 

Underrated and under utilized but simply haven't done enough to be in a top 10 conversation. You can't say they are above average runners until they have toted the rock for a FULL season like the rest of these guys on the list. Package or situational runners with limited touches can look great in limited roles. That doesn't mean their opportunistic success would translate into a great season if given the responsibility of a full load.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Underrated and under utilized but simply haven't done enough to be in a top 10 conversation. You can't say they are above average runners until they have toted the rock for a FULL season like the rest of these guys on the list. Package or situational runners with limited touches can look great in limited roles. That doesn't mean their opportunistic success would translate into a great season if given the responsibility of a full load.

 

Pierre Thomas' had a starting role for two full seasons in a RB by committee backfield and a top passing offense.

 

His rushing numbers are so:

 

2008 followed by 2009

 

GP ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LST

15 129 625 4.8 42 9 43 1 1 2008

 

14 147 793 5.4 34 6 36 1 1 2009

 

His receiving numbers, also in the same years.

 

GP REC TGTS YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LST

15 31 41 284 9.2 24 3 15 0 0 2008

 

14 39 45 302 7.7 36 2 12 1 0 2009

 

To me, Thomas has shown that he can be efficient, and that he CAN be a starter somewhere else in this league. Remember, in 2008 and 2009, he was splitting time with both Reggie Bush and Chris Ivory, but he was still deemed the starter.

 

Not saying he's a top 20 RB in the least, but I think it's safe to say that if he were to leave NO and be a primary back, he could produce, not sure how much...but he's no slouch.

 

So I understand where you're coming from, but I also understand where Kayoh is coming from...but don't agree with his stance.

[Dutch 874]

Pierre Thomas' had a starting role for two full seasons in a RB by committee backfield and a top passing offense.

 

His rushing numbers are so:

 

2008 followed by 2009

 

GP ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LST

15 129 625 4.8 42 9 43 1 1 2008

 

14 147 793 5.4 34 6 36 1 1 2009

 

His receiving numbers, also in the same years.

 

GP REC TGTS YDS AVG LNG TD FD FUM LST

15 31 41 284 9.2 24 3 15 0 0 2008

 

14 39 45 302 7.7 36 2 12 1 0 2009

 

To me, Thomas has shown that he can be efficient, and that he CAN be a starter somewhere else in this league. Remember, in 2008 and 2009, he was splitting time with both Reggie Bush and Chris Ivory, but he was still deemed the starter.

 

Not saying he's a top 20 RB in the least, but I think it's safe to say that if he were to leave NO and be a primary back, he could produce, not sure how much...but he's no slouch.

 

So I understand where you're coming from, but I also understand where Kayoh is coming from...but don't agree with his stance.

 

 

Any RB for the Saints is doomed from the start. I understand where he is coming from as well but I feel as though you gotta put in the work first. I also believe in order to eligible to get ranked in statistical running categories, the RB has to have a minimum of 200 carries which Thomas has never done in his career.

Edited January 12, 2013 by dutchff7

[UnDeadPool 2]

Top Rbs 10 2012

 

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Arian Foster

3. Marshawn Lynch

4. Chris Johnson

5. Jamaal Charles

6. Ray Rice

7. Doug Martin

8. Alfred Morris

9. Frank Gore

10. Cj Spiller

[Bay 2,003]

Did I see a Reggie Bush somewhere. Really?

[Dutch 874]

1. Adrian Peterson: A.P is the best RB in the league by far. Imo, he's been the best RB in the league since 2007 game 9 against the Chargers setting the single game rushing record dethroning L.T as the current best RB in the league. We've never witnessed a RB do what he did before after an injury like that. Think we are watching history; the best RB to ever play the game in the making. We've never seen a RB with the combination of his size, strength, speed, and agility. Wanna know why? Because A.P is a fucking machine! For more of my man love for A.P http://www.thegridironpalace.com/forums/index.php?/topic/62563-peyton-manning-or-adrian-peterson-for-cpoy/page__st__40 Post # 50.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-2012-elite-performers/0ap2000000114016/2012-Best-of-Adrian-Peterson

 

2. LeSean McCoy: Call me a homer but Shady is the 2nd best RB in the NFL imo. Easily the most elusive RB in the game. Great vision and amazing agility being able to cut on the dime leaving defenders stuck; the closest thing to Barry Sanders. Decimated by O-line injuries, his own injuries and a coach that didn't know how to utilize his talents. Shady was really the only bright spot on our offense this year surrounded by a muck of shit.

 

3. Jamaal Charles: Jamaal Charles stepped up huge on my list. The reason why is because he gets the most out of his carries. His average yards per carry is staggering in his last 3 healthy seasons; especially the record he set in 2010. Home run back right here.

 

4. Ray Rice: Another great back. A great runner and one of the best receiving RB in the league. He could be greater then what he is but he is also under utilized.

 

5. Marshawn Lynch: Beast mode pounded his way into my top 5 this year. He is by far the toughest and most physical ground and pound runner in the league. Straight beast mode!

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-2012-elite-performers/0ap2000000120359/2012-Best-of-Marshawn-Lynch

 

6. Arian Foster: Arian has been easily a top 5 pick for the last 2-3 years. He was a straight workhorse this year with 351 attempts. His numbers are up there but he was no where as explosive as he's been the last couple of years. A lot of short yardage gains but did manage to move the chains. His average was also kinda low and he has the best offensive line in the league (3 pro bowlers) with that zone block run scheme.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-2012-elite-performers/0ap2000000124286/2012-Best-of-Arian-Foster

 

7. Chris Johnson: People tend to forget / ride off C.J. He is still a top RB in this league. Five consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. His body of work speaks for itself. I just like some of the attributes of the other RBs more. If I want a speedster, I'd have to go with Jamaal Charles.

 

8. Frank Gore: The inconvenient troop. One of the toughest and slightly under rated / over looked RBs in the league. He always plays hard and still does his thing. One of the more consistent vets in this league.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-2012-elite-performers/0ap2000000124404/2012-Best-of-Frank-Gore

 

9.Alfred Morris: I usually don't include rookies on my list but it's no way that A.M could be left off this list. He took the league by storm averaging over 100 yards a game. He's a very strong physical down hill runner and has some shifty short cut moves to go along with his physicality as well. He was apart of the #1 rushing attack in the league. You can't leave that out.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-2012-elite-performers/0ap2000000122077/2012-Best-of-Alfred-Morris

 

10. C.J Spiller: Definitely the most improved RB of the year. His progression was exciting to watch. He seemed to be a different player. Curious to see if he's going to keep it up next year.

 

Revamping my list

 

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Jamaal Charles

3. LeSean McCoy

4. Marshawn Lynch

5. Ray Rice

6. Arian Foster

7. Frank Gore

8. Chris Johnson

9. MJD

10.Matte Forte

 

Honorable Mention: Doug Martin, Steven Jackson & Alfred Morris.

 

One more season like last year, Doug Martin will skip a few spots up my list.

Edited June 17, 2013 by dutchff7

[butta54 371]

I think you have McCoy way too low. I hate the Eagles, but McCoy is a beast. Wasn't his fault that Andy Reid didn't give him enough touches

 

Nah I like him where he is lol. Honestly I'm not a huge McCoy fan, but I do recognize his talent so I put him on my list. I think he is very elusive, but I'm not a big fan of his style or vision. In short he still has room to grow.

Edited May 20, 2013 by butta55

[Bay 2,003]

Everyone who left off Gore will not be getting cookies.

[Dutch 874]

Nah I like him where he is lol. Honestly I'm not a huge McCoy fan, but I do recognize his talent so I put him on my list. I think he is very elusive, but I'm not a big fan of his style or vision. In short he still has room to grow.

 

McCoy has great vision.

[Davy Jones Locker 5]

I'm sorry, there are just not many people that I agree with in this thread...

 

It's a general consensus that the NFL is a "What have you done for me lately?" league. So unless specified in particularly, when judging the top 10 you have to go with the most recent stats recorded (in other words, the 2012 season). I understand that some RB's seem to have a higher ceiling than others, and that some may have consistently played at a high level over a number of years. But what have you done for me lately???

 

RB's primarily are ball carriers and should be judged as such (however, as I will point out, their total production doesn't end there). So if you are forming a list of the top RB's in 2012, and the top 5 rushers from scrimmage (per stats) are nowhere near YOUR top 5, then in my humble opinion, YOU ARE WRONG!

 

TOP FIVE RUSHERS FROM SCRIMMAGE (per http://wp.advancednflstats.com):

 

1) Adrian Peterson 2097 yds

2) Alfred Morris 1606 yds

3) Marshawn Lynch 1590 yds

4) Jamaal Charles 1513 yds

5) Doug Martin 1454 yds

 

Over the course of a season, RB's should be judged by PRODUCTION. So basically, if you are a ball carrier, and your rushing stats are not in the top 5, then unless you have strong production elsewhere you are not a top 5 RB... Regardless of how high your perceived ceiling may be...

 

 

What other factors are key in production for a RB??? I admit, this is my own synopsis, but you may agree so hear me out:

 

1) Receiving yds

 

2) Yards per carry

 

3) Fumbles

 

If you are an RB who is not TOP 5 in rushing, then you'd better be elite in the three above categories to even sniff top 5...

 

 

Now let's look at the top 5 RECEIVING RB's:

1) Darren Sproles 667

2) M. Reece 496

3) J. Bell 485

4) Ray Rice 478

5) Doug Martin 472

 

 

 

Now "yards per carry" is a benchmark stat... What do I mean by that? What I mean is that you could have a 4.0 ypc, or even 15.5 ypc (which would be insane), but the bare minimum to be a productive RB in this category would be to have AT LEAST a 3.4 ypc. The theory here is that if an RB rushes at 3.4 ypc, then by running him 3 consecutive downs, he will achieve a First Down (3.4yds * 3 > 10yds).

Let's make sure our top 5 ball carriers have AT LEAST 3.4 ypc:

 

1) Adrian Peterson 6.0 ypc

2) Alfred Morris 4.8 ypc

3) Marshawn Lynch 5.0 ypc

4) Jamaal Charles 5.3 ypc

5) Doug Martin 4.6 ypc

Yep, looks like all the top 5 rushers from 2012 qualify over the 3.4 Ypc benchmark... So what else do we have to judge the top 5 rushers (before we can even begin to contemplate the TOP 10 list)???

 

 

FUMBLES amongst the TOP 5 (per http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/rushing/sort/rushingYards):

1) Adrian Peterson 3 FUMBLES

2) Alfred Morris 4 FUMBLES

3) Marshawn Lynch 4 FUMBLES

4) Jamaal Charles 5 FUMBLES

5) Doug Martin 1 FUMBLE....

 

 

 

Now something I haven't mentioned up to this point is RUSHING TD'S... Let's see the top 5 leaderboard in that category...

 

 

Rushing TD Leaders:

1) Arian Foster 15

2) Alfred Morris 13

*tied for third *

3a) Adrian Peterson 12

3b) Stevan Ridley 12

*tied for fourth*

4a) Marshawn Lynch 11

4b) Doug Martin 11

4c) Trent Richardson 11

 

5) Michael Turner 10

 

 

Now let's get down to the NITTY-GRITTY...

 

TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE OF TOP 5 RUSHERS FEATURING RUSHING AND RECEIVING:

1) Adrian Peterson 2097 yds + 217 yds rec = 2314 yds from scrimmage

2) Doug Martin 1454 yds + 472 yds rec= 1926 yds from scrimmage

3) Marshawn Lynch 1590 yds + 196 yds rec= 1786 yds from scrimmage

4) Jamaal Charles 1513 yds + 236 yds rec= 1749 yds from scrimmage

5) Alfred Morris 1606 yds + 77 yds rec= 1683 yds from scrimmage

Have you noticed that in all the categories that I've listed regarding the top 5 rushers, that DOUG MARTIN is in everyone of them??? These are not just random categories that I'm pulling out of my rear end either... These are VITAL STATS IN WHICH MANY PEOPLE JUDGE AN RB... You can't say that for all top five rushers...

 

When you look at the TOTAL PRODUCTION (from scrimmage, as well as fumbles and other stuff, WHY IS IT THAT IN MANY POSTS IN THIS THREAD, HE'S NOT EVEN NAMED IN THE TOP TEN??? WHAT ELSE DOES HE HAVE TO DO (other than be the second most productive RB IN THE NFL amongst more than 60 RB's in the league)???

 

My dude is getting MAJOR disrespect through negligence (and maybe ignorance???)...

 

Even the major sites with their 50,000 lists in the offseason are participating in the blasphemy (NFL.COM, ESPN.COM, etc...).

 

 

 

 

So from this point forward, if you are making a list of the top RB's for 2012 and you don't have DOUG MARTIN listed in TOP 3 (bare minimum TOP 5) rookie or not, YOU ARE WRONG!!!

 

 

IMHO...

 

P.S. I now open the floor for discussion...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

^Good post and welcome to the boards. Nice to see another Bucs fan.

 

As much as I love Dougie, I think the main reason he isn't in most people's top 5, including mine, is because he needs to show he can put up this type of production for more than 1 year. If he produces like this next year, I think pretty much everyone will have him in their top 5.

 

And I am pretty confident I will have him in my top 5 when we do this list next year.

[Dutch 874]

I'm sorry, there are just not many people that I agree with in this thread...

 

It's a general consensus that the NFL is a "What have you done for me lately?" league. So unless specified in particularly, when judging the top 10 you have to go with the most recent stats recorded (in other words, the 2012 season). I understand that some RB's seem to have a higher ceiling than others, and that some may have consistently played at a high level over a number of years. But what have you done for me lately???

 

RB's primarily are ball carriers and should be judged as such (however, as I will point out, their total production doesn't end there). So if you are forming a list of the top RB's in 2012, and the top 5 rushers from scrimmage (per stats) are nowhere near YOUR top 5, then in my humble opinion, YOU ARE WRONG!

 

TOP FIVE RUSHERS FROM SCRIMMAGE (per http://wp.advancednflstats.com):

 

1) Adrian Peterson 2097 yds

2) Alfred Morris 1606 yds

3) Marshawn Lynch 1590 yds

4) Jamaal Charles 1513 yds

5) Doug Martin 1454 yds

 

Over the course of a season, RB's should be judged by PRODUCTION. So basically, if you are a ball carrier, and your rushing stats are not in the top 5, then unless you have strong production elsewhere you are not a top 5 RB... Regardless of how high your perceived ceiling may be...

 

 

What other factors are key in production for a RB??? I admit, this is my own synopsis, but you may agree so hear me out:

 

1) Receiving yds

 

2) Yards per carry

 

3) Fumbles

 

If you are an RB who is not TOP 5 in rushing, then you'd better be elite in the three above categories to even sniff top 5...

 

 

Now let's look at the top 5 RECEIVING RB's:

1) Darren Sproles 667

2) M. Reece 496

3) J. Bell 485

4) Ray Rice 478

5) Doug Martin 472

 

 

 

Now "yards per carry" is a benchmark stat... What do I mean by that? What I mean is that you could have a 4.0 ypc, or even 15.5 ypc (which would be insane), but the bare minimum to be a productive RB in this category would be to have AT LEAST a 3.4 ypc. The theory here is that if an RB rushes at 3.4 ypc, then by running him 3 consecutive downs, he will achieve a First Down (3.4yds * 3 > 10yds).

Let's make sure our top 5 ball carriers have AT LEAST 3.4 ypc:

 

1) Adrian Peterson 6.0 ypc

2) Alfred Morris 4.8 ypc

3) Marshawn Lynch 5.0 ypc

4) Jamaal Charles 5.3 ypc

5) Doug Martin 4.6 ypc

Yep, looks like all the top 5 rushers from 2012 qualify over the 3.4 Ypc benchmark... So what else do we have to judge the top 5 rushers (before we can even begin to contemplate the TOP 10 list)???

 

 

FUMBLES amongst the TOP 5 (per http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/rushing/sort/rushingYards):

1) Adrian Peterson 3 FUMBLES

2) Alfred Morris 4 FUMBLES

3) Marshawn Lynch 4 FUMBLES

4) Jamaal Charles 5 FUMBLES

5) Doug Martin 1 FUMBLE....

 

 

 

Now something I haven't mentioned up to this point is RUSHING TD'S... Let's see the top 5 leaderboard in that category...

 

 

Rushing TD Leaders:

1) Arian Foster 15

2) Alfred Morris 13

*tied for third *

3a) Adrian Peterson 12

3b) Stevan Ridley 12

*tied for fourth*

4a) Marshawn Lynch 11

4b) Doug Martin 11

4c) Trent Richardson 11

 

5) Michael Turner 10

 

 

Now let's get down to the NITTY-GRITTY...

 

TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE OF TOP 5 RUSHERS FEATURING RUSHING AND RECEIVING:

1) Adrian Peterson 2097 yds + 217 yds rec = 2314 yds from scrimmage

2) Doug Martin 1454 yds + 472 yds rec= 1926 yds from scrimmage

3) Marshawn Lynch 1590 yds + 196 yds rec= 1786 yds from scrimmage

4) Jamaal Charles 1513 yds + 236 yds rec= 1749 yds from scrimmage

5) Alfred Morris 1606 yds + 77 yds rec= 1683 yds from scrimmage

Have you noticed that in all the categories that I've listed regarding the top 5 rushers, that DOUG MARTIN is in everyone of them??? These are not just random categories that I'm pulling out of my rear end either... These are VITAL STATS IN WHICH MANY PEOPLE JUDGE AN RB... You can't say that for all top five rushers...

 

When you look at the TOTAL PRODUCTION (from scrimmage, as well as fumbles and other stuff, WHY IS IT THAT IN MANY POSTS IN THIS THREAD, HE'S NOT EVEN NAMED IN THE TOP TEN??? WHAT ELSE DOES HE HAVE TO DO (other than be the second most productive RB IN THE NFL amongst more than 60 RB's in the league)???

 

My dude is getting MAJOR disrespect through negligence (and maybe ignorance???)...

 

Even the major sites with their 50,000 lists in the offseason are participating in the blasphemy (NFL.COM, ESPN.COM, etc...).

 

 

 

 

So from this point forward, if you are making a list of the top RB's for 2012 and you don't have DOUG MARTIN listed in TOP 3 (bare minimum TOP 5) rookie or not, YOU ARE WRONG!!!

 

 

IMHO...

 

P.S. I now open the floor for discussion...

 

 

 

Welcome to the boards and awesome first post. I really appreciate the research you did. Now with that being said and out the way, you threw out a bunch of stats making a stance for Doug Martin but failed to make a top 10 list lol. My list isn't devised based solely off of last year. Ideally it's players that built up a body of work for the past couple of seasons. Don't get me wrong, Doug Martin had an outstanding year; but that;s just one year. We've seen plenty of one season wonders in this league. Granted, I don't believe Doug Martin is a one season wonder. Like you said though, the general consensus of the NFL is "What have you done for me lately?" Something else that NFL values in high regard is consistency which is something a rookie can't provide on their resume. Like I said though, if Doug Martin were to have another year like he had this past season, he's definitely going to move up on my list. He just has to prove to be consistent. You can have an elite season but you have to prove consistency to be in elite categories. Let's see that list homie!

Edited May 23, 2013 by dutchff7

[beastofmideast 4]

1. Adrian Peterson - Because seriously, who else would be here

2. Jamaal Charles - An absolute animal on what was one of the NFLs most boring teams

3. Ray Rice - Versatile and reliable

4. CJ Spiller - Was going to break the YPC record before a couple of down games

5. Lesean McCoy - Just a great runner overall

6. Marshawn Lynch - BEAST MODE

7. MJD - Had a down year but only one year removed from the rushing crown

8. Arian Foster - Overhyped in my opinion but a very solid player who does everything well

9. Chris Johnson - He could take off with the right offensive line, and possibly still can reach 2K.

10. Doug Martin - The Muscle hamster was a beast last year. Will have a great future

 

Just missed the cut:

Matt Forte - If he could stay healthy he'd be on this list.

Frank Gore - He's still great but has had an injury plauged career and isnt what he once was

Trent Richardson - Better than Alfred Morris and on an awful team

[KempBolt 498]

I'm bored at work in front of a computer. Let's do this.

 

As for my list, I am a fan of multi-dimensional backs, I am going to try and focus on real-life talent over fantasy production, and I prefer making my own projections rather than relying too heavily on past performance.

 

1. Adrian Peterson Ought to top everyone's list

 

2. C.J. Spiller He's the most elusive running back in the league and deadly in the passing game. Will prove his spot on this list in a featured role in 2013.

 

3. Doug Martin Great quickness, makes people miss, kills you in the running game, and catches a lot of passes out of the backfield. He's very good and getting better.

 

4. Marshawn Lynch His lesser ability as a receiver hurts him here, but he still racks up tons of yards after contact and makes things happen even when he doesn't have much help.

 

5. Lesean McCoy Runs inside, outside, catches passes, and makes people missed. Under-used by Andy Reid.

 

6. Ray Rice Bernard Pierce will eat into his 2013 production, but in real life Rice is still a stud in all facets of the game. Though he only get 28.5 yards on that 4th & 29.

 

7. Trent Richardson Projecting here, but ability as runner/receiver looks promising and his ability to outrun people or break tackles should be dangerous.

 

8. Jamaal Charles Follows blocks well and eats up ground like lightning. Not as elusive as you'd like and doesn't create much on his own.

 

9. Chris Johnson Similar to Charles, but doesn't follow blocks as well. Should post big numbers again behind improved OL due to his speed.

 

10. Matt Forte Underrated and underused- equally effective as a runner/receiver and should show out in 2013 under Trestman.

Edited June 19, 2013 by KempBolt

[Dutch 874]

1. Adrian Peterson A.P is the best RB in the league by far. Imo, he's been the best RB in the league since 2007 game 9 against the Chargers setting the single game rushing record dethroning L.T as the current best RB in the league. We've never witnessed a RB do what he did before after an injury like that. Think we are watching history; the best RB to ever play the game in the making. We've never seen a RB with the combination of his size, strength, speed, and agility. Wanna know why? Because A.P is a fucking machine!

 

2. Jamaal Charles Jamaal Charles stepped up huge on my list. The reason why is because he gets the most out of his carries. His average yards per carry is staggering in his last 3 healthy seasons; 5.3, 6.4 (record) and 5.9. Home run back right here.

 

3. LeSean McCoy Easily the most elusive RB in the game. Great vision and amazing agility being able to cut on the dime leaving defenders stuck; the closest thing to Barry Sanders. Decimated by O-line injuries, his own injuries and a coach that didn't know how to utilize his talents. Shady was really the only bright spot on our offense this year surrounded by a muck of shit.

 

4. Marshawn Lynch Beast mode pounded his way into my top 5 this year. He is by far the toughest and most physical ground and pound runner in the league. Straight beast mode! Would have him higher but he's a liability in the passing game.

 

5. Ray Rice Another great back. A great runner and one of the best receiving RB in the league. He could be greater then what he is but he is also under utilized.

 

6. Arian Foster Arian has been easily a top 5 pick for the last 2-3 years. He was a straight workhorse this year with 351 attempts. His numbers are up there but he was no where as explosive as he's been the last couple of years. A lot of short yardage gains but did manage to move the chains. His average was also kinda low (4.1) and he has the best offensive line in the league (3 pro bowlers) with that zone block run scheme.

 

7. Frank Gore The Inconvenient Truth. One of the toughest and slightly under rated / over looked RBs in the league. He always plays hard and still does his thing. One of the more consistent vets in this league. There's no one better at picking up blitzing protecting their QB. Definitely the best pass blocking RB in the league.

 

8. Chris Johnson Titans fans overrate C.J so hard that people underrate him. People tend to forget / ride off C.J. He is still a top RB in this league. Five consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. His body of work speaks for itself. I just like some of the attributes of the other RBs more. If I want a speedster, I'd have to go with Jamaal Charles.

 

9. MJD Will be interesting to see how he comes back off injury this year. He was the lone beast on a horrible offensive squad. I never really favored him but his production speaks for itself.

 

10.Matte Forte Underrated, has been behind a horrible O-line for mainly his entire career and is an explosive playmaker. Injuries also hold this man back but Forte is a beast.

 

Honorable Mention: Doug Martin, Steven Jackson & Alfred Morris. One more season like last year, Doug Martin will skip a few spots up my list.

Edited June 19, 2013 by dutchff7

[Dutch 874]

2. C.J. Spiller He's the most elusive running back in the league

 

I think I'll give that title to LeSean McCOy

Edited June 19, 2013 by dutchff7