FIRST WE’VE GOT TO STOP THE RUN

The title of this entry has to be the most overused “coach-speak” phrase in the history of football. Every time a coach is asked what he has to do to win the upcoming game, the answer is always, “First, we’ve got to stop the run.” Although it is a safe and generic answer to the question, I don’t think that the coaches are always being honest. For instance, when facing the Patriots last year, do you think that any coach went into the game focused on stopping Laurence Maroney and forcing Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker to beat them? Another example would be the Miami Dolphins of last season. If opposing coaches were totally honest, they would say that their first priority in game planning for the Dolphins was to convince their players to stay awake during the game. I also don’t think that any team has ever went into a game against the Colts saying that they are willing to let Peyton Manning have a big day, as long as Joseph Addai is held in check. Although this cliché isn’t always used appropriately, it remains true that a team that can run the ball and stop the run often has a good chance of being successful.

I must admit, compiling these rankings was quite the task. I first struggled with the decision of ranking tandems or projected starters. After several conversations with members of my “inner-circle,” I decided to keep the rankings to projected starters. Then I was faced with the task of actually ranking the players. Ranking the running backs proved to be a much more difficult task than ranking the quarterbacks. Because running backs have proven to be so easy to find at the NFL level, it is rare that a team sticks with one very long if they feel as though he is not effective. Therefore the players on the bottom portion of the list were not very easy to rank. While compiling these rankings, I also discovered that there is a thin line that separates bad, average, and good NFL running backs. This fact made the middle portion difficult to rank. With all of that said, I decided to take a crack at it anyway. I did not rank these players according to their 2007 season or how I think they will do in 2008. I simply asked myself, “If I were starting a team today, who would I want my QB handing the ball off to?”

Without further ado, my rankings are as follows….

1. LaDanian Tomlinson (Chargers) – He is hands down the best in the game right now. He can run past, around, or simply through defenders effortlessly. He also catches the ball extremely well coming out of the backfield and when split out wide. Just to show off, he also throws touchdown passes from time to time. He is a complete back that currently has no equal. He will definitely break Emmitt Smith’s career rushing record if he decides to play long enough and stays healthy (he is less than 8,000 yards away).

2. Adrian Peterson (Vikings) – WOW!!!! that’s all I have to say about him. IF HE STAYS HEALTHY (which is a big if, because he has proven to be injury prone), HE WILL BREAK THE CAREER RUSHING RECORD that Tomlinson sets. The best comparison for him is (don’t get upset when I say this) Jim Brown, which is extremely high praise.

3. Steven Jackson (Rams) – This guy is an absolute beast. I would be afraid to tackle him, as most defenders are. He simply runs through would-be tacklers and then puts on the after-burners. No man that big should be that fast. He is a home-run threat from anywhere on the field.

4. Brian Westbrook (Eagles) – This is Marshall Faulk 2.0 or the player that Saints fans dream that Reggie Bush will become. He is the ultimate weapon. He is equally a good receiver as he is a runner, which is needed because the Eagles receiving corps would be better if it consisted of Pharaoh Goolsby, Northside Marty, and Scott (no offense to my loyal readers). He is good for 2,000 to 2,500 combined rushing and receiving yards each season. He is also a great return man if needed. There aren’t many backs in the history of the NFL who are that versatile. I can only think of two, Marshall Faulk and Gail Sayers.

5. Joseph Addai (Colts) – Having him this high may raise a few eyebrows, but he is really this good. Some may say that he is never the focal point of defenses because of the Colts passing attack. That is true, but he is an integral part of that passing attack and still gains over 1,000 yards on limited carries. He is also a touchdown machine when called upon in the red zone.

6. Darren McFadden (Raiders) – I know that he is just a rookie and has not played an NFL down, but he is already a top ten NFL running back. If you don’t believe me, simply look at Adrian Peterson’s season from a year ago. They are the same player. They both have Jamal Lewis type power with Devin Hester type speed (although they are not quite as fast as Hester). His rookie season will mirror that of Peterson’s, and he will be unstoppable. He is so good that even the inept Oakland Raiders can’t mess up his career.

7. Marion Barber (Cowboys) – He is known as “Marion the Barbarian” for a reason. To quote the one hit wonder rapper – Bone Crusher, “HE AIN’T NEVER SCARED!!!!” This guy runs with reckless abandon. To get an idea of his running style, picture Shaun Alexander and then THINK THE EXACT OPPOSITE. He never runs out of bounds as Alexander often did (by the way that scrub is out of the league now). What I like about him more than anything else is the fact that he makes defenders pay for trying to tackle him. They often feel more pain from the hit than he does. Another cool thing about him is that he does not stiff-arm defenders, instead he simply slaps or punches them in the helmet. That move is more effective than the stiff-arm and way cooler. Because of his reckless running style, it is imperative that he has a quality backup, which he does in Felix Jones. They also have Tarshard Choice in the mix, so the Barbarian can be as reckless as he wants to be.

8. Clinton Portis (Redskins) – Don’t let the loud, flashy, pimp-style clothing fool you. Mr. Portis is a monster. He is one of my favorite personalities (if you haven’t seen the costumes that he wears when meeting with the media, check out the video below) and running backs in the NFL. He is good for between 1,200 and 1,500 hundred yards each season, no matter who he is playing for or how bad or inconsistent their passing game is. He has game breaking speed and has also bulked up. He can run between the tackles or get to the corner. Simply put, he is the truth.



9. Edgerrin James (Cardinals) – Some people forget how good this guy is since he has moved on from Indy to Arizona. Just keep in mind that he has topped 1,000 yards each year in Arizona, behind quite possibly one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. He is the model of consistency. The past two years he has had to break three tackles just to get to the line of scrimmage, but that hasn’t stopped him. He is still one of the top backs in the league.

10. Jamal Lewis (Browns) – Do you want to try to tackle him in the open field? I didn’t think so.

11. Laurence Maroney (Patriots) – He was Marion Barber’s backfield mate in college (at the University of Minnesota) and is almost just as good. He is an excellent runner who fully takes advantage of the fact that defenders are often pre-occupied by Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

12. Michael Turner (Falcons) – I know, I know, he has never been a starter and he is on a terrible team and running behind a terrible offensive line. That may all be true, but he will be one of the few bright spots for the Atlanta Falcons this season. He will be a consistent Pro Bowler soon. He has all of the tools to be great and he learned watching the best (LaDanian Tomlinson). Although the Falcons will be terrible this year, keep an eye on Turner and Jerious Norwood, because they will be one of the best running back tandems in the league, especially after they get some capable offensive linemen.

13. Willie Parker (Steelers) – Great speed, but needs to learn to run better between the tackles to reach his full potential. If he ever figures out, the league had better watch out.

14. Fred Taylor (Jaguars) – If it weren’t for injuries over the course of his career, Taylor would be one of the all-time greats. He is a smart player who makes the game look easy. He simply always knows where the hole is. It is also great that he has a stud backup in the human bowling ball, Maurice Jones-Drew. Taylor is still a very good back, even at this stage of his career.

15. Ryan Grant (Packers) – You saw him during the second half of last season and in the playoffs. Although it took Green Bay a while to give him a shot as a starter, he took full advantage of his opportunity (they just gave him more STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!). He has also proven that he can run in all types of weather conditions, which is important during the second half of the season, especially in Green Bay.

16. Marshawn Lynch (Bills) – A complete back that is often overlooked because he plays in Buffalo. Watch him closely this year, you will be in for a treat.

17. Deuce McAllister (Saints) – Although he has an injury history, when healthy he is a great power back. I would definitely want him on my team. He is the perfect complement to Reggie Bush. A back like Deuce, allows Reggie Bush to do the many multitude of things that he does. He is a no non-sense back that is a straight-ahead runner and is tough to bring down.

18. Larry Johnson (Chiefs) – Some people think that he should be higher and that he is definitely a top ten and possibly a top five back, but those people are wrong. LJ is not as good as people have told him is. He is simply a compiler. He reminds me of Jamal Anderson (the former “Dirty Bird”), because he simply gets a lot of yards because he gets a lot of carries. Any NFL back can go over 1,500 yards if he carries the ball over 400 times per season. There is just nothing special about his talent, although I will give him credit for his toughness and durability. He simply gets the ball and runs forward until someone tackles him. Then gets up and does it 40 more times each game.

19. Willis McGahee (Ravens) – At one point I thought that I saw flashes of greatness from him. Apparently I was wrong. Although he isn’t what I thought he would be, he is still a good solid back.

20. Rudi Johnson (Bengals) – Although he is good, he should be better. I mean he plays on a team with “The Prototype” at quarterback and “Ocho-Cinco” & “TJ Whosyomomma” at wide receiver. Does anyone go into a game against the Bengals focused on stopping the run? I don’t think so. He should absolutely dominate, but he doesn’t.

21. Frank Gore (49er’s) – It’s funny to me, that he is mentioned as an elite running back by some of the so-called “experts”. I honestly don’t know what they see that I am missing. I must be missing something, because in my eyes he is simply average and nothing more.

22. Thomas Jones (Jets) – He is a solid NFL running back, who is only as good as his line. He is one of those backs that gets three yards on plays that are designed to get three yards and four yards on plays designed to get four yards. He always has been and always will be as good as his offensive line. He is not a game breaker, but is a solid player.

23. Brandon Jacobs (Giants) – He is a poor man’s Jamal Lewis, but not as good. (Shout out to Tiki Barber, I bet you didn’t think that they could do it without you.)

24. Cadillac Williams (Buccaneers) – This guy should be suing John Gruden and the Buccaneers for overuse. When he is healthy, he is an absolute menace in the mold of Clinton Portis. I would have definitely had him higher on this list if I had faith that he could finish a season. The amount of carries that he gets has to violate some type of child-labor laws, and have probably led to his many injuries. Although it is a total coincidence, look who is next in my rankings. It looks like he is still ahead of Ronnie Brown, just like their days at Auburn. I guess some things never change.

25. Ronnie Brown (Dolphins) – Can you believe that this guy was the # 2 PICK IN THE NFL DRAFT? I said it on draft day and I will say it now. THAT WAS A STUPID PICK! It was almost as bad as Alex Smith going #1. He absolutely sucked his first couple of years in the league. He was playing like a sixth round draft pick although he was the second overall pick in the draft. Unfortunately for him, when he finally began to play like an early third round pick last season he got injured. The first couple of games of last season were a total aberration, and no one should expect much from him during the rest of his career. Look for the ever-dependable and always sober Ricky Williams to be the full-time starter by the middle of the season.

26. Kevin Smith (Lions) – All he did in college was gain yards. I don’t expect anything different from him in the NFL. He will share the load with Tatum Bell, which should make for a pretty decent tandem. Also, he won’t get much attention from opposing defenses because of the two amazing receivers that he will be sharing the field with.

27. DeAngelo Williams (Panthers) – The epitome of average. He simply is what is he is. He will be sharing carries with rookie Jonathan Stewart, which will be a good thing for the Panthers and possibly a bad thing for Williams.

28. Julius Jones (Seahawks) – He along with TJ Duckett were signed to replace Shaun Alexander. I am guessing that the Seahawks thought that the two of them would add up to one capable running game. I don’t know what type of math they’re doing, but where I’m from, 1 under-achieving running back + 1 under-achieving running back = 2 under-achieving running backs. Not a capable running game.

29. Matt Forte (Bears) – I really hope that this guy survives the season. Due to the fact that he will have either Dumb or Dumber at quarterback (Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton), defenses will be keying on him all season.

30. LenDale White (Titans) – I simply don’t trust him. He strikes me as the type of person who wants to be a professional athlete simply for the STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! He doesn’t seem to always take the game seriously and is often out of shape. He also doesn’t possess the killer-instinct or fearless attitude that I like to see in a running back.

31. Ahman Green (Texans) – In his day, he was really good, but his day is clearly gone. At this point he is simply collecting checks and that is not the type of back that I want on my team.

32. Selvin Young (Broncos) – He will probably have some success because he is a running back playing in Denver. He is ranked this low simply because I have not seen anything from him in college or in the NFL to rank him any higher. With all of that being said, don’t be surprised if he is the latest of the Denver 1,000 yard rushers. There is a good chance that he can become a good running back, but there is an equally good chance that he could totally suck. I guess we will have to wait and see.

As with my quarterback rankings, these players were ranked without researching any stats. I simply listed them in the order in which I would want them on my team today. If anyone disagrees with where their favorite player or any other player is ranked, please comment and let me know.

****NOTE****
WE ARE NOW 32 DAYS AWAY FROM KICKOFF. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!