Longevity's definitely the biggest problem. Can't really give them a long-term contract when one major injury can ruin their career, especially since RBs are one of the most prone to freak injuries. Like just look at this season, 3 weeks in and there's already 2 RBs with season and potentially career-ending injuries. Meanwhile teams also know the best predictor for run game success is how good your O-line is, you kill two birds with one stone with a good O-line as it not only opens up the run game but also keeps your QB healthy.
That’s the reason team should not center their offense around one play making RB like CMC in Oanthers or Barkley in Giants. Look at how the offense completely crumbled without them. You can center the offense around the running game, like Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys but use a committee of backs while invest on your line.
I completely agree. I'm a Browns fan and thought we had arguably the best RB in the league in Nick Chubb. He's been putting up great numbers and above all else has been very consistent since entering the league. I thought to myself how he hasn't been getting hurt either and lo and behold, he suffered a horrific knee injury. He may never play in the NFL again and if he does come back, he definitely won't be the same. It's unfortunate to say the least but that's just how the stone rolls for running backs...
Saquan, chubb, Jacobs, Elliot, and cook were the heavy hitters of the off season when it came to this Running Back hold out ...look at them now...awful coincidence for chubb
@@Goobr27watch his rookie year highlights and say that again. He was him for a few years, then once he got paid he gained a bunch of weight and it went downhill.
Im suprised you didnt mention how teams are looking at the RB position like a stable rather than 1 RB to carry all the weight, lowering their value even further
I think a good middle ground would be incentives for positions with highest injury risk such as running backs or corners in the form of off-field bonuses. Namely I'd choose much higher cuts of jersey sales as running backs are often the more popular options outside quarterbacks. Having non cap income for the players and simultaneously encouraging hard running during that limited productivity window is a win win for both parties.
Yeah from what has been a recent trend to say the least, you have to give the old school backs a lot of respect. Those guys were so darn tough. LJ, LT, Shawn Alexander, Frank Gore, Steven Jackson...ect, crazy the careers they had with how teams wanted nothing more than to whack them. Not to say that era is old school yet but man that was an era of star RBS. As a Niners fan I'm terrified these days that CMC gets injured watch the film... He a beast but he takes a lot of punishment. PS...I believe Willie Parker and AP were around there as well
Great video and breakdown. This was something I kind of noticed but didn't really pay attention too. The game is changing and the running back position is also changing. Most teams seem pretty content with utilizing 2-3 backs now.
I agree because usually the first few years turn out to be the best years of their careers. They don't take a while to develop and get better and better like receivers or OL. It's almost a purely raw athletic position.
@@glizzardo2692lol I doubt that would be a better idea, you let top rb in the draft go undrafted you'll chance him to go with your rivals or worse, add more firepower to the reigning SB champ. It's either draft him now when you can have a say or get in line with the rest and send offers to him
My favorite position in the nfl is the running back. It makes me sad to sew how they aren't being paid their due. Hopefully one day they will be valued. Great video, by the way, if you continue producing videos your channel will catch fire one day.
Agreed, I think it could happen if this generation of RBs don't all fall off a cliff. It might give front offices some encouragement to sign those contracts
@@Wilyticsit’s possible with improved training and more effective surgical/physical therapy. Today’s athletes should last longer. More importantly, I think a run based team needs to win a superbowl. Teams like the ravens and Tennessee show it can work well, but not win big. History could have changed a little if Todd Gurley didn’t lose his legs right before the rams Super Bowl.
The NFL wants a passing league for more exciting games for higher TV ratings and so more people will show up at the stadiums which brings in more revenue for the league. If you watch the old NFL films were basically the QB's were free to grab and tackle because "UH! they have the ball" 🤷so common sense will tell you THAT'S FOOTBALL! but nowadays I guess they think these primadonna quarterbacks shouldn't get touched or even breathed on without getting called for a penalty like, hint hint: Tom Shady and Patrick Mahomeboy. So basically the quarterbacks know this so they take all day in the pocket knowing they're protected and can't really be touched unless it's by accident from one of their own offensive guards were they end up with an injury. This is why I feel the NFL has abandoned the running game.
Might as well have qbs and receivers just become rushers than and play Arena football. Not long from now thats what will happen if teams just keep passing. No need for halve backs and full backs since its all, PASS, PASS and PASS some more. I mean look at the pro bowl. To me its just not FOOTBALL without RUSHERS AKA RUNNING BACKS.
If you are a star RB in college, you definitely need to transition into a slot receiver or fast deep threat as soon as possible if you want to get paid.
This is great video, I'm always interested in seeing opinions on this topic and this was very well done. Only problem with this situation is that I don't see any way this shifts back in favor of RBs soon because their higher likelihood for sudden and dramatic decline from injury will continue to lead the whole position to much higher turnover rates, then the cycle repeats. The fact that 1st round picks are so replaceable by "lesser" backs also just makes things so much worse on their end in terms of bargaining. I could see backs becoming more useful if the league tries to counter the move to smaller defensive sets with big backs who will punish them but, teams mostly try to beat them by creating space or with speed not power which works well on its own.
They gotta make rb contracts based mostly around big production markers. Rb gets paid well as long as he is healthy and able to play. If he gets injured he gets all the money he earned from his production + the agreed yearly pay. They need to make those incentive bonuses much larger
No that wouldn’t work. Just lure them in with big production bonuses and low salary and then not make the play calls that include RBs OR bench them just before they are approaching the milestones. Teams have to be willing to take on the injury risk or be fine with a mid tier running back
@anonymous01792 I'm Saying there would be a lot more milestones so they pretty much can't just bench them before a big metric because if they want a run game they are pretty much constantly paying. Maybe a better way to say it is a rate per yard that gradually goes up the more yards they get. No specific cutoff point that gives a big chunk just get yards get paid
This could work, although it wouldn’t be long until we s get a lot of players make plays that hurt the team in exchange for helping their production. For example when gurley slid to down himself instead of scoring, so they could run out the clock. Players would start to have the same mindset as fantasy owners which would absolutely hurt teams and gameplay altogether.
@glizzardo2692 if stuff like that happens there is a good chance you'll get in trouble or eventually cut. They still would need to do what's best for the team especially since any good running back wants to be on a team that goes on to win those big games because it will help them get contracts. Doing things like getting a touchdown instead of running down the clock might help them get better pay in the short term but it won't in the future because the team just won't trust them to play in those situations and give the ball to someone else
Before you know it, they’re probably gonna be big bruiser type of guys to block and get short yards, or shifty slot receivers they throw back there to run routes. Feel like it’s kinda already like this, but soon it will probably be all that’s left of the position
Rules evolved to favor passing, teams started building rosters with great pass blockers, call passes 60% of the time or more, draft RBs primarily to catch passes and chip block first, and run it second. Gone are the days of a bruising run blocking OL and a 30-carry running back every game
I miss RBs like AP, Marshawn, Tomlinson, Bettis, Dickerson, Hell even Eddy Lacy, Jamaal Charles, CJ2K. In all honesty though Charles and CJ ruined the RB game. The old give a hit don’t get hit RB style was superior.
The lions pick could be their new way of looking at the running back position. Its possible that they will continue to run gibbs in a committee, keeping him healthier with less action in order to hold on to a great talent for longer. Could extend his career significantly by doing this
the only thing i would like to add is the fact that the falcons and the lions both have top 5 o-lines and both their offenses heavily rely on the running back to succeed . If you think about it yeah they invested a lot of draft capital in the position , but they get fresh RB's for 4 to 6 mil a year on 4 year deals that's sounds like a good value. with o lines like that , not a bad investment. usually more then 50% of first rounder's end up as busts anyways . look at the raiders , out of there last 10 first rounder's 9 of them are busts or are in jail. i think we will still see RB's drafted in the first round for years to come maybe even top 10 but 2nd overall pick or 4th don't see that happening anymore , anyways great vid man!
Hot take. I firmly believe that the general talent level of the nfl running back as taken a slide. A lot of backs now dont/can't break tackles or stay healthy
The NFL wants a passing league for more exciting games for higher TV ratings and so more people will show up at the stadiums which brings in more revenue for the league. If you watch the old NFL films were basically the QB's were free to grab and tackle because "UH! they have the ball" 🤷so common sense will tell you THAT'S FOOTBALL! but nowadays I guess they think these primadonna quarterbacks shouldn't get touched or even breathed on without getting called for a penalty like, hint hint: Tom Shady and Patrick Mahomeboy. So basically the quarterbacks know this so they take all day in the pocket knowing they're protected and can't really be touched unless it's by accident from one of their own offensive guards were they end up with an injury. This is why I feel the NFL has abandoned the running game.
I think reggie bush changed it all, he was the first of the shifty small backs that we see in the league nowadays. Derrick Henry is an anomaly in today's game and at the same time the league does nothing to protect the RB as they do with recievers and QBs.
I honestly believe it’s that some of these players carry their college teams for four years. Derrick Henry averaged like 45 Carries a game. Same with Saquon and countless others. I feel like by the time they get to the league, half of their prime is in college
I think RBs should get contracts that are fluid based on production, workouts, rehab, and a lot more. Like pay them to train at the facility. Encourage them to get better and rehab/recover in the facility. You're seeing them put their required work in to earn the most money possible and then they either get paid (just as examples) $5M for 3.8 yards per carry, or $1M for like 3.2 ypc. They just need to be paid based on production at this pount and it's not hard to come up with. The players association is only interested in making business deals for themselves and not helping the players.
Hey man love the video and the take on it. I’ll start with that if you watch anything about the Jags, Lenny was cut more for philosophical reasons than talent reasons But I’m mid way through and the only player i can see myself disagreeing with is the Lenny one. Yes he’s outta the league but I think he’s still got talent to play and mean if you look at that Jags team, they also gave away Jalen Ramsey so can we blame them for dropping a mid tier statistical RB? Lenny went to the Bucs and yes he didn’t have an amazing season, but rather he harnessed his talents in different ways rather than 1k rushing and won a super bowl. Plus James Robinson the guy compared is legitimately outta the league already.
Feels like Football is experiencing a scoring awakening similar to the NBA and 3-point shooting. They are breaking from tradition and looking at the numbers.
Guy are getting bigger, faster, & stronger. Hits are getting harder. NFL lets you go after the knees if you’re incapable of tackling someone bc they’re too strong.
Always thought Zeke’s “downfall” wasn’t as crazy as people project. His “down” year in 2020 was 21 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards with 4 Y/A! With 1,317 AP yards in 2020 I just think the RB position has lost overall value in general with other RB’s in the league unfortunately following that same trend
@@TehKaiser idk if you can be complacent and be a starting RB in the NFL 🤣 if complacency is just shy of 1,000 yards then let’s all be complacent. He also had some knee damage never really had that breakaway speed anymore. OLine was very solid I agree
@@TheAbass13 Production doesn't mean fulling tapping into potential. Zeke was fat and slower than when he was on his rookie contract. There's a reason athletes peak in contract years. Many put in the extra work to get more money. Once the external motivation is gone and the contract is obtained, the player doesn't do as much.
@@TehKaiser I politely disagree, sir. I think production is factual results and potential is a projection. “Fat and slow” doesn’t give you 4 1,000 yard rushing seasons and one of those coming two years ago. He isn’t what he used to be, but he’s in his 8th season of toting the football in the NFL
Same thing happened with the Chargers. You mentioned them a bit but Melvin Gordon was drafted in 2015, just 5 spots after Gurley. We then got UDFA Austin Ekler in 2017 and he was putting up practically the same numbers as Gordon in 2018-19. Gordon wanted a big payday and the Chargers didn't give it to him. We did give it to Ekler, but even though he's a top back, his postseason stats are abysmal. Granted it's only been 3 games, but against the Jags in 2022, with only 35 rush yards and 8 receiving yards, that isn't going to help the team win much. I still love Ekler, but with the league changing towards the more pass heavy teams, it feels like burning money when you give a big pay day to a RB, generally speaking
Purdy was the last pick of the draft (almost undrafted) and he took the spot of a #3 overall pick at QB!! They won't give up on QBs how they did the RBs though
Seems like a lot of your videos are baseball, (I only took one scroll on your page) but bro I really enjoyed this football analysis! Keep this shit up!
Things tend to be somewhat cyclical. As the game and analytics becomes more pass heavy, defensive players and O-linemen who excel on passing plays will receive more priority. Individual defenders on the field will be stronger on passing plays, and weaker on running plays. At some point some moneyball GM will realize they can put together an o-line of run maulers on cheap contracts and with late round capital since teams value pass blockers more. When they see the back they want hitting free agency or in the draft, they will get them for a low cost FA deal or low cost in draft equity. It's cheaper to trade up to pick 8 to draft bijan than it is to trade to #1 for a QB because of the way teams value the 2 positions. If you fill those 6 positions on the cheap and use a low cost game manager type at QB, it leaves you a lot of capital to build a defense. You might be able to build that O-line, RB,QB combo of 7 effective players in a run based scheme for the same price jalen hurts or aaron rodgers alone makes.
What will happen is that not many people in football will still play RB, and supply will become lower. The people who do still play RB will be the ones who genuinely love playing it, so they will be better than what we have now. Demand will go up bc those players are making plays. Eventually we will be right back where we started.
A RB that has WR skills (like C-Mac) and is an asset in pass blocking is the only way I see a RB being worth substantial money. That's in addition to being above average at running the ball.
I feel like demand for fullbacks is actually increasing because RBs are actually used alot more for pass protection and instead of having 2 RBs that can Run they rather have 1 RB and 1 fullback for blocking and maybe use a wr for some run concepts
what if running back contracts didn't affect the cap like other positions? nothing crazy, but if you pay a running back 9 mil, it only counts as 7.5 against the cap or something like that. not enough to be able to give a huge advantage, but enough to make sure the running backs still get better contracts
Zeke & Dak weren’t rookies in 2018 like the video says at 5:10. They were drafted in 2016! Also why not mention their total rushing attempts & season attempts to see if there’s correlation to numbers.
rule change on spot fouls changed the game. You can get tough yards in spurts of four or you can three it down field 40 yards and good chance of a PI call on the defense. Spot foul changed the game and corners arent allow to touch wr anymore. Running backs on the other hand is all about contacts. Like announcers said. Its a passing league now.
It's sad that running backs bear the weight of not being extremely productive overall when often these rushes just seem ridiculous. The RBs run full speed into a pile of men to make 1 yard? Why is this even a thing still. Make smarter plays.
The running back position is going the way of the fullback. I wouldn't be surprised if in a decade, teams start using backup O-Linemen in the backfield in passing situations.
I remember the 90's and 2000's and it seem like everyone had a star RB tearing shit up. LT and Ederin James were my favorites back then. RBs arent as important anymore and i dont blame teams not spending a chunk of their salary on them. Sucks but thats the business
Bell’s hold out was probably the worst thing to happen to running backs. Teams know there’s a steady pipeline of backs they can get good service from as long as they coach up a decent line. They also know they can run their backs into the ground even more. Tbf to Fournette though. Bust or not man has a ring.
Part of the RB's salary should not count against the cap. An elite running back only costs 10-15 million against the cap but would take home 20-30 million. No idea how to balance that, but it would work as a way to acknowledge & support the elite running backs that make the NFL fun to watch as well as overly rewarding them for their few productive years as it's highly likely they won't be a starter by the time they're 30 years old.
Bell's holdout is "not the first in NFL history, but probably the most well known." Maybe in the world of youtube videos where "history" is five years.
This is a lose lose situation. I don’t blame the market and owners for not paying big bucks for the position. But rb is the most explosive position that can do big damage in game. I feel bad for them because they literally risk their lives for us. You will have every young college high school rb want out of the position. I don’t want football without this position. Hope there can be something done.
2 reasons for this. NFL defenses are playing the pass more often than the run. By being in quarters and nickel packages. And the second reason, is that teams are better off spending on their o lines. A great oline can make an average running back into a 1k yard rusher.
There’s just to many guys who are 6 foot 210lbs that can run fast. Can get a guy in the 4th round who you can dunk the ball off to and can grab yards. The talent discrepancy between that guy and one of the top 10 RBs jsut isn’t that huge really. On top of that yes the injuries are an obvious reason.
I thought this was a big channel this is a perfect vid
Damn nigga
Same😂
Fr love the quality
Longevity's definitely the biggest problem. Can't really give them a long-term contract when one major injury can ruin their career, especially since RBs are one of the most prone to freak injuries. Like just look at this season, 3 weeks in and there's already 2 RBs with season and potentially career-ending injuries. Meanwhile teams also know the best predictor for run game success is how good your O-line is, you kill two birds with one stone with a good O-line as it not only opens up the run game but also keeps your QB healthy.
That’s the reason team should not center their offense around one play making RB like CMC in Oanthers or Barkley in Giants. Look at how the offense completely crumbled without them. You can center the offense around the running game, like Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys but use a committee of backs while invest on your line.
I completely agree. I'm a Browns fan and thought we had arguably the best RB in the league in Nick Chubb. He's been putting up great numbers and above all else has been very consistent since entering the league. I thought to myself how he hasn't been getting hurt either and lo and behold, he suffered a horrific knee injury. He may never play in the NFL again and if he does come back, he definitely won't be the same. It's unfortunate to say the least but that's just how the stone rolls for running backs...
@@aedendobos5417 lucky for Chubb it’s just a torn mcl and small tear to acl knee did not dislocate will be ready for camp of 2024
@@aedendobos5417Derrick Henry is the exception
Saquan, chubb, Jacobs, Elliot, and cook were the heavy hitters of the off season when it came to this Running Back hold out ...look at them now...awful coincidence for chubb
I don't know if I'd consider Zeke a heavy hitter tbh
Zeke dropped off after college tbh
@@Goobr27he was the best in the nfl his 1st 2 years
@@Goobr27watch his rookie year highlights and say that again. He was him for a few years, then once he got paid he gained a bunch of weight and it went downhill.
Im suprised you didnt mention how teams are looking at the RB position like a stable rather than 1 RB to carry all the weight, lowering their value even further
Idk why your channel doesn’t get more views than it does, your videos are entertaining and have good commentary. Hope you get big man
I think a good middle ground would be incentives for positions with highest injury risk such as running backs or corners in the form of off-field bonuses. Namely I'd choose much higher cuts of jersey sales as running backs are often the more popular options outside quarterbacks. Having non cap income for the players and simultaneously encouraging hard running during that limited productivity window is a win win for both parties.
Yeah from what has been a recent trend to say the least, you have to give the old school backs a lot of respect. Those guys were so darn tough. LJ, LT, Shawn Alexander, Frank Gore, Steven Jackson...ect, crazy the careers they had with how teams wanted nothing more than to whack them. Not to say that era is old school yet but man that was an era of star RBS. As a Niners fan I'm terrified these days that CMC gets injured watch the film... He a beast but he takes a lot of punishment. PS...I believe Willie Parker and AP were around there as well
As a rams fan I’m glad mention SJ❤
I’m an advocate of runningbacks sliding, to avoid damage like QBs 😅
Great video and breakdown. This was something I kind of noticed but didn't really pay attention too. The game is changing and the running back position is also changing. Most teams seem pretty content with utilizing 2-3 backs now.
Lowkey the rookie contract from RBs should just be higher and I think that would fix a lot of issues
I agree because usually the first few years turn out to be the best years of their careers. They don't take a while to develop and get better and better like receivers or OL. It's almost a purely raw athletic position.
Then teams will just stop drafting them and pick them up as udfas lol
and why should other positions agree to that? why should the owners agree to that?
@@glizzardo2692lol I doubt that would be a better idea, you let top rb in the draft go undrafted you'll chance him to go with your rivals or worse, add more firepower to the reigning SB champ. It's either draft him now when you can have a say or get in line with the rest and send offers to him
@@howdareyouexist Same reason they agreed to QBs getting paid highly as first round picks.
Dude i always look at comments to see what people say and i saw that your channel is small. You’re doing a great job man keep it up!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed
My favorite position in the nfl is the running back. It makes me sad to sew how they aren't being paid their due. Hopefully one day they will be valued. Great video, by the way, if you continue producing videos your channel will catch fire one day.
Agreed, I think it could happen if this generation of RBs don't all fall off a cliff. It might give front offices some encouragement to sign those contracts
I 100% agree! Great video! First video I have seen from this channel but got an insta sun and I immediately shared it to my friend group!
@@Wilyticsit’s possible with improved training and more effective surgical/physical therapy. Today’s athletes should last longer.
More importantly, I think a run based team needs to win a superbowl. Teams like the ravens and Tennessee show it can work well, but not win big. History could have changed a little if Todd Gurley didn’t lose his legs right before the rams Super Bowl.
The NFL wants a passing league for more exciting games for higher TV ratings and so more people will show up at the stadiums which brings in more revenue for the league. If you watch the old NFL films were basically the QB's were free to grab and tackle because "UH! they have the ball" 🤷so common sense will tell you THAT'S FOOTBALL! but nowadays I guess they think these primadonna quarterbacks shouldn't get touched or even breathed on without getting called for a penalty like, hint hint: Tom Shady and Patrick Mahomeboy. So basically the quarterbacks know this so they take all day in the pocket knowing they're protected and can't really be touched unless it's by accident from one of their own offensive guards were they end up with an injury. This is why I feel the NFL has abandoned the running game.
Might as well have qbs and receivers just become rushers than and play Arena football. Not long from now thats what will happen if teams just keep passing. No need for halve backs and full backs since its all, PASS, PASS and PASS some more. I mean look at the pro bowl. To me its just not FOOTBALL without RUSHERS AKA RUNNING BACKS.
i was surprised when i saw this was a small channel , vids awesome keep it up bro , hope this channels blows up
Appreciate it, glad you enjoyed
Good video. 2016 & 2017 is what made me an nfl fan watching Gurley go nuts! I’ve been a rams fan since then
Yea dude this was such a good vid, i was expecting a million plus sub count, keep up the great content, earned a sub today
If you are a star RB in college, you definitely need to transition into a slot receiver or fast deep threat as soon as possible if you want to get paid.
I’d love to see teams experiment with hybrid slot receiver / running backs
@@Wltrwllyngaeiou Cleveland did that with Felton last year, and doing it with Ford this year. And most teams do that now anyway
This is great video, I'm always interested in seeing opinions on this topic and this was very well done.
Only problem with this situation is that I don't see any way this shifts back in favor of RBs soon because their higher likelihood for sudden and dramatic decline from injury will continue to lead the whole position to much higher turnover rates, then the cycle repeats. The fact that 1st round picks are so replaceable by "lesser" backs also just makes things so much worse on their end in terms of bargaining. I could see backs becoming more useful if the league tries to counter the move to smaller defensive sets with big backs who will punish them but, teams mostly try to beat them by creating space or with speed not power which works well on its own.
great video, keep up the good work dude.
Excellent video, very concise with numbers to back it up. Subbed!
They gotta make rb contracts based mostly around big production markers. Rb gets paid well as long as he is healthy and able to play. If he gets injured he gets all the money he earned from his production + the agreed yearly pay. They need to make those incentive bonuses much larger
That should be the same for every player. You get paid based on your production for the year
No that wouldn’t work. Just lure them in with big production bonuses and low salary and then not make the play calls that include RBs OR bench them just before they are approaching the milestones. Teams have to be willing to take on the injury risk or be fine with a mid tier running back
@anonymous01792 I'm Saying there would be a lot more milestones so they pretty much can't just bench them before a big metric because if they want a run game they are pretty much constantly paying. Maybe a better way to say it is a rate per yard that gradually goes up the more yards they get. No specific cutoff point that gives a big chunk just get yards get paid
This could work, although it wouldn’t be long until we s get a lot of players make plays that hurt the team in exchange for helping their production. For example when gurley slid to down himself instead of scoring, so they could run out the clock. Players would start to have the same mindset as fantasy owners which would absolutely hurt teams and gameplay altogether.
@glizzardo2692 if stuff like that happens there is a good chance you'll get in trouble or eventually cut. They still would need to do what's best for the team especially since any good running back wants to be on a team that goes on to win those big games because it will help them get contracts. Doing things like getting a touchdown instead of running down the clock might help them get better pay in the short term but it won't in the future because the team just won't trust them to play in those situations and give the ball to someone else
Top quality content right here - keep at it my man
Before you know it, they’re probably gonna be big bruiser type of guys to block and get short yards, or shifty slot receivers they throw back there to run routes. Feel like it’s kinda already like this, but soon it will probably be all that’s left of the position
Doubt it, teams will still need a run game
You’ve gained a new subscriber! High quality videos mate!
Thanks mate
Not to mention the David Johnson contract
damn i forgot about him, was a stud on the cardinals his rookie year. Thought he was gonna be special. Guess thats the point of the vid lol🤣
Here before this blows up. Great video my man, really well made and researched.
Great video. Please do a 'running back's that proved their worth' video. Its clear there a rare gem these days. So we appreciate them even more
Good video bro. Really enjoyed the thoroughness of this video. Keep it up!
anyone miss Todd gurly on madden
Rules evolved to favor passing, teams started building rosters with great pass blockers, call passes 60% of the time or more, draft RBs primarily to catch passes and chip block first, and run it second. Gone are the days of a bruising run blocking OL and a 30-carry running back every game
Run-blocking lines still exist. It’s why teams like the Niners and Eagles have the most efficient run games in NFL history.
I can see the league moving to a 2 RB system, some teams already use it and it would allow RBs to last a lot longer
It worked well when the cowboys implemented it last season. They just had to get rid of Elliot’s contract
Amazing video. Nice work
I miss RBs like AP, Marshawn, Tomlinson, Bettis, Dickerson, Hell even Eddy Lacy, Jamaal Charles, CJ2K. In all honesty though Charles and CJ ruined the RB game. The old give a hit don’t get hit RB style was superior.
this video deserves more views your choice of music is very cultured
The lions pick could be their new way of looking at the running back position. Its possible that they will continue to run gibbs in a committee, keeping him healthier with less action in order to hold on to a great talent for longer. Could extend his career significantly by doing this
Subbed, amazing video‼️
great vid bro. hope you get big!keep up the hard work.
the only thing i would like to add is the fact that the falcons and the lions both have top 5 o-lines and both their offenses heavily rely on the running back to succeed . If you think about it yeah they invested a lot of draft capital in the position , but they get fresh RB's for 4 to 6 mil a year on 4 year deals that's sounds like a good value. with o lines like that , not a bad investment. usually more then 50% of first rounder's end up as busts anyways . look at the raiders , out of there last 10 first rounder's 9 of them are busts or are in jail. i think we will still see RB's drafted in the first round for years to come maybe even top 10 but 2nd overall pick or 4th don't see that happening anymore , anyways great vid man!
this videos quality deserves a sub
You explained it perfectly man. I’ve been saying this same stuff to my friends all summer
Hot take. I firmly believe that the general talent level of the nfl running back as taken a slide. A lot of backs now dont/can't break tackles or stay healthy
The NFL wants a passing league for more exciting games for higher TV ratings and so more people will show up at the stadiums which brings in more revenue for the league. If you watch the old NFL films were basically the QB's were free to grab and tackle because "UH! they have the ball" 🤷so common sense will tell you THAT'S FOOTBALL! but nowadays I guess they think these primadonna quarterbacks shouldn't get touched or even breathed on without getting called for a penalty like, hint hint: Tom Shady and Patrick Mahomeboy. So basically the quarterbacks know this so they take all day in the pocket knowing they're protected and can't really be touched unless it's by accident from one of their own offensive guards were they end up with an injury. This is why I feel the NFL has abandoned the running game.
I think reggie bush changed it all, he was the first of the shifty small backs that we see in the league nowadays. Derrick Henry is an anomaly in today's game and at the same time the league does nothing to protect the RB as they do with recievers and QBs.
I honestly believe it’s that some of these players carry their college teams for four years. Derrick Henry averaged like 45 Carries a game. Same with Saquon and countless others. I feel like by the time they get to the league, half of their prime is in college
All the other play making positions have gotten rules to allow them to not take damage, sadly running backs get none of that benefit
@CF_SGV not quite. U got Warrick Dunn, Brian Westbrook but I know wat u mean
I think they should still pay them even a little more considering how much money the nfl rakes in
I think RBs should get contracts that are fluid based on production, workouts, rehab, and a lot more. Like pay them to train at the facility. Encourage them to get better and rehab/recover in the facility. You're seeing them put their required work in to earn the most money possible and then they either get paid (just as examples) $5M for 3.8 yards per carry, or $1M for like 3.2 ypc. They just need to be paid based on production at this pount and it's not hard to come up with. The players association is only interested in making business deals for themselves and not helping the players.
Curious, are you able to monetize this video since you’re using NFL clips? I’ve been thinking about making similar content
Great video great commentary keep it up! Had to sub
Hey man love the video and the take on it. I’ll start with that if you watch anything about the Jags, Lenny was cut more for philosophical reasons than talent reasons
But I’m mid way through and the only player i can see myself disagreeing with is the Lenny one. Yes he’s outta the league but I think he’s still got talent to play and mean if you look at that Jags team, they also gave away Jalen Ramsey so can we blame them for dropping a mid tier statistical RB? Lenny went to the Bucs and yes he didn’t have an amazing season, but rather he harnessed his talents in different ways rather than 1k rushing and won a super bowl. Plus James Robinson the guy compared is legitimately outta the league already.
Good analysis
the over the hedge ds music made this video worth liking
Feels like Football is experiencing a scoring awakening similar to the NBA and 3-point shooting. They are breaking from tradition and looking at the numbers.
Awesome video, new sub
Love rb highlights. I was glad to see gurley get his cash and rams still get a sb
Guy are getting bigger, faster, & stronger. Hits are getting harder. NFL lets you go after the knees if you’re incapable of tackling someone bc they’re too strong.
Nice video, good football content is always welcome
Always thought Zeke’s “downfall” wasn’t as crazy as people project. His “down” year in 2020 was 21 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards with 4 Y/A! With 1,317 AP yards in 2020 I just think the RB position has lost overall value in general with other RB’s in the league unfortunately following that same trend
Zeke got complacent and out of shape. He used to have speed and power but he lost that speed. Plus the Cowboys had a good Oline.
@@TehKaiser idk if you can be complacent and be a starting RB in the NFL 🤣 if complacency is just shy of 1,000 yards then let’s all be complacent. He also had some knee damage never really had that breakaway speed anymore. OLine was very solid I agree
@@TheAbass13 Production doesn't mean fulling tapping into potential. Zeke was fat and slower than when he was on his rookie contract. There's a reason athletes peak in contract years. Many put in the extra work to get more money. Once the external motivation is gone and the contract is obtained, the player doesn't do as much.
@@TehKaiser I politely disagree, sir. I think production is factual results and potential is a projection. “Fat and slow” doesn’t give you 4 1,000 yard rushing seasons and one of those coming two years ago. He isn’t what he used to be, but he’s in his 8th season of toting the football in the NFL
@@TehKaiserwell you put on more weight when most of your carries are up the middle
Same thing happened with the Chargers. You mentioned them a bit but Melvin Gordon was drafted in 2015, just 5 spots after Gurley. We then got UDFA Austin Ekler in 2017 and he was putting up practically the same numbers as Gordon in 2018-19. Gordon wanted a big payday and the Chargers didn't give it to him. We did give it to Ekler, but even though he's a top back, his postseason stats are abysmal. Granted it's only been 3 games, but against the Jags in 2022, with only 35 rush yards and 8 receiving yards, that isn't going to help the team win much. I still love Ekler, but with the league changing towards the more pass heavy teams, it feels like burning money when you give a big pay day to a RB, generally speaking
Ekeler is a bonafide beast tho
Purdy was the last pick of the draft (almost undrafted) and he took the spot of a #3 overall pick at QB!! They won't give up on QBs how they did the RBs though
Is the track playing in the background the same one from the Semanax videos from Phub???
Great vid!
I think the Lions using Gibbs as a receiving back and as a secondary piece will help his longevity in the nfl
Seems like a lot of your videos are baseball, (I only took one scroll on your page) but bro I really enjoyed this football analysis! Keep this shit up!
Things tend to be somewhat cyclical. As the game and analytics becomes more pass heavy, defensive players and O-linemen who excel on passing plays will receive more priority. Individual defenders on the field will be stronger on passing plays, and weaker on running plays. At some point some moneyball GM will realize they can put together an o-line of run maulers on cheap contracts and with late round capital since teams value pass blockers more. When they see the back they want hitting free agency or in the draft, they will get them for a low cost FA deal or low cost in draft equity. It's cheaper to trade up to pick 8 to draft bijan than it is to trade to #1 for a QB because of the way teams value the 2 positions. If you fill those 6 positions on the cheap and use a low cost game manager type at QB, it leaves you a lot of capital to build a defense. You might be able to build that O-line, RB,QB combo of 7 effective players in a run based scheme for the same price jalen hurts or aaron rodgers alone makes.
What will happen is that not many people in football will still play RB, and supply will become lower. The people who do still play RB will be the ones who genuinely love playing it, so they will be better than what we have now. Demand will go up bc those players are making plays. Eventually we will be right back where we started.
just getting into football, and your video made me much more knowledgeable. subbed before you blow up 🥲
Le Veon Bell holdout season was the ultimate proof point for the nfl that RBS are not worth it
Would love to hear about fullback as well if you haven't already.
the single back formations killed the fullback
A RB that has WR skills (like C-Mac) and is an asset in pass blocking is the only way I see a RB being worth substantial money. That's in addition to being above average at running the ball.
Rule changes made passing easier, RBs less relevant.
Bell also played on the franchise tag the year prior
Combination of longevity and it being the most league ready position in the game
Derrick Henry is the only exception to this rule I can think of
Great video
I feel like demand for fullbacks is actually increasing because RBs are actually used alot more for pass protection and instead of having 2 RBs that can Run they rather have 1 RB and 1 fullback for blocking and maybe use a wr for some run concepts
what if running back contracts didn't affect the cap like other positions? nothing crazy, but if you pay a running back 9 mil, it only counts as 7.5 against the cap or something like that. not enough to be able to give a huge advantage, but enough to make sure the running backs still get better contracts
Bill Belichick demonstrated to the league that running backs could be easily replaced, although I haven't watched it yet.
Fournette was not considered a bust. He was the focal point of the Jags offense and his numbers don’t look good bc he ran the ball so much.
this needs more views
Zeke & Dak weren’t rookies in 2018 like the video says at 5:10. They were drafted in 2016! Also why not mention their total rushing attempts & season attempts to see if there’s correlation to numbers.
rule change on spot fouls changed the game. You can get tough yards in spurts of four or you can three it down field 40 yards and good chance of a PI call on the defense. Spot foul changed the game and corners arent allow to touch wr anymore. Running backs on the other hand is all about contacts.
Like announcers said. Its a passing league now.
It's a flaw with the NFL - a team sport that consistently has QBs as MVP. It's why I prefer watching college football these days.
It's sad that running backs bear the weight of not being extremely productive overall when often these rushes just seem ridiculous. The RBs run full speed into a pile of men to make 1 yard? Why is this even a thing still. Make smarter plays.
The running back position is going the way of the fullback.
I wouldn't be surprised if in a decade, teams start using backup O-Linemen in the backfield in passing situations.
I remember the 90's and 2000's and it seem like everyone had a star RB tearing shit up. LT and Ederin James were my favorites back then. RBs arent as important anymore and i dont blame teams not spending a chunk of their salary on them. Sucks but thats the business
This reminds me of FB’s they used to get used a lot but teams slowly shifted leaving the market shattered for them
They should call them halfbacks again
Bell’s hold out was probably the worst thing to happen to running backs. Teams know there’s a steady pipeline of backs they can get good service from as long as they coach up a decent line. They also know they can run their backs into the ground even more. Tbf to Fournette though. Bust or not man has a ring.
Saying Leonard Fournette put up "Pedestrian numbers" is insane. Bro averaged over 100 ypg for 3 seasons, he was just injured a lot.
Star running backs have an average of 3 or 4 good years beforectheir body breaks down and they become ineffective
I blame Leveon bell and his horrendous contract for the image of RBs being ruined
I just wonder if running backs with great receiving abilities will start demanding to be moved to receiver
Part of the RB's salary should not count against the cap. An elite running back only costs 10-15 million against the cap but would take home 20-30 million. No idea how to balance that, but it would work as a way to acknowledge & support the elite running backs that make the NFL fun to watch as well as overly rewarding them for their few productive years as it's highly likely they won't be a starter by the time they're 30 years old.
They should allow one and dones for the draft eligibility that would solve rb problems a little
Bell's holdout is "not the first in NFL history, but probably the most well known."
Maybe in the world of youtube videos where "history" is five years.
There’s just so much talent in the league now that rbs aren’t useful
This is a lose lose situation. I don’t blame the market and owners for not paying big bucks for the position. But rb is the most explosive position that can do big damage in game. I feel bad for them because they literally risk their lives for us. You will have every young college high school rb want out of the position. I don’t want football without this position. Hope there can be something done.
NFLPA needs to do something in collective bargaining to fix this.
Need more NFL videos! Capitalize on the views and algorithm!!
2 reasons for this. NFL defenses are playing the pass more often than the run. By being in quarters and nickel packages. And the second reason, is that teams are better off spending on their o lines. A great oline can make an average running back into a 1k yard rusher.
Back then pads were big so they lasted longer primes use to be 5 years now it’s 3 years
Such a quality vid for a small channel
Give them 1-2 year deals if you’re worried about injuries and pay them nicely and if they are still healthy after that another 1-2 year deal
There’s just to many guys who are 6 foot 210lbs that can run fast. Can get a guy in the 4th round who you can dunk the ball off to and can grab yards. The talent discrepancy between that guy and one of the top 10 RBs jsut isn’t that huge really. On top of that yes the injuries are an obvious reason.
It feels like running backs are built like Barry Sanders and AP anymore though