Their cups runneth over: from Marshall Faulk to Jerome Bettis, we're witnessing a golden era at running back - Cover Story

Football Digest, Feb, 2002 by Barry Wilner

IF ANYONE IS GETTING EXCITED about all the 1,000-yard rushers in the NFL, our advice is to calm down. Gaining 1,000 yards means averaging only 62 yards a game. That's not exactly a measuring stick for greatness.

So let's alter the analysis of the stats a bit. Let's make the plateau 1,250 yards in a season, which brings the game-by-game average up to 78 yards.

However, even that much loftier number is well within reach for a number of players. Why? Because this is a golden era for the running back position.

"It never stops," says New England Patriots linebacker Roman Phifer. "This is the NFL. You're going to face a marquee player every week."

Adds New York Jets coach Herm Edwards: "Every week, it seems you're going up against a team with a top running back. It's one of the deepest positions in the league."

Edwards can brag because he has Curtis Martin, a seven-year veteran who is on a pace that would carry him to Walter Payton-type levels. Despite his consistency, Martin generally has been considered a slight notch below the likes of Edgerrin James and Marshall Faulk. But this year, anyway, Martin may be the best back in football.

"To be compared with those guys and to be put on a level with them, that's an honor," says Martin, who has never rushed for fewer than 1,150 yards in a season. "It is a good time to be a running back in the NFL because you're keeping some great company."

One reason for the plethora of stampeding backs is that college football still emphasizes the position so strongly. While there are more wide-open passing attacks than ever in the college ranks, few teams succeed without a solid running game. Colleges can easily find topnotch runners because the high schools churn them out by the truckload. Name a big-time college program that doesn't recruit two or three star runners every year.

Still, the jump from high school to college is a large one, and it's even more difficult to move on to the NFL. Yet each season, a James or a Mike Anderson or a LaDainian Tomlinson or an Anthony Thomas makes headlines. Part of that stems from the fact that running backs can make an instant impact in the NFL; the position is less complex to learn than most others.

Take the rookie Tomlinson, who rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the first game of his NFL career and has performed at a high level ever since. Tomlinson has speed, power, and agility. The only thing he hasn't done yet is show that he can be a consistent option as a receiver, a skill that is a bit more difficult to learn.

Still, the San Diego Chargers are more than happy with Tomlinson's contributions thus far. "As a running back, you don't need to teach him to carry the ball," says Chargers quarterback Doug Flutie. "You put the ball in his hands, and it's an instinctive thing."

But versatility is what separates the great backs from the good ones. That's why Faulk and James are considered the premier players at their position. In fact, the Indianapolis Colts selected James ahead of the more highly touted Ricky Williams in the 1999 draft partly because they felt he was more multifaceted and could better fit into the offensive scheme they were building around quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

"It's amazing when someone comes in like Edgerrin did and does what he did," Manning says. "Right from the beginning, you could see Edgerrin was willing to work hard and do what it takes to succeed."

And who has James tried to model his game after? None other than Faulk. Ironically, Faulk was traded by Indianapolis to the St. Louis Rams prior to the '99 draft, paving the way for James on the Colts.

"I love to watch Marshall play," James says. "He has the game figured out to where it is so easy. I look at his pass routes. He is one of the best ever to run them, and I try to pattern myself after the way Marshall does it. I try to kill them both ways. You're not always going to be able to run the ball in the NFL. If they won't let me run it, I'll get past it by catching it.

"I said that I want to make my mark in the NFL. This is the highest level. I want to play as many years as I'm able, so I wanted to get here and make plays and play."

Few runners have accomplished as much as early as James has; he won the NFL rushing title in each of his first two years. A season-ending knee injury in November, however, prevented James from making a run at a hat trick. He ended his 2001 campaign with 662 yards.

Almost every team has a running back capable of carrying the load. Consider that only the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings entered the 2001 season without a top-notch runner. And three of those teams--the Browns with James Jackson, the Bills with Travis Henry, and the Bears with Thomas--may have found one this season.

Some of today's better runners--such as Charlie Garner and Ahman Green--took some time to fully develop. Others--including Shaun Alexander, Stephen Davis, and James Stewart--sat behind established backs before getting a true chance to show what they had.