Without A Running Back

Josh Thornton

​We talk about the days of past; when the gridiron was controlled by men of grit. Men who weren’t afraid to stare down opposing danger and welcome it with a gleeful grin. Men who would take on a freight train at full speed purely for the satisfaction of the collision. We talk about these days like they are gone. Lost to history. Well… they are not. 

​We live in a football world where a team’s offensive prowess is measured by the stats of their QB. Then corroborated by the stats of their number one wide receiver. Let’s not forget about the Tight End position…. can’t talk passing stats without that. Offense must end there, right? Hahahaha… oh, young grasshopper… you have much to learn.

​We have done a masterful job over the years of “de-valuing” the running back position. Siting failed second contract after failed second contract in an attempt to justify paying a man less than what he is worth. What if I told you that the value of a cow-bell, dedicated running back has never been higher?

​We are part of an NFL that sees consistent turnover at the QB position. This coming from the staples deciding to move on or call it quits, and the general thirst to produce dominating offense for public consumption driving impatience. What do they say is a young, or new, quarterbacks’ best friend? Oh, that’s right… a good running back.  

​We witnessed this firsthand in Cleveland with Chubb all but carrying the team last season while Baker fought through a sophomore slump. Imagine how bad those games could have turned out if not for Nick Chubb! 

​The game is still controlled, and often closed-out (won), on the ground. Running the ball may have lost the lime light to high-octane passing, but it is still as important as ever. Don’t tell these guys their position doesn’t matter.

You may wake up feeling like you’ve been hit by a train.

Be sure to give The Dan6er Zone’s latest podcast a listen “It’s All About the Benjamins”.