I tend to take note when a back is a lot better than the other guys on his own team (or a lot worse, for that matter). In the case of Trent Richardson, for example, he’s been terrible in his two years with the Colts, averaging down around 3 yards per carry. Some attributed that to the team’s offensive line or Richardson needing to better learn the offense – especially early in his run there. But all of the other running backs they’ve used have tended to be about a yard per carry better – Donald Brown, Ahmad Bradshaw, Boom Herron.
That kind of stat tells me that the problem isn’t the offensive line, it’s Richardson.
Anyway, this kind of thing comes up regularly, and I thought I would formalize it a little this year. Make it more comprehensive.
I started by tossing out all running backs with fewer than 50 carries. Otherwise the sample size isn’t big enough. Then I looked at each team and pulled out the guys who were at least a yard better than all of the other running backs on their team.
They are as follows (alphabetical by team).
| ARIZONA | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerwynn Williams | 53 | 246 | 4.64 | 19 |
| Stepfan Taylor | 63 | 208 | 3.30 | 21 |
| Andre Ellington | 201 | 660 | 3.28 | 22 |
This will probably be obsolete when Arizona drafts Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon next week, but Williams had a nice little run at the end of last year.
| BALTIMORE | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Forsett | 235 | 1266 | 5.39 | 52 |
| Lorenzo Taliaferro | 68 | 292 | 4.29 | 31 |
| Bernard Pierce | 93 | 366 | 3.94 | 28 |
Forsett was one of the big surprises of last year, and the Ravens have re-signed him.
| CAROLINA | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Stewart | 175 | 809 | 4.62 | 69 |
| DeAngelo Williams | 62 | 219 | 3.53 | 17 |
Stewart closed last year on a hot streak and should get a much larger workload this season. Williams now with the Steelers (and should start in September while LeVeon Bell serves his suspension.
| CINCINNATI | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Hill | 222 | 1124 | 5.06 | 85 |
| Giovani Bernard | 168 | 680 | 4.05 | 89 |
Hill was way better as a rookie than I ever could have imagined, blowing away Bernard (who was great as a rookie in a different offense the previous year).
| DALLAS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Randle | 51 | 343 | 6.73 | 65 |
| DeMarco Murray | 392 | 1845 | 4.71 | 51 |
Murray led the league in rushing last year, but a huge portion of his success can be attributed to the league’s best offensive line. Randle consistently popped runs when they plugged him in for spot duty, which I take as an indication that whoever the Cowboys start at tailback this year will post good numbers.
| HOUSTON | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arian Foster | 260 | 1246 | 4.79 | 51 |
| Alfred Blue | 169 | 528 | 3.12 | 46 |
Blue had one big game at Cleveland, but he ain’t no Foster.
| JACKSONVILLE | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denard Robinson | 135 | 582 | 4.31 | 41 |
| Toby Gerhart | 101 | 326 | 3.23 | 23 |
Robinson was surprisingly good in a handful of starts (until tailing off) while Gerhart was worse than most expected – just too slow.
| KANSAS CITY | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaal Charles | 206 | 1033 | 5.01 | 63 |
| Knile Davis | 134 | 463 | 3.46 | 48 |
Davis is one of the league’s best handcuff backs, but he’s simply not in Charles’ class.
| MINNESOTA | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerick McKinnon | 113 | 538 | 4.76 | 55 |
| Matt Asiata | 164 | 570 | 3.48 | 19 |
Let’s see where Adrian Peterson winds up. If they move him, McKinnon could be one of the surprise running backs of 2015. He’s got great physical tools and was a lot more explosive than Asiata last year
| OAKLAND | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latavius Murray | 82 | 424 | 5.17 | 90 |
| Darren McFadden | 155 | 534 | 3.45 | 25 |
To me, Murray looks like an ‘80s-style running back – Eric Dickerson, Herschel Walker or Marcus Dupree kind of guy. He’s a big, fast runaway train. Even if you set aside his 90-yard touchdown against Kansas City, he was still almost a yard per carry better than McFadden.
| PHILADELPHIA | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darren Sproles | 57 | 329 | 5.77 | 49 |
| LeSean McCoy | 312 | 1319 | 4.23 | 53 |
Sproles is a little stick of dynamite in that offense. He averaged under 5 yards per carry in only three games. McCoy, meanwhile, didn’t quite fit (which is why, I suppose, they shipped him off to Buffalo).