Terrell Davis and Edgerrin James, two of the best to ever carry a football, were on the way to Canton, Ohio. A sobering question haunted them: Might the devaluing of the position make it tougher for RBs to join them in the Hall of Fame?
failed to secure long-term contracts as unrestricted free agents this year. Jacobs led the league in yards rushing and scrimmage yards and accounted for 49.9 percent of the team’s touches from scrimmage, a percentage that not only led the league but also was 37 points higher than the next Raider. Barkley ranked fourth in rushing and eighth in rushing touchdowns by running backs. His 62 rushing first downs tied for sixth, and his 32 carries of 10 or more yards were fifth best.
They asked themselves about possible solutions, and in the process stumbled onto another question that was so sobering it left them speechless: Might the devaluing of the position make it tougher for running backs to join them in the Hall of Fame? His comment wasn’t meant to slight today’s backs, for whom he has tremendous respect. It was more an acknowledgment that the game has changed and voters will have to change the metrics they use for judging a running back’s candidacy. But will they? If so, how? And how quickly? My answers as a member of the 50-person voting committee: Yes … don’t know … got me.
Currently, the Hall lists 19 “running backs” among its 371 enshrinees, a designation that applies largely to those who played the position from 1970 forward. There also are 16 halfbacks and nine fullbacks, designations that applied to the position before the Super Bowl era. In total, there are 45 enshrinees who could be identified as primary ball carriers during their careers.
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