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32 year old RB's with over 1000 yards? (1 Viewer)

cstu

Footballguy
With two 32 year old guys projected to rush for over 1000 yards this season (Priest and Martin) and another one with his projections moving up to that (Anderson), here is the history:Only nine players over 32 have rushed for 1000 yards (one since 1990):1 Emmitt Smith rb 2001 32 12 14 261 1021 3.91 3 131.702 James Brooks rb 1990 32 10 16 195 1004 5.15 5 181.303 Ottis Anderson rb 1989 32 11 16 325 1023 3.15 14 213.104 Walter Payton rb 1986 32 12 16 321 1333 4.15 8 237.505 John Riggins rb 1984 35 14 14 327 1239 3.79 14 212.206 Franco Harris rb 1983 33 12 16 279 1007 3.61 5 170.507 John Riggins rb 1983 34 13 15 375 1347 3.59 24 281.608 John Henry Johnson rb 1964 35 11 14 235 1048 4.46 7 159.709 John Henry Johnson rb 1962 33 9 14 251 1141 4.55 7 190.70Of these 9, only 6 had a YPC over 3.7:1 Emmitt Smith rb 2001 32 12 14 261 1021 3.91 3 131.702 James Brooks rb 1990 32 10 16 195 1004 5.15 5 181.303 Walter Payton rb 1986 32 12 16 321 1333 4.15 8 237.504 John Riggins rb 1984 35 14 14 327 1239 3.79 14 212.205 John Henry Johnson rb 1964 35 11 14 235 1048 4.46 7 159.706 John Henry Johnson rb 1962 33 9 14 251 1141 4.55 7 190.70Furthermore, only 6 other times has a 32 year old RB rushed for 800-1000 yards:1 Jerome Bettis rb 2004 32 12 15 250 941 3.76 13 181.202 Emmitt Smith rb 2004 35 15 15 267 937 3.51 9 163.253 Emmitt Smith rb 2002 33 13 16 254 975 3.84 5 136.404 Marcus Allen rb 1996 36 15 16 206 830 4.03 9 164.005 Marcus Allen rb 1995 35 14 16 207 890 4.30 5 140.006 Larry Csonka rb 1979 33 12 16 220 837 3.80 12 169.20

 
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I know Anderson has had a couple of injuries but he does not have much NFL milage on his body.

 
:confused:

Bettis was close last year (941 yards) and Martin should get 1000 yards this year, but I haven't found any RB that was 32 years old during the season who rushed for over 1000 yards.
John Riggins 1983 34 yrs old 1347yds 24tdsand 16 others 31 or older have done it ... last Emmit in 2001

love the data dominator :thumbup:

 
Code:
1	Barry Sanders	rb	1997	29	9	16	335	2053	6.13	11	319.802	O.J. Simpson	rb	1975	28	7	14	329	1817	5.52	16	362.30
Say what you will about these guys otherwise - they were amazing running backs, busting the league when most other guys are thinking about retirement. Well, I guess Barry was thinking about retirement too. Such a shame he left too soon for us fans.Anyway, as far as Mike Anderson goes, I guess he could pull an Otis Anderson, I just don't think it'll play out that way. I've also seen him go in the 3rd round of a draft I was in due to the last televised game - too expensive. Pre season - when what's old is new again.
 
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I hear pro athletes train a little differently these days and there have been some great advances in the sports medicine field. Don't doubt Curtis

 
From Tick's RB age chart...1969 Emmitt Smith1970 Levens1971 RAnderson, Hearst1972 Wheatley, Bettis, Garner, ASmith1973 Holmes, MFaulk, Martin, George, Alstott, MikeAndersonIt will be interesting to see if Holmes, Martin, and Anderson can break this trend. Given the historical data; I have to think that at least one breaks down and does not.

 
I hear pro athletes train a little differently these days and there have been some great advances in the sports medicine field. Don't doubt Curtis
I'm not doubting Curtis since he fits the profile of the guys that have done it - relatively healthy and likely HOF'ers. Priest could also do it since he's good enough to get 1000 yards in 8 games.Mike Anderson on the other hand...

 
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From Tick's RB age chart...

1969 Emmitt Smith

1970 Levens

1971 RAnderson, Hearst

1972 Wheatley, Bettis, Garner, ASmith

1973 Holmes, MFaulk, Martin, George, Alstott, MikeAnderson
Also interesting to see what happened with those two last year when they were 32.
 
I know Anderson has had a couple of injuries but he does not have much NFL milage on his body.
We need to put this to rest. Despite not having as much mileage on this guy, at 32 years of age the body doesn't heal as quickly as a 24 year old. Regardless of mileage guys just don't heal as fast as they get older. I heard the same crap about Holmes having less mileage so he should still be good to go last year. Yet he gets on the wrong side of 30 and he played in only 8 games last year.

I will admit this though. There are more and more guys that have done it at 30 and 31 which I attribute more to advances in sports medicine and not some myth about low mileage.

 
I know Anderson has had a couple of injuries but he does not have much NFL milage on his body.
We need to put this to rest. Despite not having as much mileage on this guy, at 32 years of age the body doesn't heal as quickly as a 24 year old. Regardless of mileage guys just don't heal as fast as they get older. I heard the same crap about Holmes having less mileage so he should still be good to go last year. Yet he gets on the wrong side of 30 and he played in only 8 games last year.

I will admit this though. There are more and more guys that have done it at 30 and 31 which I attribute more to advances in sports medicine and not some myth about low mileage.
Anyone else find it odd that in this age of great sports medicine that only one of the guys to do it did it after 1990? I think that RB is such a physically demanding position that it does wear down the 30+ guys, regardless of mileage. I don't really believe in the cumulative effects of carries unless a RB has issues with his knees.
 
Anyone else find it odd that in this age of great sports medicine that only one of the guys to do it did it after 1990?
It's because the medical improvements (and "enhancements") cut both ways. It's not just the running backs who benefit - the guys on defense benefit too, allowing them to get bigger, stronger, play faster and hit harder than before. Also some supplements, legal or otherwise can have detrimental longer term effects on the body. Those things start showing up when guys hit their 30's if they've been users since their late teens/early 20's.
 
Anyone else find it odd that in this age of great sports medicine that only one of the guys to do it did it after 1990?
It's because the medical improvements (and "enhancements") cut both ways. It's not just the running backs who benefit - the guys on defense benefit too, allowing them to get bigger, stronger, play faster and hit harder than before. Also some supplements, legal or otherwise can have detrimental longer term effects on the body. Those things start showing up when guys hit their 30's if they've been users since their late teens/early 20's.
Economics could be a factor. Perhaps nowadays teams are more likely to jettison the veterans before that last extension they used to give.Or maybe the RBs coming out of college are more NFL ready nowadays and thus more capable of beating out the aging RBs.

 
1 Barry Sanders rb 1997 29 9 16 335 2053 6.13 11 319.802 O.J. Simpson rb 1975 28 7 14 329 1817 5.52 16 362.30Say what you will about these guys otherwise - they were amazing running backs, busting the league when most other guys are thinking about retirement. Well, I guess Barry was thinking about retirement too. Such a shame he left too soon for us fans.
Barry Sanders retired at age 30.I never understood why people thought he retired too soon.

That is a perfectly normal age for an NFL RB to retire.

He played 10 years.

 
1000 yard countdown (through 12 games):Martin (735 yards - needs to average 66.25 yards per game)Anderson (850 yards - needs to average 37.5 yards per game)Priest (finished with 451 yards)

 
I know Anderson has had a couple of injuries but he does not have much NFL milage on his body.
This article may be enlightening:http://www.pro-football-reference.com/articles/age.htm

One more note before we leave running backs. It's not at all clear to me how much of the "aging" process comes in the form of the physical pounding running backs take, and how much is just general age-based decay that we all experience. For example, Stephen Davis is 26 this year, but it's possible that his body thinks he's more like 24 because he hasn't taken nearly as many hits in his NFL career as most backs have by the time they're 26. That's not an unreasonable assertion. On the other hand, studies have shown that baseball players (hitters, anyway) peak right around the same time -- age 27 or 28 -- and they don't take any physical pounding. It's a tough call, but my opinion (i.e. guess) is that the pattern we see here for RBs is due to regular old aging and is not being unduly accelerated by the particular physical requirements of the job. I'm inclined to treat Davis like any other 26-year-old, but I won't try to change your mind if you think otherwise.
I tend to agree with that point. Baseball isn't a contact sport at all but they peak about the same age as RBs.
 
I will admit this though. There are more and more guys that have done it at 30 and 31 which I attribute more to advances in sports medicine and not some myth about low mileage.
Absolutely agree.I'd guess about the time Riggins was doing it, Bernard King's doc made him the first ever to come back from that type of knee surgery. IMO that Knick made his doc famous and changed alot for players of all sports.

I don't wanna debate Bernard King here just...look here if you want

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Berna...ng+knee+surgery

After him, knee surgeries really progressed. McGahee, Brunell, Jamal Lewis...there's a huge list of guys that would never have played in the NFL if this weren't the case.

The great powerful Earl Campbell wincing while he walks with a cane is a pretty fitting/powerful visual for football IMO.

 
I should have done this sooner, but better late than never.

Final 2005 Stats for the 32 year old RB's:

Martin - 220 for 735 (3.3 YPC), 5 TD (12 games)

Priest - 119 for 451 (3.8 YPC), 6 TD (7 games)

Anderson - 239 for 1014 (4.2 YPC), 12 TD (15 games)

Mike Anderson joined some elite company as a 32 year old RB who averaged over 3.7 YPC (in fact was the highest of all these guys):

Code:
1	John Riggins	rb	1983	34	13	15	375	1347	3.59	24	281.602	Walter Payton	rb	1986	32	12	16	321	1333	4.15	8	237.503	Ottis Anderson	rb	1989	32	11	16	325	1023	3.15	14	213.104	John Riggins	rb	1984	35	14	14	327	1239	3.79	14	212.205	Mike Anderson	rb	2005	32	6	15	239	1014	4.24	12	200.606	John Henry Johnson	rb	1962	33	9	14	251	1141	4.55	7	190.707	Marcus Allen	rb	1993	33	12	16	206	764	3.71	12	190.20
The RB's who will be 32 in 2006 are Corey Dillon, Stephen Davis and Moe Williams.
 
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Looks like MARTIN is only shot for 1,000 for 2006. Bearing a Lewis injury. What do you guys think is the odds Martin can get 1000 this year? I would say 50-50. He was injured most of last year.

I agree with above posts M. Anderson low NFL mileage works for him. If Jamaul gets injured he is capable of another 1000 season. Yes I experianced first hand it takes longer to recover past 30 but these guys have a week. Not a couple days. And as long as it's just bruises and sore muscles they can recover in a week in mid 30's.

 
Looks like MARTIN is only shot for 1,000 for 2006. Bearing a Lewis injury. What do you guys think is the odds Martin can get 1000 this year? I would say 50-50. He was injured most of last year. I agree with above posts M. Anderson low NFL mileage works for him. If Jamaul gets injured he is capable of another 1000 season. Yes I experianced first hand it takes longer to recover past 30 but these guys have a week. Not a couple days. And as long as it's just bruises and sore muscles they can recover in a week in mid 30's.
Dillon is the only 32 year old RB getting major playing time this year and after 4 games he has 236 yards - on pace for 944.Dunn just misses being included since he turns 32 in Jan. but he's on pace for 1400 yards. Dunn and Tiki will be the 32 year old RB's next year.
 
interesting cstu.

Since at age 32 we're assuming alot of time in the league, do you think the most common reason is wear and tear or injury or maybe youth(fresher RB in draft)?

 
interesting cstu.Since at age 32 we're assuming alot of time in the league, do you think the most common reason is wear and tear or injury or maybe youth(fresher RB in draft)?
My take is that you normally need to have had a long, productive career to even get to be a 32 year old RB and that generally means a lot of wear and tear. Someone like Mike Anderson who started late and missed a year due to injury isn't the norm for starting 32 year old RB's. I also think it's very difficult for guys to take the beating of being a RB and not get worn down and lose some of their skills. It's tough for an older guy with aches and pains from getting hit 1000's of times to compete with a guy fresh out of college. I don't know why 32 is usually the breaking point but it seems to be when the natural aging process causes a RB's skills to diminish to the point they lose their job to a young guy or when injuries happen more often.
 

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