What's the problem with the RBs you ask?? You can really start with offensive lines around the league. And you could break down each individual line, and each individual player, but that could take a while. So, maybe just few examples.
Start with one of the best lines over the past many years, KC. Theyve had 2 HOFers retire in the past couple of years: Willie Roaf and Wil Shields. No coincidence, their line now stinks, Larry Johnson spent his first significant time on the shelf, had a miserable season, disappointed countless fantasy owners, and Kansas City, one of the historically dominant running clubs, is now among the league's worst. That's just one team, but one known for producing
huge volumes of rushing TDs. Just one team, but its a bit of a synopsis.
Now, look at some of the anchors at left tackle around the league, and where they are in their careers. Jon Ogden, if not basically retired though officially undecided at this point, is pretty much done. He's in his 13th year. Walter Jones, a MAN amongst other huge men, is 34 and in his 12th year. He's seen better, brilliant days. Orlando Pace is really falling apart lately and he's now in his 11th year, with probably not very much mileage left on that tread. Denver's Matt Lepsis, long one of the better Olinemen in the league, anchoring the Broncos left side, is done. Tough shoes to fill. Indy's Tarik Glenn just retired last season. Absolutely an anchor if there ever was one. Flozell Adams, Dallas' anchor at LT is in his 11th season and no spring chicken. How long will he continue to play at a high level? The great Larry Allen, though I dont believe officially retired at this point, but after 14 seasons, he' s pretty much done. He's an absolutely lock HOFer and among the most dominant run blockers of any time. San Fran's gonna have fun filling his shoes. Alan Faneca has been a dominant All Pro player at guard for years for Pittsburgh, but he's also in his 11th year and deemed expendable but a team that lives and dies with the run. And there are just countless stud linemen like Jeff Saturday, Olin Kreutz, Reuben Brown, Kevin Mawae and Matt Birk and the list goes on. These are all Pro Bowl regulars and tremdous run blocking linemen getting up their in years who's games just arent quite what they used to be. I could go on, but all things are cyclical, and offensive lines around the league are getting old, and taking the hit.
Which brings us to the draft. The 2008 NFL draft to be specific. When was the last time EIGHT O linemen were taken in the 1st round of a draft? And very possibly 8
left tackles if not this year, very much in the near future. Teams were looking for Oline
anchors in this draft. Which tells us the
teams are also very aware of their own most signficant problems. We all know teams draft for best available player. Yeah, sure they do. They also take linemen when they need them (or in other words when the rushing TD totals around the league are significantly down and everyone knows it because many of their lines stink and are aging, wink wink). But of course, no one drafts for need. We know better.
So, weve pretty much established that RBs are dependent on their Olines for success, and when those great linemen retire or regress, bad things can happen. But what about the backs themselves? Guys like Curtis Martin? Marshall Faulk? Jerome Bettis, Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber, Corey Dillon, and finally, of course, the GREAT Mike Alstott? These men are HOF-caliber (not all certain locks, but
caliber) and record breaking stars none of which are easily replaced, and theyve all retired within the last 2 years. Is that NOT
incredible?? That weve lost all of these studs in the last 2 years?? What a
collectively enormous loss. And we really wonder why the NFL rushing TD totals are down?
Sometimes, it seems just that simple. But we all know it never really is.
Youve got to also consider the massive dropoff we saw from players like Shaun Alexander over the past 2 years after his Oline was re-worked. And Larry Johnson's waste of a season due to injury and poor line play. Rudi Johnson's basic disappearing act in '07. Thomas Jones was a virtual non-factor with his new team, after some tremendous Bears' success. Ricky Williams of course is an anomaly that's wasted what was at once a brilliant fantasy career for many of us, for the love of nature's finest. The once great Ahman Green and his machine-like TD production? The classic "shell" of one's former-self case. Deuce McCallister was a Mc no-show, Warrick Dunn was
more or less done, Kevin Jones lived up to his fully earned reputation as a hot potato (at least in my view), and the once promising Lamont Jordan was anything but
Jordan-esque.
Those last several names werent probably worth the enumerating. After all, there are a significant # of RBs every year that disappoint for one reason or another. But it further accentuates the point. The #s are severely down. And Im guessing, that trend may continue. And when you take time to consider how frequent teams utilize the dreaded RBBC system, where specialists are brought in for often
obvious situations, and it adds to the complexity. The days of back versatility has severely diminished. That Tomlinson type player who could carry the ball on 1st and 2nd downs, catch the ball on 3rd to move the chains, and still line up on the goalline?? What ever happened to that guy? They are fewer and further in between at this stage. And when you dont have
that guy on the goalline, the guy that kill you in more ways than one, and you replace him with a big "
goalline" back, it seems youre pretty much daring the opposing defense to line up in a goalline package of their own, and stop what youre obviously about to attempt. Of course, its not always that fundamental or cut and dry, and Im painting a rather extreme picture in some cases, but these dreaded committees have made our jobs in the fantasy world just that much more complex. And you know what? I kind of like it.
I thought it looked too off to believe...
Sometimes, it seems just that simple. But we all know it never really is.
Excellant thoughts here.
