Will We See A New Team Rushing Record This Year? (1 Viewer)

[Anarchy99]

The last time we saw anyone set a new team record for rushing yards in a season was DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys in 2014. The team record has stood for at least 10 years for 26 franchises and at least 25 years for 12 franchises. The oldest team record for rushing yards in a season still standing goes all the way back to Jim Brown of the Browns back in 1963. The game has changed and there are fewer bell cow running backs and only two backs have eclipsed 1,500 rushing yards in the past season (another Cowboy, Ezekiel Elliott was the other one). But if there are guys with at least a puncher's chance, who might have the best shot at setting a new team single season rushing record this season?

LAR Eric Dickerson 2105 2105
MIN Adrian Peterson 2012 2097
BAL Jamal Lewis 2003 2066
DET Barry Sanders 1997 2053
DEN Terrell Davis 1998 2008
TEN Chris Johnson 2009 2006
BUF O.J. Simpson 1973 2003
GBP Ahman Green 2003 1883
SEA Shaun Alexander 2005 1880
CLE Jim Brown 1963 1863
NYG Tiki Barber 2005 1860
MIA Ricky Williams 2002 1853
CHI Walter Payton 1977 1852
ATL Jamal Anderson 1998 1846
DAL DeMarco Murray 2014 1845
LAC LaDainian Tomlinson 2006 1815
KCC Larry Johnson 2006 1789
OAK Marcus Allen 1985 1759
IND Edgerrin James 2000 1709
NYJ Curtis Martin 2004 1697
SFO Frank Gore 2006 1695
PIT Barry Foster 1992 1690
NOS George Rogers 1981 1674
NEP Corey Dillon 2004 1635
HOU Arian Foster 2010 1616
WAS Alred Morris 2012 1613
PHI LeSean McCoy 2013 1607
JAC Maurice Jones-Drew 2011 1606
ARI Ottis Anderson 1979 1605
TBB James Wilder 1984 1544
CAR DeAngelo Williams 2008 1515
CIN Rudi Johnson 2005 1458


The chances are pretty remote that anyone will accomplish such a feat this year. IMO, there are a few guys that have a slim hope (only because the record is on the lower side for their team) if they can stay healthy and they get a enough carries . . . Joe Mixon, Sony Michel, and Le'Veon Bell. Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott might get the ball enough, but their team total is pretty high.

 

[Milkman]

They need more help on that OL but David Johnson could......especially if AZ drafts Kyler Murray and Garrett Bradbury.

 

[Ben & Jerry's]

Mixon looks to have the best chance. 

 

[Long Ball Larry]

pretty hard to see, considering that no one even got to 1458 last year or the year before.  I guess Mixon does make the most sense.

 

[Dizzy]

The chances are pretty remote that anyone will accomplish such a feat this year. IMO, there are a few guys that have a slim hope (only because the record is on the lower side for their team) if they can stay healthy and they get a enough carries . . . Joe Mixon, Sony Michel, and Le'Veon Bell. Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott might get the ball enough, but their team total is pretty high.

I would agree Mixon has the best chance. Not sure others would get enough work to crack it.

Lev Bell's best rushing total was under (well under) 1,400 yds... far cry from C. Mart's nearly 1,700 yds as a NYJ.

 

[Doug B]

A lot of good bar bets in that OP.

 

[3nOut]

Kamara?

 

[barackdhouse]

Fournette

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I don't see it happening but if I had to bet on one I'd take Fournette.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Sony Michel

You think Michel will see enough volume to even approach that number? Interesting.

 

[JohnnyU]

Teams are too infatuated with passing.  It may be a long time before anyone breaks 2000 yards again.  Before the Gurley fiasco last year I thought he would have a shot.   Perhaps Barkley, but the Giants are terrible.

 

[Anarchy99]

You think Michel will see enough volume to even approach that number? Interesting.

I said there is barely a chance anyone gets a team record this year. But in Michel’s case, he had an 8 game stretch down the stretch with around 750 rushing yards. 

I doubt he will get that volume of carries over a full season. But there is a scenario where NE doesn’t have great receiving options, they play really good defense, and they pound the football week after week. Mix in a couple of long runs (which he didn’t really show the speed for last year) and I think there is a minute chance the planets could align. Still wouldn’t put much money on it though. 

Like every other year, really hard to get a feel for a NE team in March. They could end up with 15-20 different players by September.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

1. LAR Eric Dickerson 2105 2105 
   
2. MIN Adrian Peterson 2012 2097 
   
3. BAL Jamal Lewis 2003 2066
   
4. DET Barry Sanders 1997 2053
   
5. DEN Terrell Davis 1998 2008
   
6. TEN Chris Johnson 2009 2006
   
7. BUF O.J. Simpson 1973 2003
   
8. GBP Ahman Green 2003 1883
   
9. SEA Shaun Alexander 2005 1880
   
10. CLE Jim Brown 1963 1863
    

Jim Brown played in a 12 game season, OJ played in a 14 game season, everyone else listed in the top-ten all played in 16 game seasons.  The NFL instituted the BYE week creating a 17 game season allowing players one week off to rest and recuperate in 1990 and experimented with two BYE weeks in 1993 but was met with harsh criticism and reverted to the 'regular' 17 game format with BYE weeks.  The BYE week formula has been tinkered with over the years but has settled to the current format.

Here is the top-ten listed by average rush yards per game which gives a much better idea of what they accomplished in their best single season.

One of these is not like the others.

1. Jim Brown 155.25 yards per game 
   
2. Juice 143.02
   
3. Dickerson 131.56
   
4. AdP 131.06
   
5. Jamal Lewis 128.13
   
6. Barry Sanders 128.31
   
7. TD 125.5
   
8. Chris Johnson 125.37
   
9. Ahman Green 117.68S
   
10. Shaun Alexander 117.50 
    

Had JB played one more game he would have eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark.  If he just played in the OJ era he would still hold the high mark for an NFL season to this day.  Just think if he had four more games?  In an era where the entire defense was keyed to stop him?

 

[Anarchy99]

When discussions of best RB come up, I always side with Jim Brown, but he is so far in the past people have a hard time considering him. 

 

[Ilov80s]

Jim Brown played in a 12 game season, OJ played in a 14 game season, everyone else listed in the top-ten all played in 16 game seasons.  The NFL instituted the BYE week creating a 17 game season allowing players one week off to rest and recuperate in 1990 and experimented with two BYE weeks in 1993 but was met with harsh criticism and reverted to the 'regular' 17 game format with BYE weeks.  The BYE week formula has been tinkered with over the years but has settled to the current format.

Here is the top-ten listed by average rush yards per game which gives a much better idea of what they accomplished in their best single season.

One of these is not like the others.

1. Jim Brown 155.25 yards per game 
   
2. Juice 143.02
   
3. Dickerson 131.56
   
4. AdP 131.06
   
5. Jamal Lewis 128.13
   
6. Barry Sanders 128.31
   
7. TD 125.5
   
8. Chris Johnson 125.37
   
9. Ahman Green 117.68S
   
10. Shaun Alexander 117.50 
    

Had JB played one more game he would have eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark.  If he just played in the OJ era he would still hold the high mark for an NFL season to this day.  Just think if he had four more games?  In an era where the entire defense was keyed to stop him?

I might argue 2 of those are not like the others. OJ and JB were significantly ahead of the pack. Brown averaged 20.8 attempts per game which puts even more context into how much better he was relative to the rest of the league. 20.8 is the lowest of any on that list. Barry was next with 20.9. Most were around 23 or 24. 

 

[Bracie Smathers]

I might argue 2 of those are not like the others. OJ and JB were significantly ahead of the pack. Brown averaged 20.8 attempts per game which puts even more context into how much better he was relative to the rest of the league. 20.8 is the lowest of any on that list. Barry was next with 20.9. Most were around 23 or 24. 

Hey,  I LOVE RBs and seeing the greatest single years in NFL history.  Juice was great but he had 12.23 less yards per game than JB which doesn't seem like much until you figure.

12.23 multiplied by 14 = 171.22

12.23 multiplied by 16 (with one week to rest and recuperate in an era where the RB  plays second fiddle to the passing attack, i.e. where defenses are not stacked to stop the RB)  = 

195.68 yards more per season just on the amount of yards per game that JB rushed over the Juice.

I give props to OJ, and Dickerson who did not have BYE weeks that current RBs are provided.

Barry Sanders season is very interesting and worthy of noting.

He only had 53 total rushing yards in his first two games in what would be his penultimate (second to last) season so people were saying he lost it even though he had 128 receiving yards in those first two games with a receiving TD.

Over the final 14 games, the same number of games OJ played he rushed for exactly 2,000 yards or 142.86 yards per game which would place him right there with the Juice.

 

[Ilov80s]

Hey,  I LOVE RBs and seeing the greatest single years in NFL history.  Juice was great but he had 12.23 less yards per game than JB which doesn't seem like much until you figure.

12.23 multiplied by 14 = 171.22

12.23 multiplied by 16 (with one week to rest and recuperate in an era where the RB  plays second fiddle to the passing attack, i.e. where defenses are not stacked to stop the RB)  = 

195.68 yards more per season just on the amount of yards per game that JB rushed over the Juice.

I give props to OJ, and Dickerson who did not have BYE weeks that current RBs are provided.

Barry Sanders season is very interesting and worthy of noting.

He only had 53 total rushing yards in his first two games in what would be his penultimate (second to last) season so people were saying he lost it even though he had 128 receiving yards in those first two games with a receiving TD.

Over the final 14 games, the same number of games OJ played he rushed for exactly 2,000 yards or 142.86 yards per game which would place him right there with the Juice.

Oh I know Brown is well above OJ. I was just saying OJ is also another 12 yards ahead of ED. Then with ED-CJ there is a closely clumped group.

 

[Anarchy99]

The math was fuzzy for whomever posted it above. Jim Brown actually had a 14 game season, not a 12 game season. Here are the leaders for rushing yards per game in a season . . .

1	O.J. Simpson 	143.1	1973	BUF
2	Jim Brown 	133.1	1963	CLE
3	Walter Payton 	132.3	1977	CHI
4	Eric Dickerson	131.6	1984	RAM
5	Adrian Peterson	131.1	2012	MIN
6	O.J. Simpson	129.8	1975	BUF
7	Jamal Lewis 	129.1	2003	BAL
8	Earl Campbell	128.9	1980	HOU
9	Barry Sanders	128.3	1997	DET
10	Jim Brown	127.3	1958	CLE
11	Terrell Davis	125.5	1998	DEN
12	Chris Johnson 	125.4	2009	TEN
13	Clinton Portis 	122.4	2003	DEN
14	Ahman Green 	117.7	2003	GNB
14	Barry Sanders	117.7	1994	DET
16	Shaun Alexander 117.5	2005	SEA
17	Terrell Davis 	116.7	1997	DEN
18	Tiki Barber 	116.3	2005	NYG
19	Ricky Williams	115.8	2002	MIA
20	Jamal Anderson	115.4	1998	ATL
20	Priest Holmes	115.4	2002	KAN
22	DeMarco Murray 	115.3	2014	DAL

 

[Bracie Smathers]

The math was fuzzy for whomever posted it above. Jim Brown actually had a 14 game season, not a 12 game season. Here are the leaders for rushing yards per game in a season . . .

1 O.J. Simpson 143.1 1973 BUF
2 Jim Brown 133.1 1963 CLE
3 Walter Payton 132.3 1977 CHI
4 Eric Dickerson 131.6 1984 RAM
5 Adrian Peterson 131.1 2012 MIN
6 O.J. Simpson 129.8 1975 BUF
7 Jamal Lewis  129.1 2003 BAL
8 Earl Campbell 128.9 1980 HOU
9 Barry Sanders 128.3 1997 DET
10 Jim Brown 127.3 1958 CLE
11 Terrell Davis 125.5 1998 DEN
12 Chris Johnson  125.4 2009 TEN
13 Clinton Portis  122.4 2003 DEN
14 Ahman Green  117.7 2003 GNB
14 Barry Sanders 117.7 1994 DET
16 Shaun Alexander 117.5 2005 SEA
17 Terrell Davis 116.7 1997 DEN
18 Tiki Barber  116.3 2005 NYG
19 Ricky Williams 115.8 2002 MIA
20 Jamal Anderson 115.4 1998 ATL
20 Priest Holmes 115.4 2002 KAN
22 DeMarco Murray  115.3 2014 DAL

Oops, sorry my bad.   He began  his career in a 12 game season, years 1957 through 1960 and then the NFL switched to a 14 game season in 1961 and  Brown played till 1965 and retired during the height of the Civil rights movement in July right before the 66 season so OJ did hold the highest average per game single season rushing title.  

Seeing the names, other great seasons that I recall were Sweetness in 77, and the most destructive RB I ever saw was Earl 'the Pearl' Cambell's 1980 season.  Lots of great single seasons.   Jim Brown was before my time but when he retired from the game at age  29 he had:

• 12,312 rushing yards
  

The next closest runner when Brown retired was Joe Perry who had::

• 9,723 rushing yards
  

Brown held the record for most TDs scored in NFL history at the time he retired with:

• 106 touchdowns
  

The next closest player was Jim  Taylor who had 

• 77 touchdowns 
  

He dominated the game like no player had.  Juice had a nice season but I recall his last year with the 49ers when he was a broken down shell.  I remember when Franco Harris broke his all-time rushing mark with Seattle.  The records fell in eras that diminished a guy who never missed a game.  Brown threatened to come out of retirement at age 50 when Franco broke his record and many sports writers bet he could still play.  That is a legend