Looking at the Colts running game through the last 15 years in terms of consistency, explosiveness, power and ball security interested me and went over well with all of you, so now I'm wondering about the whole league. Which teams were good in which areas. Do running games thought of as elite have weak points? Do some generally poor running games have redeeming features?
Jump for sortable ranks in totals, YPC, consistency, explosiveness, power and ball security stats for the 2008 season.
Table Notes:
- Back A is the back with the highest % of team carries, Back B is any other back with over 25% of team carries.
- Success Rate is the average of all the teams backs with 100+ carries, weighted by attempts.
- Success Rate unavailable for Broncos since none of their 7 RBs reached 100 carries.
| Team | Back A | Back B | Total Rushing | YPC | Success Rate | 10+ run | 20+ run | Power Success | Fumble |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | Brandon Jacobs | Derrick Ward | 2,518 | 5.02 | 51% | 25% | 4.78% | 62% | 1.39% |
| Falcons | Micheal Turner | None | 2,443 | 4.36 | 48% | 23% | 2.86% | 70% | 1.43% |
| Panthers | DeAngelo Williams | Jonathan Stewart | 2,437 | 4.84 | 46.2% | 27% | 4.76% | 79% | 0.79% |
| Ravens | LeRon McClain | Willis McGahee | 2,376 | 4.01 | 47.4% | 16% | 1.86% | 76% | 1.86% |
| Vikings | Adrian Peterson | Chester Taylor | 2,338 | 4.50 | 45.3% | 25% | 4.43% | 73% | 2.50% |
| Patriots | Sammie Morris | None | 2,278 | 4.44 | 49% | 16% | 2.14% | 70% | 0.78% |
| Titans | Chris Johnson | LenDale White | 2,199 | 4.33 | 48.4% | 24% | 2.95% | 61% | 1.18% |
| Redskins | Clinton Portis | None | 2,095 | 4.38 | 48% | 13% | 3.56% | 69% | 1.05% |
| Jets | Thomas Jones | None | 2,004 | 4.75 | 54% | 20% | 2.61% | 61% | 2.13% |
| Raiders | Justin Fargas | Darren McFadden | 1,987 | 4.33 | 40.6% | 17% | 2.61% | 62% | 2.40% |
| Dolphins | Ronnie Brown | Ricky Williams | 1,897 | 4.23 | 48.6% | 17% | 2.46% | 76% | 1.34% |
| Broncos | Micheal Pittman | None | 1,846 | 4.81 | Unavailable | 17% | 2.07% | 70% | 2.07% |
| Texans | Steve Slaton | None | 1,842 | 4.27 | 44% | 24% | 3.01% | 70% | 2.08% |
| Bills | Marshawn Lynch | Fred Jackson | 1,837 | 4.20 | 48.4% | 16% | 2.05% | 62% | 1.59% |
| Buccaneers | Warrick Dunn | Ernest Graham | 1,810 | 4.07 | 46.8% | 18% | 1.77% | 65% | 1.33% |
| Chiefs | Larry Johnson | None | 1,810 | 4.78 | 45% | 25% | 3.96% | 58% | 2.90% |
| Packers | Ryan Grant | None | 1,805 | 4.13 | 46% | 21% | 2.39% | 74% | 2.52% |
| Jaguars | Maurice Jones-Drew | Fred Taylor | 1,774 | 4.16 | 43.9% | 17% | 2.58% | 76% | 1.17% |
| Seahawks | Julius Jones | Maurice Morris | 1,768 | 4.24 | 41.7% | 20% | 3.12% | 76% | 1.68% |
| Chargers | LaDainian Tomlinson | None | 1,726 | 4.10 | 45% | 17% | 2.61% | 78% | 0.71% |
| Cowboys | Marion Barber III | None | 1,723 | 4.30 | 41% | 22% | 2.99% | 68% | 2.24% |
| Eagles | Bryan Westbrook | None | 1,697 | 3.97 | 48% | 17% | 2.58% | 55% | 0.94% |
| Steelers | Willie Parker | Mewelde Moore | 1,690 | 3.67 | 45% | 15% | 1.74% | 64% | 0.87% |
| Bears | Matt Forte | None | 1,673 | 3.85 | 43% | 17% | 2.30% | 63% | 0.92% |
| Rams | Stephen Jackson | None | 1,649 | 3.95 | 46% | 16% | 2.16% | 66% | 1.92% |
| Browns | Jamal Lewis | None | 1,605 | 3.92 | 40% | 15% | 1.71% | 59% | 1.96% |
| 49ers | Frank Gore | None | 1,599 | 4.03 | 47% | 13% | 2.33% | 52% | 3.78% |
| Saints | Pierre Thomas | Reggie Bush/Deuce McAllister | 1,594 | 4.01 | 55.8% | 15% | 2.26% | 64% | 2.01% |
| Bengals | Cedric Benson | Chris Perry | 1,520 | 3.62 | 36.4% | 12% | 1.67% | 56% | 2.38% |
| Lions | Kevin Smith | None | 1,332 | 3.78 | 44% | 19% | 2.56% | 71% | 2.27% |
| Colts | Joseph Addai | Dominic Rhodes | 1,274 | 3.44 | 48.5% | 09% | 1.35% | 62% | 1.08% |
| Cardinals | Tim Hightower | Edgerrin James | 1,178 | 3.46 | 40.4% | 15% | 1.47% | 58% |
1.47% |
Shockingly the Colts running game was actually good at a few things. Dom and Addai gave the O a very good number of managable down and distances and rarely coughed up the football. The issues with the run game? Laughably little explosiveness and mediocre performance in power situations.
Looking at the outliers,
The Niners had serious issues holding onto the football, weren't good in power situations and didn't show much explosiveness. For a team led by a big name back they didn't do well.
The Panthers run game was dominant. Best power team, one of the top two most explosive along with the Giants and rarely fumbled.
Speaking of the Giants, they have a surprising breakdown. A RB stable led by the massive Brandon Jacobs had it's weakest point in the power game. They were a very consistent running game and had excellent explosiveness.