Running the Rock!

There are a few things in the NFL that are sacrosanct…having an efficent Quarterback, having a solid Defense and being able to Run the football. In this segment we will look at the art of running the football and the different sizes and styles that certain backs have and ultimately what attributes are important for all running backs to share!

First up we have the “Power Back” – backs that weight 225 pounds or more…Brandon Jacobs for example. These are backs that run well between the tackles and use their size and speed combinations to run people over. When they get into the secondary they make Cornerbacks afraid as they know that they are going to be punished by a man who is bigger and stronger than him. In yesterday’s football, the teams that were in cold, nasty, conditions used to use big backs in what was known as smashmouth football. The reason for this is that in bad conditions it is much harder to throw the ball, so teams had to gameplan a way to be efficient on offense without jepardizing production. Teams like the Washington Redskins used John Riggins and the Cleveland Browns had Jim Brown to pound away and march downfield in long drives that ate up clock and wore out defenses.

In today’s NFL, “Bruiser” backs need to be paired with another back, usually a speed back where terms like “Thunder & Lightning” come into play. By doing this, it gives the offense more versatility and keeps the defense from gameplanning on just one guy. The other reason this is important is the injury factor. In this league you can’t simply keep pounding one man into the teeth of the defense and expect him not to get injuried. The players today are too fast, too strong and too talented and injuries are unavoidable.  The “Bruiser” back is also definitely needed in around the goal line where power and size is a huge boon. The ability to lower your shoulder and pick up a tough 3 yards is very important.

The next back we will look at is the “Scat” back. “Scat” is short for “scatter” which is a word used for quickness and shiftyness.  This style of running back is usually a smaller, quicker back who uses ellusiveness to avoid tacklers. The Scat back can and will occasionally run between the tackles but for the most part is run off the edges. Meaning sweeps and toss plays that the back can “get out into space”.

That simply put means the open field where his “shake and bake” is maximized. The “Scat” back is typically a great reciever out of the back field as well. Most often you will see teams using a “3rd Down back” who comes in only on 3rd Down. Most often in the NFL, the 3rd Down is a passing down and therefor a 3rd Down back is one that can catch the football but also stay in and block if the defense is blitzing!

When you combine all of these attributes together you have a “Complete back”. Running backs like Walter Peyton, Terrell Davis, LaDanian Tomlinson and many others, were all complete backs. They could run between the tackles, run off the edge,  catch like a WR, and block blitzing defenders. These type of Backs make a huge difference in the offense because they are so valuable to what a coach can call as a playcaller. In San Francisco during their glory years, Roger Craig was a huge weapon. He rushed for over 1000 yards and had over 1000 yards receiving, in the same season! That was a weapon that made opposing defensive have to spend extra hours gameplanning to stop him. Pair that with a great QB, the greatest WR and a solid TE…and yeah, you win a lot of SuperBowls!

All great running backs, whether big or small, short or tall, fast or quick, all have the same similiarities that make them good.  Often times in the NFL you see running backs that don’t have the patience to let the hole develop. They are “running up the backs of the O-Line”. They need to give the O-Line a second a two to create a running lane and then use a burst of quickness to get through that opening. I reached out to Jamal Anderson, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons who back in the 1990’s was one of the best Power Backs in the NFL. 

I asked him what was more important, patience or being quick through the hole? He said… ” Patience. The great ones have vision, and those that don’t wont get it by teaching. Vision # 1, Patience # 2.”

So as you can see, the most important attribute that can’t be tought is Vision. When a running back has all the tools – Vision, Patience, Burst, Catching ability, Blocking ability, Power, Speed and Ellusiveness…you have a complete back and one that gives the offense a huge advantage. Running the ball is the most efficient way to wear down an opponent, control the time of possession battle and elemenate costly turnovers. In an NFL that is now geared more toward passing attacks and scoring points keep in mind the importance of running the football…the more things change, the more they stay the same!