Piece by: Kyle Sramek
Football has seen a drastic shift in the way it is played in the 21st century. In the early days of the sport, the game was centered around ball control and defensive dominance to win games. This still holds true in the modern NFL. If a team can win the time of possession battle while limiting penalties and turnovers with a great defense, their chance of winning the game is extremely high. A great way to achieve this is by running the ball on offense. This type of play is a great way to drain the game clock and limit the opposing team from getting their offense onto the field. While this can still work in the league, certain things have grown to make this style of offense less effective. The sport has slowly changed from a ground focused game to a passing focused plan of attack. During this shift, certain positions have seen their value change over time.
The quarterback has always been highly sought after as they are the field generals on the offensive side of the ball. They have slowly gone from more of a game managing role to becoming the face of their franchise and focus on both sides of the ball. This has led to other changes as well. All offensive players’ desired skills have shifted. They have all become faster to keep up with the speed of the offenses today. For instance, the era of a tight end being an extension of the offensive line is all but over. Bigger pass catchers, such as recently signed Kelvin Benjamin of the New York Giants, have converted from playing wide receiver to being more of a tight end because of this trend. It is unlikely they will be asked to do much in the run game as they probably have never played the position. They have limited ability to be an in-line blocker as a result. This has also changed the way defenses must play. Around three decades ago, having a defensive end whose weight was around 280 pounds was the norm.
Now, that player would be in between playing end and defensive tackle. Outside pass rushers are much smaller and quicker than these types of athletes. Those larger players may be beneficial as versatility is key in the league, but someone of that size may not be as athletic as other players. He may not be able to play special teams well enough. That ability is crucial for non-starters to make the final roster. Smaller, quicker linebackers now are more valuable than the traditional ones of the past. Some safeties are now being asked to play that position as it is so important for them be quick so they can cover the new, faster tight ends. While these changes are drastic, players can adapt over time with hard work on the field and in the film room. There is one position, however, that is being phased out of football and becoming less important than ever before.
The running back position has seen their value take a steep decline since this has occurred. The days of having a great running game is key to a team’s success are now a rarity as is having a fullback on the roster. Only the Tennessee Titans have used this model and had success as a team. That is mainly due to Derrick Henry. His superhuman abilities of having the size as well as strength of a defensive end combined with the speed of a running back is something special to witness. The problem here is that these types of players do not exactly grow on trees.
Only a quarter of the league have every down running backs at this time who were drafted and then signed a lucrative second contract by their current teams. Some of those franchises may soon come to regret giving those deals to those players. Many of those teams have a running back or two who can produce the same but have a much lower cap number. That money could also be used to resign or acquire another player to help the ground as well as the passing game. They could have a replacement running back for them should the higher paid player suffer an injury and be forced to miss significant time. Maybe that player’s performance does not justify what the team is paying him for his services. Either way, the team could elect to move on from the player. Look at Todd Gurley and the Rams as an example of this. It is much more financially responsible to pay two younger, cheaper running backs who can produce similar results. This is especially true for rookies vs veterans.
A first year player’s minimum salary is lower than an experienced one at the same position. So why would a rational team pay a seasoned player when a fresher one can do the same things? That has led to the emergence of the running back by committee approach. The Cleveland Browns use this model with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Chubb is amazing and is still playing on his rookie deal which makes him a bargain. Hunt on the other hand is on a veteran contract that pays him much more. Hunt has reportedly stated he would take less money to remain in the same backfield with his teammate. Both are capable of being starters in the league, but playing on the same team allows them to work together while keeping themselves fresh for playoff runs. This forces defenses to prepare for both meaning that an opposing team cannot spend too much practice time focusing on either player.
This trend has hurt specific running backs harder than others over the past few years. Either free agent Adrian Peterson or Frank Gore probably would have broken the NFL all-time rushing yards record by now. Neither may ever do so in today’s league. If either were to retire in the 90’s or early 2000’s, they would absolutely have done so. Both are physically gifted and determined enough to do so, but the NFL is just not that league anymore. Peterson and Gore prefer to be the feature back on their team which is just not likely at this time considering their age, high volume of carries, and the way the game is played now. If neither can do so by the end of their careers, that record may remain for years to come if not forever.
Players such as the previously mentioned Henry and Chubb along with Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, and Ezekiel Elliott may have a chance, but is just not foreseeable. Do I like this fact? No, even considering how much I love the current rushing leader Emmitt Smith. Do I see this trend stopping and reversing course anytime soon? The answer is the same as the previous one. I enjoy watching hard won football games that come down to one possession.
The difference is, now that can happen in seconds rather than minutes with the way the game is played today. It is just not for me. Regardless of this fact, I will continue to follow football closely as it remains a passion of mine.
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