Interesting (and amazing) DeAngelo Stat

[adallastiger]

DeAngelo Williams has averaged 5.0 yards a carry for three consecutive years. True, this year is not over, and he is at 5.2 right now. Let us assume that plays out.

I was wondering..."How many NFL greats have averaged 5.0 yards a carry for three straight years". So I did some research, and the following does not attempt to cover every nfl back in history. So I picked out some "greats" and this is what I found.

I am sure I left out some good backs, without question. However I looked up the career stats of the following:

Jim Brown, Tony Dorsett, Emmit Smith, O.J. Simpson, Walter Payton, John Riggins, Larry Johnson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Edgerin James, Frank Gifford, LaDainian Tomlinson, Earl Campbell, and Ollie Matson. Of course I left out a number of greats, however I believe the above is more than representative.

Based on comparing DeAngelo Williams Stats to the above FOR ONE KEY CATEGORY, YARDS PER CARRY, THE FOLLOWING SEEMS TO BE IN ORDER:

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT ONLY DeAngelo Williams and Jim Brown have ever had THREE SEASONS IN A ROW WITH A 5.0 OR GREATER yards per carry average. This assumes DeAngelo finishes this season at 5.0 or greater.

Should DeAngelo finish this season with a 5.0 average, and do the same in 2010, he will be the ONLY RUSHER IN NFL history to have done that.

Pretty amazing. I have some thoughts, just for fun that I found in my very casual research.

If I remember correctly, only Jim Brown, O.J., and I think it may have been Barry Sanders, have averaged 6.0 yards a carry in a season.

Jim Brown career was 5.2. Barry Sanders career rushing average was 5.0. So D is right there on par with them.

MANY RUNNERS ONLY HIT A 5.0 YARD PER CARRY AVERAGE ONE TIME. Walter Payton and possibly Emmit Smith if I remember correctly, were examples.

The biggest surprise was Bo Jackson. True, his career was limited to some four years. But he averaged well over (and I mean well over) five yards a carry, but he had one year somewhat below that. He never hit three years in a row of 5.0 per carry. But his stats and career average in terms of YPC were EXTREMELY high.

If D can rush for 5 yards a carry in 2010 (again, assuming his current numbers hold up for last two games) he will have a very special and overlooked record.

RJH

[adallastiger]

Adrian Peterson was also included in the above, I accidentally left him out.

[Sultan33g]

nice stats...arent u supposed to be celebrating christmas and not looking up stats?

[Sandy Claws]

There will likley be some non starter change of pace guys that get 80 or so carries a year that produce high averages. Jerious Norwood comes to mind.

PS I looked up Norwood. He did his first 3 years, not this year

[adallastiger]

The above was not meant to include everyone. You can't be a situational back, like Norwood HAS BEEN USED FOR. He was never asked to get yardage on third and short, which brings down your average. Turner always got those carries. And Norwood was rarely used at the goal line.

As an example, DeAngelo last year (and this, of course, applies to others as well) had like four one yard touchdowns against Green Bay. Great, but when you never have the possibility of gaining more than a yard, that brings down your average per carry. Norwood never got those type of carries.

I supposed what I am trying to say is that I would have a not less than say 200 tries in a year to make someone even qualify..Norwood would, under those circumstances, not be there.

[adallastiger]

No, am Jewish, so not celebrating Christmas. But Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends, of which there are many. We have a white Christmas here in Dallas today. Snow and ice all over!

[Sandy Claws]

The above was not meant to include everyone. You can't be a situational back, like Norwood HAS BEEN USED FOR. He was never asked to get yardage on third and short, which brings down your average. Turner always got those carries. And Norwood was rarely used at the goal line.

As an example, DeAngelo last year (and this, of course, applies to others as well) had like four one yard touchdowns against Green Bay. Great, but when you never have the possibility of gaining more than a yard, that brings down your average per carry. Norwood never got those type of carries.

I supposed what I am trying to say is that I would have a not less than say 200 tries in a year to make someone even qualify..Norwood would, under those circumstances, not be there.

I was basing my reply on the CAPS in your first post

FOR ONE KEY CATEGORY, YARDS PER CARRY,

Now you seem to be basing your analysis on other than one key category. I'm not intending to slam you, just pointing that out. Looking at stats and determining what they show us is a lot different than forming an opinion then finding the stats to support it.

[Phil Dees]

M. Vick averaged over 5.9 ypc in all 6 of his years in Atlanta. His first 3 years were all over 6.4 ypc. His career ypc is 7.2

[adallastiger]

Michael Vick is different. I only compared DeAngelo to running backs. Second, Vick was never asked to specifically run on third and short yardage situations, which is going to reduce anyone's ypc.

Obviously my intent was to compare DeAngelo to other GREAT running backs. There may or may not be a number of backs who carried under, say,90 times a year who possibly could have done this. But that was not the intent of my post. Only comparing DeAngelo to greats who would have certainly carried over 200 times a year.

[2jakefansinva]

Bo Jackson..............second greatest athlete of all time. He comes in right behind Secretariat.

[adallastiger]

Boy, it is hard to argue your point about Bo Jackson. I can't remember exactly, but his YPC average was like 5.0, 4.3, 5.6, and 5.6.

I never checked Herschell Walker's pre NFL stats...wonder what they were like?

[nosuchthingasapanther]

how do you post something like this without doing any real research?

and more importantly...

I supposed what I am trying to say is that I would have a not less than say 200 tries in a year to make someone even qualify..Norwood would, under those circumstances, not be there.

...how do you disqualify the one person you're trying to elevate?

deangelo williams

2009 216 attempts 1117 yards 5.2 ypc

2008 273 attempts 1515 yards 5.5 ypc

2007 144 attempts 717 yards 5.0 ypc

the only person in recent memory that has accomplished what you're trying to put williams in category with is....drum roll please...

marshall faulk

1999 253 attempts 1381 yards 5.5 ypc

2000 253 attempts 1359 yards 5.4 ypc

2001 260 attempts 1382 yards 5.3 ypc

when i get more time, i'll check for more.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

i went as far back as '79, and lowered the required amount of carries to 100 for obvious reasons...the only other person i found...

james brooks

1990 195 attempts 1004 yards 5.1 ypc

1989 221 attempts 1239 yards 5.6 ypc

1988 182 attempts 931 yards 5.1 ypc

1987 94 attempts 290 yards 3.1 ypc - this is highlighted because this is the season of the players' strike. he played 9 games, and they were in sporatic weeks. i included it because of his stats the previous and following seasons. if the strike didn't occur, it's very possible he could have recorded 5 straight 5+ ypc average seasons.

1986 205 attempts 1087 yards 5.3 ypc

[AKPantherFan]

Quit being a Grinch #28-

DWill is badass, youre just hatin