Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
Transcendent is the definition you're using, so why don't you explain what makes it such.
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I think that both you and ThaVirus aren't old enough to either know or remember that the NFL used to be a "Run First" league. Every defense was geared to stop the run and every offense needed a transcendent running back to succeed.
Harris, Dorsett, Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen thrived in a league that was primarily designed to stop them from running and gaining yardage. Marcus Allen's Super Bowl run, where he reversed direction, was simply beautiful and amazing to watch, as was his ability to get into the endzone.
Marshall Faulk, IMO, is a borderline Hall of Famer, but he didn't enjoy the relaxed passing rules, which opened up the running game, during the majority of his career.
Tomlinson, on the other hand, did enjoy the relaxed rules. And it's become increasingly clear that teams can find excellent running backs in round three or later (or even undrafted) whereas in the 70's and 80's, those guys were first round picks.
The Chiefs failed mainly in the 70's and 80's because they never found a running back (outside of Joe Delaney, who perished after a single season). And while Okoye was drafted in 1986, it wasn't until 1989 that he was a significant part of the offense, which still didn't stop the Chiefs from taking Harvey Williams in the first round of the 1991 draft and Greg "The Real Deal" Hill a few years later in 1994.
Running backs were at a premium. Today, not so much.