Ex Bronco running back thinks he deserves gold jacket

[TribalElder]

Jamaal Charles hasn’t officially retired from the NFL, but at age 32, and after playing just two games in 2018, it seems unlikely he’ll play again. If he’s done, he’ll be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024. He thinks he should get in.

“I mean, some of my numbers look way better than some people already in Canton,” Charles told TMZ.com.

One particular number is the reason Charles has a chance: He averaged 5.38 yards per carry over his career, the best for any running back in NFL history.

“That tells you what type of player I was,” Jamaal said. “I gave it my all. Every time I touched the ball, I averaged six yards a carry basically.”

Charles is, along with Jim Brown and Barry Sanders, one of just three players in NFL history to have five seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry. But Charles only had five good seasons in his career; in his other six seasons he never even reached 400 rushing yards. Five seasons will probably not be enough to get him in Canton, as spectacular as those five seasons were.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-hall-of-fame/

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by Red Dawg

JC is definitely one of the best I've ever seen. He's better than some that got voted in but injuries killed him. No SB nor notable playoff performances will keep him out. He needed 10k or 100 tds without them. He won't make it ever. Davis being in is a joke but ge had two rings. His career was so short it should have kept him out.

Davis in is a JOKE. Who gives a Flip about 2 SB's. I bet there is some player out there somewhere that was on a team that had won multiple SB's and not in the HOF.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

He rushed for 14,000 yards. Slow your roll.

True.

Did you, at any point in his career, think he was one of the five best running backs in the NFL? I didn't. JMO. He did have a great career though.

The running back position, more than any other, is prone to having guys like Charles who are spectacular far beyond some of their longer career-ed peers.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

Davis in is a JOKE. Who gives a Flip about 2 SB's. I bet there is some player out there somewhere that was on a team that had won multiple SB's and not in the HOF.

Davis WAS a top 3 running back for 3 seasons, won an MVP, SB MVP, ran for 2k yards...

He wasn't just some ****ing JAG who lucked his way to a couple super bowl rings..

Maybe a HOF is a stretch, but again... I think he deserves it more than a guy who ran for 12,000 yards 1100 yards and 3.8 YPC at a time and was never viewed as a top 5 RB throughout their entire career.

[Flying High D]

The defense allowed 5.0 yards per rush last year.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

Davis in is a JOKE. Who gives a Flip about 2 SB's. I bet there is some player out there somewhere that was on a team that had won multiple SB's and not in the HOF.

Phil Hansen is incensed that he's not in the Hall.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

It's truly sad that his career was wasted on the worst era in Chiefs history.

FYP

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

Did you, at any point in his career, think he was one of the five best running backs in the NFL? I didn't. JMO. He did have a great career though.

I don't think that's a qualification for being in the HOF, but in his first five years he definitely was.

He mostly played with shitty QBs so I think that makes his stats even better.

[Rain Man]

The only reason that Olandis Gary (or whatever his name is) is in the Hall of Fame is that their offensive line coach was training their linemen to dive at the sides of defenders' knees. The sole person responsible for them winning those tainted bowls was the offensive line coach (and maybe the linemen for shamelessly abandoning sportsmanship). Any of us could have run for 1,500 yards with that style of cheating.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

I don't think that's a qualification for being in the HOF, but in his first five years he definitely was.

He mostly played with shitty QBs so I think that makes his stats even better.

It's not a qualification and I never said it was.

I wouldn't put him top 5. MAYBE in 93. At 5. He did lead the league in rushing I think.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

The only reason that Olandis Gary (or whatever his name is) is in the Hall of Fame is that their offensive line coach was training their linemen to dive at the sides of defenders' knees. The sole person responsible for them winning those tainted bowls was the offensive line coach (and maybe the linemen for shamelessly abandoning sportsmanship). Any of us could have run for 1,500 yards with that style of cheating.

Man if they don't win two superbowls he's at best a trivia question even with the 2k yards and MVP.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

If you just take a player at his peak in NFL history he's easily in the top 5 of running back's I've seen.

If you said "Who do you want during their prime... Curtis Martin or Jamaal Charles?" I'm taking charles 100 times out of 100.

Still, injuries keep a lot of great players out of the HOF. He missed a ton of time and was knocked out of multiple playoff losses. No HOF, but still one of the best I ever saw in his prime.

I tend to agree. As far as talent is concerned, he was one of the best I've ever seen. So ****ing fast and graceful. Just, no wasted movements when he was toting the rock. He ran with a lot more power than most would give him credit for too.

Injuries, playing for generally shitty teams in a small market, and no signature playoff wins really bring down his stock. The average fan would likely vote Marshawn Lynch into the Hall before Charles.

[milkman]

I stopped caring about the HoF when Dungy got voted in.

[ROYC75]

Being on a crappy team should not discredit the performance of the player, his accomplishments. Had Charles of been on playoff contention teams he would have been in consideration for the hall ?

Charles stats
1407 carries 7563 yrds 5.4 ypc 44 TD's 2593 Rec yrds 1246 KR's 1 TD Plus the NFL Highest YPG avg 6.4

Davis
1644 carries 7607 yrds 4.6 ypc 60 TD's 1280 Rec yrds

Charles was just as productive in a 5 yr period as Davis was in 4, injuries affected both players. Switch players and teams and it's Charles in the HOF.

It's sad that Davis rode the heals of Elway and a very good defense.

[Rain Man]

Just for fun, I made a table that divides players into categories for ypc and total rushing yards (clumping them into rounded groups). (Picture below, but it's too small to read. Open the file. It's really interesting.)

The players in this list are running backs who spent a majority of their career in the modern 1978-2018 passing era, and who have 1,000+ rushing attempts. Blue players are in the Hall of Fame, black players are eligible, and red players are not yet eligible.

There are several obvious conclusions from this table.

1. Hall of Fame voters will put you in the Hall if you have 12,000 rushing yards even if you got it at 3 yards per carry. Total rushing yards is more or less the only criterion used.

2. Terrell Davis or Orlando Gary or whoever is the stupidest RB Hall of Fame decision ever made if you believe in any sort of rules. John Riggins is the second-stupidest decision and Jerome Bettis is third.

3. Jamaal Charles not only creates a new category, but he's a category above making a new category. I don't think it'll make any difference, though, since the Hall of Fame voters don't seem to take ypc into account at all.

4. Adrian Peterson should go in, along with Frank Gore. I bet Edgerrin James goes in eventually.

5. Seriously, Terrell Davis isn't even close based on these criteria. He got in because he was on TV.

[GloucesterChief]

Davis in before Ricky Watters is such a travesty.