Between the NFL becoming increasingly becoming a passing league with each down how near are we to the death of the RB?

 

Doug Martin, Adrian Peterson, Danny Woodhead and Thomas Rawls all left their respective games with injuries yesterday. Receivers like Stefon Diggs and Willie Snead are bursting onto the scene out of nowhere. You look at the stats and RBs are becoming less and less valuable.

 

Anyone else feeling this change affecting the league in positive and negative ways?

Time will tell. I'd certainly push for my kid to be an "athlete" or defensive back long before I would a running back.

The trend is heading that direction but I believe that good teams will always be able to run the football if and when they need to. The Bengals yesterday could not run the ball.

It's not so much the death of the running back, as it's the death of the workhorse running back. Backfields are now manned by specialists. 3rd down backs that can catch, guys to run between the tackles, etc. Throw in the fact that many QB's now run some, and the need to have one guy that can do it all is gone, especially considering that the physical abuse a workhorse guy has to endure, makes it a bad idea to have just one main back.

Zim seemed pretty positive about AP after the game. I wonder what the update will bring.

There isn't such thing as an all-purpose back anymore. It starts in college to me. Every college team seems to run 2 guys, one a pounder between the tackles and one who stretches it outside. You don't find guys that do it all anymore in the NFL because they don't do it in college. Also there are a lot of plays that are considered "passes" but are the modern day run plays.

If you're a RB, better be able to help in pass protection. All starts with OL that don't have enough sand in them to run block. Pass protection is so much easier.

Of the 4 RB's mentioned in the OP I have only heard of 1 of the 4 .

And neither of the WR's .

Zim seemed pretty positive about AP after the game. I wonder what the update will bring.

 

Torn meniscus.

Torn ACL for Woodhead.

Martin has a pulled hamstring. Day to day. Probably won't play against the Rams.

Of the 4 RB's mentioned in the OP I have only heard of 1 of the 4 .

 

You must not watch much football then.

Of the 4 RB's mentioned in the OP I have only heard of 1 of the 4 .

 

And neither of the WR's .

 

Not a big football watcher, ehh?

Dont have a fav' team or play fantasy . And it just isnt entertaining without one or the other - or both. I'm a lukewarm Bengals fan , take it or leave it , doesnt matter to me .