Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1999

By the numbers

Statistical nuggets on running backs

By Ron Pollack, Editor-in-chief

This week I have running backs on the brain. Here are the statistics that grabbed my attention:

• Arizona QB Jake Plummer has garnered a ton of attention for his poor play to date, but he is not the only player struggling in the Cardinals’ backfield. RB Adrian Murrell’s productivity, or lack thereof, is killing Arizona. Murrell ranks dead last in first downs per carry (9-of-103, an average of only .087). He is the NFL’s second-worst player in yards per carry on 1^st-and-10 (2.2). He is third from the bottom in yards per carry in the fourth quarter (2.2). You just can’t win with those kinds of rushing numbers.

• Although Bears RB Curtis Enis’ yards per carry average (3.2) is unimpressive, there are some numbers that give cause for optimism. Enis leads the NFL in rushing yards on 1^st-and-10 (331). He also is tied for fourth in rushing first downs (28).

• Moving the chains is what a running back’s job is all about, and there are three players who are head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the league in this regard. Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith leads the NFL with 37 rushing first downs. Redskins RB Stephen Davis and Jets RB Curtis Martin are a close second with 36 apiece. After this trio, there is a big drop-off. Enis, Indianapolis’ Edgerrin James and Green Bay’s Dorsey Levens each have 28.

• Quiz time: Which NFL running back leads the league in fourth-quarter rushing yards? I think the answer, listed below, will surprise you.

• Miami head coach Jimmy Johnson has not hidden his desire to run the ball effectively. It appears there is still work to be done. Among NFL players who reach the minimum number of attempts (.625 per game), Cecil Collins and James Johnson are tied for worst in percentage of first downs converted from third-and-short situations. Each is 2-of-5 this season. They haven’t fared much better in converting runs inside the three-yard line to touchdowns. (minimum .313 attempts per game). At 0-of-4, Collins is tied for worst in the league (minimum .313 attempts per game). Johnson is tied for eighth-worst (1-for-3)

• Saints rookie Ricky Williams has not fared all that well in tough-yardage situations. He is tied for the league worst on percentage of TD runs inside the three-yard line (0-of-4). His percentage of first-down runs on 3^rd-and-short is tied for third-worst in the NFL (3-of-6).

• When I think of running backs who are effective in the fourth quarter, I think of the bangers who wear defenses down. Thus, it comes as no surprise that in yards per carry in the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay’s Mike Alstott (6.7) and Cincinnati’s Corey Dillon (5.9) rank second and third in the NFL in this category. But I am a bit surprised to see that No. 1 on the list is the Rams’ Marshall Faulk (6.8), who I think of more for his speed and moves than pure power.

• There is no doubt that Denver’s running game is much less effective this season because of the injury to Terrell Davis. That said, it’s not like Davis was setting the world on fire before he got hurt. He was averaging only 2.6 yards per carry on 1^st-and-10 when his season came to an end.

• I know he’s a quarterback, but for the purposes of today’s stats column I say we make Buffalo’s Doug Flutie an honorary running back. Flutie is leading the league in first downs per carry (15-of-40 for an average of .375). Just in case you think this category is weighted in favor of quarterbacks because they carry the ball much less than running backs, note that the next quarterback on the list is Pittsburgh’s Kordell Stewart, who has an average of only .209 (9-of-43).

• Quiz answer: Philadelphia’s Duce Staley leads the NFL in fourth-quarter rushing yards with 168. Surprisingly, Emmitt Smith ranks a lowly 18^th with 90 fourth-quarter rushing yards.

Editor's note: To see the NFL statistical section that Pollack refers to, click here, and to see the NCAA statistical section that is also available, click here.

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