Record setting
All-time rushing yardage leaders
1. *E Smith 18,355
2. W Payton 16,726
3. B Sanders 15,269
4. *C Martin 13,366
5. *J Bettis 13,294
6. E Dickerson 13,259
7. T Dorsett 12,739
8. J Brown 12,312
9. M Allen 12,243
10. F Harris 12,120
11. T Thomas 12,074
12. *M Faulk 11,987
13. J Riggins 11,352
14. O Simpson 11,236
15. R Watters 10,643
16. *E George 10,441
17. O Anderson 10,273
18. *C Dillon 9,696
19. E Campbell 9,407
20. T Allen 8,614
21. J Taylor 8,597
22. J Perry 8,378
23. E Byner 8,261
24. H Walker 8,225
25. R Craig 8,189
26. G Riggs 8,188
27. L Csonka 8,081
28. F McNeil 8,074
29. *G Hearst 7,966
30. J Brooks 7,962
All-time rushes leaders
1. *E Smith 4,409
2. W Payton 3,838
3. *J Bettis 3,369
4. *C Martin 3,298
5. B Sanders 3,062
6. M Allen 3,022
7. E Dickerson 2,996
8. F Harris 2,949
9. T Dorsett 2,936
10. J Riggins 2,916
11. T Thomas 2,877
12. *E George 2,865
13. *M Faulk 2,771
14. R Watters 2,622
15. O Anderson 2,562
16. O Simpson 2,404
17. J Brown 2,359
18. *C Dillon 2,210
19. E Campbell 2,187
20. T Allen 2,152
21. E Byner 2,095
22. R Craig 1,991
23. G Riggs 1,989
24. H Walker 1,954
25. J Taylor 1,941
26. L Csonka 1,891
27. M Pruitt 1,844
28. *G Hearst 1,831
29. *E James 1,828
30. R Hampton 1,824
By Rocco DeMaro
SteelersLIVE Xtra
Monday, June 27, 2005
Jerome Bettis is the Neil Armstrong of the National Football League.
Or the James T. Kirk if you will… or Jean Luc Picard depending on your tastes. Bettis is boldly going where no man has gone before.
At least no man his size.
Put simply, he's the greatest 'Big Back' to ever play the game. And every carry Bettis makes pushes him farther from the pack, and farther into uncharted territory for 'Big Backs'.
Career rushes is an often overlooked statistic, yet it's as telling a stat as there is for a running back's career. The top 10 in career rushes are a virtual who's who of all-time backs.
Bettis ranks third on that list behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.
To get the number of carries Bettis has, you not only need to be durable for a long period of time, but you need to be effective as well.
Durability and effectiveness aren't qualities one normally associates with 'Big Backs'. Especially backs as big as Bettis.
To put Bettis' size into perspective, comparing legendary 'Big Backs' Jim Brown (232), Earl Campbell (232), John Riggins (230), Larry Csonka (235) or Franco Harris (230) to Jerome Bettis (265) would be akin to comparing them to the likes of Barry Sanders (203), Gale Sayers (200) and Tony Dorsett (195). It's a 30+ lb. weight difference each way.
For further perspective, here are some other current RB's with weights approaching Bettis' 265 lbs.: Ron Dayne (250), Mike Alstott (250), T.J. Duckett (250) and Greg Jones (250). That's it. That's the list. Those guys aren't even starters let alone Hall of Famers in waiting. The Ravens' Jamal Lewis weighs in at 240. He's the closest elite RB to Bettis' weight class.
An NFL running back's career, on average, lasts 2.57 years. That's because RB's have the unfortunate job description of 'being chased and tackled by eleven giant men each time they touch the ball'-which for a first-string running back can be more than thirty times per game.
It's therefore in most RB's best interest to be as elusive as possible, to reduce the amount of punishment to their body and extend their career. As such, the average weight for an NFL running back is about 215 pounds.
Jerome Bettis, for all his skill, is not elusive and does not weigh 215 pounds. His style as a 'Big Back' is to seek out contact and wear opposing defenses down. And that makes his incredible longevity all the more improbable.
Jerome Bettis though, for all his greatness, is slowing down.. He's said the upcoming 2005 season, his thirteenth as a pro, will probably be his last. So what will his legacy as a player be?
Will he be known as the greatest 'Big Back' ever? Or maybe, (and hopefully) he'll be known as the biggest Great Back ever.
Whatever his legacy, he's a freak of nature. A large freak of nature. And it'll be a long time before another like him comes around.
Rocco hosts Weekend Sportsline with Rocco DeMaro Saturday's 1-4 p.m. on FM Newstalk 104.7. He can be reached at mrd163@hotmail.com .
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