HOF or Not: Arian Foster

[Carman Bulldog]

The question I am asking is not whether or not you believe he is deserving, but rather do you believe that he will one day be selected to the HOF?

My answer to this question would have always been no, mostly citing longevity. I still don't believe that he will get in but now that Terrell Davis is in, I think it's an interesting question to ask because of how similar their careers were statistically.

Obviously when you look at Davis, he had that gaudy 1998 season where he put up 2008 rushing yards (and 2225 yards from scrimmage). However, compare that to Foster's 2010 season when he put up 2220 yards from scrimmage (in 24 less touches). Honestly the biggest discrepancy between them is the hardware, particularly the two Super Bowl rings but to a lesser degree also the personal awards. For some this will undoubtedly be the difference.

What say you FOFC, will Arian Foster one day be elected into the NFL hall of fame? Has Davis getting in changed your mind? If no, do you think Davis was deserving of getting in? If yes, what is the difference between him and Foster?

Terrell Davis
Seasons: 7
Games: 78
Touches: 1,824
Scrim Yds: 8887
Scrim Yds/Gm: 113.9
Scrim TD: 65
Led the NFL in rushing once, rush TD's twice.
3 Pro Bowls, 3 First Team All-Pro
2x Offensive Player of the Year, 1x MVP, 1x Super Bowl MVP
2 Superbowls

Arian Foster
Seasons: 8
Games: 80
Touches: 1,731
Scrim Yds: 8873
Scrim Yds/Gm: 110.9
Scrim TD: 68
Led the NFL in rushing once, rush TD's twice.
4 Pro Bowls, 1 First Team All-Pro

[CrescentMoonie]

With Bettis and TD already in, they may as well put every RB in.

[mckerney]

No.

Has Davis getting in changed your mind?

No.

Davis is likely in because he had a two year stretch where he had 3758 yards at 4.9 YPC, 36 rushing TDs AND another 1050 yards and 11 TDs in the playoffs while winning two Super Bowls. Even without the added bonus of two rings Foster's peak was no where near that. And without being part of those two Super Bowl winning teams Davis there's a good chance being on the outside looking in as far as The Hall goes.

[bhlloy]

Not even close, Davis isn't in for the counting stats, he's in for the individual awards, which I don't have a problem with. One of the questions for a hall of fame is "was he ever the best in the game at his position" - 2 offensive POY's and and MVP clearly says he was.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah, that line there:

2x Offensive Player of the Year, 1x MVP, 1x Super Bowl MVP

is pretty much the sole reason he is in.

[stevew]

Jamal Lewis, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Chris Johnson, the guy on the Rams/Falcons that I can't remember his name are just a few of the RBs that have a much stronger case than Foster. Oh yeah and Priest Holmes.

I have zero issue with Davis making it, though. He was the Koufax of Football probably.

[SlyBelle1]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

With Bettis and TD already in, they may as well put every RB in.

Think Bettis has a pretty decent case.....

Played 13 years
1 Super Bowl
14 Playoff games
6 Pro Bowls
2 All Pro
13,662 Rushing Yards (6th on all time list, top 5 in HOF too and many below him)
91 Rushing TDs
1,449 Receiving yards
3 Receiving TDs

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by SlyBelle1

Think Bettis has a pretty decent case.....

Played 13 years
1 Super Bowl
14 Playoff games
6 Pro Bowls
2 All Pro
13,662 Rushing Yards (6th on all time list, top 5 in HOF too and many below him)
91 Rushing TDs
1,449 Receiving yards
3 Receiving TDs

Pro Bowls are meaningless.
3.9 ypc. Only over 4 ypc in 4 seasons.
Only topped 10 TDs twice.
5 years under 1,000 yards (which is only 62.5 avg per game)
Fumbled 41 times.
No receiving game at all.

Bettis is in the hall of good to very good, but his only elite trait was longevity.

[SlyBelle1]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

Pro Bowls are meaningless.
3.9 ypc. Only over 4 ypc in 4 seasons.
Only topped 10 TDs twice.
5 years under 1,000 yards (which is only 62.5 avg per game)
Fumbled 41 times.
No receiving game at all.

Bettis is in the hall of good to very good, but his only elite trait was longevity.

Will agree to disagree...all depends on what criteria is applied and what people think is important. From a fumble perspective...Emmitt (61), Walter (86), Barry (41), and Jim Brown (57)...hardly seems fumble was a factor for the no-brainer HOF'ers. Something to be said for longevity (assuming still contributing) and being successful with the team.

Do I believe Bettis was a no-brainer, sure Hall of famer...not really, but far from extremely controversial in my opinion.

[jbergey22]

Excellent job of making a case for Foster! When I first saw this I was thinking no way in hell and I still think he has very little chance but the Davis comparisons certainly opened my eyes to Foster's career.

Biggest different IMO is Davis is a name 20 years later talked about as an elite once in a lifetime back. I think in 20 years Fosters name will be all but forgotten as he was never really considered elite unless you were talking about fantasy football.

[CrescentMoonie]

I think the biggest argument against TD is that everyone ran well in that Shanahan system, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, and even Alfred Morris in Washington. He even got Tatum Bell up over 1000 yards in 2006.

Look at Clinton Portis outside of the Shanahan system. He still put up big numbers, but his best ypc was 4.3 while it was 5.5 in both of his Denver seasons. Portis scored 15 and 14 TDs in Denver, and never over 11 in DC.

You probably could attribute Foster to that under Kubiak and maybe even Freeman this year in Atlanta.

So, no, I don't think Foster is a HOF RB, but I don't think Davis is either.

[Julio Riddols]

Foster would have a slim chance, but TD made it in based on his playoff performances, which might never be matched. He is the main reason Elway is ever considered in "Greatest QB" conversations.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Davis is likely in because he had a two year stretch where he had 3758 yards at 4.9 YPC, 36 rushing TDs AND another 1050 yards and 11 TDs in the playoffs while winning two Super Bowls. Even without the added bonus of two rings Foster's peak was no where near that. And without being part of those two Super Bowl winning teams Davis there's a good chance being on the outside looking in as far as The Hall goes.

While I don't think he should be in, I'll play devil's advocate on this. Let's look at years 2-4 of the career for both Davis and Foster, which I think is fair as it is the best three years for each. There's not exactly a big difference in production. Obviously, TD had the big playoff runs which I agree plays a big factor. Perhaps it's not only the rings but rather the dominance he displayed in those playoff games.

Davis
GP: 47
Touches: 1,209
Scrim Yds: 6,110
Scrim Yds/Gm: 130.0
Scrim TD:53

Foster
GP: 45
Touches: 1,115
Scrim Yds: 5,702
Scrim Yds/Gm:126.7
Scrim TD: 47

Originally Posted by bhlloy

One of the questions for a hall of fame is "was he ever the best in the game at his position" - 2 offensive POY's and and MVP clearly says he was.

I'll make the argument here that Foster's 2010 season was an MVP worthy season, regardless of the fact that he didn't win it. Not that it means anything, but he was unquestionably the fantasy MVP and I would argue the best player at his position that season. Let's say Brady doesn't have the great season he does and Foster wins MVP. Does that change the HOF argument?

Foster (2010) - 2220 yds, 18 TD

Other RB MVP's
Peterson (2012) - 2314 yds, 13 TD
Tomlinson (2006) - 2323 yds, 31 TD
Alexander (2005) - 1958 yds, 28 TD
Faulk (2000) - 2189 yds, 26 TD
Davis (1998) - 2225 yds, 23 TD

I'll also include this, which is a list of the top 5 running backs in NFL history with at least 80 games played...