Madden NFL 15 News Post

Madden NFL 15: Best RBs in the Game, The Future of the Position

10:51 AM - July 24, 2014 by RaychelSnr

Yesterday, EA Sports revealed the top runningbacks and fullbacks in Madden. In case you missed that news or want a recap with a solid breakdown, check out the video above by our new friend DLloyd who makes absolutely smashing videos of your favorite sports video games.

The question that is on the mind of many around football is what is the future of the running back position? Many teams are going to platoons to limit carries overall, with Adrian Peterson being the leader in carries per game at 19.9.

Compare that to 1996 when the seven top rushers had more attempts per game than Peterson did. Ricky Watters led the league with 22.1 carries per game. Ten years before that, the NFL was even more run happy. In 1985, Gerald Riggs led the league with 24.8 carries per game, almost five full carries more than Adrian Peterson averaged last season!

The NFL has simply become a more pass-happy league, and with teams trying to mitigate big injuries to their rushers -- many have turned to platoons to split the carries load amongst more than one player.

Do you think the RB position has been devalued over the past decade and do you emphasize the position on your roster as much or more than real NFL GMs? Sound off!

Follow DLloyd on Twitter: @DLloydTV
Subscribe to DLloyd on YouTube

Game: Madden NFL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 42 - View All

Madden NFL 15 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Retropyro @ 07/24/14 11:13 AM

The rushing attack will return. With defenders becoming more about speed and agility to defend the pass, offensive co-ordinators will begin to bring back the ground and pound in a few years.

# 2 The JareBear @ 07/24/14 11:23 AM

Interesting question and something I have heard discussed in "NFL circles" for a few years now. It does seem to me like the position is "dying" a little bit, in the sense that you don't hear about RBs being top 3 draft picks anymore. I don't think the rushing attack is what is dying, I just think the NFL is no longer about guys like Eddie George and Larry Johnson getting 400+ carries a season and whatnot.

These days, with the current offensive approaches, you can get a guy in the second/third round who, combined with any other sort of decent back on your team, will combine to produce just as much, if not more, stay healthy, and cost less.

Here's a question, did the Broncos really get any worse at all when Knowshon left? Moreno had a really good season, he ran hard, was tough, and made some big plays. That being said, are there really not a number of other guys out there that could have done the same thing in that offense? Are Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman not going to pretty much replicate the same production this season? I guess we don't know for sure, obviously, but my money is on yes.

I think unless you are looking at a TRULY special guy, a guy like AP or Shady, it's just not worth it to spend big money or a high draft pick on a running back. Are Ryan Mathews and CJ Spiller really that much better than their alternatives? I'll take Eddie Lacy or Giovani Bernard anyday, personally.

# 3 oneamongthefence @ 07/24/14 11:41 AM

The NFL is cyclical. What that means is that as the NFL changes, certain things will come in and out of style. As Retro said defenders are getting faster and generally smaller to accommodate having to cover faster tight ends and receivers. You don't have too many run stuffing linebackers anymore because of tight ends evolution. Eventually the NFL will fully adapt to the wide open passing and teams will start to turn to the run for mismatches. Guys like Eddie Lacy who are cruisers can really succeed against the predominately pass defenses. The biggest deterrent I think is that TEs are no longer really blockers anymore. There are a few guys who can do both well but the TE is turning into a receiver position.

Colleges aren't churning out near as much high grade running backs either though. That's being replaced by more athletic qbs in a sense. They're just as much a running back as they are a qb. That's why Alabama continues to send running backs to the NFL. They use a more traditional offense so you can get a feel of what running backs can do when it's not 4 wide and the qb isn't a threat to run.
The most talented guys are no longer rushers they're qbs and wide receivers and with a longer life span who could blame them for not being a running back. But a few gems will stick with and revitalize the run game but I think that's a few years off.

# 4 friscob @ 07/24/14 12:07 PM

Only devalued in terms of money theyre paid. Theyre just as important as theyve always been.

# 5 C the Lyte @ 07/24/14 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRealHST


	I dont that you will see runningbacks return to glory as they did in the past. They should, but nowadays teams want to use more spread offenses. Teams also don't feel the need to use one runningback as a workhorse anymore (which I agree with). It's all about having and using two running. My close example is the Steelers signing Blount when they already had Bell. Before we can even talk about runningbacks you have to include Fullbacks, which is another position losing importance. Nearly every runningback you see is running out of a single back formation. Personally the key to winning is an old school rushing game, not all this spread offense stuff. If you can get 3 yards on 1 and 10 , then 3 or 5 more on Second down from the run, then imagine how easier that makes your offense. Teams don't see it that way though unfortunately.

Teams don't see it that way b/c the whole 3 yards and a cloud of dust style of play is a hard style to use and win and be effective with.

I love the philosophy of "conservative football" - strong D, power back, ball and clock control. But it's just not that easy to do. If it was, everyone would do it.

I do believe it's coming back around eventually. Make take 15 to 20 years at least.

# 6 Bull_Dozer @ 07/24/14 02:11 PM

RB's are still important. They just get too much credit. Give me a great offensive line and an average RB instead of a super RB and average line.

# 7 elgreazy1 @ 07/24/14 02:42 PM

Agreed with other statements: it's cyclical.

Rules were changed to aid the passing game and increase scoring, something that a running game does not dictate as much because of the pace the run-game dictates. It's slow ball. That's not going to show up on highlight reels, excite fantasy sports stat lines and make ESPN plays of the day.

On a side note, modern defenders are downright piss poor at tackling. I can only image what talented ball carriers of yesteryear would do against modern pillow-soft defenses.

# 8 hanzsomehanz @ 07/24/14 02:45 PM

You will not see another line like the wall of Dallas and a bruiser like Emitt pounding the pelota behind them w an injured shoulder for 30+ carries - those days are over.

Im looking for elusive backs that can juke n jive out of singleback sets to make a new imprint on the run game.

The 49'ers and 'Hawks are still smash mouth teams w Gore and Lynch and they are succeeding but their style w those backs is among the minority which tells me it is not a simple economical style one can replicate today.

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk

# 9 RogueHominid @ 07/24/14 02:53 PM

I grew up watching football in the late-1980s and 1990s, which seemed, in contrast to today, very much an era of the running back. I feel lucky to have been able to watch all of the careers of Barry, Thurman, and Emmitt, and to have caught parts of Dickerson's career.

As that was the era that shaped my identity as a fan, I pine for the days when the two-back set was king and the concept of the workhorse back reigned.

I really don't like the spread, the single back, or the committee approach. Accordingly, I won't shape my Madden team that way. I want to try to win like SEA did last year, with a punishing ground game at the center of the offensive game plan and a strong defense behind it. So I'll privilege drafting bell-cow-types if I can find them.

# 10 will4823 @ 07/24/14 11:32 PM

I think the RB value is still there! Teams don't run as much b/c they don't have the offensive to run block like teams had years ago! So many team are going to the pass b/c its easier for the offensive line to pass block. Top backs are still a must have

# 11 Qb @ 07/25/14 09:57 AM

With the improved blocking, animations/framerate & control fidelity on PS4, I really enjoy running the ball in Madden. I probably want to run more than NFL average and consequently would put more value in a having a top back, if only because Madden hasn't made fatigue enough of a factor over the years. I hope RB fatigue and rotation are a bigger factor in the game this year. It's easy enough for me to do it manually, but I want to need to do it, and of course see the CPU mix up more frequently.

I spent a lot of time creating a custom playbook centered around power running plays out of lots 2-TE, some 2-back, and bunch sets. I assume there's no way to import it into '15, so I'll build it again and enjoy pounding the ball with Bell & Blount, with a little Archer sprinkled in.

# 12 Demoncrom @ 07/26/14 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retropyro


	The rushing attack will return. With defenders becoming more about speed and agility to defend the pass, offensive co-ordinators will begin to bring back the ground and pound in a few years.

The league will adjust and we will see more running eventually. Especially once teams go with smaller faster dline and switch from 2 safeties and 2 corners to 1 safety and 3 corners on what were previously considered non-passing down and distance. These smaller sets will be ripe for the power running game. The only sad thing is that the backs of today are just not as big or hardy as they were 10 years ago so the first back that comes out with some size and heart will be a major problem for these new light and fast defenses. It wont happen this year but I would think within in the next 5 years

# 13 Demoncrom @ 07/26/14 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trojan Man


	I grew up watching football in the late-1980s and 1990s, which seemed, in contrast to today, very much an era of the running back. I feel lucky to have been able to watch all of the careers of Barry, Thurman, and Emmitt, and to have caught parts of Dickerson's career. As that was the era that shaped my identity as a fan, I pine for the days when the two-back set was king and the concept of the workhorse back reigned. I really don't like the spread, the single back, or the committee approach. Accordingly, I won't shape my Madden team that way. I want to try to win like SEA did last year, with a punishing ground game at the center of the offensive game plan and a strong defense behind it. So I'll privilege drafting bell-cow-types if I can find them.

I grew up watching the bears in the early 80's so Payton , hershel, barry sandersy, iron head hayward, christian okaye and Bo jackson those are the running styles I loved. Add on that some solid hard hitting defenses, football heaven. I miss the black and blue days and it took me a lot to accept the new prima dona league. Seeing AP go hard in 2012 was a rare treat for me and he proved that when faced with bruising running most of todays players cannot tackle.

# 14 Smoke6 @ 07/26/14 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanzsomehanz


	You will not see another line like the wall of Dallas and a bruiser like Emitt pounding the pelota behind them w an injured shoulder for 30+ carries - those days are over. Im looking for elusive backs that can juke n jive out of singleback sets to make a new imprint on the run game. The 49'ers and 'Hawks are still smash mouth teams w Gore and Lynch and they are succeeding but their style w those backs is among the minority which tells me it is not a simple economical style one can replicate today. Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk

Denver is trying, heard they are making their linemen beefier by at least 20lbs. Man we in for one helluva season I tell u.

# 15 brettmickey @ 07/27/14 02:23 PM

The value of individual running backs has decreased (simply look at the contracts RBs are signing for on the open market in free agency) but as a position as a whole the value is still there. College ball is basically the farm system for NFL teams. So if the farm system is only developing small, quick, agile RBs that work in space then the options for workhorse backs are very limited. But having two or three running backs you can rotate through is very important and opens up the wide open passing game even more

More Links

Madden NFL 15: Best RBs in the Game, The Future of the Position