Tag Archives: single-season scrimmage yards record

H2H 117: Jamaal Charles vs. Chris Johnson – Who was Better?

In football, there is the saying that “speed kills” – as a result, at the NFL Combine each year, one of the most closely tracked metrics is the 40-yard dash, even though its ability to predict greatness at the next level is at best murky.  Nevertheless, at the running back position, the 2008 NFL Draft saw the arrival of two of the fastest running backs ever in Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson, with Johnson at one point running the fastest 40-yard time ever.  With their blazing speed, both backs were multi-purpose weapons and among the game’s most productive offensive players at their respective peaks (and consensus first-round fantasy draft picks) – their similar styles of play and levels of production thus raises the question:

Who was better – Jamaal Charles or Chris Johnson?

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H2H 107: Earl Campbell vs. O.J. Simpson – Who was Better?

Though it has become devalued in the NFL in recent years, the running back position used to be the centerpiece of a football team’s offense, with many franchises using top draft picks on potential workhorse backs.  Before he became infamous as an alleged murderer, O.J. Simpson was a #1 overall draft pick and would go on to become the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season; a few years later, another #1 overall pick in Earl Campbell would take the league by storm with his bruising and powerful running style, and nearly match Simpson’s 2,000-yard season.  As two of the greatest #1 overall picks ever, running backs of the 1970s, and running backs in NFL history overall, let us set aside off-the-field issues and compare these two Hall of Famers to answer the question:

Who was better – Earl Campbell or O.J. Simpson?

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H2H 83: Marcus Allen vs. Eric Dickerson – Who was Better?

In the early to mid-1980s, Los Angeles was home to two NFL franchises in the Raiders and the Rams, each of whom boasted star running backs in Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson, respectively.  During this golden era of football in Los Angeles, Allen and Dickerson were two of the most productive players in the game, setting single-season records for rushing yards (Dickerson in 1984; record still stands) and yards from scrimmage (Allen in 1985, breaking Dickerson’s mark from the prior year; since broken) in consecutive seasons.  Though their career paths would eventually diverge and both teams would later relocate to different cities (the Raiders back to Oakland and now to Las Vegas, the Rams to St. Louis and now back to Los Angeles), the careers of Allen and Dickerson are nevertheless connected by their shared time in Hollywood and their status as two of the best running backs in NFL history, thus bringing about the question:

Who was better – Marcus Allen or Eric Dickerson?

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