Whitlock and Wiley disagree on the value of running backs in the league | NFL | SPEAK FOR YOURSELF 

Speak For Yourself - Position is still valuable. It’s just that kids come out of college ready to play the position so the PERSON has become less valuable unless they are an exceptional talent.

It's still valuable.

Yes because the league itself had devalued the position with this passing league and copycat mentality, which is why every year around draft time all you hear don't draft a back in first round if they weren't devalued why would drafting one in first round be deemed a bad move and these are the comments from so called professional football people not me I just hear it all the time, and so we're clear I don't agree with how they're doing running backs because I think there still important in the grand scheme of things and would draft a RB with my first pick if I feel he is that good but that's me the league sees this differently

Also if they're not devalued,why would Pittsburgh not pay leveon bell who's an all world back runs and catches but didn't play vthis season because Steelers didn't want to pay mind you the dude is only 27 years old, so what is that if it's not a case of devaluing

It's cyclical. NFL teams got great at stopping the run. So teams invested in high flying offenses. Then teams went for smaller, faster, more explosive defenses. Then New England responded by getting big, slow and powerful and ran down the throats of the small fast defenses.

Wrong. Lbs see run they play it out of muscle memory not if it's only effective

You mean like Aaron Rodgers who gets literally all the credit for wins and when they lose its cause he doesnt have weapons.

I think he means how many times has the defense of the Patriots won the Super Bowl for Tom Brady?? I can remember a few... lol!

@@iii1nch3siii Tom Brady's defense is giving up 24 points on average in Super Bowls. Tom Brady's defense is nothing special. It's servisable but it's not like it's Chicago 85 or Ravens 2000. It's just decent. That's it. Tom Brady has 6 GWD and 4 fourth quarter comebacks in Super Bowls. Don't forget about that. Real all time great defenses doesn't need heroics from it's quarterback.

@Elias Hal There are only 3 Super Bowls where teams scored 24 or more points versus the Patriots... but I’ll let you have that argument. You’re not going to downplay the significance of the Pats defense in the SB however. Plays like Rodney Harrison’s INT vs Philly, Malcom Butler’s INT vs Seattle, the defense stopping ATL in the entire second half of SB 51, and most recently the defense holding the LA Rams (who had the leagues 2nd best offense) to 3 points... Yeah Tom Brady did a lot to win, but the defense did quite a bit in these games also... All I’m saying.

@@iii1nch3siii Defense did it's job. But if you'll google "greatest defenses of all time" you'll never find a single Patriots team in the list. Patriots defense during Brady's era was good. But never great (outside of the last SuperBowl).

Finally someone with actual knowledge...the game is won in the trenches

oskaveli662 lol yea right

Having an good O line is good but you need playmakers at the skilled positions, ask Pittsburgh about needing L. Bell

Tell that to the Cowboys who were under .500 before they traded for Amari... and they have a quality RB too so you’re actually wrong. What is needed to win is a complete team not just a defense and quality o line. The Seahawks win DESPITE their below average OLine

QB > OL > DL > LBs > DBs > WRs > RB Although a great RB can be better for a team than most positions (Zeke Gurley etc)

Yep

Owners want certain guys to be the face of the franchise. Lynch was not one of those guys because he didn't play well with the media. It's been said many times that's why they tried and pass for the game winner in the SB. They didn't want Lynch to be the hero. They wanted Wilson, a very likeable and marketable guy, to "win" that game. I believe the Cowboys do the same thing. They take the ball out of Zeke's hands on the goalline. Zeke had his off the field issues and, even though the team had his back, he drug the franchise through a pretty ugly situation that he eventually lost. Dak is another very likeable and marketable guy. They want Dak to "win" games. I'm curious to see how they handle Zeke with his contract demands. He's obviously their MVP. You don't spend a 1st, especially a high 1st (#4 overall) on a guy and not intend to sign him to a 2nd contract. With the wear and tear Zeke gets extending him sooner rather than later makes sense. I think it makes sense to sign him to a 6 year deal now where the 1st 4 years are more or less guaranteed, than to wait 2 years to sign him to a similar deal. Especially since his 5th year option will likely be for ~$12+M/yr. Then what? Franchise him for $15-$17M, because RB salaries are escalating. What are you actually saving? Give him 6 years $100M with $50M guaranteed (or something along those lines). He's obviously not going to let them run him into the ground without some kind of commitment from the team.

Shaun Gorzell true

Imaelito AC Michel is a solid RB but Belichick would trade him before paying him and just draft a new RB.

@Imaelito AC michel was a 1st round pick

Just look at my Bears. We stay drafting dope Runningbacks 😂😂

Exactly! That's why Mel kiper said there's never a reason to draft an RB in the 1st round.

Then someone else should have played. He wasn't effective at all.

Ryan Saunders thank you

Austin Ryan those 60+ passes don’t win championships either sooooo

Michel is a 1st round draft pick. The Pats typically have great RB's. They lost the SB last year and went out and spent a 1st on one. Says a lot.

How so

That's very misleading. The Rams had the third most effective running game in the league. Chiefs sixth. Saints seventeenth. Patriots twentieth. That's if you go by yards per attempt. Your perception comes from the fact that some teams chose to run more than others. That doesn't mean they were better when they did. www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/rushing/sort/yardsPerRushAttempt

Alexander Ritter [Basic HS] I’m not going based on stats, Michel averaged a 100 yards a game & over that in the playoffs. I just see what I see & the team who never got away from their run game is who won the SB

@@snellsman So you just ignore evidence because it doesn't suit your argument or makes the overall picture more nuanced lmao?

That's what they ignore. The owners take those dollars of devaluation and reallocate them to whatever position they deem more valuable at the time. The league started making crazy money decades ago, but they purposefully do this stuff to reshuffle a poorly cut pie of revenue.

True dat

Saquon and Elliot rushed 1-2 with horrible o-lines, (cowboy’s oline was broken)

@@SeanThePhenom as broken(injured) the Cowboys were they still had one of the better O lines in the league. But for Saquon he had to dodge a lot of tackles in the backfield

If u can run the ball, you tire the defense and the QB can pick em apart

I don't think you addressed my position at all. Where was White this year during the SB? And how did the Rams do without Gurley getting his touches? And that's with the #1 overall pick at QB for the Rams and the GOAT playing for the Pats. I think it goes further to making my point than it does disproving it.

Well, apparently Belichick agrees with me. He drafted a RB in the 1st round. So did the Rams. So did the Chargers and the Cowboys. All playoff teams. Now, nobody said the RB is more important than the QB (all else being equal, anyway). That's why there are more QB's taken at the top of the draft. That's a strawman. You might not agree, but there are plenty of examples of successful teams who still value the RB position enough to use their 1st for one. The whole argument are running backs less valuable now isn't answered by going back to the '70s. Go back 10 years. Are they more valuable now? I think so. And that's even with them constantly tweaking the rules to favor the passing game.

Zeke had 2000 yards from scrimmage in 15 games, Gurley had 1800 in 14 games, Barkley had 2000, Gordon had 1400 in 12 games, McCaffrey had 2000. The top 4 players in the league in yards from scrimmage were all RB's. Six of the top 10 and 7 of the top 11. Nine of the top 10 in YPG were RB's Julio was the only receiver who got in there at #9. Atlanta threw for 5000 yards though. Not too many offenses are that productive through the air. And the question is now not 10 years ago.

Well, it's pretty bad to be associated with talk like that. 1, Lebron doesn't play in the NFL. What he has to say about the NFL doesn't matter. 2, NBA is a group of individuals all looking out for themselves. 3, NFL is a team sport where they preach the team is family. Not having the teams or teammates back in public is highly frowned upon.

@@Relayer6a I agree with the first guy, but I agree with you more

And how many titles did brady help them win ?

So called goat lmaoooooo

@@TheKiid810 bro jelousy is not a good look. Quit.

All small names. That’s the point. No one is saying you don’t need a running game. But all those guys make tiny money compared to the big name guys. Running backs VALUE isn’t very high since we can get a few decent ones that’ll get it done, instead of one expensive great one

Jslowbro I agree

Sometimes it's mental...or maybe something in his personal life happened and he never shared.

Gurley was hurt, plain n simple.

Space Williams no he is not he but hurt he didn’t play in the nfl

He played DLine

@@Marsbound215 Wiley played 10 years in the League

Monty Green I mean a carry I know who he is didn’t he play for the charger

Monty Green I was kinda sleepy when I made the comment my daughter had me up all night

I understand benching him for the first half but once belichick saw Foles torching his defense he should've put him in. He couldn't have done worse than the other guys

Russell Wilson only won his because of a running back. #beastmode

Manning won his last one cause of the defense which was awesome.

@@tjk9263 I agree. Wilson and Manning both won those because of their defenses.

In fact I think jesus taught the opposite. Turn the other cheek....trust in Jehovah

How can you listen to someone that doesnt talk back to you?. God is an imaginary friend for grown people💯

Zeke had 77 receptions this year...

😒

Do you have facts to back that up?

He screen game is in the top 2 in the league.....

WHAT????? And Im a SKINS FAN

Wiley has a degree from Columbia. An ivy league school. I would bet he is much smarter than you. He is pronouncing the words like that for sarcasm.

I wouldnt doubt if the NFL investigates and finds out Gurley should've been on the injury report all along...