Would you go by yards, YAC, carries, some composite, or the eyeball test?
Some RBs have some highlight reel runs but were fairly ordinary much of the rest of the time.
Many RBs are this way. Known for being a HR-hitter in the football sense, but only average 4-5 ypc overall.
Believe it or not, OJ Simpson was like that at USC.
Led the nation in carries both years, led in yards, but nowhere near the top 10 in yards per carry. And I know it's harder to do that the more carries you have (despite some ODD dissention from some of you, but it's a statistical fact), but still. All you ever hear about is how fast he was and his long TD runs....career 5.1 ypc average is pretty meh.
.
Herschel Walker could be in this category.
Darren McFadden (especially considering what Felix Jones did behind him).
.
You look at Michael Hart or Cedric Benson and understand why their ypc averages are pedestrian...they weren't fast or elusive, but they got the tough yards. But if you sit there and look at it, how is Darren McFadden behind pudgy little Shonn Greene of Iowa in ypc?
.
Oregon's LaMichael James and Bama's Trent Richardson basically had identical seasons in consecutive years as Doak Walker winners...but could they have looked or ran more different?
.
Given football's 10 yards for first down, you can keep your breakaway guys with the mediocre averages, because they aren't moving the chains. They're not helping with time of possession, either. They get the highlight, but as long as football is a 10-yard fight, I'll take the slow guy who keeps the punter on the sideline.
