Around the AFC East: Ranking the division's running backs

Just to make the searching easier.

Phinsider rankings – MIA – BUF – NYJ – NE
Pats Pulpit rankings – NE – NYJ – MIA – BUF
Gang Green rankings – NYJ – BUF – MIA – NE (looks familiar!)

Brian,

How come you were the only one not to rank your team first??? :-)

Not only were they productive last year, but productive behind a below average O-line. I’m not attempting to make an excuse; I’m just stating a fact. Marshawn in a smash mouth run up the gut back and he was running behind a far below average center (Fowler or Preston). The brightest spot on the line was an out of shape disgruntled Peters. You could even say that the right side was stronger last year.

With that said I would our tandem over any AFC East group hands down.

Did you see that deep catch by Jackson last year?

Who needs the wild-cat when you have 3 backs that laugh in the face of a single tackler, who catch deep routes and take pitch outs to the house?

Fred Jackson will shine under the lights in Foxboro without Lynch.

Before I clicked on the jump to see your rankings, I did it in my head first. I had the exact same rankings as Brian and Gang Green. I have no clue what Matty I and MaPatsFan are smoking, I just want them to keep it away from Marshawn.

I’d have to rank the Bills first, and I almost think the Dolphins are second. I think Ricky Williams is awesome…his explosion is still there, and to me he and Ronnie Brown are a very close tandem between Lynch and Jackson….but Dominic Rhodes puts us over the top.
For the Jets, I just can’t include their rookie runner, so that drops them down, but they are close to Miami as well. I also think ROnnie Brown might be better than Marshawn, and that is me at my most objective, because I am waiting for Marshawn to be a force teams just can’t deal with. I think Ronnie Brown has done that in his career, but not lynch yet. Just my opinion. Also, Brown and Lynch are just as important to each other’s team, and perhaps Brwn more so…well at least the year they went 1-15. After he went down that year, it was absolutely over for them.

Pats have a pretty good stable as well, but they are all role players. Kevin Falk gives me nightmares sometimes, but that cause of the way they use him (God forsaken swing pass!!)

Anyway, BUF-MIA-NYJ-NE

The top two and last two are very close with that being the only distinction. In fact if you look at the teams, the backs are very similar in those two groupings.

1. Marshawn
2. Ronnie Brown
3. Laurance Maroney
4. Thomas Jones

Brown is a pretty close second to Marshawn, in my book. He’s a guy I would want on Buffalo’s team.

The Jets’ take the price for me because of one reason: Tony Richardson. If the Bills had a FB like that – watch out!

The Jets will lead the division – Mark Sanchez certainly isn’t going to light things up, imo.
The Bills will have an easier time with Mr. Owens in town.
The Dolphins have too many ways to run; you don’t know how it’s going to come about each down.
The Pats have grit – but really those guys wouldn’t have a home on most other teams. That organization deserves kudos for finding ways to make guys work, but they’re nowhere near prototypical RB-material.

The Jets are good at the position, but Thomas Jones career is OVER. I think the Jets know this and that is why they drafted Greene. Bills are young, experienced and quick.

Pat White. That kid should help their running game.

I’d love to see someone outside of the fandom rate the AFC running backs.

(Sorry in advance for the ramble just kind of free thinking)

 Looking at the lead backs, Marshawn Lynch, Thomas Jones, Ronnie Brown, Laurence Maroney, Marshawn Lynch has spent the least amount of time in the league (2 yrs, next Laurence Maroney 3 yrs, Ronnie Brown 4yrs, Thomas Jones 9 yrs). But in those two years his production compared to the first two years of the other three guys is better. All of these guys were taken in the first round too so we don’t have to worry about a talent discrepency. Then taking a step further if he is performing at a higher level while being the guy with the least amount of NFL time (once again using the first two years as a base):
May it stand to reason that even with the suspension (the silver lining in that being that he’ll start later and hopefully be able to stay healthy later in the season) Lynch is on the verge of having a monster season.

I also base this idea on a a running back whom the bills play twice a season Ronnie Brown. I read the Phinsider rankings and he made a good point about Marshawn Lynch, he said Lynch looks hesitant when he’s running with the ball, I’ve noticed this too Lynch doesn’t have great vision alot of times from what I saw he isn’t patient enough to let the blocks open up and he just plows into the pile or dances around in the back (chalk it up to youth). But looking at their histories Lynch is doing better at this point in his career than Brown did. Lynch beats brown in rushing yards, yards per game, touchdowns, and fumbles and they have both played the same number of games in this time frame. Now in year 3 Brown was on the verge of having a monster season 86 yards per game, a 5.1 average (compared to his 4.3 for the first 2 years) until the injury.

So based on his performance up until this point, and factoring the year 3 jump of a similar running back we could potenially see Marshawn be the best of this group in 2009.

I would rank the Bills RB’s 1st.

Bills, NYJ, Miami, NE, but it’s very close for the top spot.

I would put the Bills first because I think both Lynch and Jackson are better than Thomas Jones. Blasphemy? Yes, Jones was a 1300 yard rusher last year, and he played phenomenally. I just don’t think he’s that good. I think that Jets’ OL is as good as you’ll find in the NFL, especially in run blocking. The numbers back that up. What would Jones have put up in Buffalo’s offense? Probably some crappy numbers…What about Lynch or Jackson in New Jersey? I’m guessing that they’d have put up excellent numbers, better than Jones. I think both are better pass catchers than Jones too. I know that’s all opinion, so take it as you may.

Of course, the Jets have Leon Washington, a player unlike any other in the division. He’s the reason why I’d say it’s Buffalo 1, and NYJ 1a not Buffalo 1st and the Jets 2nd. I still have no idea why that team doesn’t give him 15 touches a game, maybe more. In the Bills/Jets rematch last year, they didn’t give him a touch until late in the 2nd Q. He quickly caught a 7 yard pass, then scored on a 47 yard TD rush. I would be ticked off if I were a Jorts fan and this guy only guy a couple of touches a game. He’s a gamebreaker and should be handled as such by that team. It frustrates me as a Bills fan how little they use him; I can’t imagine how their fans must feel.

Dominic Rhodes also gives us an advantage. He’s as good a 2nd or 3rd RB as there is in the league. Considering he’s our 3rd RB, that’s pretty darn good.

Ronnie Brown is pretty good, but I don’t think he’s great. As good as he’s been in flashes, he just doesn’t seem consistent enough.

The Pats have the best depth, but I don’t think their runners are better than anyone else’s. They have the best ‘rushing attack’, but the other teams have better individual running backs.

i am please to report that i have finally realised that “homers” has nothing to do with the Simpsons.

Sometimes it is like i speak a different language!