Should Ricky Watters be the next RB in Canton?
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:09 am
Should Ricky Watters be the next RB in Canton? Our group of historians thinks so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzhlGwLdeKE
Removing Adrian Peterson, who was one of the all-time greats, and Frank Gore, who created his own lane with his 16,000 rush yards, the question about next running back in Canton starts, for now, with Fred Taylor, who has the next highest career rushing total with 11,695 yards, 17th all-time. Voters have named him a semifinalist each of the past four years, making him essentially a lock for PFHOF, based on voting trends.
But Taylor is one of 13 running backs with 10,000+ rushing yards not yet in Canton, most of whom have elements on their resume that he lacks: MVP, OPOY, rush champ, TD champ, 2,000-yard season, All Pro 1st team, 2+ Pro Bowls, All-Decade, Super Bowl / ring, Super Bowl MVP.
As best as I can tell, voters are giving Taylor the nod because he's the next man on the rush list.
So our group, Not in the Hall of Fame, met earlier this month to debate this mass of super talented, accomplished running backs, which includes some guys who didn't reach 10k but stood out in other ways. We removed anyone not yet eligible as well as senior candidates, and then took out a bunch of great backs: Warrick Dunn, Matt Forte, Ahman Green, Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, Clinton Portis, Ricky Williams. We looked at these nine:
Shaun Alexander
Tiki Barber
Corey Dillon
Eddie George
Priest Holmes
Steven Jackson
Jamal Lewis
Fred Taylor
Ricky Watters
We talked through each guy, had some debates, and then voted on our top 3 apiece. Here's how the voting turned out:
0 votes: Barber, Jackson, Lewis, Taylor
1 vote: Dillon, George
5 votes: Alexander, Holmes
9 votes: Ricky Watters
I don’t know that anyone had Ricky Watters as our #1 RB, but 9/10 of us had him in our top 3, easily the most votes. What we responded to: his style, versatility, impact and achievements. Three touchdowns in Super Bowl XXIX. 10+ TDs in each of his first five years. 7x 1000 yards in his nine full seasons. Scrimmage leader. And while some view him as a product of his teammates because of his time in San Fran (a disagree with that on its face), Watters only played on the 49ers for his 1st three seasons. His three-year averages:
* '92-'94 Niners: 1,430 scrimmage yards, 11 total TD
* '95-'97 Eagles: 1,704, 11 TD
* '98-'00 Seahawks: 1,688, 8 TD
Sorting through all of these RBs should be a huge challenge that voters address. If there is a case for Fred Taylor that isn't just, "He's 17th in career rushing," then that's great! I want to hear it.
Otherwise, our group hopes that voters will start looking elsewhere, starting with Watters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzhlGwLdeKE
Removing Adrian Peterson, who was one of the all-time greats, and Frank Gore, who created his own lane with his 16,000 rush yards, the question about next running back in Canton starts, for now, with Fred Taylor, who has the next highest career rushing total with 11,695 yards, 17th all-time. Voters have named him a semifinalist each of the past four years, making him essentially a lock for PFHOF, based on voting trends.
But Taylor is one of 13 running backs with 10,000+ rushing yards not yet in Canton, most of whom have elements on their resume that he lacks: MVP, OPOY, rush champ, TD champ, 2,000-yard season, All Pro 1st team, 2+ Pro Bowls, All-Decade, Super Bowl / ring, Super Bowl MVP.
As best as I can tell, voters are giving Taylor the nod because he's the next man on the rush list.
So our group, Not in the Hall of Fame, met earlier this month to debate this mass of super talented, accomplished running backs, which includes some guys who didn't reach 10k but stood out in other ways. We removed anyone not yet eligible as well as senior candidates, and then took out a bunch of great backs: Warrick Dunn, Matt Forte, Ahman Green, Chris Johnson, Thomas Jones, Clinton Portis, Ricky Williams. We looked at these nine:
Shaun Alexander
Tiki Barber
Corey Dillon
Eddie George
Priest Holmes
Steven Jackson
Jamal Lewis
Fred Taylor
Ricky Watters
We talked through each guy, had some debates, and then voted on our top 3 apiece. Here's how the voting turned out:
0 votes: Barber, Jackson, Lewis, Taylor
1 vote: Dillon, George
5 votes: Alexander, Holmes
9 votes: Ricky Watters
I don’t know that anyone had Ricky Watters as our #1 RB, but 9/10 of us had him in our top 3, easily the most votes. What we responded to: his style, versatility, impact and achievements. Three touchdowns in Super Bowl XXIX. 10+ TDs in each of his first five years. 7x 1000 yards in his nine full seasons. Scrimmage leader. And while some view him as a product of his teammates because of his time in San Fran (a disagree with that on its face), Watters only played on the 49ers for his 1st three seasons. His three-year averages:
* '92-'94 Niners: 1,430 scrimmage yards, 11 total TD
* '95-'97 Eagles: 1,704, 11 TD
* '98-'00 Seahawks: 1,688, 8 TD
Sorting through all of these RBs should be a huge challenge that voters address. If there is a case for Fred Taylor that isn't just, "He's 17th in career rushing," then that's great! I want to hear it.
Otherwise, our group hopes that voters will start looking elsewhere, starting with Watters.