Name the last time a top-flight RB won the super bowl. Nuff said.

How about Jerome Bettis?
How about Marshall Faulk?

Winning in the NFL is all about quarterbacks and controlling the line of scrimmage.

————————————————-

I agree with your second sentence, but I’d say Marshall Faulk in ’99 sinks your first argument.

The Raiders went belly up without McFadden. It’s all about the offense you run whether a top flight RB is necessary. If you don’t have a top tier QB, then RBs become much more important.

The Raiders didnt go belly up with out McFadden they went belly up as soon as Campbell went down and they you traded for a couch potato qb in Palmer not to say he will not be good this year but last year the guy sat for what 6 weeks at home and then the raiders threw him in there without being able to gel with the team not the best idea

Every back on that list, with the possible exception of LDT, played in a profoundly different era of NFL football where the RB was the focal point of the offense.

Hoping Claiborne is there for the Bucs

VERY solid starter?? The guy was yanked at the end of the season for fumbling problems. Can’t catch passes out of the backfield and average blocker at best

Round 1, Pick #1 – Earl Campbell
Round 1, Pick #1 – OJ Simpson
Round 1, Pick #2 – Eric Dickerson
Round 1, Pick #2 – Marshall Faulk
Round 1, Pick #2 – Tony Dorsett
Round 1, Pick #3 – Barry Sanders
Round 1, Pick #4 – Walter Payton
Round 1, Pick #4 – Gale Sayers
Round 1, Pick #5 – LaDainian Tomlinson
Round 1, Pick #6 – Jim Brown
Round 1, Pick #7 – Adrian Peterson
Round 1, Pick #8 – Larry Czonka
Round 1, Pick #10 – Marcus Allen
Round 1, Pick #10 – Jerome Bettis
Round 1, Pick #17 – Emmit Smith

That said, you don’t pass up on an elite RB. They are game changers, game managers and defensive nightmares. They make all the other offensive weapons better.

If this Richardson kid is as good as advertised, teams in need of a RB, or star player, shouldn’t think twice about taking him in the first.

If your Defense sucks, really bad, then maybe you need to hang onto the ball longer, so you’ll run the ball.

Remember “the greatest show on turf”? Elite RB and QB. The Rams were talked about constantly, and won the Superbowl. The relied on the offense to win the SB…. So… Depending on the Teams wants and Needs, they’ll make the decision based on that. Sure, TB needs a CB, and Claiborne would be awesome, however, if they want to blow up the offense, then they will go for Richardson…. It’s what the team wants, and not all you fans that think you know it all sitting on the couch.

5. TB- Something Crazy. (I think Schiano is the next Belichick style drafter, will he be closer to BB or Josh McD?)

6. STL- Blackmon (They pick up 3 1st rounders and still get their mam.”

7. JAX- When this pick comes up I just hope its not a player I like in the draft, for obvious reasons.

Wait for Weeden at #22, or trade down a bit more.

Weeden would be a great challenge for McCoy. He’s a a couple years under 30, he knows he has to come in and pretty much start for a team.

Weeden will push McCoy or (likely) beat him out for the job, and with Richardson helping them out, they’ll both have less pressure on em’.

1. The difference between a good RB and an average one (all other things, such as scheme and protection, being equal) is just not that great.

2. The old idea of a ‘feature back’ is going out of vogue, with a committee of 2-3 RBs staying fresher and able to step in in case of injury proving more effective.

3. RBs just don’t have a long shelf life. They probably have 3-4 years of heavy use, then they are often ready for the knackers yard and one bad injury (which they are especially prone to) can shorten this even further. Why would you give an RB a big signing bonus and multi-year contract when 2 years later you might have to release him?

2009 Super Bowl Champions – New Orleans Saints*
=================================

2005 Hurricane Champions–NOLA

KIR says: Mar 27, 2012 12:28 PM
[...]

PLAYOFFS
Arian Foster, HOU– Ok, I’ll give you that one

Frank Gore, SF — That one too

Ray Rice, BAL– Three for three so far.

Michael Turner, ATL– After a downer year, Turner was a big help in Atlanta’s offense scoring not a single point in their playoff game. I give him one more year in the ATL, his career is coming to a close.

Cedric Benson, CIN — First off: Benson is awful. You ask how they could possibly replace him? They already have, with Benjarvus Green-Ellis. Though the Law Firm is a solid back, he is not a game changer or even a playmaker, he’s sturdy, reliable, and unspectacular. According to the Bengals, those three attributes make him a significant upgrade over Benson.

Rashard Mendenhall, PIT — Literally was replaced. Mendenhall, who was not especially impressive early in 2011, was already being worked out of the lineup by Isaac Redman when he tore his ACL in week 15. It has been speculated that he may not have much of a future in Pittsburgh.

Darren Sproles, NO — Not only can Sproles be easily replaced, he is, in fact, a replacement. Though there’s no denying Sproles had a great season in 2011. However, he is not, and has never been, a back who can carry the load for his whole team. Though he is a playmaker and can break a game open on any given play, Mark Ingram was New Orleans intended primary running back, and Sproles just stepped up to fill a void when Ingram went down for the season. Do not expect Sproles to have anywhere near the same number of touches next year.

The last time I looked Ray Rice was a running back also. In fact he’s a very good one at that!

———-

Ray Rice wasn’t a top 10 pick.