LeGarrette Blount’s postseason success puts him in Hall of Fame company

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 29, 2018, 3:25 PM EST
Getty Images

LeGarrette Blount had eight rushing touchdowns in the eight postseason games he played for the Patriots, and he’s had two rushing touchdowns in his two postseason games with the Eagles. As he prepares to face his old team in Super Bowl LII, he’s in some very exclusive company.

With 10 career postseason rushing touchdowns, Blount is already in seventh place in NFL history. And the six running backs ahead of him are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Here’s the list of players in NFL history with double-digit rushing touchdowns in the postseason:

Emmitt Smith, 19
Franco Harris, 16
Thurman Thomas, 16
Terrell Davis, 12
John Riggins, 12
Marcus Allen, 11
LeGarrette Blount, 10

The 31-year-old Blount has never been selected to a Pro Bowl and doesn’t have the Hall of Fame résumé of those other running backs. But he’s had a very good career, especially when the games matter most.

Permalink 46 Comments Feed for comments Back to top

46 responses to “LeGarrette Blount’s postseason success puts him in Hall of Fame company”

  2. Consummate teammate as well – doesn’t show up in the stats, but does show up in his reactions to teammates’ success and theirs to his. Dude is a big contributor to a positive locker room culture.

  4. He also showed in college he has a right cross that probably would have worked in pro boxing. Just ask Bryan Hout (who looked to have it coming).

  5. Good player, a better teammate, and had an exuberance for the game that made him a real fan favorite among Pats fans. I’m sure Philly fans feel the same way.

  6. Interesting career. Bucs fans probably hate Blount, Steelers fans definitely hate Blount, in fact the 30 fan bases that are not Eagles or Patriots fans probably hate Blount.

    The two fan bases whose teams are in the Super Bowl this year are big Blount fans.

  7. He’s a fun guy to watch. He’s had a hard road to the NFL after what happened at Oregon and while his career has not been without some speed bumps, he’s been a very good player and for the most part, has stayed out of trouble.

  9. No way he is in the Hall of Fame. He’s just a player who his fortunate to be on teams in the playoffs, and he uses his thick body to run a TD in, on the goal line. He’s not a game changing back.

  11. Yeah, no. I mean, if Dungy is in the Hall I guess anything is possible. That’s not a knock, he made the most of his opportunities and I’m sure he’ll hold a special place in the hearts of those fanbases, but no way does he belong in the Hall.

  13. This guy has crafted a long and productive career out of a rather limited set of skills. The greatest compliment I believe you can give anyone is that they got that absolute most out of their natural talent. That certainly applies to Blount.

    He’s also a poster boy for why you don’t give up on 21 year old kids who make stupid mistakes.

  15. Look, I’m all for second chances, we all make mistakes. But to call it a ‘hard road,’ when he was the one who threw the punch, does a complete disservice to those who have had a truly hard road. Also, he wasn’t a bystander, so it isn’t a passive ‘what happened,’ or some chance ill event that befell him. He happened, and was fortunate his suspension was reduced.

  16. Not nearly HOF worthy, but a great addition on & off the field for the Eagles this year. Not sure what he was like early in his career, but he’s been the consummate professional here in Philadelphia.

  18. Going to the Patriots straightened him out, similar to joining the Army. It was his last best chance and he made the most of it while learning to mature and be a good teammate.

  19. detroitfanatic says:
    January 29, 2018 at 3:32 pm
    The Bucs found thire diamond in the rough, and cut him after a successful season. They deserve their last decade.
    ———-
    I’m not disagreeing with your statement but Blount would have been a top 1-3 round selection had he not punched a guy after a game and got kicked out of Oregon. Dude was a stud but he hurt his own draft stock by losing control of his emotions. Other than that I 100% agree with you.

  20. He’s been a great role player and teammate on the Eagles. When they traded for Ajayi in mid season some were concerned how Blount would react, but he has been nothing but supportive. At this point in his career he cares a lot more about winning than anything else. He did a great job of trucking that Vikings safety in the NFCG too, it barely slowed him down.

  22. Well, this is why TDs alone aren’t a measure of the quality of a RB (all those other guys brought a LOT more to the table than Blount over their careers). All this list says is how fortunate Blount was to hook up with an elite passing team that is also really well-coached and so liked to use him as a late-game battering ram against tired defenses. Here’s a more relevant number for him: 2. That’s the number of times he was unceremoniously dumped by an NFL team for being more trouble than he is worth.

  24. patfanken says:
    January 29, 2018 at 3:35 pm
    Good player, a better teammate, and had an exuberance for the game that made him a real fan favorite among Pats fans

    Yeah good teammate – walked off the field for Steelers b/c LevBell beat him out for playing time. Yeah exhuberence – slugged Byron Hout of Boise St in the face after Oregon lost to them. Yeah- class guy

  25. some folks forget he was first an UDFA signed by the Titans, who cut him in training camp, before the Bucs picked him up…

  26. Everyone wondered how he would react when Ajayi came over. He knew his role would be significantly reduced. But he hasn’t complained one bit. In fact he, Ajay, Clement and Barner are always cheering each other along.

    Dude has been awesome for us. Bring it home, fellas!

  29. Nice player. Pats let him walk and tried to go for a youmger, faster version with Gillislee. So far, not so good. Maybe in the long haul. DLewis will get a lot of interest this off season. That should be interesting.

  30. I’ll admit, I would not have expected to see LaGarrette Blount on that list. But then I compared his career stats to their stats. Most played more seasons, Terrell Davis played less. When the career yards and TDs are adjusted for years played, the numbers are comparable.
    The most apples-to-apples comparison is yards per carry. Take a look:
    Terrell Davis 4.6
    LeGarrette Blount 4.4
    Emmitt Smith 4.2
    Marcus Allen 4.1
    Thurmon Thomas 4.2
    Franco Harris 4.1
    John Riggins 3.9
    The biggest difference is that the other backs were synonymous with one team for several years, whereas Blount has bounced around.
    #notasexpected

  31. Can’t forget his fumble in the SB against Atlanta. Glad he is gone.
    =================

    This is such stupid logic, he was such an integral part of two Championship Teams and made plenty of winning plays for the Patriots during his tenures. I thank Blount for what he brought to the Patriots franchise. And, while I don’t want him winning this year, it’s clear that he brings a winning attitude to whatever franchise he plays for.

  34. hakunamangata says:
    January 29, 2018 at 4:43 pm
    The fact that TD isn’t in the hall is outrageous.
    —-
    If you mean TO then yes.

  35. All the author said was Blount’s postseason TDS put him in HOF company. He then goes on to say that despite a good career, his resume is not HOF worthy. Does anyone learn basic reading comprehension any more?

  36. @grant35

    You are correct, Blount is a great teammate, he walked off the Steelers field and back to the Pats where he helped them win the big game. And now he is trying to help the Eagles. Again a great teammate.

    Harrison is also a great teammate. He helped the Steelers win some Super Bowls and now he is trying to help the Pats win one.

    The Steelers were kind enough to release Blount and Harrison to help the Pats, maybe Vegas should have some prop bets at the start of next season on who the Steelers will release to help the Pats. Who do you think should be on that list?

  37. 7 out of those 10 TDS were against the charminy soft Colts in 2 games.

    Against other teams he was nothing special whatsoever in the playoffs, at least as a Patriot.

    So let’s tap the brakes on making any association of his name to anyone in the HOF.

  39. hakunamangata says:
    January 29, 2018 at 4:43 pm
    The fact that TD isn’t in the hall is outrageous.
    __________________________________________

    Davis was enshrined last year and there were a lot of folks arguing his selection was outrageous.

  40. The pats leaned on Blount in the first four games of 2016 (when Brady was suspended) and he more than just did his job. I’m glad to see he’s still having success with another team

  42. This is a guy who also logged a 29 yard plus kick off return average for the Patriots which is ultra impressive at his size. As for the Generic run comments from somewhere above, no you are wrong he broke out plenty of big plays in his time with New England he averaged 5.0, 4.7. 4.3 and finally 3.9 yards with the team.

    This is/was a guy who matured late and absolutely delivered, much respect from this Patriots fan to a really solid team player.

  43. Factschecker better check your facts..Blount was not kicked out of Oregon. Chip suspended him for the season, but he remained on scholarship & practiced with the team. He was a senior which is why that Boise State game was his last as a Duck.

  44. Some guys just land on the right team at the right time-Ricky Proehl, Brandon Stokely, now LeGarrette Blount. Good fortune but they’ve all done well with their opportunities

  45. Good enough player, but I’m not sure I would call him a stand up teammate. His antics off the field in Tampa are what got him ejected there, much moreso than his skillset. His antics in Pittsburgh are what got him cut there. New England had him behave himself and it looks like Philly is as well, but let’s not conveniently forget his decisions from the past.

  46. whywerule says:The Steelers were kind enough to release Blount and Harrison to help the Pats, maybe Vegas should have some prop bets at the start of next season on who the Steelers will release to help the Pats. Who do you think should be on that list?

    Maybe Martavis Bryant will be on that list – who cares? Blount walked off the field- I’m sure BB would’ve cut him too. But hey – Pats have a history of collecting fine citizens. Does Aaron Hernandez ring a bell?

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.