NFL Football 2011
Shonn Greene and La Dainian Tomlinson of the New York Jets
What is better than having a great running back on your team? Having two!
Last season, eight clubs boasted two running backs with at least 500 rushing yards apiece, including four playoff teams -- Kansas City, New England, the New York Jets and Seattle.
"Certain teams use a system with multiple backs," says Chiefs head coach TODD HALEY. "If you have multiple backs with different styles, you can force defenses to prepare for more than one guy and that is where the advantage lies."
The AFC West champion Chiefs did just that. Powered by the dynamic combination of JAMAAL CHARLES (left) and THOMAS JONES (right), Kansas City boasted the top rushing attack in the NFL at 164.2 yards per game on its way to the playoffs. Charles finished the season second in the league in rushing yards with 1,467 (ARIAN FOSTER, 1,616). Meanwhile, Jones picked up 896 yards of his own, providing Kansas City with an impressive duo in the backfield.
"You don't want to tab them as Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, but those two backs are pretty good at what they do," says Buffalo Bills head coach CHAN GAILEY. "That is a very good duo."
The Jets also had an impressive backfield, with LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON (below, No. 21) and SHONN GREENE (below, No. 23) combining for 1,680 yards on the ground en route to the team's second consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship Game.
"You know how I feel about running backs," says Jets head coach REX RYAN. "The ideal thing is you keep pounding and pounding them, and use as many backs as you can."
The teams that employed two running backs with at least 500 rushing yards apiece in 2010:
Team | Running Backs | Yards | |
---|---|---|---|
Source: NFL | |||
Kansas City Chiefs | Jamaal Charles | 1,467 | |
Kansas City Chiefs | Thomas Jones | 896 | |
Miami Dolphins | Ronnie Brown | 734 | |
Miami Dolphins | Ricky Williams | 673 | |
New England Patriots | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | 1,008 | |
New England Patriots | Danny Woodhead | 547 | |
New York Giants | Ahmad Bradshaw | 1,235 | |
New York Giants | Brandon Jacobs | 823 | |
New York Jets | LaDainian Tomlinson | 914 | |
New York Jets | Shonn Greene | 766 | |
Oakland Raiders | Darren McFadden | 1,157 | |
Oakland Raiders | Michael Bush | 655 | |
San Diego Chargers | Mike Tolbert | 735 | |
San Diego Chargers | Ryan Matthews | 678 | |
Seattle Seahawks | Marshawn Lynch | 573 | |
Seattle Seahawks | Justin Forsett | 523 |
NFL FOOTBALL NEWS & ARTICLES
BASEBALL | BASKETBALL | COLLEGES | FOOTBALL | GOLF | HOCKEY | OLYMPICS | SOCCER | TENNIS
Receive our NFL News & Analysis by email by subscribing here
NFL Super Bowl History
NFL Super Bowl History, Scores, Summaries & Super Bowl MVP Articles
NFL 2011 - Best Running Backs: Good Things Come in Pairs