In order for a team to be successful in the NFL, the team needs a number of things, but most importantly, a good running game to spread out the offense and the keep the defense guessing. Without a good running game, you have the entire defense focused on the quarterback and with that kind of pressure on the QB he has about one second to get the ball in the air. In that short amount of time the ball will often end up in the arms of the defense and most likely lead to another loss in the record books.
This year has been quite different than years past, as almost all offenses (besides the Oakland Raiders train wreck) seem to be trying new techniques and styles of play. The one technique that is most noticeable is the use of two running backs for the entire game, not just when the star back gets tired and needs a rest. This system is actually becoming very useful for a majority of the teams in the league.
Take, for instance, the Atlanta Falcons and their quarterback/runningback(but we all know he is just a runner) combination in Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn. They have rushed for a combined 698 yards and an average of 174.2 yards in four games, resulting in a 3-1 record and the one of the best running games in the NFL. I can't remember the last time that I have seen two players on the same team both rushing for 100 yards or more in a single game. Then you have Jacksonville, with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, who have combined for 544 rushing yards; their record is 3-2 with a big win (41-0) over the New York Jets last Sunday, in which they scored three rushing touchdowns between them.
Down the list of the NFL teams there are two-back offenses all over the league, from New Orleans with Reggie Bush (the next Barry Sanders) and Deuce McAllister, to San Diego with Ladainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner, to Indianapolis with Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, to New England with Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney, to Washington with Ladell Betts and Clinton Portis.
The list goes on and on, the NFL running game is changing, and we are watching history in the making.
