We got an interesting email the other day from a reader named Don Lambert that caused us to re-examine the stat sheets on O.J. Simpson. Here's what he wrote:

 

 

We knew, of course, that the hash mark rule was one of the forces behind Simpson's 2,003-yard season of 1973. But weren’t so sure about Lambert's claim that he "had three unremarkable years" until we took another look at Simpson’s career. And, quite frankly, Lambert could not have been more correct. The NFL, as we noted in the article, moved the hash marks toward the center of the field in 1972.

 

This move opened up room for ball carriers and led to a sudden upswing in production over the next couple years – production that was most notable in the form of the undefeated Dolphins of 1972, who were the first team to produce two 1,000-yard runners in the same backfield, and in the form of Simpson’s record-shattering 2,003-yard season of 1973.

 

When we re-examined Simpson’s numbers upon receiving Lambert’s email, the sudden surge in production from the Juice following the move of the hash marks was so obvious that we quite frankly should have noticed it before.

 

Here’s a look at Simpson’s career from his rookie season in 1969 through his last productive NFL year in 1976, before injuries interrupted his career.

 

Year	Att.	Yards	YPA	TD
1969	181	697	3.9	2
1970	120	488	4.1	5
1971	183	742	4.1	5
1972	292	1,251	4.3	6
1973	332	2,003	6.0	12
1974	270	1,125	4.2	3
1975	329	1,817	5.5	16
1976	290	1,503	5.2	8

 

Obviously, Simpson started getting the ball a lot more in 1972, so the volume numbers rose sharply.

 

But what's more interesting to note is that his average per attempt rose sharply, too – the 6.0 YPA in 1973 is truly outstanding and obviously stands as one of the great seasons in all of NFL history (as we noted in another recent article).

 

Simpson never averaged more than 4.1 YPA before the hash marks were moved. He never averaged less than 4.2 YPA after the hash marks were moved.

 

Even the volume of carries might be attributable to the rule change. Perhaps new coach Lou Saban, who took over the Bills in that pivotal 1972 season, looked at Simpson and looked at the new field alignment and decided he had a horse he could ride to success.

 

And, in fact, he did in some respects. The Bills had suffered six straight losing seasons (under five different coaches) from 1967 to 1972, including a dreadful 1-13 campaign in 1971, the low-water mark of the franchise.

 

But from 1973 to 1975, with O.J. at the height of his powers as one of the all-time great open-field runners, the Bills powered through three straight winning seasons.