|
Tag Team: the NFL's 1,000-yard backfield tandems
Cold, Hard Football Facts for August 16, 2010
Carolina's DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart became just the six backfield tandem to each top 1,000 yards on the ground last year. (We discussed Williams specifically, and Williams-Stewart in general, here earlier today.)
More impressively, Williams-Stewart was the most prolific of those six tandems (a total of 2,250 yards) and the first since Larry Csonka-Mercury Morris of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins in which each back topped 5.0 YPA.
Of course, it pays to remember that Csonka-Mercury produced their total of 2,117 yards in just 14 games (151.2 YPG). At that pace, they would have cranked out a total of 2,419 yards in the 16-game seasons of today. Williams-Stewart combined for 140.6 YPG.
Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, meanwhile, produced 2,164 yards, also in a 14-game season (154.6 YPG). But it took those two 106 more carries than Csonka-Morris just to gain an additional 47 yards on the ground.
Here's a look at the six 1,000-yard tandems in NFL history.
| 1972 Dolphins |
Attempts |
Yards |
TD |
YPA |
| Larry Csonka |
213 |
1117 |
6 |
5.24 |
| Mercury Morris |
190 |
1000 |
12 |
5.26 |
| Total |
403 |
2117 |
18 |
5.25 |
| 1976 Steelers |
Attempts |
Yards |
TD |
YPA |
| Franco Harris |
289 |
1128 |
14 |
3.90 |
| Rocky Bleier |
220 |
1036 |
5 |
4.71 |
| Total |
509 |
2164 |
19 |
4.25 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
1985 Browns |
Attempts |
Yards |
TD |
YPA |
|
Kevin Mack |
222 |
1104 |
7 |
4.97 |
|
Earnest Byner |
244 |
1002 |
8 |
4.11 |
|
Total |
466 |
2106 |
15 |
4.52 |
|
2006 Falcons |
Attempts |
Yards |
TD |
YPA |
|
Warrick Dunn |
286 |
1140 |
4 |
3.99 |
|
Michael Vick |
123 |
1039 |
2 |
8.45 |
|
Total |
409 |
2179 |
6 |
5.33 |
|
2008 Giants |
Attempts |
Yards |
TD |
YPA |
|
Brandon Jacobs |
219 |
1089 |
15 |
4.97 |
|
Derrick Ward |
182 |
1025 |
2 |
5.63 |
|
Total |
401 |
2114 |
17 |
5.27 |
| 2009 Panthers |
Attempts |
Yards |
TD |
YPA |
| Jonathan Stewart |
221 |
1133 |
10 |
5.13 |
| DeAngelo Williams |
216 |
1117 |
7 |
5.17 |
| Total |
437 |
2250 |
17 |
5.15 |
|
