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April 09, 2020

Omission of the decade

Matt Forte belonged on NFL's all-start team

Frank Gore took another step towards the Hall of Fame earlier in the week, when the league named him to its All-Decade team. But I don’t think they got it right. When I look at the numbers, I don’t see him as even one of the top 10 backs of the just-completed decade.

Gore competed in the most games at least – 153 out of a possible 160. That’s somewhat notable, I guess. But the All-Decade team should be more about greatness rather than a participation award. And Gore is getting on this list for longevity rather than anything he did on the field.

Looking at his last 10 seasons, he ranked in the top 10 statistically among running backs only once. That was back in 2012, when he put the 10th-best numbers (that’s using PPR scoring, but you can use total yards or whatever – the results will be similar). Gore ranked in the top 16 in only two other seasons.

The 49ers, recall, decided after the 2014 season – six years ago – that they were ready to move on from Gore. He was able to latch on with the Colts for three years, then they decided he was done. One year with the Dolphins, who didn’t want him back after the 2018 season. And one year with the Bills – literally the only team of the 32 last year who had any interest in giving him a roster spot.

When I’m compiling my own list of the best backs of the decade, I’m more interested in impact. Guys like Arian Foster, Todd Gurley, LeVeon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott, for example, all put together multiple seasons that were far above anything Gore did.

And I will also bring Darren Sproles into the conservation. He got the “flex” spot. As Andy was pointing out, voters are allowed to use the flex to list a running back, wide receiver or tight end that they feel is deserving. If that’s the case, Sproles is essentially the fifth running back, and he’s another guy who shouldn’t be on there.

I poked around with the numbers some, and Matt Forte is the player to me who looks like the biggest omission. He was a productive runner for the Bears and also was dynamite as a pass catcher. He caught 434 passes in the decade (only 32 fewer than Sproles).

Consider the following stab at a list of the top running backs on the decade. On this one, I’m using PPR scoring. If a running back finished a season as the No. 1 running back in the league, he gets 20 points. If he finished 2nd, he gets 19, and so on, right down to the 20th-best running back each year getting 1 point. You total up the points for the 10 seasons and see who bubbles to the top.

Three of the top six are players who wound up on the team: LeSean McCoy, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. I have no problem with those guys. Forte finishes 2nd, and Foster and Bell make the top 5.

Gore and Sproles are well down the list. (And note that this is PPR scoring, which favors a player with Sproles’ playing style.)

RUNNING BACKS OF THE DECADE
Rk	Player	G	Run	Rec	Total	TD	PPR/G	Pts
1.	• LeSean McCoy	144	10,434	3,489	13,923	85	16.5	104
2.	Matt Forte	114	7,629	3,724	11,353	59	17.0	82
3.	• Adrian Peterson	118	9,732	1,536	11,268	76	15.2	74
4.	Arian Foster	74	6,270	2,253	8,523	65	20.2	72
5.	LeVeon Bell	77	6,125	3,121	9,246	46	20.6	68
6.	• Marshawn Lynch	108	7,812	1,551	9,363	76	14.7	64
7.	Jamaal Charles	88	6,086	2,024	8,110	55	15.7	63
8.	Todd Gurley	73	5,404	2,090	7,494	70	19.1	63
9.	Ezekiel Elliott	56	5,405	1,619	7,024	48	21.1	62
10.	DeMarco Murray	99	7,174	2,165	9,339	55	15.9	56
11.	Mark Ingram	121	7,025	1,845	8,870	70	13.0	54
12.	Christian McCaffrey	48	2,920	2,523	5,443	39	22.7	52
13.	Ray Rice	63	4,387	2,059	6,446	35	17.8	51
14.	Chris Johnson	99	6,417	1,492	7,909	38	12.5	48
15.	Alvin Kamara	45	2,408	2,068	4,476	38	20.6	47
16.	David Johnson	62	3,128	2,219	5,347	49	16.8	46
17.	Devonta Freeman	77	3,972	2,015	5,987	43	14.5	44
18.	Melvin Gordon	67	4,240	1,873	6,113	47	16.7	43
19.	• Frank Gore	153	9,786	2,065	11,851	59	11.7	39
20.	Doug Martin	84	5,356	1,207	6,563	32	11.9	36
21.	Lamar Miller	105	5,864	1,565	7,429	40	11.4	34
22.	Reggie Bush	82	3,550	1,664	5,214	26	10.9	29
23.	Saquon Barkley	29	2,310	1,159	3,469	23	21.7	29
24.	Eddie Lacy	60	3,614	947	4,561	29	12.3	28
25.	Danny Woodhead	91	2,174	2,611	4,785	32	10.6	27
26.	Maurice Jones-Drew	63	4,243	1,162	5,405	25	13.3	27
27.	Kareem Hunt	35	2,330	1,118	3,448	28	18.0	26
28.	Leonard Fournette	36	2,631	1,009	3,640	19	17.0	25
29.	• Darren Sproles	121	2,665	3,960	6,625	45	11.6	24
30.	Steven Jackson	76	4,731	1,396	6,127	30	12.8	24
31.	Fred Jackson	82	3,813	2,019	5,832	32	12.5	22
32.	Darren McFadden	78	4,565	1,584	6,149	28	12.7	21
33.	Derrick Henry	62	3,833	578	4,411	41	12.0	21
34.	Knowshon Moreno	47	2,669	1,196	3,865	27	14.4	20
35.	Michael Turner	48	3,511	381	3,892	34	13.4	20
36.	Latavius Murray	93	4,335	1,118	5,453	40	10.2	19
37.	Alfred Morris	105	5,935	494	6,429	34	8.7	19
38.	Joe Mixon	44	2,931	870	3,801	21	14.0	19
39.	Aaron Jones	40	2,260	702	2,962	32	14.3	19
40.	Peyton Hillis	55	2,435	852	3,287	19	10.2	19

Consider also Forte against Gore and Sproles. If you look at the top 8 seasons of these running backs, Forte has all but two of them. The NFL missed badly on this one. Forte should have been on the team, and it isn’t really even close.

FORTE vs. GORE vs. SPROLES
Year	Player	Run	Rec	Total	TD	PPR	Rk
2014	Matt Forte, Chi.	1,038	808	1,846	10	350.6	3
2013	Matt Forte, Chi.	1,339	594	1,933	12	341.3	2
2011	Darren Sproles, N.O.	603	710	1,313	10	277.3	5
2010	Matt Forte, Chi.	1,069	547	1,616	9	268.6	9
2012	Frank Gore, S.F.	1,214	234	1,448	10	232.8	10
2011	Matt Forte, Chi.	997	490	1,487	4	224.7	11
2012	Matt Forte, Chi.	1,094	340	1,434	6	223.4	11
2015	Matt Forte, Chi.	898	389	1,287	7	216.7	8
2016	Frank Gore, Ind.	1,025	277	1,302	8	216.2	12
2012	Darren Sproles, N.O.	244	667	911	8	216.1	13
2010	Frank Gore, S.F.	853	452	1,305	5	206.5	17
2015	Frank Gore, Ind.	967	267	1,234	7	199.4	14
2011	Frank Gore, S.F.	1,211	114	1,325	8	197.5	17
2013	Frank Gore, S.F.	1,128	141	1,269	9	196.9	18
2016	Matt Forte, NYJ	813	263	1,076	8	185.6	21
2013	Darren Sproles, N.O.	220	604	824	4	177.4	23
2017	Frank Gore, Ind.	961	245	1,206	4	173.6	20
2014	Frank Gore, S.F.	1,106	111	1,217	5	162.7	21
2016	Darren Sproles, Phil.	438	427	865	4	162.5	24
2015	Darren Sproles, Phil.	317	388	705	6	161.5	26
2014	Darren Sproles, Phil.	329	387	716	8	159.6	22
2010	Darren Sproles, S.D.	267	520	787	2	149.7	29
2017	Matt Forte, NYJ	381	293	674	3	122.4	42
2018	Frank Gore, Mia.	722	124	846	1	102.6	47
2019	Frank Gore, Buff.	599	100	699	2	94.9	50
2018	Darren Sproles, Phil.	120	160	280	3	61.0	76
2017	Darren Sproles, Phil.	61	73	134	0	20.4	101
2019	Darren Sproles, Phil.	66	24	90	0	17.0	103

—Ian Allan

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Aaron Jones has run for 1,046 yards for the 13-2 Vikings, positioning himself to join the small fraternity of players who’ve run for 1,000 yards for two different playoff teams in the same division. (He went over 1,000 yards for two Green Bay teams that went 13-3.) In the 32-team era (that is, since 2002) who is the only other running back who’s done this? (Need not just multiple 1,000-yard seasons, but for playoff teams in the same division.)

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