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This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Bettis discusses his participation in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 10-12 at Edgewood Tahoe and air on NBC and Peacock. He discussed how today's running backs have changed in value in the free-agent market over the last few seasons.
"The running back by committee was a big thing only because it was the only thing they didn't have a choice in. What was happening was that you saw a drought at the running back position in college. Hence, the colleges changed their philosophy, adopting a spread offense and encouraging everyone to play faster," said Bettis. "As a result, the running backs got smaller, and they wanted running backs who could go horizontal, not downhill. So, you want a quick, smaller guy that can fit through these different kinds of holes. They stayed the same NFL game and the same off-pro style offenses, but they didn't have the luxury of getting those running backs that were coming in plenty, like when I was playing. Every college had a big running back, 6'1", 220. Everybody had one of those guys, not anymore, and today they're rare."
This past offseason, the NFL saw teams sign running backs to lucrative new contracts, including Kenneth Walker III, who joined the Kansas City Chiefs following a Super Bowl MVP performance with the Seattle Seahawks. Breece Hall and Devane Achane also received high-end contracts to remain with their respective teams.
"When you see one, you gotta grab them. Notre Dame had two big-time running backs: 5'11", 6'2", 230, 220 pounds. Both those guys (Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price), boom, first round picks, because you didn't see any more out there that could do the things that these guys could do, catch it, can receive, now across the NFL, all these running backs are special, they're being drafted in the first round, Bijan Robinson, you saw Saquon (Barkley) going early in the round, they go high," said Bettis, "So these guys are valuable. Still, you don't see that many of them, and I think that's what people misunderstand, that they think, oh, what a running back is back in style. Well, they (the Indianapolis Colts) never let Jonathan Taylor go; he was a first-rounder back a few years ago. These guys were all there, but you couldn't find them. There weren't that many of them because the game has evolved into a more passing-oriented game. You still have them out there, but when you find them, you've got to pick them. I think that's what the game has really told us about the running back position."
The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, over $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC/Peacock and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in golf.
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In his interview with Easton Jr., Bettis discusses his participation in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 10-12 at Edgewood Tahoe and air on NBC and Peacock. He discussed how today's running backs have changed in value in the free-agent market over the last few seasons.
"The running back by committee was a big thing only because it was the only thing they didn't have a choice in. What was happening was that you saw a drought at the running back position in college. Hence, the colleges changed their philosophy, adopting a spread offense and encouraging everyone to play faster," said Bettis. "As a result, the running backs got smaller, and they wanted running backs who could go horizontal, not downhill. So, you want a quick, smaller guy that can fit through these different kinds of holes. They stayed the same NFL game and the same off-pro style offenses, but they didn't have the luxury of getting those running backs that were coming in plenty, like when I was playing. Every college had a big running back, 6'1", 220. Everybody had one of those guys, not anymore, and today they're rare."
This past offseason, the NFL saw teams sign running backs to lucrative new contracts, including Kenneth Walker III, who joined the Kansas City Chiefs following a Super Bowl MVP performance with the Seattle Seahawks. Breece Hall and Devane Achane also received high-end contracts to remain with their respective teams.
"When you see one, you gotta grab them. Notre Dame had two big-time running backs: 5'11", 6'2", 230, 220 pounds. Both those guys (Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price), boom, first round picks, because you didn't see any more out there that could do the things that these guys could do, catch it, can receive, now across the NFL, all these running backs are special, they're being drafted in the first round, Bijan Robinson, you saw Saquon (Barkley) going early in the round, they go high," said Bettis, "So these guys are valuable. Still, you don't see that many of them, and I think that's what people misunderstand, that they think, oh, what a running back is back in style. Well, they (the Indianapolis Colts) never let Jonathan Taylor go; he was a first-rounder back a few years ago. These guys were all there, but you couldn't find them. There weren't that many of them because the game has evolved into a more passing-oriented game. You still have them out there, but when you find them, you've got to pick them. I think that's what the game has really told us about the running back position."
The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, over $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC/Peacock and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in golf.
Continue reading...
