Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis set the bar very high on how the position should be played for fans of the Black and Gold. Bettis is known for his tough, no-nonsense attitude on the field, as well as his humility off the field. When his rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger asked him to return for one final season, promising to get them to the Super Bowl, Bettis didn’t hesitate. It became one of the most epic tales in sports history. Bettis won a Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit with his parents in attendance shortly before his father’s death. Many believe Bettis getting to hoist the Lombardi Trophy is a big part of why he made it into the Hall of Fame. Now, Bettis is answering the questions about current exceptional running backs like Christian McCaffrey, and their chance of making it to Canton.
The NFL continues to evolve with changes in technology, abilities, and society. There are rules and equipment changes that occur to help protect player safety, changes in the plays that are called to keep up with what other teams are doing, and changes in how positions are used because of how the game morphs. Think of fullbacks. Every team had them and they used to be primarily players who blocked for running backs, but now teams use them as more of a hybrid position, or not at all.
The running back position is no different. It used to be one of the most important positions on offense. Think back to the 1970s Steelers. Franco Harris was the backbone of the offense. Even as recently as the early 2000s, teams like Pittsburgh relied on players like Bettis to win. In 1997, Barry Sanders was the highest-paid player in the NFL. But now times have changed for running backs according to Bettis.
Bettis recently appeared on an episode of The Dan Patrick Show and Dan Patrick asked him about the changes. He also questioned if any of the backs currently in the NFL are Hall of Fame-worthy or will the changes keep them out?
Now that receptions are more heavily valued than runs in the NFL, how will guys like McCaffrey get the respect and honor they deserve? Patrick said that now, in this new high-powered passing game, analysts count receptions more than yardage. He asked Bettis if he views McCaffrey as a future Hall of Famer.
