Eight Running Backs on the Verge of Stardom

Whether or not there's a season, there are several running backs looking to either have a breakout season or add on to his breakout performance from 2010. The 2011 rookie running back class was rather shallow, with just one first rounder (Mark Ingram selected 28th by New Orleans), so Rookie of the Year likely won't be awarded to a running back.

But that doesn't take away from the position itself. Here are six guys poised for a monster season for his respective team in 2011 and are on the verge of taking his game to the next level.

Arian Foster, Houston Texans

Foster caught the eye of fans from the moment he stepped on to the field against the Colts in Week One's matchup, a game in which he ran for a franchise-record 231 yards and three touchdowns in just his second career start.

It actually all started with the preseason injury to rookie Ben Tate. His season-ending injury opened the door for the undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, who went on to lead the league with 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns.

I know it's only one season, but Foster is already seen—in the eyes of a majority of fantasy owners, at least—as one of the league's top running back, right next to superstars Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson.

Foster, 24, is set to become the franchise's feature running back in 2011, and he will receive a little aid from second-year back Ben Tate when he is finally able to hit the field. He may take a few carries away from Foster, but that will only help his effectiveness on the field.

Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants

It took him four seasons, but it looks as though the 25-year-old Bradshaw has finally hit starter status in New York. With the decline of now-short yardage back Brandon Jacobs, Bradshaw started 11 games in 2010 (played in all 16 regular season games) and set career-highs in attempts, yards and touchdowns.

The speedy Bradshaw jumped from 163 carries in 2009 to 276 this past season (10th-most in league) and ran for his first 1,000 yard season—1,235 to be exact. His eight touchdown runs trumped his 2009 total by one.

The only downside of Bradshaw's 2010 campaign was his yards per carry average was the lowest in his four seasons with the Giants, but it remains at 4.8 for his career. Eli Manning threw a career and league-high 25 interceptions, so I would expect the Giants to come in to the season with a heavy dosage of Bradshaw.

More career-highs coming your way, Ahmad.

LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

We already learned that Blount is a freak of nature after seeing him hurdle a would-be tackler on two different occasions in his 2010 rookie campaign.

At 6'0", 247 pounds, Blount is an unusual size for a running back, but his speed is what baffles most defenders. I never really knew it was possible for a man of his size to move so fast; he's by far one of the most bruising backs in the league. And he's only 24.

If it wasn't for Sam Bradford's playoff push in St. Louis, Blount would have easily taken home the NFL Rookie of the Year award thanks to his 1,006 yards and six touchdowns on 201 attempts (5.0 YPC).

With an emerging star at the quarterback position in addition to Blount, I think we could be seeing a new era down in Tampa Bay starting in 2011.

Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs

Charles has now recorded two consecutive 1,000 yard seasons in his three years with Kansas City. After a 1,467 yard season in 2010 (second-most in NFL), you would think Charles, 24, has already broken out as a star.

Not so fast.

Despite his obvious talent, highlighted by lightning-fast speed and agility, Charles has yet to be compared to the likes of Peterson, Johnson and a Ladainian Tomlinson-in-his-prime type of guy, although I really think he should be.

The one thing holding Charles back from the newspaper headlines and making ESPN daily because of his long runs is his red zone capability. The top running backs in the league are hitting double digits in touchdowns each year. But Charles? He has just 12 in his three career seasons in this league. He wasn't even close to hitting the top 10 in TD runs this past season.

Jamaal has the speed and the long runs for me to consider him a premier back, but I don't think other fans and so-called experts would totally agree with me because of his lack of touchdown production. With 2010 being his first full season as an every-down back, I think he will be able to come out in 2011 a lot more comfortable and hit the double digit range in touchdowns.

Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns

Madden curse? What Madden curse?

Yes, Hillis, after his 1,177 yard, 11-touchdown breakout performance this past season, will grace the coveted Madden cover this coming season. And yes, I know there is supposedly a so-called "Madden curse" in which the cover athlete either gets hurt and misses a chunk of the season or has an off-year.

But personally, I don't believe in it, and I just think the already highly-motivated Hillis now has something else to fuel the beast in him.

The result? Peyton Hillis will come out of the gate and make another huge impact on the game in 2011. I'm think closer to the tune of 1,200 yards and 13 TDs, an improvement on his remarkable 2010 performance with the lowly Cleveland Browns. Hillis and quarterback Colt McCoy (then a rookie) gave Browns' fans hope last season, and it will carry over to this season.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England Patriots

Green-Ellis, leading the way for New England's ninth-ranked rushing offense, showed Belichick's Pats his potential with his first 1,000 yard season (1,008 on 229 carries), but what I think impressed everyone most was his 13 touchdowns.

Green-Ellis was a touchdown machine in 2010, making countless fantasy owners very happy campers, at least. But over the next couple of seasons I believe that we will see more and more of Green-Ellis as Tom Brady ages. Now, obviously I think we are still several years away from seeing a consistent decline in Brady's game; in fact, he is still the best quarterback in the league in my eyes.

But I would expect the Pats to make Green-Ellis their go-to guy in certain circumstances, particularly on third downs and goal-to-go situations. BenJarvus has seemingly looked like the type of player who is more effective in lower dosages, so I believe he will continue to be the Kevin Faulk-type player for the Pats and rack up double digits touchdowns in 2011.

Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions

Best has the disadvantage of being on a team in rebuilding mode for the time being, but as a rookie in 2010, he showed flashes of brilliance at the running back position, almost reminding me of a Reggie Bush in a way.

I know that sounds like a negative comparison, because Bush has been somewhat of a disappointment to the NFL early in his career. But I actually mean in a sense that Best is a threat in several different ways. He can breakout for a long run in between the tackles, catching a pass out of the backfield and even in the return game (though he hasn't returned kicks as a professional yet).

Adding his yards from scrimmage together, Best has 1,042 and six touchdowns as a rookie, but he battled injury for a little while and only started nine games. Ineffective at times, Best wasn't a consistent producer for the Detroit offense, but I expect that to change with a healthy 2011 campaign. Luckily for the Detroit offense, Matthew Stafford should be 100 percent ready for the start of the season, giving the Lions an everyday franchise quarterback again.

Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

Also a rookie in 2010, Mathews was a guy who was supposed to be in the running for the Rookie of the Year award as he stepped in to the locker room with an already great offense led by Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers.

Instead, Mathews was an inconsistent producer for a team that was pass-heavy, as he struggled the first half of the season. In his first eight games, Mathews had just two rushing touchdowns and no 100-yard games.

Mathews missed nearly a month of play, and when he returned, he lit up defenses for 296 yards and five touchdowns in the last four games he played in that season.

Mike Tolbert, primarily San Diego's third-down back, helped Mathews out quite a bit in 2010, rushing for a career-high 735 yards and 11 touchdowns. So Tolbert will likely take some of the pressure off Mathews in 2011, allowing Mathews to at least come close to breaking 1,000 yards in his sophomore season with the Chargers.

Others of Note:

These four guys could also see a rise in either playing time or production, or both, in some players' cases:

*Darren McFadden, OAK: 223 ATT, 1,157 yards, seven TDs in 2010 (all career-highs)

*Felix Jones, DAL: 185 ATT, 800 yards, one TD in 2010 (Att and yds both career-highs)

*Knowshon Moreno, DEN: 182 ATT, 779 yards, five TD in 2010 (second season in league)

*Shonn Greene, NYJ: 185 ATT, 766 yards, two TD in 2010 (YPC avg dropped from 5.0 in 2009 to 4.1 last year)

Photo credit

Arian Foster: thebiglead.com

LeGarrette Blount: spokesman.com

Peyton Hillis: dawgpounddaily.com

Jahvid Best: Getty Images

U-25: Best Running Backs Under the Age of 25

In the game of football, having an effective ground game may be the key to having a successful championship run.

Not every team out there has the blessing of possessing a quarterback of Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers' caliber, meaning a solid ground game is the perfect compliment to a decent passing attack. Despite Aaron's record-breaking performance in four postseason games in January and early February in which he passed for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, the Packers had a decent ground game without last season's top rusher, Ryan Grant.

Keys to having an elite ground game? Well, first of all having quick, powerful guards who can pull quickly and create openings in the line. But most of all I think is having a healthy group of backs. You, of course, want the one go-to guy who will start games and make solid runs on first and second down. But having a healthy back who can come in on third downs and move the chains is a huge upside as well.

It's been proven that many backs hit a wall at age 30, and production in most cases quickly drops with each passing year once they hit the wall. That's why having young, fresh players is always a great commodity in the National Football League.

Listed below are 15 running backs (age 25 and under) who I see as elite backs in the league, and what makes them so elite. I understand it would make more sense to pick guys who will be 25 and under at the start of the 2011 season (a few of them will be 26 before September), but I just couldn't resist leaving some of these guys off the list.

Arian Foster, 24

Foster broke on to the scene this year with a league-leading 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground in just his second professional season. With the preseason injury to rookie Ben Tate, Foster was forced to step up right away and delivered in Houston's week one matchup against Indianapolis with a franchise game-high 231 rushing yards and three touchdowns in their upset win. Foster proved to be a consistent force throughout the regular season and may have been the sole reason Houston got off to such a quick start.

Chris Johnson, 25

One year off his record-breaking 2,006 yard season in 2009, Johnson disappoints the league. By disappointing, I mean he finished the season just shy of 1,400 yards (fourth-most in league) and 11 touchdowns. His explosiveness and speed between the tackles was still there, but the Titans' offense was more one dimensional than it was in 2009, therefore defenses keyed in on Johnson a little more often. Still the most exciting running back in the league, he just didn't have quite as many highlight reels as 2009. Tennessee is currently in the rebuilding process, so hopefully the Titans will revamp its offense and allow Johnson a little bit more to work with in 2011.

Adrian Peterson, 25

It's a bit of a stretch adding AP on this list considering he will be 26 in a little over a month (March 21), but Peterson has been in an elite running back for four straight seasons now. In fact, Peterson has ran for 1,200 yards and 10+ TDs in all four of his seasons in the league. Aside from last year, when Johnson took over the spotlight, Peterson has always been known as the most explosive and powerful runner since entering the league out of Oklahoma in 2007. The only downside in Peterson's game is fumbling in key situations. But after six lost fumbles last season, he worked on that problem over the offseason and limited himself to just one fumble in 2010. Looks like he is once again the most complete back in the league.

Maurice Jones-Drew, 25

Jones-Drew and his 5'8'' frame seems to get overlooked quite a bit by fans and analysts alike. He has consistently produced great results on the ground for the Jaguars, but a lack of a potent passing attack has been holding the Jags' offense back lately. Jones-Drew only got the ball in the end zone a grand total of seven times in 2010 (five on ground, two through the air), but has run for 54 touchdowns in five complete seasons in Jacksonville, while accumulating over 5,200 yards rushing. The production has been there for the shifty little man, and his ability to break tackles has yet to leave him after five hard-working seasons. A guy of Jones-Drew's size will likely hit the "age 30 wall," but he still has a good 4-5 seasons until Jacksonville will start to worry about him in that sense.

Jamaal Charles, 24

Charles, one of the NFL's fastest men coming out of the backfield, broke out on to the scene with his 1,467 yards (second-most behind Foster) and five rushing touchdowns. One of Jamaal's biggest upsides is his ability to come out of the backfield as a viable weapon for young gun quarterback Matt Cassel. Charles caught 45 passes for 468 yards (10.4 YPC) and three additional touchdowns this past season. Charles' shiftiness and breakout speed is what has put him near the top of the running back list in 2010, and that's exactly what is going to keep him there for the next several seasons.

Darren McFadden, 23

Considering McFadden is a former fourth overall pick in the NFL draft (2008), I've expect much more from the former Arkansas Razorback. But, after two underachieving seasons in which he started a total of just 12 games, McFadden finally broke-out for a career-high 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 starts. Carrying the ball just 223 times, McFadden posted an astonishing yards per carry average of 5.2. Not quite as impressive as Jamaal Charles' 6.4, but it's still up there.

Matt Forte, 25

Much like guys such as Jones-Drew and Charles, Forte is always a threat to catch passes out of the backfield and break out for sizable gains. Forte barely eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground (second time in his three year career) in 2010, but he added on over 500 receiving yards. One of Forte's upsides is he doesn't take too many hits and has managed to stay healthy and start all 16 games in each of his three pro seasons.

Ray Rice, 24

Despite a maturing Joe Flacco in Baltimore, and an added Pro Bowl wideout to his arsenal in 2010 (Anquan Boldin), Rice saw his carries rise this past season as he broke 300 attempts for the first time in his short, three-year career. Though he was less productive (1,220 yards and a career-low 4.0 YPC average), Rice's presence was still felt on offense. With opposing defensive coordinators better aware of Rice's ability to break out long runs, they keyed in on him a little more, but with Flacco on the brink of elite status, Rice may not be the center of attention in 2011. This could only mean one thing for Ray: more production.

Rashard Mendenhall, 23

Mendenhall is on the minds of every defensive player after his 1,273 yard, 13 touchdown regular season performance. Add on his 230 yard, four touchdown postseason performance and you've got yourself a rising star in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger still has plenty of time left in his career, but I do think his best days may be behind him. With a rebuilding offensive line, it looks like the only direction the young Mendenhall is headed is up.

LeSean McCoy, 22

McCoy hasn't really impressed too many fans with top-tier speed or bruising strength, but his perfect combination of the two has certainly given him a little fortune and fame. Averaging 5.2 yards per carry on 207 attempts was enough to get him over the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career. McCoy's 78 receptions and 592 yards made him a respectable option for quarterback Michael Vick, who often dumped the ball off to him to avoid defensive pressure. McCoy can certainly take pride in being one of the youngest on the list.

Ahmad Bradshaw, 24

Bradshaw is, in my eyes, one of the most underrated backs in the league. Starting just one career game in his three seasons prior to 2010, the bruising back broke out for a career-high 1,235 yards and eight touchdowns after the Giants benched his teammate Brandon Jacobs. The 5'9'' back, just under 200 pounds, has a great combination of speed and power. He has the ability to run through, or around defenders. I would expect him to add on to his success in 2011, and maybe breakout with double-digit touchdown totals.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 25

What made Green-Ellis' season so great was New England's heavy use of him while in the red zone, particularly in goal-line situations. Green-Ellis ran for a career-best 1,008 yards on 229 carries but, more impressively than that, found the end zone a team-high 13 times on the ground in just 11 starts. The Pats, of course, were a pass-heavy offense like usual, but Green-Ellis' successful campaign allowed Tom Brady's attack to be a little more two dimensional than most defenses expected. Brady's best days may be behind him, so look for more carries to come BJGE's way in the coming years.

Jonathan Stewart, 23

An off-year for Stewart? Try 770 rushing yards (two touchdowns) in just seven starts. With both Stewart and teammate DeAngelo Williams battling injuries in 2010, the previous season's greatest running back duo had limited playing time, but that didn't stop Stewart from breaking tackles and having big games against formidable opponents (had just two 100-yard games, but added on two 90-yard performances in losing efforts for the lowly Panthers). Lack of a consistent quarterback may have been a factor in Stewart's down year, but either way I expect both him and his teammate to make a strong recovery in 2011 and hopefully we'll see Stewart back in his 1,110 yard, 10 touchdown form next season.

Peyton Hillis, 25

Denver gave let Hillis slip away, and all they got in return is a third-string caliber quarterback in Brady Quinn. Not exactly a deal I would be willing to tell people about. The bruising 6'1''/240 pound Hillis caused many to scratch their heads as he broke out with 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 starts with Cleveland. The former seventh round pick of the Broncos uses his brutal power and elusiveness to bowl over defenders, making him a solid goal-line and short-yardage option.

LeGarrette Blount, 24

As a rookie filling in for former AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, Blount impressed me with his outstanding late-season performances. He showed his speed and athletic ability by jumping completely over a defender not once, but twice, this past season, making Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays in both instances. Blount was my pick for Offensive ROY (1,007 yards, 6 rushing TDs in seven starts), but the Associated Press awarded it to Sam Bradford instead. I would expect Blount to remain Tampa's go-to running back in 2011 and for him to improve on his four 100-yard games from this past season.

Just missed the Cut...

There's so many backs under the age of 25, that I just couldn't figure out where to put these guys. They haven't quite proven they belong on the list of top 15, but some of them haven't been given a real shot yet. Next season will be their chance to show me they belong.

*Felix Jones, 23
*Knowshon Moreno, 23
*Tim Hightower, 24
*Ryan Mathews, 23
*Shonn Greene, 25
____________________________

It's rare to find a consistently effect running back over the age of 30.

Here's a few guys who are considered feature backs and haven't hit the (age 30) wall just yet. But some are getting mightily close to that time in their careers, and may already be on the downfall.

Michael Turner, 29
Steven Jackson, 27
Frank Gore, 27
Cedric Benson, 28
Joseph Addai, 27
DeAngelo Williams, 27
Clinton Portis, 29
Ronnie Brown, 29  

Already hit the wall (no longer able to carry the team's workload)

Ladainian Tomlinson, 31
Thomas Jones, 32
Ricky Williams, 33
Brian Westbrook, 31

Photo credit
Arian Foster: AP Photo/Reinhold Matay
Maurice Jones-Drew: Perry Knotts/NFL
Darren McFadden: AP Photo/Tony Avelar
LeSean McCoy: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Jonathan Stewart: AP Photo/Chuck Burton
LeGarrette Blount: AP Photo/Nick Wass