When you see a running back get through the line of scrimmage without changing direction or slowing down, it's because the offensive line has opened a hole for him. You have to watch football for a while to understand how important linemen are. A team can't have a good offense without a good offensive line.
It’s a combo of great O-line blocking and poorly positioned defense on most of these long runs. Others like Lynch and Henry’s add the skill of pure stiff arm strength and willpower
A great number of these plays are instances where the defense is focused on preventing a short gain - most likely to prevent a first down. So the defensive backs lose their angle for tackling the runner.
It's good play calling against the defensive look, then it comes down to the O-line fulfilling their assignments, after that it's the ball carrier's patience, vision and athletic ability. It starts long before the ball carrier puts a move on the last defender
Like previously mentioned most of these are long runs set up by play calling, blocking, and speed. Look for more broken tackle/juke runs to see just how shifty and elusive some skill position players can be.
Combination of offensive line opening holes and the running back seeing them then accelerating through. When everyone is in sync it is a beautiful thing to see.
Very First one, Derrick Henry, has the meanest stiff arm out of ANYONE !! He's also went to the University of Alabama, which my middle name is Bama, All because of my dad's Love of Football Lol !!
Herschel Walker went to the University of Georgia. In a pre-game interview, the Georgia Coach was asked by the media what his game plan would be against Alabama. His response, "Herschel left, Herschel right, Herschel up the middle.
Agreed. Speed kills, but to me, dominant runs need to leave bodies in their wake. The Derrick Henry one did, but not much else. And a dominant run doesn't necessarily need to be for a touchdown - see Earl Campbell slamdancing through the Rams D, for example.
Yeah a bit of a misleading name on the video. Like 60% of these were just broken plays, more on the defense being bad than the impressiveness of the runner. Some were impressive, but most were boring, and largely just embarrassingly bad defense.
I'm an old school New York Giants fan. Nobody could silence our stadium like the legendary running back Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys. He was astonishing to watch.
Barry Sanders was much more astonishing to watch in general, although I do not know how the play of Dorsett and Sanders compared specifically at home for the Giants...
These are fun. But to me... as someone who played as an inside lineman on Offense and Defense... Domination is when a team can sustain a pure run play drive. When you can send a runner up field, play after play - especially between the Tackles, and your opponent can't stop you. You have truly beaten them. A lot of people have forgotten the combination that the Miami Dolphins had in the early 1970's with "Mercury" Morris and Larry Csonka. There are plenty of other tough backs and teams, but you have to look at what the dolphins did - and when they did it to get a full appreciation of their domination.
These plays happen because of a few things 1. The right play call against a defense expecting something else. 2. Offensive line on the play side blowing up the defense line. 3. Defenders either being out of position or missing a tackles. 4. Blocking down field by the receivers.
Teams usually don’t want to pass when they’re backed up like that because it risks a safety, so it’s a situation where both sides are playing the run aggressively. When the defense is aggressive against the run, they pack in a ton of defenders close to the line of scrimmage. The problem with this is once you get past the first wave, there’s a TON of open space. That’s why on these long runs you see the RB make one move and then there’s no one to stop them.
@@kabirconsiders Yes it is. If the defense is able to break through the offensive line, and get to the quarterback or running back. And that ball carrier is tackled in their own end zone. This is called a "Safety." The defense will be rewarded 2 points, and possession of the ball. This is also an opportunity to see a rugby style drop kick, when that kickoff happens.
This is an excellent way to see how much the game has changed. Look at how fast the players are moving in the new clips vs. the speed in the black and white clips.
The offensive line schemes for a certain gap in the o-line for the back to aim for and hopes to fool or muscle the defense out of closing that gap. Every now and then it works and no one manages to catch them. It's pretty rare that not even one of the defensive backs or safeties manages to notice what's going on. It's one of those things that makes you appreciate the chess game a good coach plays.
It is also the back having patient and setting up his blockers at the line of scrimmage and down field, and having great field vision. Hitting the correct holes that the play calls for too!
It's usually a combination of the Defense missing an assignment, the back being elusive, and being in the right place at the right time (or right play call).
@7:37 - Jamaal Charles - Kansas City #25 This guy was a sprinter in college. World Record (Usain Bolt) 100m - 9.58 seconds Jamaal Charles 100m - 10.13 seconds 40 yard dash - 4.36 seconds Over his career of 119 games her carried the ball 1,407 and finished with an average of 5.4 yards per carry. That is the NFL RECORD for running backs over the last 65 years. Marion Motley has the overall record for running backs but he played in the 40's and 50's. That is better than Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, LT, Adrian Peterson, etc...
A lot of the success of any play in the NFL is calling the correct play to counter what the defense wants to do on that play, and then executing the play correctly. When you see these fantastic highlights, that's what happens 90% of the time.
It’s honestly everything you mentioned mate. It is absolutely about skill and evasiveness plus speed from the ballcarrier. As well as often times just poor defensive play, not wrapping up and missing tackles. This will be difficult if you didn’t grow up consuming thousands of hours of tape. But the offensive creation and blocking patterns (the scheme) is worked on for countless hours in the offseason and throughout the year. And often you got to come in on Monday and forget everything you just learned to face a new defensive scheme in 6 days. Also try to watch the big boys up front. The offensive lines. You will see different types of double teams, mashes, pulling of the guards and tackles, pushing, holding extra. Watch the massive holes they often open up for the ballcarriers.
@@kabirconsiders I give rugby all it's due, it's a tough sport. But rugby players don't have to get there hands on someone else who's just as big, or bigger than themselves. And make that person move just to get to the person carrying the ball.
@@rdramos13 Yes. There is no blocking or constant strategy in rugby. Also, the objective is more on getting the ball carrier down and getting up quickly, whereas in American football, the objective is to hit the ball carrier as hard as possible to get him down and make him remember.
Walker was a dominant running back after his football career had two MMA fights but it wasn't in the UFC. He went 2-0 in his two fights, he also competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics for the United States as part of their bobsleigh team
Sometimes it is all the blockers doing their job, and all the back has to do is just run. Other times it is the defense messing up, and sometimes it is the runningback's talent. And sometimes all three, lol.
Adrian Peterson is a beast. He tore pretty much every ligament in his knee and people thought he would never be the same player he was before the injury. What does he do? He comes back the next year and was only 6 yards short of tying the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season, carried his team into the playoffs and won the NFL MVP award.
@@kabirconsiders There is a good video on it called Adrian Peterson "Unbreakable" by TH-camr Joseph Vincent. And it wasn't two ACL tears. It was one knee. The ACL is on one side, the PCL is on the other and I believe there is another that is in the knee too. He tore or had damage to all of them, that required surgery to repair. Tearing one is a season ender and takes months to fully comeback from. When it happened people thought that he would be out for a few games the next season. He was back week one next season.
Usually those massive runs are due to the defense screwing up in some way. Some are due to getting just the right hit at the right place at the right time and taking off.
Herschel Walker had the same status as Bo Jackson in college. Both were big, fast touchdown machine Heisman Trophy winners. Herchel's longer and underrated NFL career was overshadowed by Bo's short but magnificent career though.
It’s a mixture of both. Good offense to make the hole for you to get through, good blockers protecting you while you run, and you taking advantage of all of that, and getting down the field. Also, being really good at what you do on the field.
What I find more incredible about that Damien Williams run was the fact that he was running at full speed about 20-25 yards ahead of Tyreek Hill, and Hill caught up to him like it was nothing 😆Gotta say though I'm severely disappointed that this video didn't have THE most dominant run in NFL history...Beastquake
This is why I like rugby so much more than American football. Everything is set up by a play called from the side lines. The coaches dictate how the team on the field plays. And not all players are given a chance to carry the ball to score. While with rugby. everything is decided on the field by the players. Every rugby player can score, etc. which is why. to me, rugby is more exciting.
It's teamwork, mate! It's skill, talent, & training. It's a very talented back (runnng back, tail back, wing back - all the offensive players who aren't on the front line are called backs, except for the wide-receivers, who usually line up on the front line), a talented quaterback, & talented offensive line all working together to open the holes to make the runs happen. American football is all about teamwork & strategy - the players huddle together before every play to discuss & plan what the next move will be. Sadly, there are amazing players out there who end up playing for teams that just don't gel together, & their talents end up being wasted. Case in point on that - Barry Sanders, who played for the Detroit Lions back in the day - incredible running back, but the team around him could never work their way through the playoffs & get to the Superbowl.
Herschel Walker was the best running back to ever play for the University of Georgia. He led them to their last National Championship in the early 80's. He did go on to play in the NFL as well as Mixed Martial Arts
There's usually 3 parts to these great runs... 1st part: The offensive line creates an opening for the runner. 2nd part: The runner sees and exploits the opening.. 3rd part: The defense fails to stop the runner exploiting the opening...
@@kabirconsiders I will add some of it is vision and elusiveness. While there are teams that make every RB look great, if you take a team like the Vikings, it is clear Cook is on a different level than Mattison. Cook just always seems to pick the better hole.
The arm push is called a stiff arm... Herschel Walker did fight in the ufc after football and he is the only reason the Dallas cowboys were so good in the 90s. Dallas traded him to.... I'll let you react to it haha. I thought you reacted to Devin Hester but I couldn't find it in your playlist, check out his kick returns. I was lucky enough to be at a game where he ran a punt and a kickoff back in the same game... it's spectacular to watch him run. And the 85 bears....
Definitely watch the blocking pattern of the offensive line. You'll see flow to one side or splitting sides to create the opening for the runner. Then there's sometimes a lead blocker in front of the running back. They will go thru the hole first and block the 2nd line of defense. Then the runner has to usually make someone miss (unless the first 2 things went perfectly). Great teams will use the same blocking scheme for other plays .. confusing the defense.
Hey props to number 57 in white for the clip at 6:38 . He starts as a defensive end(on the line of scrimmage, he’s the closest player in white on the line to the camera ) and runs down the running back on the other side of the field. Most players wouldn’t do that.
A lot of these big runs where it looks so perfect and lucky, is because the offense has identified the defensive scheme. Maybe they're in a certain formation etc that they've figured out means certain defensive players will be moving a certain direction etc, so they set up a play that will exploit it. That and blocking assignments being carried out to perfection. Football is basically a giant game of chess.
Long runs like this are a combination of several factors. Blocking obviously is a factor in getting through the line but the vision of the ball carrier, acceleration, strength and speed are all important. One of the other main factors usually is either poor tackling or poor pursuit angles from the defense
@@kabirconsiders my pleasure i love watching Rugby fans learning the NFL. If you haven't checked out Barry Sanders yet give him a look he is in my opinion the best Running Back in history
Adrian Peterson had an extremely severe injury and surgery, then came back in under a year and had arguably the best season by a running back of all time
Others have noted that these are more the most dominant of the longest running plays, which I think you'll agree isn't as good a title, Kabir. However, this barely scratches the surface of all-time great RBs. What you watched here was a collection of greats mixed with very good RBs. They all took advantage of opportunities, but the second tier also benefitted from complete defensive breakdowns and/or dominant efforts by their offensive lines. So while a lesser RB can use the perfect opportunity to take it home on a long field, the greats didn't need as wide a window, and made their own way there. To get a better handle on the true killers, like Barry Sanders, you have to watch a compilation of the all-time great RBs. And if you do, I guarantee you'll enjoy watching it.
The old school football players probably had overall tuff ness as a whole. But in the more modern era were players bodies are specialized for their position the combination of speed, power, and strength are at an all time high
I'm surprised that there weren't some by Earl Campbell in there, not sure I saw any from Walter Payton either. Two great running backs that had both power & speed. There is definitely a best runs by Campbell vid on TH-cam, I don't know of any about Payton, but there probably are.
Payton was great (and probably the most versatile, block/pass/catch top level back ever). BUT, he was not breakaway fast, so he didn't have that many really long runs, he (and Emitt Smith too) were about getting a little more on every run than they should.
When the running back uses his arm to fend of a defender it’s known as a “stiff arm” Some of the all-time great running backs which might be a good review: 1. Jim Brown 2. Walter Payton 3. Barry Sanders 4. Eric Dickerson 5. Adrian Peterson 6. Marcus Allen 7. OJ Simpson 8. Earl Campbell 9. LaDanian Tomlinson 10. Tony Dorsett 11. Marshall Faulk 12. John Riggins 13. Thurman Thomas 14. BonJackson (career cut short)
A lot of these are just really good, and somewhat lucky play calls. A lot of these defenses sent a linebacker or a safety on a blitz which opens up a space in the defense that’s not normally there, and they just happened to call the perfect run that was meant to go to the same place that they blitzed from.
History lesson my bro one of the greatest running backs for the Chicago bears of all time his name was Gail Sayers he said just give me 16 inches of daylight and I can make it happen that's why he's running back yard designed and tough like that they can see you before that you see them it's awesome man
@@kabirconsiders The video I recommended goes into it, but he actually made his MMA debut in 2010, at 48 years old. He had been retired from the NFL for 13years at that point.
Walker was the center of perhaps the most famous trade in NFL history. Dallas traded him to Minnesota in 1989, and the Cowboys used the eight draft picks they received to go from 1-15 in 1989 to one of the dominant teams in the 90's.
Nearly every one of these runs are the result of a combinations of things going right. It requires the following: - Near perfect blocking by the offensive line. In combination with some mistakes being made by the defensive line. -Elite speed and elusiveness on the part of the runner. -Mistakes made by the defensive secondary like taking a bad angle when they rushed the line of scrimmage. Again, it takes a lot of things coming together to create a 90+ yard run.
I was at the Titans game where Derrick Henry ran 99 yards and it was electric. Honestly the TV didn’t do the crowd sound justice. They replayed it over and over again on the stadium’s screens and the crowd was yelling “BOOM” with every stiff arm lol. It was hilarious.
It's a matter of well-designed plays that open up holes at the first and second levels (the defensive line and linebackers) in addition to elusiveness and speed once the running back gets through the hole and usually finds himself in a one-on-one in open field against a safety or a cornerback. Also there are times where the defense loads the box (fully commits to stopping the run by putting a bunch of players near the line of scrimmage) and if a running back breaks through a hole there's no one in the secondary left to stop them. That's the reason for a lot of these 90+ yard runs since the offense is likely to be more conservative (run the ball) and the defense's main priority in that situation is to get a 3 and out and make the opposition punt from deep in their own end so that at worst their offense gets the ball back at midfield (great starting field position). Also to be fair, OJ Simpson as a football player was one of the best running backs in football history. As a person, yeah...
@@kabirconsiders If you get a chance and have access to it, watch the ESPN documentary called OJ: Made in America. Goes into all aspects of his life from childhood to recent years. Unfortunately for OJ, (allegedly) murdering his wife and Ron Goldman wasn't the last dumb decision he made as he served nine years in prison for armed robbery and was released in 2017. It's rather long (5 parts of an hour or more each) but a great watch and I'm pretty sure it won an Oscar for best documentary a few years ago.
The guy you pointed out at 2:42 was a qb and you said he doesn’t look like wide receiver well funny enough a few years later he transitioned to wide receiver and had some pretty good seasons.
2:30 The player on this run is actually a quarterback. In the modern NFL, quarterbacks are actually about the same size as a typical running back or wide receiver.
Many of these 90+ yard runs occur because the down and field position makes a pass play super risky. The offense (US spelling) just wants to squeak out a few more yards to give the punter more room. The defense, knowing this, has everyone up close to the line to stop the run. Almost all the time the defense limits any gain to a yard or two, or for no gain or even a loss. But, sometimes a small hole opens up for just an instant, the running back cuts through it and there's only one or two defenders, sometimes even no defenders, between him and the goal line.
The running game in football is all about timing. Plays are designed to hit a certain area and your offensive line is suppose to open up running lanes. It takes a few weeks of practice to get the timing down between the back and the line.
A run like these is typically a combination of speed and elusiveness by the RB, great blocking by the o-line, and a defensive alignment that is looking to stop the offense in the first few yards of scrimmage. If you don't catch your guy in those first few yards, you might never get him.
The Tony Dorsett run was 99 1/2 yards. The Cowboys only had 10 men on the field. If you want to watch a great running back go watch Barry Sanders runs. They are AMAZING. I think one run he made 9 or 10 guys miss. 😂
The clip at 2:30 is Terrell Pryor, he was a quarterback at that time and that TD run was and still is the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in NFL history. He later transitioned Wide receiver and did very well actually
Running backs and wide receivers are usually the fastest ones on the team. Add muscle to break tackles and a good offensive line for blocking and you have the recipe for big gains and long running scores. Hershel Walker was one of the greatest running backs ever.
@@kabirconsiders idk if you’ll reply to this but while running backs and receivers are fast. The fastest people are usually the corner backs (so they can keep up with receivers). They are also the smallest position on the field in terms of weight, only weighing 190 pounds(86.1 kg) on average with every other position (other than the kicker/punter) averaging 200 pounds(90.7 kg) or more.
First there was two qb runs in that video the first one was by Terrell prior he was a qb for the raiders Olympian speed he was a track basketball and football star. He was never great but he had a respectable career. Also most runs like this end up being defensive breakdowns. If the defensive end doesn’t contain the edge and the wide receiver can hold the corner. Then the running back can get a good angle to split the linebacker and safety then it’s a foot race. Let’s say defense calls a 0 blitz man coverage and they make the defensive end stunt in. If the running play sweeps it outside naturally you could have the whole defense collapse in away from the ball and boom it’s a foot race. Now Derrick Henry and Marshawn lynch runs with the stiff arms and bully ball that is true beast mode plays.
Yes it is a combination of the strength, speed, and agility of the runner, good blocking to open up a hole, and perhaps poor defense for weak tackling attempts. One thing you should remember is that since we see this compilation video showing one long run after another, 90+ yard touchdown runs are actually very rare. In a season, maybe 1 out of every 20 games or so?
7:20 Herschel Walker is regarded as one of the very best college football players of all time, in any position. Man is a beast of an athlete! He still does 1000 push-ups and sit-ups every day at 50-something years old. And yes, he did fight in UFC for a bit lol.
Much like the slam dunk in basketball, it is easy to forget how the play was set up. In football, it is great BLOCKING by the offensive line that opens up a small gap allowing the running back get through the initial defense. After that, speed doesn't hurt either!
One aspect of the plays that seems to be overlooked is the defensive schemes. Often, the coaches expect a run, and "stack" the defense close to the line of scrimmage. If the offense blocks enough players at the point of contact, a hole opens up and the only player left to stop the runner is the safety, who usually gets faked out. Many of the clips in this video show that. It's counter-intuitive to think that on these long running plays, the defense expected a running play. They just got outcoached.
@@kabirconsiders that’s very well stated it’s exactly that, a chess match between the coaches using their players to their strengths and with their philosophies
You must do a reaction to Herschel Walker. An elite athlete on many levels. I could give details but i dont want to ruin the reaction. Him and Bo Jackson are superior athletes!
If you want to see a couple of good trucks, I recommend Gronkowski and Alstot compilations. Those two monsters ran over entire teams in a play. Barry Sanders for best steps, though, he'd run through entire teams making them look like preschoolers.
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When you see a running back get through the line of scrimmage without changing direction or slowing down, it's because the offensive line has opened a hole for him. You have to watch football for a while to understand how important linemen are. A team can't have a good offense without a good offensive line.
It’s a combo of great O-line blocking and poorly positioned defense on most of these long runs. Others like Lynch and Henry’s add the skill of pure stiff arm strength and willpower
*coughs* Russell Wilson
A great number of these plays are instances where the defense is focused on preventing a short gain - most likely to prevent a first down. So the defensive backs lose their angle for tackling the runner.
The longest runs usually come when there is good blocking, no hesitations, and a runner with elite speed.
How the Beastquake run isn't in this vid is beyond me. Talk about Dominating runs!
I’ve seen that one, Marshawn was a beast!
I still can’t believe the Seahawks didn’t run the ball in Super Bowl XLIX 😉
@@coyotelong4349 My cable went out literally right before that play. Talk about horrible timing.
And no Adrian Peterson smh
@@thorkagemob1297 they showed him with the WFT.
It's good play calling against the defensive look, then it comes down to the O-line fulfilling their assignments, after that it's the ball carrier's patience, vision and athletic ability. It starts long before the ball carrier puts a move on the last defender
This was more focused on the "longest runs", but still good footage.
I see, I’ll try to find a more dominant one to put on my list!
@@kabirconsiders try and find something with like Marshawn lynch
Like previously mentioned most of these are long runs set up by play calling, blocking, and speed. Look for more broken tackle/juke runs to see just how shifty and elusive some skill position players can be.
Combination of offensive line opening holes and the running back seeing them then accelerating through. When everyone is in sync it is a beautiful thing to see.
Very First one, Derrick Henry, has the meanest stiff arm out of ANYONE !! He's also went to the University of Alabama, which my middle name is Bama, All because of my dad's Love of Football Lol !!
Derrick is a beast! He tossed those guys away like they were made of paper! Your dad sounds awesome by the way 😂
Derrick is like 6’3 250 and runs a 4.5 second 40 yard dash. That man will bulldoze you. Insane weight for a running back who is pretty fast
AP had one against the browns that was pretty good too. just TOSSED a guy, like he weighed nothing
Herschel Walker went to the University of Georgia. In a pre-game interview, the Georgia Coach was asked by the media what his game plan would be against Alabama. His response, "Herschel left, Herschel right, Herschel up the middle.
This was more of the longest runs otherwise the most dominant run would have include that guy in Seattle you know Mr. Skittles.
I see, I was wondering where Mr Lynch was!
@@kabirconsiders you absolutely need to do a Marshawn Lynch video.
Agreed. Speed kills, but to me, dominant runs need to leave bodies in their wake. The Derrick Henry one did, but not much else. And a dominant run doesn't necessarily need to be for a touchdown - see Earl Campbell slamdancing through the Rams D, for example.
Yeah a bit of a misleading name on the video. Like 60% of these were just broken plays, more on the defense being bad than the impressiveness of the runner. Some were impressive, but most were boring, and largely just embarrassingly bad defense.
Calling out Hershal Walker, two MMA fights in Strikeforce from 2011ish , that's legitimately impressive
Thanks brother :)
Good line blocking and good vision
I'm an old school New York Giants fan. Nobody could silence our stadium like the legendary running back Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys. He was astonishing to watch.
Barry Sanders was much more astonishing to watch in general, although I do not know how the play of Dorsett and Sanders compared specifically at home for the Giants...
Most of these runs happened because the offensive line did their job.
Pryor is an NFL WR that played QB in college.
He was an NFL QB too. He just couldnt cut it so was forced into WR...
These are fun. But to me... as someone who played as an inside lineman on Offense and Defense... Domination is when a team can sustain a pure run play drive.
When you can send a runner up field, play after play - especially between the Tackles, and your opponent can't stop you. You have truly beaten them.
A lot of people have forgotten the combination that the Miami Dolphins had in the early 1970's with "Mercury" Morris and Larry Csonka.
There are plenty of other tough backs and teams, but you have to look at what the dolphins did - and when they did it to get a full appreciation of their domination.
These plays happen because of a few things 1. The right play call against a defense expecting something else. 2. Offensive line on the play side blowing up the defense line. 3. Defenders either being out of position or missing a tackles. 4. Blocking down field by the receivers.
Teams usually don’t want to pass when they’re backed up like that because it risks a safety, so it’s a situation where both sides are playing the run aggressively. When the defense is aggressive against the run, they pack in a ton of defenders close to the line of scrimmage. The problem with this is once you get past the first wave, there’s a TON of open space. That’s why on these long runs you see the RB make one move and then there’s no one to stop them.
I see, so it’s like a high risk play
@@kabirconsiders Yes it is. If the defense is able to break through the offensive line, and get to the quarterback or running back. And that ball carrier is tackled in their own end zone. This is called a "Safety." The defense will be rewarded 2 points, and possession of the ball. This is also an opportunity to see a rugby style drop kick, when that kickoff happens.
This is an excellent way to see how much the game has changed. Look at how fast the players are moving in the new clips vs. the speed in the black and white clips.
The offensive line schemes for a certain gap in the o-line for the back to aim for and hopes to fool or muscle the defense out of closing that gap. Every now and then it works and no one manages to catch them. It's pretty rare that not even one of the defensive backs or safeties manages to notice what's going on. It's one of those things that makes you appreciate the chess game a good coach plays.
It's a little bit of everything. Good timing, good OL work, sheer talent, poor defense (especially tackling)
All that or someone decides to play hero instead of playing their assignment
You are correct about Herschel. He is worth looking up. AMAZING athlete. Him and Bo Jackson.
It is also the back having patient and setting up his blockers at the line of scrimmage and down field, and having great field vision. Hitting the correct holes that the play calls for too!
It's usually a combination of the Defense missing an assignment, the back being elusive, and being in the right place at the right time (or right play call).
Ahh I see, thanks for explaining this to me!
@7:37 - Jamaal Charles - Kansas City #25
This guy was a sprinter in college.
World Record (Usain Bolt) 100m - 9.58 seconds
Jamaal Charles 100m - 10.13 seconds
40 yard dash - 4.36 seconds
Over his career of 119 games her carried the ball 1,407 and finished with an average of 5.4 yards per carry. That is the NFL RECORD for running backs over the last 65 years. Marion Motley has the overall record for running backs but he played in the 40's and 50's. That is better than Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, LT, Adrian Peterson, etc...
A lot of the success of any play in the NFL is calling the correct play to counter what the defense wants to do on that play, and then executing the play correctly. When you see these fantastic highlights, that's what happens 90% of the time.
It’s honestly everything you mentioned mate. It is absolutely about skill and evasiveness plus speed from the ballcarrier. As well as often times just poor defensive play, not wrapping up and missing tackles. This will be difficult if you didn’t grow up consuming thousands of hours of tape. But the offensive creation and blocking patterns (the scheme) is worked on for countless hours in the offseason and throughout the year. And often you got to come in on Monday and forget everything you just learned to face a new defensive scheme in 6 days. Also try to watch the big boys up front. The offensive lines. You will see different types of double teams, mashes, pulling of the guards and tackles, pushing, holding extra. Watch the massive holes they often open up for the ballcarriers.
As I learn more about the game it’s fascinating observing the similarities between American football and rugby!
@@kabirconsiders I give rugby all it's due, it's a tough sport. But rugby players don't have to get there hands on someone else who's just as big, or bigger than themselves. And make that person move just to get to the person carrying the ball.
@@rdramos13 Yes. There is no blocking or constant strategy in rugby. Also, the objective is more on getting the ball carrier down and getting up quickly, whereas in American football, the objective is to hit the ball carrier as hard as possible to get him down and make him remember.
Walker was a dominant running back after his football career had two MMA fights but it wasn't in the UFC. He went 2-0 in his two fights, he also competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics for the United States as part of their bobsleigh team
Yeah he fought in strike force! Even at his age art point he was still a beast
Sometimes it is all the blockers doing their job, and all the back has to do is just run. Other times it is the defense messing up, and sometimes it is the runningback's talent. And sometimes all three, lol.
It could be many things. Good blocking, creative play calling, defensive blown assignments. Sometimes it’s none of those and just special running.
if you wanna see some running as an art form check out any barry sanders highlights
I reacted to Barry back in November, it’s like once he got some momentum he was impossible to stop!
Adrian Peterson is a beast. He tore pretty much every ligament in his knee and people thought he would never be the same player he was before the injury. What does he do? He comes back the next year and was only 6 yards short of tying the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season, carried his team into the playoffs and won the NFL MVP award.
Yeah I reacted to his story a few months back. To come back from TWO ACL tears is unheard of. Unbelievable!
@@kabirconsiders There is a good video on it called Adrian Peterson "Unbreakable" by TH-camr Joseph Vincent. And it wasn't two ACL tears. It was one knee. The ACL is on one side, the PCL is on the other and I believe there is another that is in the knee too. He tore or had damage to all of them, that required surgery to repair. Tearing one is a season ender and takes months to fully comeback from. When it happened people thought that he would be out for a few games the next season. He was back week one next season.
The one with Tony Dorsett in 1983, he was the 1st running back to go 99 yards o a running play. He was the 1st one to set that record.
An absolute machine!
Usually those massive runs are due to the defense screwing up in some way. Some are due to getting just the right hit at the right place at the right time and taking off.
Interesting, so it’s a variety of factors
2:47 that’s terrelle Pryor was a quarterback back. Then he wasn’t having success so he switched to receiver.
Nice to know I want totally wrong 😂
He messed his shoulder up and couldn't throw anymore.
It wasn't about not having success.
Herschel Walker had the same status as Bo Jackson in college. Both were big, fast touchdown machine Heisman Trophy winners. Herchel's longer and underrated NFL career was overshadowed by Bo's short but magnificent career though.
It’s a mixture of both. Good offense to make the hole for you to get through, good blockers protecting you while you run, and you taking advantage of all of that, and getting down the field. Also, being really good at what you do on the field.
Thanks door breaking this down for me mate!
What I find more incredible about that Damien Williams run was the fact that he was running at full speed about 20-25 yards ahead of Tyreek Hill, and Hill caught up to him like it was nothing 😆Gotta say though I'm severely disappointed that this video didn't have THE most dominant run in NFL history...Beastquake
This is why I like rugby so much more than American football. Everything is set up by a play called from the side lines. The coaches dictate how the team on the field plays. And not all players are given a chance to carry the ball to score. While with rugby. everything is decided on the field by the players. Every rugby player can score, etc. which is why. to me, rugby is more exciting.
big henry is one of my fav runningbacks
It's teamwork, mate! It's skill, talent, & training. It's a very talented back (runnng back, tail back, wing back - all the offensive players who aren't on the front line are called backs, except for the wide-receivers, who usually line up on the front line), a talented quaterback, & talented offensive line all working together to open the holes to make the runs happen. American football is all about teamwork & strategy - the players huddle together before every play to discuss & plan what the next move will be. Sadly, there are amazing players out there who end up playing for teams that just don't gel together, & their talents end up being wasted. Case in point on that - Barry Sanders, who played for the Detroit Lions back in the day - incredible running back, but the team around him could never work their way through the playoffs & get to the Superbowl.
Herschel Walker was the best running back to ever play for the University of Georgia. He led them to their last National Championship in the early 80's. He did go on to play in the NFL as well as Mixed Martial Arts
There's usually 3 parts to these great runs...
1st part: The offensive line creates an opening for the runner.
2nd part: The runner sees and exploits the opening..
3rd part: The defense fails to stop the runner exploiting the opening...
The perfect storm
@@kabirconsiders I will add some of it is vision and elusiveness. While there are teams that make every RB look great, if you take a team like the Vikings, it is clear Cook is on a different level than Mattison. Cook just always seems to pick the better hole.
Plus there are blocking schemes to try to create openings. On a lot of these runs, they're hitting a hole the offensive line created
The other commenters have already covered your question well. It can be any of the questions you asked or any combination of them.
Also good downfield blocking by the wide receivers.
Herschel Walker is one of my heroes.
Apparently he was one hell of an athlete. I think he deserves a reaction vid of his own
He completely dominated college football. And was a great pro player.
The run at 4:24, I still am in awe of tyreek hill’s speed to catch up to him so quick
Yeah he was rapid!
The arm push is called a stiff arm... Herschel Walker did fight in the ufc after football and he is the only reason the Dallas cowboys were so good in the 90s. Dallas traded him to.... I'll let you react to it haha. I thought you reacted to Devin Hester but I couldn't find it in your playlist, check out his kick returns. I was lucky enough to be at a game where he ran a punt and a kickoff back in the same game... it's spectacular to watch him run. And the 85 bears....
I knew I saw him in the ufc! Thanks for confirming that I’m not going crazy 😂
Definitely watch the blocking pattern of the offensive line. You'll see flow to one side or splitting sides to create the opening for the runner. Then there's sometimes a lead blocker in front of the running back. They will go thru the hole first and block the 2nd line of defense. Then the runner has to usually make someone miss (unless the first 2 things went perfectly). Great teams will use the same blocking scheme for other plays .. confusing the defense.
American tornado is way more complex than i initially thought, I’m starting to understand the “human chess” analogy
@@kabirconsiders That’s what I love about the game. And even a lot of American fans have no idea just how much of a strategic mental contest it is.
Hey props to number 57 in white for the clip at 6:38 . He starts as a defensive end(on the line of scrimmage, he’s the closest player in white on the line to the camera ) and runs down the running back on the other side of the field. Most players wouldn’t do that.
Agreed, good job that man!
Yeah love them breakaway runs every running back loves to get a few of those.
A lot of these big runs where it looks so perfect and lucky, is because the offense has identified the defensive scheme. Maybe they're in a certain formation etc that they've figured out means certain defensive players will be moving a certain direction etc, so they set up a play that will exploit it. That and blocking assignments being carried out to perfection. Football is basically a giant game of chess.
Awesome, thanks for explaining this to me mate!
Long runs like this are a combination of several factors. Blocking obviously is a factor in getting through the line but the vision of the ball carrier, acceleration, strength and speed are all important. One of the other main factors usually is either poor tackling or poor pursuit angles from the defense
Thanks for breaking it down for me mate!
@@kabirconsiders my pleasure i love watching Rugby fans learning the NFL. If you haven't checked out Barry Sanders yet give him a look he is in my opinion the best Running Back in history
Adrian Peterson had an extremely severe injury and surgery, then came back in under a year and had arguably the best season by a running back of all time
Unbelievable determination from Adrian, I read that he had double knee reconstruction
Others have noted that these are more the most dominant of the longest running plays, which I think you'll agree isn't as good a title, Kabir. However, this barely scratches the surface of all-time great RBs. What you watched here was a collection of greats mixed with very good RBs. They all took advantage of opportunities, but the second tier also benefitted from complete defensive breakdowns and/or dominant efforts by their offensive lines. So while a lesser RB can use the perfect opportunity to take it home on a long field, the greats didn't need as wide a window, and made their own way there.
To get a better handle on the true killers, like Barry Sanders, you have to watch a compilation of the all-time great RBs. And if you do, I guarantee you'll enjoy watching it.
As a former center, I've gotta say there's nothing more fun than that monster fight in the pit.
The old school football players probably had overall tuff ness as a whole. But in the more modern era were players bodies are specialized for their position the combination of speed, power, and strength are at an all time high
For truly dominant runs, look up the legendary Earl Campbell. He was a beast who was extremely hard to tackle once he got running.
I'll put him on my list!
the one You asked the question about the #2 Pryor was the Quarterback for the Oakland Raiders
I'm surprised that there weren't some by Earl Campbell in there, not sure I saw any from Walter Payton either. Two great running backs that had both power & speed. There is definitely a best runs by Campbell vid on TH-cam, I don't know of any about Payton, but there probably are.
I’ll put Earl on my list!
Payton was great (and probably the most versatile, block/pass/catch top level back ever). BUT, he was not breakaway fast, so he didn't have that many really long runs, he (and Emitt Smith too) were about getting a little more on every run than they should.
@@kabirconsiders Earl Campbell. Walter Payton. Jim Brown. Gale Sayers. John Riggins.
When the running back uses his arm to fend of a defender it’s known as a “stiff arm” Some of the all-time great running backs which might be a good review:
1. Jim Brown
2. Walter Payton
3. Barry Sanders
4. Eric Dickerson
5. Adrian Peterson
6. Marcus Allen
7. OJ Simpson
8. Earl Campbell
9. LaDanian Tomlinson
10. Tony Dorsett
11. Marshall Faulk
12. John Riggins
13. Thurman Thomas
14. BonJackson (career cut short)
A lot of these are just really good, and somewhat lucky play calls. A lot of these defenses sent a linebacker or a safety on a blitz which opens up a space in the defense that’s not normally there, and they just happened to call the perfect run that was meant to go to the same place that they blitzed from.
History lesson my bro one of the greatest running backs for the Chicago bears of all time his name was Gail Sayers he said just give me 16 inches of daylight and I can make it happen that's why he's running back yard designed and tough like that they can see you before that you see them it's awesome man
Actually they made a movie about him it's called Brian's song
They made a movie about him?? He must have been special!
I am an American and I just found your channel . I really enjoyed it !
Thanks Gus :) welcome to the channel!
That bo Jackson clip reminded me of the scene in Forrest Gump when he keeps running after he scores a touchdown
If you want to see more of Herschel Walker and how crazy of an athlete he was you should see KTO's "Meet the Craziest Athlete in NFL History" video
I’ll put this one on my list, it’s unbelievable that he managed to get wins in the UFC at the end of his football career!
@@kabirconsiders The video I recommended goes into it, but he actually made his MMA debut in 2010, at 48 years old. He had been retired from the NFL for 13years at that point.
Herschel Walker was arguably the greatest college running back ever (for the Georgia Bulldogs).
Walker was the center of perhaps the most famous trade in NFL history. Dallas traded him to Minnesota in 1989, and the Cowboys used the eight draft picks they received to go from 1-15 in 1989 to one of the dominant teams in the 90's.
these runs are often the longest gimme's, I'm talking about the ones with no broken tackles
Nearly every one of these runs are the result of a combinations of things going right. It requires the following:
- Near perfect blocking by the offensive line. In combination with some mistakes being made by the defensive line.
-Elite speed and elusiveness on the part of the runner.
-Mistakes made by the defensive secondary like taking a bad angle when they rushed the line of scrimmage.
Again, it takes a lot of things coming together to create a 90+ yard run.
Ahh I see. Thanks for explaining this mate!
I was at the Titans game where Derrick Henry ran 99 yards and it was electric. Honestly the TV didn’t do the crowd sound justice. They replayed it over and over again on the stadium’s screens and the crowd was yelling “BOOM” with every stiff arm lol. It was hilarious.
I wish I was there!
Hershel Walker, did fight MMA, but not in the UFC. He did have a little stint in the late, great Strikeforce though.
Yeah I remember strikeforce, a solid promotion!
Pryor was a QB. (Guy for the Raiders) He had a very short career, and was just known as a running QB.
Was his career cut short due to injury?
@@kabirconsiders Yeah he had knee issues and sub-par play after recovery.
It's a matter of well-designed plays that open up holes at the first and second levels (the defensive line and linebackers) in addition to elusiveness and speed once the running back gets through the hole and usually finds himself in a one-on-one in open field against a safety or a cornerback. Also there are times where the defense loads the box (fully commits to stopping the run by putting a bunch of players near the line of scrimmage) and if a running back breaks through a hole there's no one in the secondary left to stop them. That's the reason for a lot of these 90+ yard runs since the offense is likely to be more conservative (run the ball) and the defense's main priority in that situation is to get a 3 and out and make the opposition punt from deep in their own end so that at worst their offense gets the ball back at midfield (great starting field position).
Also to be fair, OJ Simpson as a football player was one of the best running backs in football history. As a person, yeah...
It's crazy how OJ in that moment completely destroyed the legacy he had spent all his life building. Madness
@@kabirconsiders If you get a chance and have access to it, watch the ESPN documentary called OJ: Made in America. Goes into all aspects of his life from childhood to recent years. Unfortunately for OJ, (allegedly) murdering his wife and Ron Goldman wasn't the last dumb decision he made as he served nine years in prison for armed robbery and was released in 2017. It's rather long (5 parts of an hour or more each) but a great watch and I'm pretty sure it won an Oscar for best documentary a few years ago.
The guy you pointed out at 2:42 was a qb and you said he doesn’t look like wide receiver well funny enough a few years later he transitioned to wide receiver and had some pretty good seasons.
No way! So I wasn’t totally wrong 😂
It's a combination of good blocks and 4.2 plus speed to hit the hole when it opens, then their off to the races.
2:30 The player on this run is actually a quarterback. In the modern NFL, quarterbacks are actually about the same size as a typical running back or wide receiver.
Many of these 90+ yard runs occur because the down and field position makes a pass play super risky. The offense (US spelling) just wants to squeak out a few more yards to give the punter more room. The defense, knowing this, has everyone up close to the line to stop the run. Almost all the time the defense limits any gain to a yard or two, or for no gain or even a loss. But, sometimes a small hole opens up for just an instant, the running back cuts through it and there's only one or two defenders, sometimes even no defenders, between him and the goal line.
Thanks for explaining this to me mate. I’m really starting to understand why American football is often described as human chess
It’s the offensive line that blocks the defensive line to get the RB through usually and then the RB does the rest
One thing all great running backs have in common is great vision
For sure
You need to watch the greatest, most elusive back, Barry Sanders’ footage… that was pure talent and athletic prowess.
It's all about the blockers opening up lanes for the runners
Ahhh I see
The running game in football is all about timing. Plays are designed to hit a certain area and your offensive line is suppose to open up running lanes. It takes a few weeks of practice to get the timing down between the back and the line.
I see, thanks for explaining this to me!
Bro you have become my favorite reactor not just now but of all time 💯
Thanks so much bro 😊🍻
A run like these is typically a combination of speed and elusiveness by the RB, great blocking by the o-line, and a defensive alignment that is looking to stop the offense in the first few yards of scrimmage. If you don't catch your guy in those first few yards, you might never get him.
The Tony Dorsett run was 99 1/2 yards. The Cowboys only had 10 men on the field.
If you want to watch a great running back go watch Barry Sanders runs. They are AMAZING. I think one run he made 9 or 10 guys miss. 😂
The clip at 2:30 is Terrell Pryor, he was a quarterback at that time and that TD run was and still is the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in NFL history. He later transitioned Wide receiver and did very well actually
Interesting, I didn’t know that players could switch positions once in the NFL
@@kabirconsiders oh no you can switch positions from pop Warner football to nfl, it's pretty common
Love the change of setting !!! 👍🏽
Thanks mate 😊 it was time to switch things up!
Running backs and wide receivers are usually the fastest ones on the team. Add muscle to break tackles and a good offensive line for blocking and you have the recipe for big gains and long running scores. Hershel Walker was one of the greatest running backs ever.
Would you say Herschel was better than Bo?
@@kabirconsiders idk if you’ll reply to this but while running backs and receivers are fast. The fastest people are usually the corner backs (so they can keep up with receivers). They are also the smallest position on the field in terms of weight, only weighing 190 pounds(86.1 kg) on average with every other position (other than the kicker/punter) averaging 200 pounds(90.7 kg) or more.
@@kabirconsiders Close, but I think Hershel has him beat.
Kabir, I just found your channel and love seeing your take on all things American.
-An American L.A. -> Chicago -> Phoenix.
Welcome to the channel Matt :)
It’s all down to the work of the offensive line to create holes for the running back to go into
First there was two qb runs in that video the first one was by Terrell prior he was a qb for the raiders Olympian speed he was a track basketball and football star. He was never great but he had a respectable career.
Also most runs like this end up being defensive breakdowns. If the defensive end doesn’t contain the edge and the wide receiver can hold the corner. Then the running back can get a good angle to split the linebacker and safety then it’s a foot race. Let’s say defense calls a 0 blitz man coverage and they make the defensive end stunt in. If the running play sweeps it outside naturally you could have the whole defense collapse in away from the ball and boom it’s a foot race.
Now Derrick Henry and Marshawn lynch runs with the stiff arms and bully ball that is true beast mode plays.
Yes it is a combination of the strength, speed, and agility of the runner, good blocking to open up a hole, and perhaps poor defense for weak tackling attempts. One thing you should remember is that since we see this compilation video showing one long run after another, 90+ yard touchdown runs are actually very rare. In a season, maybe 1 out of every 20 games or so?
Oh wow, this vid makes it seem like they happen all the time!
7:20 Herschel Walker is regarded as one of the very best college football players of all time, in any position. Man is a beast of an athlete! He still does 1000 push-ups and sit-ups every day at 50-something years old. And yes, he did fight in UFC for a bit lol.
Much like the slam dunk in basketball, it is easy to forget how the play was set up. In football, it is great BLOCKING by the offensive line that opens up a small gap allowing the running back get through the initial defense. After that, speed doesn't hurt either!
I played center for 10 years. Blocking plays a big part of it.
How did they not have Mike Vick splitting the Vikings defense and them smashing head first into each other too
One aspect of the plays that seems to be overlooked is the defensive schemes. Often, the coaches expect a run, and "stack" the defense close to the line of scrimmage. If the offense blocks enough players at the point of contact, a hole opens up and the only player left to stop the runner is the safety, who usually gets faked out. Many of the clips in this video show that. It's counter-intuitive to think that on these long running plays, the defense expected a running play. They just got outcoached.
American football really is human chess, I’m really starting to understand that now
@@kabirconsiders that’s very well stated it’s exactly that, a chess match between the coaches using their players to their strengths and with their philosophies
The person in the 4th clip wasn’t a wide receiver he was quarterback Terrell Pryor
You must do a reaction to Herschel Walker. An elite athlete on many levels. I could give details but i dont want to ruin the reaction. Him and Bo Jackson are superior athletes!
I’ll put him on my list!
For Dominate runs, just look up Barry Sanders, Derrick Henry, Marshawn Lynch, and Earl Campbell highlights 💁🏻♂️
If you want to see a couple of good trucks, I recommend Gronkowski and Alstot compilations. Those two monsters ran over entire teams in a play. Barry Sanders for best steps, though, he'd run through entire teams making them look like preschoolers.
Yeah Barry was a beast, basically impossible to stop or bring down
a lot of these are about the great linemen on the offense creating massive lanes for the runnners to run.
# 2 Terrell Pryor ( Raiders ) was actually a Quarterback but had enough speed were he was used as a Wide Receiver from time to time
You know it's old when the field goal post is at the start of the endzone lol