Best Bengal RB duos

[fredtoast]

There have been 4 seasons when the Bengals had 2 RBs with 1000+ yards from scrimmage (rush + receiving). Here they are in order of yards per game.

1973...Essex Johnson 1353 (997 rush, 356 rec)
1973...Boobie Clark 1335 (988 rush, 347 rec)

Clark and Johnson combined for 2688 in just 14 games for an average of 192.0 per game. Team finished #5 in total offense.


1988...Ickey Woods 1265 (1066 rush, 199 rec)
1988...James Brooks 1218 (931 rush, 287 rec)

Woods and Brooks combined for 2483 in 16 games for an average of 155.2 per game. Team finished #1 in total offense.


2014...Jeremy Hill 1339 (1124 rush, 215 rec)
2014...Giovani Bernard 1029 (680 rush, 349 rec)

Hill and Bernard combined for 2368 in 16 games for an average of 148.0 per game. Team finished #15 in total offense.


1979...Archie Griffin 1105 (688 rush, 417 rec)
1979...Pete Johnson 1019 (865 rush, 154 rec)

Griffen and Johnson (former teammates at Ohio State) combined for 2124 in 16 games for an average of 132.8 per game. Team finished 23rd in total offense


Rushing yards per game (team rank)
Johnson/Clark.....140.4 (7)
Woods/Brooks.....124.8 (1)
Hill/Bernard........112.8 (6)
Griffen/Johnson... 97.1 (11)

Rushing yards per carry (team rank)
Woods/Brooks......5.2 (1)
Hill/Bernard.........4.6 (12)
Johnson/Clark......4.4 (6)
Griffen/Johnson....4.1 (9)

Receiving yards per game
Johnson/Clark......50.2
Griffen/Johnson....35.7
Hill/Bernard.........35.3
Woods/Brooks......30.4

Yards per reception
Woods/Brooks.......9.7
Johnson/Clark.......9.6
Griffen/Johnson.....8.5
Hill/Bernard..........8.1

Touchdowns
Woods/Brooks.......29
Griffen/Johnson.....17
Hill/Bernard..........16
Johnson/Clark.......15 (14 games)

[*SHRacerX*]

Good analysis. I remember saying on more than one occasion that Brooks and Woods were the greatest duo in team history, but this shows it isn't a landslide. I may be biased as James Brooks is one of my all time favorite players, but I think the stats that proves my point might not be in total yards, but in YPC and YPC. The fact that they had 29 touchdowns is also pretty amazing.

That offense showed so much creativity, and so many different weapons. The two RBs were the straw that stirred the drink.

If Hill and Bernard can approach even 4.5 YPC this season, it would bode very well for this team.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(08-08-2016, 08:20 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Good analysis.  I remember saying on more than one occasion that Brooks and Woods were the greatest duo in team history, but this shows it isn't a landslide.  I may be biased as James Brooks is one of my all time favorite players, but I think the stats that proves my point might not be in total yards, but in YPC and YPC.  The fact that they had 29 touchdowns is also pretty amazing.

That offense showed so much creativity, and so many different weapons.  The two RBs were the straw that stirred the drink.

If Hill and Bernard can approach even 4.5 YPC this season, it would bode very well for this team.

Yep, as much as that team also liked to throw the ball, those numbers for 30 and 21 are rather impressive.  They get my vote.

[fredtoast]

(08-08-2016, 08:20 AM)SHRacerX Wrote:  I may be biased as James Brooks is one of my all time favorite players,

James Brooks, not Corey Dillon, hold the Bengals single season record for yards from scrimmage with 1773 in 1986 (1086 rushing, 686 rec).  Brooks lead the league in yards per carry that year (5.3) and averaged 12.7 per reception which is great for a RB.  

Brooks was also ridiculous good at blocking for a guy who weighed a buck ninety.

He is one of my all-time favorite Bengals.

[fredtoast]

(08-08-2016, 12:52 PM)Wyche Wrote: Yep, as much as that team also liked to throw the ball, those numbers for 30 and 21 are rather impressive.  They get my vote.

You have to consider how much the league changed between '73 and '88.

In '88 the Bengals rushed for 169.4 yards per game and ranked number one in the league.  In '73 when Johnson and Clark had their big year the number one rushing team in the league gained 220.6 yards per game, and five teams averaged over 170 per game.  The Bengals only ranked 7th.

[Essex Johnson]

(08-08-2016, 06:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: You have to consider how much the league changed between '73 and '88.

In '88 the Bengals rushed for 169.4 yards per game and ranked number one in the league.  In '73 when Johnson and Clark had their big year the number one rushing team in the league gained 220.6 yards per game, and five teams averaged over 170 per game.  The Bengals only ranked 7th.

Can you guess who I would vote for ....

[*SHRacerX*]

(08-08-2016, 06:49 PM)fredtoast Wrote: James Brooks, not Corey Dillon, hold the Bengals single season record for yards from scrimmage with 1773 in 1986 (1086 rushing, 686 rec).  Brooks lead the league in yards per carry that year (5.3) and averaged 12.7 per reception which is great for a RB.  

Brooks was also ridiculous good at blocking for a guy who weighed a buck ninety.

He is one of my all-time favorite Bengals.

One of my favorite things about James Brooks was when he would be taking a swing pass or a sweep to the outside, and a safety would have a bead on him, instead of running out of bounds and just taking a three yard gain, he would lower his head and blast the defender in the chest.  He might only gain a yard doing this, but he dealt out punishment for a guy (as you said) that weighed just 190 (if that).

[kevin]

I'll add the RB's in 1970 that took team to first play-off ever, Paul Robinson, Jess Phillips, Essex Johnson. 1969 AFL Rookie of the Year Greg Cook was pretty much lost to injury, but 1968 AFL Rookie of the Year Paul Robinson returned from 1969 injuries and carried the team on his back to the play-offs in 1970.

Since we see few 2 back sets with a FB running the ball in 2016, it's as if the running FB is gone forever. Most college FBs only block. The game has changed. ......So great Bengals one backs have been Pete Johnson, Kinnebrew, Dillon, Rudi, Benson. Pete was awesome by himself in one back sets, and Benson was the reason for play-offs in 2009 season. No passing, but we had Benson. Dillon was just a monster on a team not very good. He showed what he could do on a team like Patriots. To me that was the best of the Patriots teams because Dillon gave them a Jim Brown type RB and that team was as good as any that ever took the field. Dillon played on some of the worst Bengal teams ever, those 1990's and early 2000's some of the worst teams to ever take the field in the history of the NFL. Coach Lewis had his work cut out for him taking over this sorry bunch of losers in 2003.

I want to see our Bengals RBs cut down on the fumbles. Both Bernard and Hill have butter fingers, and it has killed us in play-off games. Those fumbles have just killed us in play-off games. Until they get rid of the butter fingers, I'm not ready to praise Bernard or Hill yet, in fact, if they don't get better, they too can be replaced.

[fredtoast]

(08-08-2016, 11:30 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Can you guess who I would vote for ....

'73 was the first year that I really became a Bengals fan.  So I have always had a soft spot for Boobie and the Essex Express.  They averaged over 50 receiving yards a game when the Bengals as a team only passed for 163 yards a game.

But I still give a slight edge to Ickey and Brooks.  They were more dominate on a more dominate offense.  Bengals had the #1 rushing attack in the league with them and they combined for almost twice as many tds (29) as Boobie and Essex (15).

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(08-08-2016, 06:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: You have to consider how much the league changed between '73 and '88.

In '88 the Bengals rushed for 169.4 yards per game and ranked number one in the league.  In '73 when Johnson and Clark had their big year the number one rushing team in the league gained 220.6 yards per game, and five teams averaged over 170 per game.  The Bengals only ranked 7th.

Very true....that's sort of what I was hinting at....it was a different era, and a much more fast paced offense under Wyche, obviously.  They threw it, they ran it, they trick played.....what a damn fun team to watch.

[Essex Johnson]

(08-09-2016, 08:53 AM)fredtoast Wrote: '73 was the first year that I really became a Bengals fan.  So I have always had a soft spot for Boobie and the Essex Express.  They averaged over 50 receiving yards a game when the Bengals as a team only passed for 163 yards a game.

But I still give a slight edge to Ickey and Brooks.  They were more dominate on a more dominate offense.  Bengals had the #1 rushing attack in the league with them and they combined for almost twice as many tds (29) as Boobie and Essex (15).

I agree I actually put Ickey and Brooks #1 but I do think that Boobie and Essex don;t get enough credit for what they did especially the combined yards in that era... thanks for bringing back some teen memories for me..