06-21-2020, 03:01 PM
(06-20-2020, 06:59 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Priest Holmes and the Chiefs were better than Tomlinson and then Chargers in the red zone IMO. IDK which way the stats go in regards to that argument. He had one of the best O-lines in history.
Tomlinson was more consistent and durable than Holmes. Over the first 7 years of his career he averaged over 1500 rushing yards, 65 receptions and 18 tds. That is why he is already in the Hall of Hame.
But I think the achievements of Tomlinson and other RBs had a lot to do with Holmes not getting as much credit as he is due.
Holmes broke out in 2001 leading the league in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. But 2001 was the 4th straight year that Marshall Faulk had had at least 1300 rushing yards and 80 receptions. It was also Tomlinson's rookie season and all he did his first three years in the league was average over 1500 rushing yards and 79 receptions.
Holmes broke the record for rushing tds in 2003 but Shaun Alexander matched that total just 2 years later and Tomlinson broke it in '06 with 28. No RB has rushed for more than 18 tds since then, and Holmes 27 rushing tds is still just one off the NFL record, but at that time it did not seem that extraordinary.
It also did not help that the guy who replaced Holmes in KC (Larry Johnson) immediately had 20 tds in '05. But it was pretty common for RBs to score a lot of tds during that stretch. Before 2000 there were only 13 times a RB had scored 20 tds in a season (Emmitt did it twice). Over the next 7 years ('00-'06) 6 different RBs would do it a total of 10 times. But over the last 11 seasons it has only happened 3 more times.
