Quote:Dallas had Aikman, Clots had Manning,  Dallas drafted Pescott.   Chargers finished 2001 5-11.  

Dallas had Aikman, who finished 0-11 his rookie season.

 

Colts had Manning who was very uneven as a rookie.

 

Prescott was a 4th round pick, and they had no idea what they had.

 

SD finished 8-8 in 2002, and by the time they were a consistent winner, Tomlinson was one of the core players.

 

There are countless other examples of losing teams taking RBs high and improving their situations.

 

The Rams finished 2-7 in the strike shortened 1982 season and took Eric Dickerson at the top of the 1983 draft.  They finished 9-7 in 1983.

 

Seattle finished 4-5 that same year, took RB Curt Warner, then finished 9-7 and in the playoffs the next year.

 

Minnesota finished 6-10 in 2006, drafted Adrian Peterson 7th overall in 2007, then finished 8-8 in 2007 and 10-6 in 2008.

 

The idea that a strong running game is somehow anathema to winning is absolutely mind boggling.

 

The Patriots and the 1981 49ers notwithstanding, you can't find too many instances in NFL history where championship teams treated their running game as an afterthought.

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