(Browns) Mt Rushmore of Running Backs
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Here's a cut and paste from Google:
Historic Moments: Sayers, Butkus draft
Nov. 28, 1964. The selection of Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus in the first round of the 1965 draft remains the only time a team has selected two Hall of Fame players in the first round of one draft.
My thoughts on that: 1) I don't know if that still stands; 2) Surprisingly, the Bears never once Clay Matthews
Eric Metcalf (shoulda been a slot Receiver here)
And then there's Eric Metcalf.. So the Browns have a nice history at RB.. Doesn't take a back seat to anybody...
*Not relevant to the thread - Clay Matthews, Jr. SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 1,595 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 16 INTs.
**Kind of relevant to the thread because he lined up in the back field, Eric Metcalf SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 630 carries - 2,392 yards, 541 catches - 5,572 yards, 55 total offensive TDs, 3,453 punt return yards, 9,266 kickoff return yards, 12 total return TDs. 67 career TDs.
To @bob806's point, Lynn Swann had 53 TDs.
*Not relevant to the thread - Clay Matthews, Jr. SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 1,595 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 16 INTs.
**Kind of relevant to the thread because he lined up in the back field, Eric Metcalf SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 630 carries - 2,392 yards, 541 catches - 5,572 yards, 55 total offensive TDs, 3,453 punt return yards, 9,266 kickoff return yards, 12 total return TDs. 67 career TDs.
To @bob806's point, Lynn Swann had 53 TDs.
I think a Browns alum that should be considered for the Hall of Fame, and for some reason seems overlooked, is Gary Collins.
Compare his stats to other HOF receivers of that era, plus he was an excellent punter.
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leaving Mike Pruitt off my list would be unpopular
Ya know, he's just kinda' there.....under the radar. I mean, would most people guess that he's the 3rd leading rusher in Browns history? I'd think no. I think more people would guess Byner or Mack. Or Greg Pruitt. Or Marion Motley. I never thought that Mike Pruitt got the credit that he deserved. He wasn't flashy. But in my opinion, he picked up the torch that Leroy Kelly had left behind 3 years prior....and 'ran' with it.
Ya know, he's just kinda' there.....under the radar. I mean, would most people guess that he's the 3rd leading rusher in Browns history? I'd think no. I think more people would guess Byner or Mack. Or Greg Pruitt. Or Marion Motley. I never thought that Mike Pruitt got the credit that he deserved. He wasn't flashy. But in my opinion, he picked up the torch that Leroy Kelly had left behind 3 years prior....and 'ran' with it.
Just like Leroy Kelly had to follow Jim Brown - Tag Team "Do It With Pruitt" now had 2 back to back HOF backs to live up to in Cleveland. Tough as that was to do - both guys made our fans happy we had these 2 guys following keeping the strong tradition going with our RBs. Always fun to watch #34 teaming up with #43. I already showed Greg's stats in this thread. I might as well post Mike's Stats right here per your statement I bolded above. This was a very good back here.
Rushing:
Year Team No. Yds Avg. Long TDs Totals 1844 7378 4.0 77 51 1976 NFL Cleveland Browns 52 138 2.7 18 0 1977 NFL Cleveland Browns 47 205 4.4 21 1 1978 NFL Cleveland Browns 135 560 4.1 71 5 1979 NFL Cleveland Browns 264 1294 4.9 77 9 1980 NFL Cleveland Browns 249 1034 4.2 56 6 1981 NFL Cleveland Browns 247 1103 4.5 21 7 1982 NFL Cleveland Browns 143 516 3.6 17 3 1983 NFL Cleveland Browns 293 1184 4.0 27 10 1984 NFL Cleveland Browns 163 506 3.1 14 6 1985 NFL Buffalo Bills 7 24 3.4 7 0 1985 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 105 366 3.5 54 2 1986 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 139 448 3.2 16 2 Receiving:
Year Team No. Yds Avg. Long TDs Totals 270 1860 6.9 50 5 1976 NFL Cleveland Browns 8 26 3.2 15 0 1977 NFL Cleveland Browns 3 12 4.0 6 0 1978 NFL Cleveland Browns 20 112 5.6 15 0 1979 NFL Cleveland Browns 41 372 9.1 50 2 1980 NFL Cleveland Browns 63 471 7.5 28 0 1981 NFL Cleveland Browns 63 442 7.0 21 1 1982 NFL Cleveland Browns 22 140 6.4 13 0 1983 NFL Cleveland Browns 30 157 5.2 21 2 1984 NFL Cleveland Browns 5 29 5.8 9 0 1985 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 7 43 6.1 9 0 1986 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 8 56 7.0 13 0 I welcome the only Defensive Coordinator to earn a Superbowl Ring in New Orleans while understanding Revenge of the Nerds is a sequel. "Come get some!" -
*Not relevant to the thread - Clay Matthews, Jr. SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 1,595 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 16 INTs.
**Kind of relevant to the thread because he lined up in the back field, Eric Metcalf SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 630 carries - 2,392 yards, 541 catches - 5,572 yards, 55 total offensive TDs, 3,453 punt return yards, 9,266 kickoff return yards, 12 total return TDs. 67 career TDs.
To @bob806's point, Lynn Swann had 53 TDs.
I could care less how many TD's Swann had.. all I said is our history of RB's takes a back seat to nobody
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Ya know, he's just kinda' there.....under the radar. I mean, would most people guess that he's the 3rd leading rusher in Browns history? I'd think no. I think more people would guess Byner or Mack. Or Greg Pruitt. Or Marion Motley. I never thought that Mike Pruitt got the credit that he deserved. He wasn't flashy. But in my opinion, he picked up the torch that Leroy Kelly had left behind 3 years prior....and 'ran' with it.
Just like Leroy Kelly had to follow Jim Brown - Tag Team "Do It With Pruitt" now had 2 back to back HOF backs to live up to in Cleveland. Tough as that was to do - both guys made our fans happy we had these 2 guys following keeping the strong tradition going with our RBs. Always fun to watch #34 teaming up with #43. I already showed Greg's stats in this thread. I might as well post Mike's Stats right here per your statement I bolded above. This was a very good back here.
Rushing:
Year Team No. Yds Avg. Long TDs Totals 1844 7378 4.0 77 51 1976 NFL Cleveland Browns 52 138 2.7 18 0 1977 NFL Cleveland Browns 47 205 4.4 21 1 1978 NFL Cleveland Browns 135 560 4.1 71 5 1979 NFL Cleveland Browns 264 1294 4.9 77 9 1980 NFL Cleveland Browns 249 1034 4.2 56 6 1981 NFL Cleveland Browns 247 1103 4.5 21 7 1982 NFL Cleveland Browns 143 516 3.6 17 3 1983 NFL Cleveland Browns 293 1184 4.0 27 10 1984 NFL Cleveland Browns 163 506 3.1 14 6 1985 NFL Buffalo Bills 7 24 3.4 7 0 1985 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 105 366 3.5 54 2 1986 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 139 448 3.2 16 2 Receiving:
Year Team No. Yds Avg. Long TDs Totals 270 1860 6.9 50 5 1976 NFL Cleveland Browns 8 26 3.2 15 0 1977 NFL Cleveland Browns 3 12 4.0 6 0 1978 NFL Cleveland Browns 20 112 5.6 15 0 1979 NFL Cleveland Browns 41 372 9.1 50 2 1980 NFL Cleveland Browns 63 471 7.5 28 0 1981 NFL Cleveland Browns 63 442 7.0 21 1 1982 NFL Cleveland Browns 22 140 6.4 13 0 1983 NFL Cleveland Browns 30 157 5.2 21 2 1984 NFL Cleveland Browns 5 29 5.8 9 0 1985 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 7 43 6.1 9 0 1986 NFL Kansas City Chiefs 8 56 7.0 13 0 might as well post Mike's Stats
Thanks! You can see that Mike was no slouch at receiving numbers. The two Pruitts were a great tandem. Put in Mike to physically wear them down...and then put in Greg to aerobically wear them out.
Let's just pair up some guys for the hell-uv-it.
Jim Brown and Ernie Green 12,312 + 3,204 = 15,516
Mike Pruitt and Greg Pruitt 6,540 + 5,496 = 12,036
Leroy Kelly and Bo Scott 7,274 + 2,124 = 9,398
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt 6,511 + 2,285 = 8,796
Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner 5,123 + 3,364 = 8,467
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might as well post Mike's Stats
Thanks! You can see that Mike was no slouch at receiving numbers. The two Pruitts were a great tandem. Put in Mike to physically wear them down...and then put in Greg to aerobically wear them out.
Let's just pair up some guys for the hell-uv-it.
Jim Brown and Ernie Green 12,312 + 3,204 = 15,516
Mike Pruitt and Greg Pruitt 6,540 + 5,496 = 12,036
Leroy Kelly and Bo Scott 7,274 + 2,124 = 9,398
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt 6,511 + 2,285 = 8,796
Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner 5,123 + 3,364 = 8,467
Thanks! You can see that Mike was no slouch at receiving numbers. The two Pruitts were a great tandem. Put in Mike to physically wear them down...and then put in Greg to aerobically wear them out.
Let's just pair up some guys for the hell-uv-it.
Jim Brown and Ernie Green 12,312 + 3,204 = 15,516
Mike Pruitt and Greg Pruitt 6,540 + 5,496 = 12,036
Leroy Kelly and Bo Scott 7,274 + 2,124 = 9,398
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt 6,511 + 2,285 = 8,796
Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner 5,123 + 3,364 = 8,467
Great idea - Nice job with that Orion! Not for nothing but look at Jim Brown outproducing every tandem in receiving yardage all by himself. Then we factor in all his yardage on the ground; and how much fun was it to play defense against that guy?
I welcome the only Defensive Coordinator to earn a Superbowl Ring in New Orleans while understanding Revenge of the Nerds is a sequel. "Come get some!" -
*Not relevant to the thread - Clay Matthews, Jr. SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 1,595 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 16 INTs.
**Kind of relevant to the thread because he lined up in the back field, Eric Metcalf SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame. 630 carries - 2,392 yards, 541 catches - 5,572 yards, 55 total offensive TDs, 3,453 punt return yards, 9,266 kickoff return yards, 12 total return TDs. 67 career TDs.
To @bob806's point, Lynn Swann had 53 TDs.
I think a Browns alum that should be considered for the Hall of Fame, and for some reason seems overlooked, is Gary Collins.
Compare his stats to other HOF receivers of that era, plus he was an excellent punter.
I think a Browns alum that should be considered for the Hall of Fame, and for some reason seems overlooked, is Gary Collins.
Compare his stats to other HOF receivers of that era, plus he was an excellent punter.
Whenever my dad took a break from telling me about the greatness of Otto Graham and Jim Brown - he made sure I knew all about how terrific Gary Collins was.
I welcome the only Defensive Coordinator to earn a Superbowl Ring in New Orleans while understanding Revenge of the Nerds is a sequel. "Come get some!" -
I think a Browns alum that should be considered for the Hall of Fame, and for some reason seems overlooked, is Gary Collins.
Compare his stats to other HOF receivers of that era, plus he was an excellent punter.
Whenever my dad took a break from telling me about the greatness of Otto Graham and Jim Brown - he made sure I knew all about how terrific Gary Collins was.
Whenever my dad took a break from telling me about the greatness of Otto Graham and Jim Brown - he made sure I knew all about how terrific Gary Collins was.
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Whenever my dad took a break from telling me about the greatness of Otto Graham and Jim Brown - he made sure I knew all about how terrific Gary Collins was.
Thanks for sharing that! Yeah, when it came to volume of Pro Bowls - he got Clay Matthewsed long before Clay Matthews with only 2 Pro Bowl selections despite making the All Decade Team in the 60s. Look at these killer good TD volumes (below) back when they only played 14 games as well as the yards per catch. Above all, he scored 3 TDs in the 27-0 Championship Victory over Baltimore.
Receiving:
Year Team No. Yds Avg. Long TDs NFL 331 5299 16.0 67 70 WFL 2 34 17.0 19 1 Totals 333 5333 16.0 67 71 1962 NFL Cleveland Browns 11 153 13.9 29 2 1963 NFL Cleveland Browns 43 674 15.7 49 13 1964 NFL Cleveland Browns 35 544 15.5 43 8 1965 NFL Cleveland Browns 50 884 17.7 67 10 1966 NFL Cleveland Browns 56 946 16.9 54 12 1967 NFL Cleveland Browns 32 500 15.6 33 7 1968 NFL Cleveland Browns 9 230 25.6 39 0 1969 NFL Cleveland Browns 54 786 14.6 48 11 1970 NFL Cleveland Browns 26 351 13.5 28 4 1971 NFL Cleveland Browns 15 231 15.4 29 3 1974 WFL Florida Blazers 2 34 17.0 19 1 -
Thanks! You can see that Mike was no slouch at receiving numbers. The two Pruitts were a great tandem. Put in Mike to physically wear them down...and then put in Greg to aerobically wear them out.
Let's just pair up some guys for the hell-uv-it.
Jim Brown and Ernie Green 12,312 + 3,204 = 15,516
Mike Pruitt and Greg Pruitt 6,540 + 5,496 = 12,036
Leroy Kelly and Bo Scott 7,274 + 2,124 = 9,398
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt 6,511 + 2,285 = 8,796
Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner 5,123 + 3,364 = 8,467
Great idea - Nice job with that Orion! Not for nothing but look at Jim Brown outproducing every tandem in receiving yardage all by himself. Then we factor in all his yardage on the ground; and how much fun was it to play defense against that guy?
Not for nothing but look at Jim Brown outproducing every tandem in receiving yardage
My bad! The numbers I put up were rushing numbers. Those tandems are rushing numbers only. Maybe I'll do an all purpose yardage thing (if those stats are available)....but that'll have to be after I put my painting supplies away.....which I'm just about to start another day of interior painting.
BEING A BROWNS FAN IS A TEST TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE -
Not for nothing but look at Jim Brown outproducing every tandem in receiving yardage
My bad! The numbers I put up were rushing numbers. Those tandems are rushing numbers only. Maybe I'll do an all purpose yardage thing (if those stats are available)....but that'll have to be after I put my painting supplies away.....which I'm just about to start another day of interior painting.
My bad! The numbers I put up were rushing numbers. Those tandems are rushing numbers only. Maybe I'll do an all purpose yardage thing (if those stats are available)....but that'll have to be after I put my painting supplies away.....which I'm just about to start another day of interior painting.
No worries & no hurry. I could have actually paid attention to the stats of Greg and Mike that I posted to see what you meant so it's not your bad at all.
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I have always been good with our backs minus the days of Terry Kirby and Abdula Jabbar or whatever his name was.
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Not for nothing but look at Jim Brown outproducing every tandem in receiving yardage
My bad! The numbers I put up were rushing numbers. Those tandems are rushing numbers only. Maybe I'll do an all purpose yardage thing (if those stats are available)....but that'll have to be after I put my painting supplies away.....which I'm just about to start another day of interior painting.
My bad! The numbers I put up were rushing numbers. Those tandems are rushing numbers only. Maybe I'll do an all purpose yardage thing (if those stats are available)....but that'll have to be after I put my painting supplies away.....which I'm just about to start another day of interior painting.
What I loved about both Pruitts was the running game dimension that they could score from anywhere on the field. At the same time both guys were very strong within their frames to frequently break tackles as well. Before Chubb came here and restored that threat - we had to hope our Oline could get Eric Metcalf similar daylight he found in the open fields the return game supplied him with. Unfortunately, Metcalf up the middle didn't do it nearly as much as the passing game could provide that for him. The next 3-4 teams that had Metcalf put him in the slot and said "have fun Eric." He did! We've had other backs that could break long runs but these 2 did it a lot with in the spans you'll see below/
This is a string of seasons from 1973 to 1980 showing the longest runs from scrimmage from Greg Pruitt and Mike Pruitt. You can see their longest runs from other seasons on the rushing stats that were posted in this thread; but these are their best.
YEAR LONG PLAYER
1973 65 yards Greg
1974 54 yards Greg
1975 50 yards Greg
1976 64 yards Greg
1977 78 yards Greg
1978 70 yards Greg
1978 71 yards Mike
1979 77 yards Mike
1980 56 yards Mike
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I think a Browns alum that should be considered for the Hall of Fame, and for some reason seems overlooked, is Gary Collins.
Compare his stats to other HOF receivers of that era, plus he was an excellent punter.
Whenever my dad took a break from telling me about the greatness of Otto Graham and Jim Brown - he made sure I knew all about how terrific Gary Collins was.
Whenever my dad took a break from telling me about the greatness of Otto Graham and Jim Brown - he made sure I knew all about how terrific Gary Collins was.
Speaking of Otto Graham.. The numbers don't lie! And yeah.. Can't begin to tell you how many times my pops told me about Gary Collins and I used to mess wit him a little and say.. Not Gary Collins the actor lol!!
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Browns All Purpose Yardage Player Passing Rushing Receiving Punt Ret Kick Ret Total Jim Brown 117 12312 2499 0 648 15576 Josh Cribbs 45 753 1161 2154 10015 14128 Leroy Kelly 93 7274 2281 990 1784 12422 Greg Pruitt 182 5496 3022 659 1523 10882 Eric Metcalf 32 2229 2732 1341 2806 9140 Mike Pruitt 0 6540 1761 0 237 8538 Nick Chubb 0 6511 1011 0 0 7522 Marion Motley 0 4712 1107 0 1122 6941 Kevin Mack 0 5123 1602 0 0 6725 Earnest Byner 0 3364 2630 0 515 6509 Ernie Green 0 3204 2036 110 648 5998 Bo Scott 0 2124 826 0 722 3672 Kareem Hunt 0 2285 1057 0 0 3342 All Purpose Running Back Tandems Yardage Jim Brown & Ernie Green 21,574 Greg Pruitt & Mike Pruitt 19,420 Leroy Kelly & Bo Scott 16,094 Kevin Mack & Earnest Byner 13,234 Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt 10,864
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