Every position in the NFL is constantly evolving, but none maybe more so than running back. From traditional bruising backs like Earl Campbell to threats in the passing game like Marshall Faulk and now to the position being more by committee, arguably no position has seen as much change. The Steelers have seen their fair share of backs come through town, but most of them have played a similar style, that being tough and gritty. No player epitomized this more than Jerome Bettis, who made a living on being freakishly quick for his mammoth size.
Despite his punishing play style, Bettis managed to avoid serious injury and have a long career that ended on his terms. It seems that, for as solid as he was, Bettis knew that sometimes it’s better to avoid the hit and live to fight another day. On a recent episode of The Victory Degree podcast, former Bears running back Raymont Harris revealed that Bettis once gave him advice about not taking unnecessary hits.
“I was bowling in his charity golf outing, and he told me, it was after my first year. he said, ‘Man, you’re good, but you gotta run out of bounds sometimes. You can’t take all that physicality and that punishment. You can’t play 16 games, this ain’t college anymore,’” Harris recalled. “And I thought, ‘Yeah, whatever. I know you’re good, but yeah, the league hasn’t seen me yet.’ It wasn’t my style, and it’s not what I was raised on, but I probably could have saved myself some injuries, as well as [had] a longer career, if I didn’t instigate so much physical contact.”
Harris played in the NFL from 1994 to 2000, and had his best season in 1997 with the Bears, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. Following that season, his career was plagued by injuries, and he never saw any more real success in the NFL. Additionally, after Harris’ second year in the league — and directly following his conversation with Bettis — he missed almost the entire season due to injury. Therefore, as Harris puts it, it seems like he didn’t listen to Bettis, and it resulted in his career being cut short.
To thrive in the NFL, running backs have taken an approach more similar to what Bettis told Harris to do, and that’s for the better. It may be a nice dose of nostalgia when fans see a player have a Marshawn Lynch-like run where a player breaks a handful of tackles and dishes out punishment, but more often than not, plays like that end with the running back hurting himself more than the defenders. Many Steelers fans will remember that Le’Veon Bell saw several seasons end abruptly due to injury, drastically altering the Steelers’ seasons. If a player as big as Jerome Bettis can find the right balance between fighting for contact and going out of bounds, then anyone can. Availability is the best ability.
