The idea of a player having a “fumbling problem” is different than what it used to be. For that portion of the game, players are far better coached than in the past.
Take, for example, Chris Carson. After he lost fumbles in each of Seattle’s first three games last year, there was some talk of whether the Seahawks would bench him or reduce his playing time. Carson finished the season with 7 fumbles, losing 4.
But on the all-time scale of fumbling, Carson doesn’t even show up on the radar at all.
Since the merger in 1970, 62 running backs have fumbled at least 10 times in a season. Hall of Fame running backs like Eric Dickerson, Franco Harris, and Tony Dorsett all had at least three seasons with 10-plus fumbles.
Coaches, apparently, are doing a better job of making corrections when they notice that a ball isn’t being held properly.
Of those 62 seasons with at least 10 fumbles, only one has come in the last 20 years. Travis Henry fumbled 11 times back in 2002. Only two others came from the ‘90s – Cleveland Gary (1990) and Garrison Hearst (1995).
So, for 10-fumble seasons, you’ve got 59 for the ‘70s and ‘80s, yet only three in the last 30 years. Here’s one area where teams are definitely better today.
Fumbles have become so rare (for running backs) that I wonder if they’re really worth paying much attention to anymore. I don’t consider Carson, for example, to be a fumbler. Reports indicate he didn’t fumble at all in college, and he fumbled only 3 times (losing 2) while running for 1,151 yards in 2018.
Below is the list of the 10-fumble running backs since the merger. I’ve got the only back from this century (Henry) in bold. The two from the ‘90s are tagged with black dots.
Numbers compiled using the Pro-Football-Reference website.
RUNNING BACKS WITH 10-PLUS FUMBLES | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Player | Fumbles |
1980 | Joe Cribbs, Buff. | 16 |
1976 | Terry Metcalf, St.L. | 15 |
1984 | Eric Dickerson, LAR | 14 |
1983 | Marcus Allen, Oak. | 14 |
1974 | Terry Metcalf, St.L. | 14 |
1979 | Wilbert Montgomery, Phil. | 14 |
1973 | Carl Garrett, Chi. | 13 |
1983 | Eric Dickerson, LAR | 13 |
1981 | George Rogers, N.O. | 13 |
1981 | Ottis Anderson, St.L. | 13 |
1984 | Wendell Tyler, S.F. | 13 |
1990 | • Cleveland Gary, LAR | 12 |
1995 | • Garrison Hearst, Ariz. | 12 |
1980 | Billy Sims, Det. | 12 |
1975 | Chuck Foreman, Min. | 12 |
1986 | Eric Dickerson, LAR | 12 |
1978 | Greg Pruitt, Clev. | 12 |
1981 | Joe Cribbs, Buff. | 12 |
1978 | Joe Washington, Balt. | 12 |
1974 | Mack Herron, N.E. | 12 |
1975 | Sam Cunningham, N.E. | 12 |
1978 | Tony Dorsett, Dall. | 12 |
1984 | Tony Dorsett, Dall. | 12 |
1981 | William Andrews, Atl. | 12 |
2002 | Travis Henry, Buff. | 11 |
1971 | Altie Taylor, Det. | 11 |
1980 | Chuck Muncie, 2TM | 11 |
1979 | Franco Harris, Pitt. | 11 |
1984 | Gerald Riggs, Atl. | 11 |
1977 | Walter Payton, Chi. | 11 |
1981 | Wendell Tyler, LAR | 11 |
1975 | Willard Harrell, G.B. | 11 |
1972 | Art Malone, Atl. | 10 |
1989 | Barry Sanders, Det. | 10 |
1970 | Cannonball Butler, Atl. | 10 |
1979 | Curtis Brown, Buff. | 10 |
1981 | Earl Campbell, Hou. | 10 |
1972 | Ed Podolak, K.C. | 10 |
1989 | Eric Dickerson, Ind. | 10 |
1985 | Eric Dickerson, LAR | 10 |
1977 | Franco Harris, Pitt. | 10 |
1983 | Franco Harris, Pitt. | 10 |
1974 | Greg Pruitt, Clev. | 10 |
1975 | Greg Pruitt, Clev. | 10 |
1983 | Greg Pruitt, Oak. | 10 |
1984 | James Wilder, T.B. | 10 |
1986 | James Wilder, T.B. | 10 |
1981 | Kenny King, Oak. | 10 |
1976 | Lawrence McCutcheon, LAR | 10 |
1977 | Mike Thomas, Was. | 10 |
1979 | Ottis Anderson, St.L. | 10 |
1983 | Ottis Anderson, St.L. | 10 |
1977 | Rick Kane, Det. | 10 |
1973 | Sam Cunningham, N.E. | 10 |
1977 | Sam Cunningham, N.E. | 10 |
1977 | Terry Metcalf, St.L. | 10 |
1983 | Tony Collins, N.E. | 10 |
1981 | Tony Dorsett, Dall. | 10 |
1971 | Vic Washington, S.F. | 10 |
1976 | Walter Payton, Chi. | 10 |
1982 | Wendell Tyler, LAR | 10 |
1980 | Wilbur Jackson, Was. | 10 |
—Ian Allan