Franco not the Steelers greatest rb ever? WTF is with these people?

[zulater]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/all.things.steelers/permalink/1313064252054002/?comment_id=1313138265379934&notif_t=group_comment_reply

I'm doing an old man rant today, so excuse me, and then get off my effing lawn!


https://i.imgflip.com/9z811.jpg

[Count Steeler]

If their is no fantasy football history, the player does not exist.

[polamalubeast]

This is close......With the steelers,Bettis had 72,9 yards per game and 78 TD in 10 seasons(145 games).Harris had 72,4 yards per game and 91 TD in 12 seasons(165 games).

[zulater]

This is close......With the steelers,Bettis had 72,9 yards per game and 78 TD in 10 seasons(145 games).Harris had 72,4 yards per game and 91 TD in 12 seasons(165 games).

No not really. Harris was a much bigger threat as a receiver. Harris had over 300 career receptions including the single greatest play in football history. JB was never a threat in the passing game. Also Harris is the 2nd leader post season rusher in NFL history.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_career_playoffs.htm

And lastly Harris was a first ballot Hall of Famer. It took the committee all of ten minutes to decide on his induction. It took Jerome 5 years of eligibility to get inducted. Not knocking Jerome. But Franco was the offensive catalyst to the greatest team in NFL history. That gets my vote.

[86WARD]

I would pick Harris first and Bettis second. But as pb has pointed out, it'd be close and I wouldn't be too upset either way. I think if Le'Veon Bell continues to be as productive as he has been, he'll be right in this conversation in 8 years or so.

Which brings up a side note. Not many people realize or appreciate it, but we are in an era where we could quite possibly be watching the best QB, RB, WR, OLB in Steelers history...all on the same team. Sure, there's a lot of time left for them to prove it but the potential is there. Enjoy it...

[ALLD]

I watched them both play. Harris is one of the greatest RBs in history, not just the Steelers' #1.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHj4a1pjAHM

[zulater]

I watched them both play. Harris is one of the greatest RBs in history, not just the Steelers' #1.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHj4a1pjAHM

It occurs to me that we're probably in the minority in as much as seeing them both. If you're under 50 Franco is fuzzy VCR tapes and your dad and uncles memories. So I guess I can understand why Franco gets overlooked even by Steeler fans.

[tube517]

Mean Joe said it best. We never won anything before Franco. I love Bettis but Franco was the better all around back and he had an Army.

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[fansince'76]

I watched them both play. Harris is one of the greatest RBs in history, not just the Steelers' #1.

I saw them both as well and agree completely.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Franco, not even close. Im willing to bet most of the seasonal averages for Franco are better too

[SteelerFanInStl]

As another "old timer" who also watched them both, i also agree that Franco is the greatest.

[Texasteel]

Harris for sure. Whoever you vote for, he was a great story for the Steelers. Thought to be the #2 RB coming out of Penn. St. that year. Belittled by many for not trying to run over tacklers for one more yard. A big guy that was a master at slipping tacklers. One of the best cut back runners I have ever seen. Was the heart of the Steeler offence while Terry found himself. He was teamed with a little fire eater out of N.D. I will say this, he ran behind, what I thought was one of the best run blocking O-lines in football. Of course this just an old guy looking back at a team he loved.

Broke my heart to see him in a Seahawk uniform.

[zulater]

Harris for sure. Whoever you vote for, he was a great story for the Steelers. Thought to be the #2 RB coming out of Penn. St. that year. Belittled by many for not trying to run over tacklers for one more yard. A big guy that was a master at slipping tacklers. One of the best cut back runners I have ever seen. Was the heart of the Steeler offence while Terry found himself. He was teamed with a little fire eater out of N.D. I will say this, he ran behind, what I thought was one of the best run blocking O-lines in football. Of course this just an old guy looking back at a team he loved.

Broke my heart to see him in a Seahawk uniform.

It was only one year. Easy to forget from my perspective. But obviously not so much for Franco of course. Who took years to forgive Noll and get over the "Franco who" comment from Noll that sent him packing. But anyway great post! :applaudit:

[polamalubeast]

I was not alive in the 1970s!

But I know that Harris is responsible for the biggest play in Steelers history and maybe in nfl history.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMuUBZ_DAeM

[zulater]

This is close......With the steelers,Bettis had 72,9 yards per game and 78 TD in 10 seasons(145 games).Harris had 72,4 yards per game and 91 TD in 12 seasons(165 games).

Those are good stats, very solid argument you make. Maybe it is closer than I previously stated? Regardless I need to understand that many of you really didn't see Franco in his prime, and don't realize that he was the hub of the Steelers offense for his first 6 seasons. If you asked John Madden (or just about any of that era's coaches) who worried him most among the Steelers offensive players back in the day I don't think he would have hesitated in naming Franco.

Anyway I don't want this thread to come across as an anti Jerome Bettis thread. Because the Bus was great, too bad he and Ben didn't share any prime years together. Oh what could have been!

Bottom line was I got a little pissed in the moment when I saw the post on facebook asking who was the Steelers best rb in their history, and the early returns were so slanted in JB's favor. I got a little indignant. :lol:

[Born2Steel]

With Franco, he was exactly what we needed when he played. With Jerome, he was exactly what we needed when he played. Both played their way into the HoF. Great Steelers, both of them. Different style runners though, apples and oranges here. Bell is much more like Franco than he is Jerome.

[Texasteel]

With Franco, he was exactly what we needed when he played. With Jerome, he was exactly what we needed when he played. Both played their way into the HoF. Great Steelers, both of them. Different style runners though, apples and oranges here. Bell is much more like Franco than he is Jerome.

Good point. Franco would often make his decisions as he ran. Find a crease and head for it. With Jerome it was start at the cleats and head for the face mask. Jerome loved contact, Franco not so much. Both great Steelers.

[tube517]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/70/fd/f870fd4f0f8880c99340cef84290b308.jpg

[lipps83]

Franco, hands down. I have never seen a back trip over their own feet more than Bettis.

[zulater]

Franco, hands down. I have never seen a back trip over their own feet more than Bettis.

Odd? I really don't have that recollection of Jerome. In fact I would say the opposite was true and that he had exceptional feet. He was a great back and I'm not making the case he isn't a worthy Hall of Famer. Because he certainly is, and when you consider how little defense's had to fear from our passing game for most of his time as a Steeler it's amazing that he was as productive as he was.

Yes I picked Franco over him and I stand by that. To me Franco is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. There's very few backs that ever played the game I would put over Franco. But Jerome was also a special player, and who knows? If his prime years had been spent alongside an in his prime Ben Roethlisberger instead of mediocre's like Tomzcak and Kordell maybe this would be a tougher nut to crack?

[lipps83]

Odd? I really don't have that recollection of Jerome. In fact I would say the opposite was true and that he had exceptional feet. He was a great back and I'm not making the case he isn't a worthy Hall of Famer. Because he certainly is, and when you consider how little defense's had to fear from our passing game for most of his time as a Steeler it's amazing that he was as productive as he was.

It probably happened only a handful of times throughout his career, but that is still more than I recall any other player doing the same.

He was the perfect back for the type of offense Cowher wanted to run. He was a good back, the system and a good line made him a great back.