The Lass Word: Jones Is Ready To Assault The Record Book
By season's end, Packers' running back should be top five all time.
By KenLass
For an old timer like me, perusing the list of the top ten all time rushers in Green Bay Packers history is like reliving all the joyful eras of Packer football that have occurred during my lifetime.
The list is topped by the great Ahman Green, whose freakish combination of strength and speed terrorized opponents throughout the first decade of the new millenium. Second place is held by Jim Taylor, without question the feistiest player I’ve ever seen. He would fight, scratch and claw for every extra inch, and he would take being tackled personally, often coming up swinging fists at an opponent. He embodied the hard-nosed personality that Vince Lombardi brought to the dynasty teams of the 1960’s.
The rest of the list, in order, consists of John Brockington, Tony Canadeo, Ryan Grant, Dorsey Levens, Clarke Hinkle, Gerry Ellis, Paul Hornung and Eddie Lacy. Canadeo and Hinkle were before my time (I’m not THAT old), but just thinking about the others brings back great memories of some awesome Packer teams and games.
Lurking just outside that list, at number eleven, is one Aaron Jones. Through the first four years of his career, Jones is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. That is better than any of the names above him. He has already rushed for 37 touchdowns, good enough to be 4th all time in that category, behind only Taylor (81), Green (54) and Hornung (50). At 26 years old, is it reasonable to think he will someday be the Packers’ all time leading rusher?
Let’s do a little math. Jones is exactly 4,958 yards behind Ahman Green. Jones has averaged 841 rushing yards per season, but that is deceptive. He missed four games in each of his first two seasons, and two more this past year. He has been over 1,000 yards each of the last two campaigns, running for 1,084 in 2019, and 1,104 in 2020. So the former Texas-El Paso star would have to average around one thousand yards rushing per year for the next five years to surpass Green.
Is that reasonable to expect? Well, it would be a challenge to say the least. Obviously, the first requirement would be to stay healthy. Jones runs very hard for a back his size and as a result, he takes a terrible beating. He’s also very active in the passing game, and we have all seen him take some incredible shots on those wheel routes. Jones is under contract for the next four years, which means he will be 30 when his deal expires, an age when many ball carriers decline or wear down. Then there is the question of whether he will get enough carries to maintain that yardage pace. Jones fits in to the Matt LaFleur system as the big play, explosive guy, not the workhorse guy. AJ Dillon figures to be the high volume bell cow ball carrier moving forward.
On the plus side, it seems obvious the Packers are being built to run the ball more, especially if Aaron Rodgers is no longer the quarterback. Also, Jones has a knack for breaking off big runs. During the 2020 season and post season, he erupted for gains of 77, 75, 60, 59 and 46 yards. You can pile up some pretty impressive overall yardage totals with big plays such as those.
Even if the shifty back doesn’t finish as the all time rushing leader, he’s going to finish pretty high on the list. He’s already within 1,000 yards of 4th place. That should happen this season. He needs 1,660 yards to move past Brockington into third.
It’s going to be fun watching him move up the list this season. And who knows? When it’s all said and done, we may be watching the best ever to put on the Green and Gold.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
__________________________
Comments (18)
PeteK
July 01, 2021 at 03:19 pm
Surprisingly, Taylor caught 225 passes in his 10 yr, 133 gms. career (41 in 66).
13TimeChamps
July 01, 2021 at 03:33 pm
Considering it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the NFL will expand to an 18 game schedule at some point during his current contract, I'd say it's very possible he ends up No. 1 on the list.
Can you imagine what Taylor's career numbers would have been with an 18 game schedule. His entire career consisted of 12 and 14 game schedules, and still scored 94 total TD's.
Wisma Packer
July 02, 2021 at 01:15 am
Not a fair comparison. Taylor played during an era when passing was an after-thought.
Jones is playing during an era when passing is all the rage.
LambeauPlain
July 01, 2021 at 03:54 pm
I expect Hill and P. Taylor will make the 53 as backups for AJ and AJD respectively. AJ will lead in carries because he is so good with balance, speed and quickness with his one cut and go then setting up his blockers to get chunk plays. But I do expect a lot of two back sets with Rodgers in motion. Going to mess with defenses big time.
Swisch
July 01, 2021 at 04:51 pm
That could be quite the quadrumvirate of running backs ;-) -- which seems a good thing over what we hope will be 20 games in the regular season and playoffs.
I'm thinking that against different teams it may be good to feature different running backs. Perhaps against a defense like that of the Bucs, Dillon works better than Jones. Then after Dillon pounds them for some good gains, Jones comes in for a flashy change of pace that outmaneuvers and outraces them.
Add in Amari Rodgers (and perhaps others, including Jones) on the jet sweep, and things get dicey for defenses. In other words, the Packers offense is super scary.
Regardless of our quarterback this season, I still predict more passes than runs -- but I think Matt LaFleur is smart in putting more emphasis on the run to have more options within games and throughout the season.
With more of a balance of the run with the pass, the Packers will be avant-garde with this as the next trend in the NFL -- and I think this will increase the already elite status of our offense.
It should be a lot of fun for us as fans to see this dazzling array of weaponry.
Swisch
July 01, 2021 at 04:20 pm
I don't want the focus on Aaron Jones to be total rushing yards, but yards per carry.
I also want to focus on his total contribution to the team with receptions and blocking.
Yes, I want the dynamic Jones as our featured back, but I want him to get a lot of help from the other running backs on the Packers.
To me, a committee of three or four running backs on a team is the wave of the future in the NFL, and it is good if the Packers are at the forefront of this trend.
The NFL season is overly long and relentlessly brutal, and it's good for a team to have at least a trio of really good ones who are kept fresh and healthy for the playoffs.
It's also good for the players in prolonging their careers and keeping them healthy for retirement.
The key is to appreciate running backs in a different way, and to still reward them amply as far as salary and recognition. They may not make as much per season, but it can still pay off for them in the long run.
What Jones has uniquely -- as Jersey Al has aptly pointed out -- is exceptional ability for long gains from both handoffs and pass completions. That should also figure into his accolades.
A great season for Jones may be total yards rushing and receiving at about 1,000 -- with several spectacular plays in the mix, some of them for long yardage.
In this way he can play at a high level all four years of his contract. If Jones buys into shared responsibilities at running back for the good of the team, the Packers would do well to appreciate him by gladly employing him all of that time.
Just having Jones on the field game in and game out gives our offense a scintillating dimension of dangerousness that elevates the whole unit toward being an elite force.
mbpacker
July 01, 2021 at 09:44 pm
Jones is an important asset and needs to be protected so he can be available for the entire year and fresh as possible for the playoffs. His value is beyond just the yards as have been discussed. Just having him on the field with that homerun threat keeps defenses honest. Like the idea of RB by committee within reason or as needed.
Glad he is on our team, a class act too! Go Pack Go!
Leatherhead
July 01, 2021 at 06:21 pm
He certainly has a nose for TDs.
stockholder
July 01, 2021 at 06:33 pm
Aaron Jones will need help. You just can't run this guy in the ground. It took others around the historic names; you mentioned. And if you want Jones to be amazing. The guys behind him will have to pick it up.
porupack
July 01, 2021 at 07:05 pm
Great article. Thanks! You really frame the challenge by comparing to Ahman Greeen, and what it would take to surpass AG stats. Wow, AG was quietly amazing, and though I watched and admired his game, didn't realize how much production he amassed. Hard to image AJ passing it, as it requires 4-5 healthy seasons and consistency, and that isn't easy. Also the fact that he is so much a part of the pass game, suggests it hard to get that kind of production as well from his run game. But I agree, he'll be remembered as a great pack runner. Let's appreciate his game as it unfolds this year. Look forward to some great replays.
TarynsEyes
July 01, 2021 at 09:25 pm
To break a record you need to do it in the same amount of games at the least and then look at the number of carries. That's why the asterisk is available and needs to be highlighted. Too easily are we ready to anoint new leaders when it took them twice as long, more games, etc to achieve. Give him his praise but the record needs to be acquired in the same manner.
fastmoving
July 02, 2021 at 08:10 am
Thats why Jones is way better, you can see it at his 5 yards per carry.
Players are way better today. Faster, stronger, bigger, quicker and smarter. How will you factor that in?
If you compare it the right way, Jones would be the best guy. No doubt about it and everyone knows it. Just look at the stats....
Coldworld
July 02, 2021 at 08:19 am
While that’s a reasonable perspective, it’s only a partial one. Past players carried teams against defenses playing in a run first era and had to make the hard yards. Jones, perhaps more than most, hasn’t been an every down grinder. Yes he makes yards from nothing at times but that’s not really the same thing.
That’s not a knock on Jones or a boost to his predecessors, it’s just a statement that, while they may play the same position (in effect), they aren’t very similar beyond that.
greengold
July 02, 2021 at 06:31 am
Amazing how strong Aaron Jones is. The guy has all the goods. Need that extra yard, a great catch, a serious block in pass pro? He’s your guy. I can’t wait to see him with Dillon as a one-two punch.
Thunder & Lightening. Lightening & Thunder. Either way, it’s not looking good for opposing defenses.
Swisch
July 02, 2021 at 04:11 pm
Fracas et eclair. Eclair et fracas.
Donner und blitzen. Blitzen und donner.
In any language, the thunder and lightning of Dillon and Jones is very bad news -- tres mal nouvelle -- for opposing defenses in the NFL.
P.S. I don't speak either French or German, but I like their words for thunder and lightning. The most precise word for thunder in French is tonnerre, but fracas is a close alternative, it seems, and appears to work better to American ears.
P.P.S. Both our top backs are A.J.s, so I like one as Armored Jeep and the other as Armored Jet. I'm glad for other ideas for nicknames to highlight our exciting backfield.
P.P.P.S. As Homer Simpson might say, "Mmm, French lightning pastry."
Crankbait
July 03, 2021 at 09:33 pm
Awesome heart in this kid along with awesome talent. I hope the Packers don't run him into the ground if Rogers doesn't show up.
mattgsx
July 02, 2021 at 08:15 am
Good on AJ and I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that he finishes his run with GB inside the top 5 for rushing. More importantly, among RBs he should finish near the top for all purpose yards.
mattgsx
July 02, 2021 at 09:40 am
Have to add - considering Lacy only had the 2 good seasons before his conditioning issues caught up with him, it is really surprising to me that he is in the top 10 for our franchise for all time rushing.