John Clayton, ESPN Senior Writer 17y

Barber, Martin leaving void

It's often said that the NFL stands for Not For Long. No player knows that better than a running back. Those who play the position, certainly live on the edge. RBs come into the league knowing they will be lucky to have six good years. Their life span is so much shorter than that of an offensive lineman or quarterback.

News that Curtis Martin's career is all but over because of a bone-on-bone condition in his knee officially ends a great era of running backs. Jerome Bettis retired after going to the Super Bowl last season. Marshall Faulk may retire after the season because of bad knees. The odds are against Priest Holmes coming back from his back and neck problems. Tiki Barber sparked controversy by announcing he's going to retire after the season, even though he's still in his prime.

More than any other position, Running backs are replaceable, but most have difficulty accepting that fact. They enter the league with the clock ticking on an unfairly short career, making them more stubborn.

Holdouts with running backs usually turn nasty because they don't accept that their career will start to decline once they reach 28 or 29 years of age. Imagine the shock of entering a contract negotiation at 27 and being told you are about ready to start slipping as a feature back.

For what it's worth, I appreciate the way Martin and Barber are going out.

Martin will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer because of his longevity and tenacity. He rushed for 14,101 yards for the Patriots and Jets. Like most backs, he started to show a little age at29. In 2002, he only gained 1,094 yards. The next year, he rebounded with 1,308 yards, but his average dropped to four yards per carry.

The season that carried him over the top was 2004 when he led the NFL with 1,697 yards on an amazing 371 carries. He was 31. He paid a price the next year, only getting 220 carries, but the 2004 season cemented his Hall of Fame status. Only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders have rushed for more yards.

While some might criticize Barber for deciding to call it a career at the end of the season, I believe he deserves major applause. He's often spoken about how a back can lose his skills so quickly once he gets close to the age of 30. Barber is at the top of his game at the age of 31, so why not go out on top? The thought that he is hurting the team by retiring early is silly.

Barber didn't pull a Barry Sanders and retire on the eve of a training camp, leaving the Lions without a replacement. He has given the team more than ample notice to find a replacement.

Some wonder if Barber's early departure will jeopardize his chances of making the Hall of Fame. Barber ranks 20th all-time with 9,742 rushing yards. Considering he could go into a Hall of Fame voting class with Martin, Bettis (if he's not a first ballot enshrine) and Faulk, it could be difficult to get votes.

Interestingly enough, while teams pay receivers more than running backs, running backs carry more clout than wide receivers with regards to the Hall of Fame.

Of the top 15 all-time rushers in NFL history, Thurman Thomas is the only eligible one not in the Hall of Fame, and he almost made it on the first ballot last year. Thomas is 12th with 12,074 yards. Martin is fourth and Faulk is 10th. Both should be first ballot Hall of Famers.

The same standard is not apllied to receivers because the numbers keep going up. Not one receiver in the top 10 all-time in catches is in the Hall of Fame. Three of the top 10 -- Marvin Harrison, Keenan McCardell and Isaac Bruce -- are still playing. The top three receivers -- Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter -- have not been eligible for selection.

Amazingly, only five receivers have been enshrined since 1989, and two of those receivers -- Lynn Swann and John Stallworth -- took more than a decade to get in. Art Monk and Michael Irvin keep taking votes away from each other, and two other top 10 receivers -- Andre Reed and Irving Fryar -- are on the outside looking in.

While there seems to be no statistical yardstick for receivers, 11,000 yards seems to be the modern line for runners. Corey Dillon of the Patriots should pass O.J. Simpson (11,236 yards) this season and put himself in an interesting position for considerations. Plus, he's not thinking about retiring, so he could get into the top 10.

If Barber gains 900 yards in the last nine games, he'll come close to Eddie George, who is 17th with 10,441 yards. RBs such as George and Ricky Watters haven't been getting that Hall of Fame buzz. Had Barber played in 2007, he probably still wouldn't mount Hall of Fame numbers. More than anything else, Barber is retiring on his own terms, and that's what all players should be able to do.

Normally when a league loses stars such as Martin, Faulk, Barber and Bettis in such a short period, you'd worry about the sport. No need to worry. The league is loaded with good running backs.

This year's draft offered a good crop -- Reggie Bush, Laurence Maroney, Joseph Addai and DeAngelo Williams. Teams got steals in the latter rounds with Leon Washington of the Jets, LenDale White of the Titans and Maurice Drew-Jones of the Jaguars. The Broncos may have gotten the ultimate steal with Mike Bell, who was undrafted.

What I wonder is whether these players will get the opportunities Martin, Faulk and Bettis enjoyed. Half the teams have shared backfields of some sort. That should prolong the longevity of running backs, but may not allow a back to reach 14,000 yards like Martin.

Other than LaDainian Tomlinson, who has 8,017 yards at the age of 27, and maybe Larry Johnson, if can keep pounding out 1,500-yard seasons, how many of the current backs could last 11 years and gain 14,000 yards?

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

^ Back to Top ^