Will this NFL record ever be broken?

[stevenash]

Emmitt Smith - Career rushing touchdowns - 164

The only active back is this guy but he has to maintain his TD rushing average for at least the next nine seasons, without injury. And the shelf life for a every game feature back that carries the ball 16 to 18 times a game, every game is not usually 14 years.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GurlTo01.htm

[Otters27]

No. Running backs shelf life too short. Emmit smith was the king because Barry Sanders Retired

[rm18]

Gurley has 0 chance to break it he is not good, probably his last year as a starter. The active player with the best chance is Josh Allen.

[pologq]

in today's NFL i am not sure any RB could last long enough

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Too much running back by commity these days, so no.

[jjgold]

Nope

[DrunkHorseplayer]

Most importantly, an RB would have to play behind a great line for about 10 years, which can't happen with the salary cap.

[Snowball]

That will be broken someday.

Really, Jim Brown would have had an insurmountable TD record if he didn't retire early to become an actor.
Brown had 106 TD's in only 118 Games. (.898 TTPG)
Emmitt Smith had 164 TD's in 226 Games (.725 TTPG)

[rm18]

Priest Holmes had like 58 TDs in 45 game stretch it is hard to stay healthy

[stevenash]

Gurley has 0 chance to break it he is not good, probably his last year as a starter. The active player with the best chance is Josh Allen.

My point exactly.
The only active back that has a chance to do it has probably a less than 4 percent chance (if that) of doing so.

[Fishhead]

The best chance is the kid playing at BUFFALO U. now

[johnnyvegas13]

No

passing league now

[Unwritten Law]

Gurley for some reason feels like he's been in the league for 12 years already and it's crazy he's been in only 5 years. Remember he tore his ACL in his final year at UGA, it may be repaired but those wheels just aren't the same. However, the Falcons starting o-line does feature all 1st round picks so there is some hope!

[JMUplayer]

More possible than total wins by a pitcher in mlb. (Cy young 511wins)

[Chi_archie]

no, now way

that was quite the perfect storm of player, ERA where run was still very important around goaline, longevity, an owner and time where they were okay paying running backs big bucks, hall of fame team with a great offense, unreal offensive line, good quarterback, shitty defense in his conference


all that will never align again, just based on the era and $ a team will invest in one Running Back. Its a business and that would be very bad business

[MinnesotaFats]

Sometime soon the nfl will go to 18 game seasons and some OC will design a scheme or new way of playing and yes, then it will be broken.

Marino's records looked unbreakable at one time too

Lou Gerigh, Babe Ruth, etc

The one thing we'll never see broken is the Ravens defensive record from that year...what like 9 points per game given up?

[BigdaddyQH]

No. Not with the salaries these guys want and will NOT get. Owners will not pay a RB that much to stay in the league that long. Look at Adrian Peterson. A very good RB and he still got bounced around looking for a team to pay him. It is a passing league now. RB's are good for about 5-7 years and then they are worthless, as far as the owners are concerned.

[stevenash]

Sometime soon the nfl will go to 18 game seasons and some OC will design a scheme or new way of playing and yes, then it will be broken.

Marino's records looked unbreakable at one time too

Lou Gerigh, Babe Ruth, etc

The one thing we'll never see broken is the Ravens defensive record from that year...what like 9 points per game given up?

I'm glad you brought up the Ravens.
Allow me to steer my own thread elsewhere for a second.
I've always maintained almost all great super teams had great defenses.
Ravens won the SB in the 2000-2001 season with a great defense.
The Bears won in 1985 not with Jim McMahon but with a great defense.
The Giants won in 1986 not with Phil Simms (even though he quarterbacked one of the best games in history) but with LT and that defensive unit.

Go back to the 70's, Vikings and the Purple People Eaters, the Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh, probably the greatest D-Line ever.

[MinnesotaFats]

I'm glad you brought up the Ravens.
Allow me to steer my own thread elsewhere for a second.
I've always maintained almost all great super teams had great defenses.
Ravens won the SB in the 2000-2001 season with a great defense.
The Bears won in 1985 not with Jim McMahon but with a great defense.
The Giants won in 1986 not with Phil Simms (even though he quarterbacked one of the best games in history) but with LT and that defensive unit.

Go back to the 70's, Vikings and the Purple People Eaters, the Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh, probably the greatest D-Line ever.

Yup

Why I like Pittsburgh a lot this year. They mess up other teams game plans! If Pit actually had a coach and not a cheerleader they'd be resting their starters by halftime in most of these games

[stevenash]

Yup

Why I like Pittsburgh a lot this year. They mess up other teams game plans! If Pit actually had a coach and not a cheerleader they'd be resting their starters by halftime in most of these games

And as great Montana to Rice was, those defensive units that played with Montana were nasty too.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Tomlinson had a shot if the Charger's front office ever invested in the offensive line...145 rushing TDs will have to do.

[thomorino]

Games will continue to be higher scoring, none of the offensive records will hold.

[stevenash]

Tomlinson had a shot if the Charger's front office ever invested in the offensive line...145 rushing TDs will have to do.

And how greater would have Rivers had been if he had that same O-Line too.

[seaborneq]

Teams are in the shotgun on 3rd and 2 and 4th and 1 now. The goal line offenses and short yardage offenses stink now. A team can get 20+ yard chunks of yardage an entire game and not be able to run for a half a yard when it really counts on 4th down. The rushing record will never be broken because there are no longer any road grading offensive lines, but more finesse offensive passing lines that can't get a team one yard when it really counts. Too much short yardage trickery not enough mano on mano. I blame this on coaching and players too. Teams should be able to get one yard without throwing the ball over 50% of the time and should be getting the 2 point conversion more often too if the teams could run better. Sorry for the rant. I'm sick of football teams sucking at short yardage during games and not being able to stop anybody at the end of games. It is like a groundhound day of bad football.

[carolinakid]

the nfl need to do something about these high scores in the nfl, this is not what made the nfl great, soon it will just like the nba, no defense and nothing but street ball

[Mase of Base]

Teams are in the shotgun on 3rd and 2 and 4th and 1 now. The goal line offenses and short yardage offenses stink now. A team can get 20+ yard chunks of yardage an entire game and not be able to run for a half a yard when it really counts on 4th down. The rushing record will never be broken because there are no longer any road grading offensive lines, but more finesse offensive passing lines that can't get a team one yard when it really counts. Too much short yardage trickery not enough mano on mano. I blame this on coaching and players too. Teams should be able to get one yard without throwing the ball over 50% of the time and should be getting the 2 point conversion more often too if the teams could run better. Sorry for the rant. I'm sick of football teams sucking at short yardage during games and not being able to stop anybody at the end of games. It is like a groundhound day of bad football.

So true! I'ts like bases loaded none out would be one run at the very minimum now it's no certainty to get anything!

[BigJay]

Priest Holmes had like 58 TDs in 45 game stretch it is hard to stay healthy

Loved that guy. Former Texas Longhorn when I was in school. Tough as nails.

[marcoloco]

JaMarcus Russell stealing from the Raiders. I don't think anyone will break that record either

[clockwise1965]

No.. Its a passing league now

[pologq]

Tomlinson had a shot if the Charger's front office ever invested in the offensive line...145 rushing TDs will have to do.

i never realized he was that close. wow.

[44 Mag]

the nfl need to do something about these high scores in the nfl, this is not what made the nfl great, soon it will just like the nba, no defense and nothing but street ball

So, like Chuck & Bill P. and Vince etc. you prefer 10-6, 7-3, 13-6 and so on???? That really excites folks, especially paying $100.00 plus per ticket. Please.....

[stevenash]

So, like Chuck & Bill P. and Vince etc. you prefer 10-6, 7-3, 13-6 and so on???? That really excites folks, especially paying $100.00 plus per ticket. Please.....

Believe it or not there are some that prefer 2-1 baseball games that are played under 3 hours that excites many students of baseball rather than watching a 10-8 four and a half hour game that features 8 pitching changes.

[Da Manster!]

Too much running back by commity these days, so no.

No. Not with the salaries these guys want and will NOT get. Owners will not pay a RB that much to stay in the league that long. Look at Adrian Peterson. A very good RB and he still got bounced around looking for a team to pay him. It is a passing league now. RB's are good for about 5-7 years and then they are worthless, as far as the owners are concerned.

Teams are in the shotgun on 3rd and 2 and 4th and 1 now. The goal line offenses and short yardage
offenses stink now. A team can get 20+ yard chunks of yardage an entire game and not be able to run for a half a yard when it really counts on 4th down. The rushing record will never be broken because there are no longer any road grading offensive lines, but more finesse offensive passing lines that can't get a team one yard when it really counts. Too much short yardage trickery not enough mano on mano. I blame this on coaching and players too. Teams should be able to get one yard without throwing the ball over 50% of the time and should be getting the 2 point conversion more often too if the teams could run better. Sorry for the rant. I'm sick of football teams sucking at short yardage during games and not being able to stop anybody at the end of games. It is like a groundhound day of bad football.

all valid points and responses...and to answer Nasher's question...NO...Emmitt Smith's record is the equivalent of Connie Mack's career wins in baseball...it's etched in stone and will never be broken...different era's nowadays...wide spread offenses with shotgun formations and multiple WR's sets...and the rules which give the offense an advantage and make for high scoring games...the days of big, bad offensive lines and workhorse RB's like Jim Brown, Franco Harris, Barry Sanders, John Riggins, Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, etc, etc. are long gone...Salary Cap, free agency, also play a huge role...and with today's athletes being bigger, faster, stronger they average shelf life of a true running back is like 4 - 5 years in the NFL.

[rm18]

A running QB that plays 20 years could easily do it if the play calling runs them at the goalline a lot.