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John Childress -> RE: NFL News (1/9/2008 9:23:44 PM)
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8. O.J. Simpson, Buffalo, 1973: It would be easy to say that Baltimore's Jamal Lewis or Detroit's Barry Sanders belongs on this list -- Lewis gained 2,066 yards in 2003 while Sanders amassed 2,053 yards in 1997 -- but Simpson deserves credit for this ground-breaking campaign. When Simpson gained 2,003 rushing yards in 1973, it was one of the most amazing moments in sports. He was the first running back to ever hit the 2,000-yard mark and none of the four players who've accomplished that feat since has done it in 14 games. In fact, it's still a safe bet that no other runner will be that productive in as short a time span.
Simpson's season is all the more impressive because of how it ended. He actually had 1,584 yards going into the final two weeks of that season but his offensive line cleared enough room for him to reach the record books. He gained 219 yards against New England before churning out another 200 against the New York Jets in the finale. That effort alone should tell us how extraordinary Simpson was.
6. Jerry Rice, San Francisco, 1987: Rice is another player on this list who has enjoyed so many phenomenal campaigns that it's hard to pin down one season among others. But 1987 stands out for one reason: his production in an abbreviated amount of time. Even with a players' strike limiting Rice to 12 games, he still managed to produce an NFL-record 22 touchdown receptions. He also scored 23 touchdowns overall, a total that was one shy of tying the single-season record John Riggins held at the time.
Of course, some people might argue that Rice had years when his numbers were more prolific in other areas -- for example, he caught 122 passes for a league-record 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1995 -- but there are plenty of receivers who have tons of receptions and yards. The really special ones get into the end zone. And since it took New England's Randy Moss all of 16 games to break Rice's record, we'll say the old man belongs on this list. By the way, Rice also won the league's Most Valuable Player award that year.
10. Reggie White, Philadelphia, 1987: White's name isn't in the record books for most sacks in a single season -- that mark currently belongs to the New York Giants' Michael Strahan -- but he clearly would have that record if this had been a normal year. Thanks to the same players' strike that affected Rice, White appeared in only 12 games that season. That happened to be just enough time for him to record 21 sacks, which is an astonishing number when considering Strahan's total of 22½ came over a full 16 games. But that's how good White was in his prime. Even unfortunate circumstances couldn't hold him back.
Looking back, White's season was destined for greatness from the moment it began. In the season opener, he sacked Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, forced a fumble and returned the ball 70 yards for a touchdown. After that, every other quarterback in the league should have been on notice. White clearly was going to be unstoppable that year.
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