Is Adrian Peterson The Last Hall Of Fame Running Back?

Is Adrian Peterson the last of the Hall of Fame backs? 

Will the man in Purple be the last running back to ever make the Hall?

The British Buggles sang that video killed the radio star but did coaches splitting back fields into speciality acts kill the running back star?

How many backs, besides LaDainian Tomlinson wrapping up his career in Charger land, today have a legitimate shot at the Hall of Fame?

Peterson and...?

Who else is a full time player?

On the tenth of anniversary of Walter Payton's death is the position he played so well dead?

First the coaches killed the fullback. Is the full time running back next on the hit list?

Maybe Willie Nelson should sing Momma's don't let your babies grow up to be running backs make them be pass rushers, wide receivers, corner backs, and safeties and such?

In an era of coaches trying to plug different skill players into each different game situation did they inadvertently murder, by over coaching, a marquee position in the NFL?

Almost every team has a short yardage back, a third down back, a first down back, a blocking back, a pass catching back, and a wild cat back but what happened to the every down back?

No third down backs or wild cat backs will ever make the Hall of Fame.

Ten years ago Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, Stephen Davis, Emmit Smith, Marshall Faulk, and Eddie George led the league in rushing. And Jerome Bettis and Ricky Waters each notched almost 300 carries.

Smith is in the Hall. Faulk is a sure thing and the rest, save Davis, all have legitimate shots at a Hall of Fame ring.

Who today has a legitimate shot?

Thomas Jones over Curtis Martin?

Steven Jackson over Edgerrin James?

Brian Westbrook over Marshal Faulk?

Maurice Jones-Drew over Ricky Waters?

The NFL, in this era of specialization, is moving away from taking running backs high in the draft.

Teams figure, with their often short shelf lives, why not roll the dice on the fourth round power back who can get a sure yard or two but not much else?

Or why not grab the undersized small school speedster, a guy who has great hands but hates tangoing between the tackles, in the seventh round instead of breaking the bank for a Heisman back like Darren McFadden in the top ten?

The New England Patriots, the premiere team of the decade, use situational running backs more then any team in the league.

And they still can not run the ball well.

Even the Pittsburgh Steelers, land of Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis, have become a team with interchangeable backs.

Some coaches, like Philadelphia's Andy Reid, just hate to run the ball. In Reid's case it might be pure panic passing as in tight games all Andy seemingly can consider is pass, pass, pass.

They believe in riding the Bill Walsh short passing game at all times in all situations. Somewhere Bill Walsh grimaces because, besides his first Super Bowl squad, all his Niner teams could run the ball.

Recall Roger Craig and Tom Rathman? The double old Nebraska full back backfield  was built to run Cornhusker tough when they had to.

Today specialization is everywhere.

College teams, enraptured with the Spread offense, also use a plethora of players at the position.

Few college backs can block a blitzing linebacker anymore. Many college teams shuffle situational players in and out.

Even USC, once tailback U, marches players in and out at the position.

Nevermore will Trojan tailbacks have to worry about getting 42 touches a game.

Have NFL running backs been schemed out of the Hall?

Is the John Riggins type back, at long last, just a debauched dinosaur?

Walter Payton could do it all; run, catch, block, pass, punt, and even tackle as Buddy Ryan once pointed out when he said some of the hardest hits he ever saw were delivered by Payton while savagely tackling players after interceptions.

Have over zealous coaches killed the complete back?

Would Andy Reid only use Walter Payton on first down?

Peterson is the closest player to Payton today but besides him what other running back has Hall of Fame credentials?

What running back is in a position to make a run for the Hall?

The pickings are slim and none....and slim just caught a late night train out of town.

Peterson might be the last of the Hall of Fame running back Mohicans.