From 1978 to 1980, Earl Campbell averaged 22.7 carries per game. Those carries went for 4.9 yards, giving him an incredible 110.5 rushing yards per game. That makes him jut the 5th (and at the time, 3rd) player to average 110 rushing yards per game over any 3-year period. On the other hand, Campbell averaged just 13 receptions for 63 receiving yards during those three seasons: that’s less than a catch per game.
The Houston offense during this time? Well, that’s a different matter. The Oilers were pretty middle-of-the-road in most categories, including points and Net Yards per Attempt. Take a look:
| Overall | Offense | Rushing Off | Passing Off | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | Tms | WL% | T/G | Pts± | Yds± | Yds | Pts | GvA | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | FL | Att | Yds | TD | Int | NY/A |
| 1978 | HOU | 28 | 6 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 21 | 24 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 9 |
| 1979 | HOU | 28 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 25 | 25 | 18 | 10 | 19 |
| 1980 | HOU | 28 | 4 | 21 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 23 | 26 | 10 |
Now, let’s talk about Marshall Faulk. From ’99 to ’01, Marshall Faulk averaged 17.4 rushing attempts per game, but with a 5.4 YPC average, that translated to 93.7 rushing yards per game. Faulk also averaged 0.84 rushing touchdowns per game. Those numbers are incredible, so I don’t want to glass over them, but Faulk’s numbers as a receiver are even more extraordinary. He averaged 5.7 receptions for 60.1 yards per game (an impressive 10.5 YPR average), along with half a touchdown per game. Combined, Faulk averaged 154 yards from scrimmage per game and 1.34 touchdowns per game.
Here is how the Rams offense looked from ’99 to ’01; obviously the ranks are significantly different. St. Louis led the NFL in yards, points, and Net Yards per Attempt in all three seasons.
| Overall | Offense | Rushing Off | Passing Off | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | Tms | WL% | T/G | Pts± | Yds± | Yds | Pts | GvA | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | FL | Att | Yds | TD | Int | NY/A |
| 1999 | STL | 31 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| 2000 | STL | 31 | 9 | 26 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 25 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 1 |
| 2001 | STL | 31 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 1 |
Now, Campbell and Faulk were very different running backs stylistically. They also played on very different teams: Faulk played with four Hall of Famers or near-HOFers on offense: Kurt Warner, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt. Campbell was the only Oiler offensive player to make the Pro Bowl in ’78. In ’79 and ’80, he was only joined by left tackle Leon Gray. And those Oilers were hardly running the offensive system du jour the way the Vermeil/Martz Rams were.
Now, let’s get to the thought experiment. What if we could magically do two things: 1, build a time machine, and 2, put the ’99-’01 version of Faulk on the ’78-’80 Oilers, and put the ’78-’80 version of Campbell on the Greatest Show On Turf Rams?
What would the stats of Campbell look like? What would the stats of Faulk look like? Perhaps more interestingly, how would the offenses of those two teams change? Would they be better, worse, or the same?