Sig Stats: Elusive RatingProFootballFocus.comGordon McGuinness | April 17, 2014 
The week we are once again taking a look at players across the league based on some of our unique Signature Stats. These signature stats are somewhere between your everyday stats and our PFF grades, providing a greater look at player performance than regular stats can provide.Last week we brought you our look at the best and worst of the league’s defensive backs when it comes to their work in the slot. Now, we’re taking a different approach, switching back to the offensive side to take a look at running backs and our Elusive Rating Signature Stat.Our Elusive Rating gives a clearer picture on how a running back has performed, letting you know how much he was able to get beyond the help of his offensive line. For some running backs that’s all about making a player miss and cutting past them, but this Signature Stat isn’t just limited to shifty players who like to do that. It also looks at yards after contact, letting you know how many yards a player averages after the defense is able to first get a hand on them. So with that all in mind, let’s see who the best, and worst, performers in the league are.To qualify, a running back needed to have touched the ball at least 99 times on offense.
It’s no surprise to see Marshawn Lynch as high as he is, and it highlights how important it is to remember that forcing missed tackles isn’t all about making a cut that leaves the defender trailing. Famed for the “Beast Mode” run in the playoffs a few years ago, Lynch seems just as happy to run through an attempted tackle, as he is to cut away from it.Trent Richardson may not have had the best year, but if there’s any hope for Indianapolis Colts fans to cling too, it’s that he has the natural talent to make people miss. Whether or not he can put it all together and become the running back many thought he would when the Cleveland Browns drafted him first overall remains a big question, but you only have to look back to Week 1 last year, where he forced a ridiculous 10 missed tackles, to see his talent.Joique Bell’s success here highlights why the Detroit Lions apparently plan on having him split carries with Reggie Bush in 2014. Tough to bring down, we’ve been impressed by Bell in each of the past two seasons.
While it’s absolutely true that Ray Rice wasn’t helped by an offensive line situation in Baltimore that was amongst the worst in the league, he simply wasn’t making would be tacklers miss either. Forcing missed tackles, particularly as a runner, has never been a huge strength of his, but to see him rooted to the bottom, and so far from the next lowest player, is definitely a concern. Perhaps it was because he was playing through injury, but he simply can’t have another season like that in 2014.Doug Martin’s inclusion in the bottom five may come as a surprise, but before he went down with a season-ending injury in Week 7, he wasn’t having anything close to as explosive a season as his incredible 2012 rookie campaign.Yards After Contact
Richardson may have been better at forcing missed tackles, but Donald Brown wasn’t far behind, and the new San Diego Chargers running back will have Colts fans wishing they’d re-signed him with his success after contact.Andre Ellington’s successful rookie season was easy for all to see and, while plenty have questioned how he will be able to handle a larger role, he certainly didn’t struggle when it came to picking up yards after contact last year.If you’re looking for a reason why the New York Jets want to add Chris Johnson, it makes sense if they believe he can be the lightning to the thunder that is Chris Ivory, we saw how tough he was to bring down in limited action in New Orleans, and he continued that as a Jet in 2013.
It really wasn’t a good year for the Baltimore running game, was it? Rice again find himself at the bottom, and again by a considerable margin, with the next closest player him teammate in Bernard Pierce. Pierce was also bothered by injuries in 2013, after finishing his rookie season in 2013 averaging 3.4 YAC per carry.The Ravens pairing are the only players in the bottom five currently under contract with Willis McGahee and Johnson, at the time of writing, currently unsigned and Rashard Mendenhall announcing his retirementElusive Rating
Based on what we found earlier, in terms of both missed tackles forced and yards after contact, it’s not surprising that Brown is at the top, but it does highlight how well he performed in his final year in Indianapolis.The Green Bay Packers made a wise decision to bring back James Starks this offseason, which allows them to continue to pair him with Eddie Lacy and give them an impressive pairing at the position.
How bad was Rice’s 2013 season? Well, his Elusive Rating of 7.3 is the lowest we’ve seen since Thomas Jones’ 4.5 in 2011. Rice is a better back than that, so you would expect to see him improve in 2014 now that he’s back to full health.It took Willis McGahee until into the 2013 season to find a team and that might be the case again in 2014 if he is to wind up on a roster. He still holds some value, but he’s only really going to get what the offensive line can give him.While signature stats give a clearer look at how wide defensive backs have performed beyond their offensive line, nothing quite compares to our PFF grades. The grades take into account things like a running back using his speed to burst by a defender without being contacted or having to make the defender miss. The good news, is that a PFF membership gives you access to both the grades, and our various signature stats, coming in at just $26.99 for a year’s membership. Follow Gordon on Twitter.
