Steelers Great Jerome Bettis Weighs In On The Looming Debate Of Christian McCaffrey And The Hall Of Fame

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis set the bar very high on how the position should be played for fans of the Black and Gold. Bettis is known for his tough, no-nonsense attitude on the field, as well as his humility off the field. When his rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger asked him to return for one final season, promising to get them to the Super Bowl, Bettis didn't hesitate. It became one of the most epic tales in sports history. Bettis won a Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit with his parents in attendance shortly before his father's death. Many believe Bettis getting to hoist the Lombardi Trophy is a big part of why he made it into the Hall of Fame. Now, Bettis is answering the questions about current exceptional running backs like Christian McCaffrey, and their chance of making it to Canton.

The NFL continues to evolve with changes in technology, abilities, and society. There are rules and equipment changes that occur to help protect player safety, changes in the plays that are called to keep up with what other teams are doing, and changes in how positions are used because of how the game morphs. Think of fullbacks. Every team had them and they used to be primarily players who blocked for running backs, but now teams use them as more of a hybrid position, or not at all. 

The running back position is no different. It used to be one of the most important positions on offense. Think back to the 1970s Steelers. Franco Harris was the backbone of the offense. Even as recently as the early 2000s, teams like Pittsburgh relied on players like Bettis to win. In 1997, Barry Sanders was the highest-paid player in the NFL. But now times have changed for running backs according to Bettis. 

Steelers' Jerome Bettis On Christian McCaffrey's Chance To Make Canton

Bettis recently appeared on an episode of The Dan Patrick Show and Dan Patrick asked him about the changes. He also questioned if any of the backs currently in the NFL are Hall of Fame-worthy or will the changes keep them out?

Now that receptions are more heavily valued than runs in the NFL, how will guys like McCaffrey get the respect and honor they deserve? Patrick said that now, in this new high-powered passing game, analysts count receptions more than yardage. He asked Bettis if he views McCaffrey as a future Hall of Famer.  

"Early in his career, unfortunately, he didn't put up those same numbers that he is putting up now. Obviously injuries and that kind of thing, you have to look at longevity. You gotta look at will he be able to do this for 10-12 years so that we can look at his body of work and say absolutely," said Bettis.

McCaffrey is currently considered one of the top running backs. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2017 and has struggled with injuries throughout his career. The San Francisco 49ers took heat for trading four draft picks for a banged-up running back with a huge contract. 

He has made Head Coach Kyle Shanahan look like a genius. Through 15 games, he has rushed for nearly 1,400 yards and has 14 touchdowns. He has picked up another 537 yards in the air with an additional seven touchdowns. The 49ers are leading the NFC West with a record of 11-4 and McCaffrey has been a huge part of their success.  

When it comes to current running backs, Bettis said that he doesn't know that any of them are a lock to make it to Canton. He said now it has more to do with the amount of catches they make than anything else. It isn't just McCaffrey, they all have to do more, it is not a "clear science."    

Bettis feels that part of what helps running backs make the Hall of Fame is helping their team have success. In the case of McCaffrey, it will help when his team wins the NFC or makes it to (or wins) a Super Bowl. 

"For me to say, 'Yeah he's a Hall of Famer,' I'd be doing the Hall of Fame a disservice, and if I said, 'He's not,' I'd be doing the player a disservice. So I just think they're on the road. They have to just continue with that success for a long period of time."

Patrick added the NFL has to look at backs differently than they used to. It used to be enough for a running back to have yardage. If they had at least 10,000 yards, you got into the Hall of Fame, but now there doesn't seem to be a magical number. 

Bettis said this is the nature of the NFL and they move the goalposts constantly. He gave the example of his teammate Hines Ward who has been left out of the Hall of Fame so far, despite having the numbers that would have included him during the time he played. But now he is being viewed through the lens of what is currently happening on offense and it isn't fair. It is something similar that is happening to running backs. 

"When we look at Christian McCaffrey, he's kind of identified as what the new running back should look like. What he should be, what characteristics he should have. But I will say this, what people don't really notice about Chris McCaffrey, and I've watched him ever since he was in Carolina, he's a really good inside runner, good at making guys miss."

This can just be added to the list of slights that running backs are dealing with. The only back to be inducted into the Hall of Fame since 2017, was Edgerrin James who was inducted in 2020. 

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