OK, he fumble(s)d, but can we talk about Cook's season, historically, please?

[chris heff]

33 minutes ago, Olaf Fub said:

Joe Ferguson lead the league in passing in 1977. 

 

NFL QB 1977 Stats

Was Jerry Butler on that team?

 

I caught a pass from one of the guys on that list.

Edited 20 hours ago by chris heff

[Behindenemylines]

7 hours ago, Buffalo Ballin said:

Cook needs a rebound game this Sunday.

Cook just needs to hold on the F&$&in ball.  Enough of the theatrics etc etc.  

[BADOLBILZ]

8 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

However, don't think of it as games as much as carries.

 

OJ ran for 1,503 on 290 carries.  Cook has 1,308 on 249 attempts.  

 

If...IF you were to grant James his 5.3 yards per carry average over 41 more attempts it would put him at 1,525 yards on 290 carries.

 

 

 

Where you took a wrong turn in this comparison is that the league yards per rush was 4.0 in 1975, 4.1 in 1976, 3.8 in 1977 etc.. and fluctuated in those ranges for many years thereafter.

 

Nowadays that number is all the way up to 4.4 yards per carry.

 

WAY easier to run the ball in the NFL today.    

 

[dollars 2 donuts]

4 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Where you took a wrong turn in this comparison is that the league yards per rush was 4.0 in 1975, 4.1 in 1976, 3.8 in 1977 etc.. and fluctuated in those ranges for many years thereafter.

 

Nowadays that number is all the way up to 4.4 yards per carry.

 

WAY easier to run the ball in the NFL today.    

 

 

I hear ya, but my main point (lost, my bad in not being clear) was not comparing OJ and Cook, but just that it was a great season by Cook amongst all the 33 rushing seasons in Bills history.

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

9 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

I hear ya, but my main point (lost, my bad in not being clear) was not comparing OJ and Cook, but just that it was a great season by Cook amongst all the 33 rushing seasons in Bills history.

 

 

 

 

Yeah I just think that in your haste to make a comparison to Bills RB seasons of years past you inadvertently illustrated just how little context your point had.

 

Cook is having an exceptional season but Josh Allen(the franchise's all time rushing TD leader) is one of the greatest force multipliers for RB's in the running game in the history of the NFL.  

 

The Bills organizational identity to this point in their history is clearly running the ball.

 

It's the one area where the standard is HIGH.

 

Cook and this offense is the latest iteration.

 

 They are averaging .7 yards per carry above league average.   Same as the 2015 NFL leading rushing offense(which didn't even HAVE a 1,000 yard rusher).  

 

But the 2016 NFL leading rush offense averaged a ridiculous 1.2 yards above average and had McCoy putting up 5.4 and also Gillislee leading the NFL in ypc(5.7) and 3rd/4th down conversion %.

[Buffalo716]

10 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yeah I just think that in your haste to make a comparison to Bills RB seasons of years past you inadvertently illustrated just how little context your point had.

 

Cook is having an exceptional season but Josh Allen(the franchise's all time rushing TD leader) is one of the greatest force multipliers for RB's in the running game in the history of the NFL.  

 

The Bills organizational identity to this point in their history is clearly running the ball.

 

It's the one area where the standard is HIGH.

 

Cook and this offense is the latest iteration.

 

 They are averaging .7 yards per carry above league average.   Same as the 2015 NFL leading rushing offense(which didn't even HAVE a 1,000 yard rusher).  

 

But the 2016 NFL leading rush offense averaged a ridiculous 1.2 yards above average and had McCoy putting up 5.4 and also Gillislee leading the NFL in ypc(5.7) and 3rd/4th down conversion %.

I think that Rushing attack was very good also 

 

I also think gillisllee was a very scheme specific runner.. he wasn't somebody who had the ability to run in any system or any blocking scheme consistently 

 

He was like a two trick pony for his Gap power scheme... But he did both of those at an extremely high level ... He had a few looks that he really really excelled on

 

He wasn't the same runner in a zone scheme

Edited 18 hours ago by Buffalo716

[dollars 2 donuts]

10 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yeah I just think that in your haste to make a comparison to Bills RB seasons of years past you inadvertently illustrated just how little context your point had.

 

Cook is having an exceptional season but Josh Allen(the franchise's all time rushing TD leader) is one of the greatest force multipliers for RB's in the running game in the history of the NFL.  

 

The Bills organizational identity to this point in their history is clearly running the ball.

 

It's the one area where the standard is HIGH.

 

Cook and this offense is the latest iteration.

 

 They are averaging .7 yards per carry above league average.   Same as the 2015 NFL leading rushing offense(which didn't even HAVE a 1,000 yard rusher).  

 

But the 2016 NFL leading rush offense averaged a ridiculous 1.2 yards above average and had McCoy putting up 5.4 and also Gillislee leading the NFL in ypc(5.7) and 3rd/4th down conversion %.

 

no, it wasn’t in haste.

 

Cook could run for the 3rd all time highest rushing total in franchise history, which is a pretty big deal.

 

I’m responding to what people didn’t understand and what I was trying to say.

 

My main point hasn’t changed at all.  I didn’t misstate it and it wasn’t in haste.  It was just some people took it as me stating Cook is better than OJ, which I never did.

 

 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by dollars 2 donuts

[BADOLBILZ]

11 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

I think that Rushing attack was very good also 

 

I also think gillisllee was a very scheme specific runner.. he wasn't somebody who had the ability to run in any system or any blocking scheme consistently 

 

He was like a two trick pony for his Gap power scheme... But he did both of those at an extremely high level ... He had a few looks that he really really excelled on

 

He wasn't the same runner in a zone scheme

 

Yeah Gillislee was a great fit in those Roman/Kromer offenses that ran a lot of inside zone and gap.

 

They didn't have an athletic enough OL for outside zone.  As evidenced when Dennison came in in 2017 and the run game efficiency fell off a cliff.    That style also fed back into the bad habits that got McCoy traded.  Habits he broke after his disappointing 2015.  

[dollars 2 donuts]

13 hours ago, chris heff said:

Was Jerry Butler on that team?

 

I caught a pass from one of the guys on that list.

Butler was drafted in ‘79.

 

[chris heff]

7 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

Butler was drafted in ‘79.

 

Thanks, Butler was the only good receiver from Clemson that the Bills drafted.

[Dan Darragh]

23 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

There has been (33) 1,000 yard rushing seasons by Bills backs in their 66 year history.

 

Currently, James Cook has 1,308 yards, which is good for 9th all time for the team.

 

He is 8 yards from passing Thurman Thomas' 1,315 yards in 1993 for 8th...

 

He is 49 yards from passing Travis Henry's 1,356 yards in 2003 for 7th...

 

...and long story short, it looks like he is going to pass OJ Simpson's 1976 total of 1,503 for 3rd place all time.* 

 

I know what you are thinking..."But Dollars, you gentlemen adventurer and warrior poet**, OJ did 1,503 in only 14 games and Cook gets 17."

 

I hear you, fellow anonymous board member other than the name that is by your avatar.  However, don't think of it as games as much as carries.

 

OJ ran for 1,503 on 290 carries.  Cook has 1,308 on 249 attempts.  

 

If...IF you were to grant James his 5.3 yards per carry average over 41 more attempts it would put him at 1,525 yards on 290 carries.

 

We are still in the hunt for the division...hell, we are still in the hunt for the conference, as well.

 

However, let us not forget the amazing individual achievements that are taking place besides what Josh does on a weekly basis.

 

Go Bills!

 

 

 

(* He won't pass OJ's '75 1,817 yards or 1973's 2,003 yards)

 

(** Yes, I stole it from Rooster Teeth...but what is true, is true)

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're comparing Cook's best season to OJ's second-best season?  In '73 OJ averaged 6 per carry and 143 per game.  James has 5.3 and 100.  

 

That's the proper historical context.

[dollars 2 donuts]

11 minutes ago, Dan Darragh said:

You're comparing Cook's best season to OJ's second-best season?  In '73 OJ averaged 6 per carry and 143 per game.  James has 5.3 and 100.  

 

That's the proper historical context.

No, his third best season.  His second was 1,817. I actually reference it in my post. 

 

…and I am not quite sure what your issue is (if you have an issue at all).

 

I am also, and I don’t know why people are having a hard time with this, stating facts of numbers.

 

If Cook has 290 rushes at his 5.3 yard per carry average, from a history stand point it will be the third most yards in Bills rushing history at about 1,525.

 

Why are people having an issue with me stating a numeric fact?

 

at what point anywhere in my post did I say, “That makes Cook the best RB in Bills history with the best rushing season ever!”?

 

The third highest total in franchise history would…ya know…be a big deal.

 

I wrote nothing more. The only comparison I made was in number of carries and where Cook may end up.

 

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by dollars 2 donuts

[BADOLBILZ]

45 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

no, it wasn’t in haste.

 

Cook could run for the 3rd all time highest rushing total in franchise history, which is a pretty big deal.

 

I’m responding to what people didn’t understand and what I was trying to say.

 

My main point hasn’t changed at all.  I didn’t misstate it and it wasn’t in haste.  It was just some people took it as me stating Cook is better than OJ, which I never did.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, like I said you just made the mistake of trying to put Cooks season in context of ypc to add gravity to it.  

 

Kinda' like that famous post Alphadawg created where he tried to tell us how we didn't realize how great Khalil Shakir was and threw in a nugget telling us that if you projected his 2023 yards per target figure over 100 targets that Shakir would have had 1360 yards.  Of course, he forgot the context of Shakir being the 4th option in the passing game and the impact of teams doubling Diggs.   So the next season plays out with Shakir now as a top 2 option in the pass game and no Diggs...... Shakir actually got exactly 100 targets and had like 800 yards. 😂 

 

It just wasn't necessary if you just want to say "that's a lot of yards" as opposed to being like "I'm just sayyyying" that this is the 3rd greatest season by a Bills RB.

 

I get that people want to find joy in the numbers of today but we don't have to compare very different era's to do that.   Just look at where Cook is relative to his peers. He's got a good chance to leading the NFL in rushing.   That would be a great accomplishment for a guy who wasn't perceived to be in that category as a rugged RB1.

 

[dollars 2 donuts]

2 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Yeah, like I said you just made the mistake of trying to put Cooks season in context of ypc to add gravity to it.  

 

Kinda' like that famous post Alphadawg created where he tried to tell us how we didn't realize how great Khalil Shakir was and threw in a nugget telling us that if you projected his 2023 yards per target figure over 100 targets that Shakir would have had 1360 yards.  Of course, he forgot the context of Shakir being the 4th option in the passing game and the impact of teams doubling Diggs.   So the next season plays out with Shakir now as a top 2 option in the pass game and no Diggs...... Shakir actually got exactly 100 targets and had like 800 yards. 😂 

 

It just wasn't necessary if you just want to say "that's a lot of yards" as opposed to being like "I'm just sayyyying" that this is the 3rd greatest season by a Bills RB.

 

I get that people want to find joy in the numbers of today but we don't have to compare very different era's to do that.   Just look at where Cook is relative to his peers. He's got a good chance to leading the NFL in rushing.   That would be a great accomplishment for a guy who wasn't perceived to be in that category as a rugged RB1.

 

 

 

Wipe out everything I said about it...

 

 

To All...If Cook runs for 196 yards before the season ends he will have the third most rushing yards in a season in Bills history.

 

No asterisks.  No caveats.

 

That is simpler.

 

Go Bills.

 

 

 

 

Edited 31 minutes ago by dollars 2 donuts

[RichStadiumGuy]

49 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

 

Wipe out everything I said about it...

 

 

To All...If Cook runs for 196 yards before the season he will have the third most rushing yards in in a season in Bills history.

 

No asterisks.  No caveats.

 

That is simpler.

 

Go Bills.

 

 

 

 

I feel for ya Bro! This is exactly why the vast majority of us long time lurkers never bother posting anything.

 

It's like the walls are lined with vultures just waiting to attack.

[JP51]

On 12/9/2025 at 12:17 PM, Buffalo Ballin said:

Cook needs a rebound game this Sunday.

It would really help if he could play Robin to 17's Batman... 

[Mat68]

He is having a tremendous year.  Fumbles are due to usage.  Like to see Ray Davis take the load off of Cook down the stretch.  

[dollars 2 donuts]

39 minutes ago, RichStadiumGuy said:

I feel for ya Bro! This is exactly why the vast majority of us long time lurkers never bother posting anything.

 

It's like the walls are lined with vultures just waiting to attack.

 

That's why in 23 years I have only 8,000 or so posts.  

 

 

25 minutes ago, JP51 said:

It would really help if he could play Robin to 17's Batman... 

 

JP, I would so eat up a 300 yard Allen passing day along with a 125 yard Cook rushing day against the Pats.

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

He is having a tremendous year.  Fumbles are due to usage.  Like to see Ray Davis take the load off of Cook down the stretch.  

 

Throw in Johnson, too, Mat.

 

I like when he gets touches, as well.