Eric Dickerson doesn’t get the respect he deserves when talking about all-time great running backs.  He has the sixth most rushing yards in NFL history and he’s tied for 12th in all-time rushing TDs with Curtis Martin.  Dickerson played 11 years in the NFL playing in 146 games (136 starts) in which he carried the ball 2,996 times for 13,259 yards (4.4 ypc) with 90 TD runs.  He also caught 281 passes for 2,137 yards (7.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  As good as he was overall, Dickerson had the best season in NFL history in 1984 at least as far as rushing yards goes.  He played in 16 games (all starts) with the Los Angeles Rams that year and he carried the ball 379 times for 2,105 yards (5.6 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  He also caught 21 passes for 139 yards (6.6 avg) that season.  Dickerson’s 2,105 yards rushing in a season is a NFL record that has stood for 24 years now.

24-year old running back Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans is closing in on some incredible records.  First up is the one I think he will break this weekend against the Seahawks in Seattle this weekend.  Marshall Faulk has the all-time record of 2,429 yards from scrimmage (1,381 rushing, 1,048 receiving) during the 1999 season with the St. Louis Rams.  Chris Johnson has 2,355 yards from scrimmage this season (1,872 rushing, 483 receiving) in his first 15 games of the year.  I see him smashing this record as the Seahawks have a soft run defense that is allowing 109.5 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The harder number for Johnson to make a run at is Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 yards rushing in a season which he set with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.  Johnson would have to have one of the best games in NFL history (233 yards to tie) to break Dickerson’s record.  It’s not impossible but unlikely.  What a player Johnson has already turned into at age 24.  It’s almost scary to think of what he can do in the future.

27-year old point guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs really has it made.  He has already won two NBA Championships with the San Antonio Spurs and he is still at the top of his game.  Parker has played in 24 games (all starts) this season for the Spurs and he is averaging 31.1 minutes, 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.  He has now played in 636 games (629 games) and he is averaging 33.1 minutes, 16.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.  But the best thing that Parker has going for him is that he is married to the super hot Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives fame.  So, even if he does have a bad game (which isn’t too often) he gets to go home to his wife and all is good in the world.  What an amazing life Tony Parker has….and he’s still only 27 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbSlq4D1qck

Peyton Manning and Eli Manning are great NFL QBs but their father was one of the worst in NFL history.  Archie Manning was never much of a QB in the NFL as he played in 151 games in which he completed 2,011 out of 3,642 passes (55.2%) for 23,911 yards with 125 TD passes and 173 INTs (67.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 384 times for 2,197 yards (5.7 ypc) with 18 TD runs in his career.  The elder Manning compiled the worst record in NFL history for a QB with at least 100 starts as the teams that he led were 35-101-3 (26.3%) in games that he started.  Archie Manning was a good runner but not much of a thrower which is the exact opposite of his sons.  Peyton Manning is one of the best QBs in NFL history.  He has played in 190 games in his career and he has completed 4,204 of 6,492 passes (64.8%) for 49,841 yards with 366 TD passes and 180 INTs (95.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 328 times for 704 yards (2.1 ypc) with 17 TD runs.  Unlike his dad, Peyton is a winner as he has a record of 131-59 (68.9%) in the regular season as a starting QB.  He also is 7-8 in the post-season.  Eli Manning has played in 87 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,547 of 2,727 (56.7%) passes for 18,207 yards with 124 TD passes and 85 INTs (79.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 124 times for 274 yards (2.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Eli has a record of 50-35 (58.8%) as a starting QB in the regular season and he is 4-3 in the post season.  Both Peyton and Eli have already won a Super Bowl each while there dad never even played in a playoff game.  I guess that sometimes kids can learn from their parents mistakes.

The NFL playoff picture is starting to heat up as a few teams have clinched their spots for the postseason.  Week 15 had some exciting games and some pretty big upsets.  The Indianapolis Colts are the only undefeated team left, as the New Orleans Saints perfect season came to an end this week.  For a recap geared towards each team, just click on the team name.  Here are the results from the NFL’s week 15:

New York Giants 45, Washington Redskins 12

Minnesota Vikings 7, Carolina Panthers 26

Chicago Bears 7, Baltimore Ravens 31

Buffalo Bills 10, New England Patriots 17

New York Jets 7, Atlanta Falcons 10

Denver Broncos 19, Oakland Raiders 20

Cincinnati Bengals 24, San Diego Chargers 27

Seattle Seahawks 7, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24

New Orleans Saints 17, Dallas Cowboys 24

Detroit Lions 24, Arizona Cardinals 31

Miami Dolphins 24, Tennessee Titans 27 OT

Kansas City Chiefs 34, Cleveland Browns 41

St. Louis Rams 13, Houston Texans 16

San Francisco 49ers 13, Philadelphia Eagles 27

Green Bay Packers 36, Pittsburgh Steelers 37

Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Indianapolis Colts 35