In an era before running backs were as devalued as they are today, John Elway was bolstered by the leg power of a young Hall of Famer, Terry Davis, to play in his first and second Super Bowls, both of which missed out on the Hall of Famer.
Elway was 37 and 38 when he hoisted the Lombardi Trophies at the end of Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII after three previous losing seasons, and he credited Davis with rushing for consecutive seasons of 1,750 and 2,008 yards and 15 and 21 touchdowns, respectively.
It's unrealistic to expect a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers to be the MVP in 2023 coming off a season of Achilles injury, but if Rodgers starts to get his momentum going on Thursday night against the Patriots or shortly thereafter, it's not unrealistic to suggest Breece Hall could play a key role in leading him back to that elusive Super Bowl.
The beast is about to be unleashed.
Brees the Beast could be described as the AFC's version of Christian McCaffrey. Though McCaffrey is resting with Achilles tendinitis, Brees the Beast is reminding the NFL what a dangerous weapon he is when healthy, both running and catching the ball.
When asked where she ranks Hall among NFL running backs, Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker replied, “Top three. Not three, not two. You know what I mean? I think Brees is a tremendous talent. Once he gets free, nobody can get him in the open field. He's good at creating gaps and creating run lanes for himself, and he helps with that, helps our block by setting up the run. And as you saw last Sunday against Tennessee, he was able to catch a nice ball from Aaron on a wheel route.”
Hall's 26-yard touchdown catch to a linebacker was eye-opening, and after finishing with 76 catches in his sophomore season, he had 12 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown before Thursday night.
His 591 yards receiving last season led all running backs.
“When you watch the tape, even at Iowa State, he always said he had good handles (laughs), and he certainly showed that last week,” Vera-Tucker said. “That was really cool, and I think his blocking has improved, too.”
Hall (30 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown through Thursday) started the season on a throwing limit after tearing his ACL in Week 7 of his rookie season, but finished last season with 994 yards rushing.
“No matter who you put at the top of the list, he's always going to be near the top,” CJ Mosley told The Post. “No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3. He's dangerous coming out of the backfield, obviously has good speed and power, can run between the tackles, can run outside and can do anything with the best running backs in this league.”
Mosley had something to add: “The pass protection was great, too.”
Hall, who weighs 220 pounds, also mentors promising 240-pound rookie Braylon Allen.
When asked about Hall's running style, Allen said: “Explosive. Elusive. Playmaker. He can torment defenses in a variety of ways, like the circus catch he made on Sunday. Looks like a receiver. He's very hard to tackle, very fast, definitely deceptively fast. Long stride, high knees.”
Allen followed Hall's progress at Wisconsin.
“He runs really hard,” defensive end Takk McKinley told The Post. “Brees is in great form. His speed is phenomenal, his vision is great, and just overall, he's the perfect running back. He's Mr. Unstoppable.”
Garrett Wilson won't be the only player to benefit from the addition of receiver Mike Williams to the offense, as Hall will benefit from more room to run and his 3.9 yards per game average is down from his career 4.7.
“There's a lot of talented running backs out there, and I'm not going to take away from what they've accomplished in their careers, but the 20-year-old is definitely a special talent,” Tyler Conklin told the Post. “He's dominant in both the pass game and the run game, and as a versatile back, as a three-down back, he's one of the best.”
When he was drafted as a second-round pick in 2022, Hall said he was the best back in his class, and when his 2023 season ended six yards shy of 1,000, Hall said, “Everybody who watches me around the league knows I have the potential to probably be the best back in the NFL, so I wasn't too disappointed.”
If he does, not only will MetLife be screaming “Yay!”, but Aaron Rodgers will be screaming too.
