Age: 28
8th
season in pro football, 3rd with Rams
College: San Diego State
Height: 5’10” Weight: 211
Prelude:
Taken in the
first round of the 1994 NFL draft (second overall) by the Indianapolis Colts,
Faulk had a Rookie of the Year season with 1282 rushing yards and 52 catches
for 522 more, establishing himself as an outstanding combination runner/receiver.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl as well and was chosen again following a 1995
performance in which he rushed for 1078 yards and had 56 catches. Injuries, and
a subpar offensive line, reduced his production significantly in 1996 and he
ran for 1054 yards and caught 47 passes for a 3-13 team in ’97. Faulk returned
to Pro Bowl form in 1998 as he rushed for 1319 yards and gained 908 yards on 86
pass receptions to lead the NFL with 2227 yards from scrimmage. He was traded
to the Rams in the offseason for two draft picks and in 1999 became the key to
a championship offense as he again led the league in yards from scrimmage
(2429) with 1381 on the ground and 1048 through the air on 87 catches. Faulk
thus became the second running back to gain a thousand yards both rushing and
receiving in a season and, in addition to being chosen to the Pro Bowl for the
fourth time, was a consensus first-team All-Pro. He followed up with another
strong season in 2000, receiving MVP consideration while setting a new record
for touchdowns (26) and gaining 1359 rushing yards plus 830 more on 81 catches
for a total of 2189 yards from scrimmage. Faulk was a consensus first-team
All-Pro for a second straight year and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the
third consecutive time and fifth overall.
2001 Season Summary
Appeared and
started in 14 of 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 260 [14]
Most
attempts, game - 30 (for 202 yds.) at Carolina 12/23
Yards – 1382 [5]
Most yards,
game – 202 yards (on 30 carries) at Carolina 12/23
Average gain
– 5.3 [3]
TDs – 12 [2,
tied with Antowain Smith, 1st in NFC]
200-yard
rushing games – 1
100-yard
rushing games – 5
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 83 [13, tied with Joe Horn & Jerry Rice]
Most
receptions, game – 9 (for 80 yds.) at Detroit 10/8
Yards – 765
Most yards,
game - 128 (on 6 catches) at Atlanta 12/2
Average gain
– 9.2
TDs – 9 [5,
tied with seven others]
100-yard
receiving games – 1
Passing
Attempts – 1
Completions –
0
Interceptions
– 0
All-Purpose
Yards – 2147 [1]
Scoring
TDs – 21 [1]
2-pt PATs – 1
Points – 128 [1]
Postseason: 3 G
Rushing
attempts – 64
Most rushing
attempts, game – 31 (for 159 yds.) vs. Philadelphia, NFC Championship
Rushing yards
– 317
Most rushing
yards, game – 159 (on 31 att.) vs. Philadelphia, NFC Championship
Average gain
rushing – 5.0
Rushing TDs –
3
Pass
receptions – 14
Most pass
receptions, game – 6 (for 47 yds.) vs. Green Bay, NFC Divisional playoff
Pass
receiving yards – 114
Most pass
receiving yards, game – 54 (on 4 rec.) vs. New England, Super Bowl
Average yards
per reception – 8.1
Pass
Receiving TDs – 0
Kickoff
returns – 1
Kickoff
return yards – 1
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: PFWA,
Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
NFL Offensive
Player of the Year: AP
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Rams went 14-2
to finish first in the NFC West and gain the top seed in the conference for the
playoffs while leading the NFL in total offense (6690 yards), passing yards
(4663), scoring (503 points), and touchdowns (62). Won NFC Divisional playoff
over Green Bay Packers (45-17) and NFC Championship over Philadelphia Eagles
(29-24). Lost Super Bowl to New England Patriots (20-17).
Aftermath:
Faulk had one
last Pro Bowl season in 2002 (his 7th overall), but injuries and
accumulated wear-and-tear were reducing his production. While he played until
2005, he never again gained over a thousand yards rushing or two thousand yards
from scrimmage. For his career, he rushed for 12,279 yards and 100 touchdowns
and caught 767 passes for 6875 yards and another 36 TDs. At the time, his
19,190 total yards ranked sixth all-time and 136 TDs placed fourth. Faulk was
inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2011.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself).
[Updated 2/4/14]
[Updated 11/29/14]
[Updated 2/4/14]
[Updated 11/29/14]
