Most NFL running backs are lucky to survive five seasons. Jerome Bettis played 13 years and walked away with a Super Bowl ring. The secret wasn’t just talent or luck. It was much smarter, and Bettis revealed exactly what kept him healthy when so many others couldn’t stay on the field.
How Did Jerome Bettis Stay Healthy for 13 NFL Seasons?
Being a Super Bowl champion isn’t for everyone, but it’s something Jerome Bettis accomplished in his final NFL season. Bettis not only won a Super Bowl, but he did it in his hometown of Detroit. The 53-year-old recently sat down with PFSN for an exclusive interview about the key to staying in the league as a running back from 1993 to 2005.
When it comes to dominant running backs, look no further than Bettis. He finished his career with eight 1,000-plus rushing yard seasons, only failing to reach that mark in 1995 and from 2002-05.
His numbers in 2005 didn’t tell the full story as the Notre Dame graduate helped lead the Steelers to their first Super Bowl since 1980. With that being his final year in the league, there was no better way Bettis could have dreamed of retiring.
Bettis spoke about how he prolonged his career and continued to play at such a high level. “It was definitely being conscious of your body and being smart running the football. I think that was a big part of it. I always tried to avoid that monster collision.”
The Hall of Famer’s approach went beyond just avoiding big hits. He understood the mechanics of survival in the NFL.
“I was always smart enough to understand how to fall, because a lot of times when you got the football, if you’re falling and you fall on that football, you’re going to break some ribs, you’re going to separate a shoulder, you’re going to do some damage to yourself. So you got to learn how to fall, how to make people miss, and how to use angles,” he continued.
Bettis added, “So, that was a big part of my game and how I played it. Because I was very conscious that when you start taking some of those big shots, that’s the reason that you’re not able to play week in and week out. So if you can avoid those big hits, it gives you some longevity in terms of career.”
What Made Bettis’s Super Bowl Victory So Special?
In the same interview, he spoke about Mike Tomlin’s abilities as a head coach, among many other topics. The No. 10 overall pick in the 1993 draft spent most of his career in Pittsburgh, and Tomlin became the Steelers” head coach two seasons after he retired.
Bettis ended his career on a high as he led the team with 14 carries in the Super Bowl. He turned those attempts into just 43 yards, as Willie Parker’s 10 attempts for 93 yards were the difference maker. Pittsburgh defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, to hoist the Lombardi Trophy of Super Bowl XL.
The durability strategy clearly worked. Throughout his career, Bettis only had fewer than 225 carries in three seasons. Those 225 carries came in a season where he played in just 11 games, the lowest of his career. A groin injury kept Bettis out of action for nearly a month.
Beyond that single setback, Bettis consistently played in 15 or 16 games during the season. He played 16 games in five of his first eight seasons, with the numbers going down slightly from there. Even in the final years of his career, Bettis played in 16 games in 2003, and then 15 games the year later.
