re: The devaluing of RB's **UPDATED** Ben Tate would've been a Safety

Very valid points i've been mulling over for some time. The Pass first/happy style is the main impetus for killing the running back...It is cyclical as mentioned and will eventually come back.
I thing the second main reason the back has become a secondary thought is the payday they used to command and being prone to injury and the fizzle factor. Teams had to invest large sums of money to get that marquee tailback and 80% of the time he never lived up to the hype. Then, if you had one that lived up to the hype and his body wasn't durable enough, your investment goes down the drain in 2-3 years. RBBC does allow to spread the wear over a couple of other backs to minimalize injuries and the impact if one does go down.