Football, more than any other of the four major sports, is a team game. One transcendent talent can turn any sports franchise around, but it often takes more to enjoy success on the gridiron. That?s nothing ground-breaking; we all known how important the ?team? concept is in football. That?s why coaches glow proudly when players stick up for one another and even applaud morale-building tussles in training camp. Regardless of how important team play is, though, statistics are kept. So what does it mean for a team when one of their stars excels individually? Does it translate to overall success? Or does it take away from a club?s team-first credo? To answer that question, I?ve analyzed statistics from the last seven NFL seasons. Going all the way back to 2002, the first season after the division restructure, I?ve isolated each of the league?s leaders in five major statistical categories. I?ll take a stat-by-stat approach with my analysis. Rushing Yards 2008 ? Adrian Peterson, Minnesota (1,760 yards, 10 TDs) 2007 ? LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (1,474 yards, 15 TDs) 2006 ? LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego (1,815 yards, 28 TDs) 2005 ? Shaun Alexander, Seattle (1,880 yards, 27 TDs) 2004 ? Curtis Martin, N.Y. Jets (1,697 yards, 12 TDs) 2003 ? Jamal Lewis, Baltimore (2,066 yards, 14 TDs) 2002 ? Ricky Williams, Miami (1,853 yards, 16 TDs) Not surprisingly, the ability of a team to run the ball effectively is a strong barometer of success. If a team has a rushing leader on their roster, chances are they rank near the top of the league in rushing offense (as each of the seven clubs did). In the seven years studied, teams had a winning percentage of close to seventy and all but one of the clubs made the postseason, with five winning their division. Of the five statistical categories featured, possessing an elite rusher indicated the most success. In the last four years, teams with a league-leading rusher have suffered just 16 total losses. Passing Yards 2008 ? Drew Brees, New Orleans (5,069 yards, 34 TDs) 2007 ? Tom Brady, New England (4,806 yards, 50 TDs) 2006 ? Drew Brees, New Orleans (4,418 yards, 26 TDs) 2005 ? Tom Brady, New England (4,110 yards, 26 TDs) 2004 ? Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota (4,717 yards, 39 TDs) 2003 ? Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (4,267 yards, 29 TDs) 2002 ? Rich Gannon, Oakland (4,689 yards, 26 TDs) Teams with a leading passer were slightly less successful (67%) than those with a leading rusher. To be exact, just two wins separated the groups over the last seven years. Five of the seven teams listed above qualified for the playoffs, with all five taking home their division crown. Two of those clubs advanced all the way to the Super Bowl, but both the Patriots (2007) and Raiders (2002) felt short of the Lombardi trophy. If you remove that New England team from the mix, the winning percentage of teams with a leading passer in the last seven years drops to 61%. That?s what a 16-0 run will do for you. None of the seven teams studied had a losing record. Receiving Yards 2008 ? Andre Johnson, Houston (1,575 yards, 8 TDs) 2007 ? Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis (1,510 yards, 10 TDs) 2006 ? Chad Johnson, Cincinnati (1,369 yards, 7 TDs) 2005 ? Steve Smith, Carolina (1,563 yards, 12 TDs) 2004 ? Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina (1,405 yards, 16 TDs) 2003 ? Torry Holt, St. Louis (1,696 yards, 12 TDs) 2002 ? Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis (1,722 yards, 11 TDs) We are starting to see less and less of a correlation between individual and team success as we go down the line. In the last seven years teams with a leading receiver won 61% of the time. However, just four teams made the playoffs and three did so by virtue of winning their division. Muhammad led the NFL in receiving in 2004, but the Panthers were 7-9. In addition, the Texans (2008) and Bengals (2006) were 8-8. The above-average play and dominance we saw from clubs in the two previous stat categories is vanishing. Obviously, a receiver needs a viable quarterback to lead all of football in receiving yards. With that said, there weren?t any teammate combinations. Interceptions 2008 ? Ed Reed, Baltimore, Baltimore (9) 2007 ? Antonio Cromartie, San Diego (10) 2006 ? Champ Bailey, Denver (10) 2005 ? Ty Law, N.Y. Jets (10) 2004 ? Ed Reed, Baltimore (9) 2003 ? Tony Parrish, San Francisco (9) 2002 ? Brian Kelly, Tampa Bay (8) The old clich? is that defense wins championships, but apparently the adage doesn?t translate to individual success. Teams that possessed a league-leading ball hawk on defense have won just 56% of the time since 2002. While it?s true that these clubs have won more often than they?ve lost, just three played postseason football. San Diego (2007) and Tampa Bay (2002) won their division, and the Buccaneers won the whole thing in the wake of Brian Kelly?s dominance in the secondary. Kelly has never had more than four interceptions in any of his other ten NFL seasons. Sacks 2008 ? DeMarcus Ware, Dallas (20.0) 2007 ? Jared Allen, Kansas City (15.5) 2006 ? Shawn Merriman, San Diego (17.0) 2005 ? Derrick Burgress, Oakland (16.0) 2004 ? Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis (16.0) 2003 ? Michael Strahan, N.Y. Giants (18.5) 2002 ? Jason Taylor, Miami (18.5) Pressuring the quarterback is one of the most important things a defender can do, but once again the team concept shows its importance in the numbers. Three of the seven teams studied had losing records, with the Chiefs (2007), Raiders (2005) and Giants (2003) all posting 4-12 records. Just two of the teams made the playoffs, while the Cowboys (2008) and Dolphins (2002) just missed the postseason. Teams that led the NFL in sacks are usually good, but having a league-leading pass-rusher obviously doesn?t ensure that. In short, build a cohesive, effective defensive unit without any one dominant player and you?ll have a winning team. That is, as long as you have Adrian Peterson or Peyton Manning on offense.