Rate the top running backs of all time

Discussion in 'NFL General' started by Denny Crane, Jul 22, 2007.

  1. Denny Crane

    Denny Crane It's not even loaded! Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    May 24, 2007
    Messages:
    72,957
    Likes Received:
    10,620
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Never lost a case
    Location:
    Boston Legal
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (kcgsc)</div><div class='quotemain'>

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BearsFan1)</div><div class='quotemain'>There is no way you can say he would have broke record. He was a tiny man, and one big hit from not playing ever again. Plus, with as much as he got caught for a loss, he might have lost a step, and ended up with a negative rushing total. FYI he was on bad team, but it was usually a bad DEFENSE holding back lions, and not the offense. He got his carries, danced like a girl, and hurt the lions chances every time he started.</div></p>

    <font face="comic sans ms,sand" size="4" color="#ffff00" style="background-color: #ff0000">The problem with that statement is that it was not easy to hit him. I read before that Peyton was B. Sanders' hero. There was speculation that one of the reasons he walked away was to not take Walter's record.</font></p>

    </div></p>

    I agree. On short yardage plays, tho, he would have been easy to hit. They were clearly scared of breaking him.</p>

    </p>
     
  2. cpawfan

    cpawfan Monsters do exist

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2007
    Messages:
    8,703
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    38
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane)</div><div class='quotemain'>

    That joke was originally about Payton and Franco Harris.</p>

    Jim Brown was quite vocal about not wanting Harris to beat his record (or first). </p>

    </div>
    That was two fold. Not only did Brown not like Franco's running style, he also didn't want a Steeler breaking his record.</p>

    </p>

    </p>
     
  3. cpawfan

    cpawfan Monsters do exist

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2007
    Messages:
    8,703
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Seeing Csonka mentioned, we should do another thread on most underrated RB's. *cough* Rocky Bleier *cough*
     
  4. vikingfan2272

    vikingfan2272 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    um, i think that LT is one of the best RB there have ever been and his career isnt even over. But Barry Sanders would probably be my number 1, then i am not sure who i would put as 2 but LT i has like already established himself as a top 5 RB in history. hopefully Adrian Peterson will become the best RB ever. [​IMG]</p>
     
  5. Old Bob

    Old Bob nfl-*****s member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2007
    Messages:
    169
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    <font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">I will add this in reference to Jim Brown. He played a shorter schedule, against fewer teams, with smaller defensive players. Give me Bo Jackson. If he'd have played from 59 to 64 none of you would know who the hell Jim Brown is !</font>
     
  6. Pack Attack

    Pack Attack The KISS Army

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2003
    Messages:
    4,726
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Gotta give some props to Marshall Faulk as well. Over 10,000 yards rushing and nearly 7000 yards receiving over the course of his career. Quite impressive.
     
  7. FLORIDA PACKER

    FLORIDA PACKER nfl-*****s member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2005
    Messages:
    2,094
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    1. Walter Payton- Sweetness nothing less</p>

    2. Emitt Smith- Grew up seeing him play</p>

    3. Jim Brown- Emitt gets the nod for number 2 in my book just because of the Huge time gap.</p>

    4. Barry Sanders- One of the most elusive backs in history</p>

    5. Marshall Faulk- One of the most versatile threats in NFL history</p>

    6. Toney Dorsett- TD is legendary in my household(my dad's a Cowboys/Bengals fan)</p>

    7. Bo Jackson- Bo knew Football</p>

    8. Curtis Martin- One of my favorite back ever, Did everything right.</p>

    9. Earl Campbell- Just a Monster, thrived on contact</p>

    10. Thurman Thomas- Another one of those awesome multi threat backs.</p>
     
  8. porky88

    porky88 King of Kings

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2005
    Messages:
    5,139
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    I think Jim Brown was well ahead of his time. He was as big and as fast as any back in the NFL today and he retired much sooner as well. I think I heard Tom Jackson say he ran a 4.4. That was unheard of back then for a guy his size. </p>

    PA Marshal Faulk would be my most versatile back to ever play the game and probably the most underrated to ever play the game. Those Rams would've been nothing without him in my opinion. </p>
     
  9. Kid Chocolate

    Kid Chocolate Suspended

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    5,174
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    0
    To say Barry Sanders wouldn't be top 100 is absolutely absurd.
     
  10. TheBeef

    TheBeef Commish of FUN!

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2003
    Messages:
    5,495
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    38
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kid Chocolate)</div><div class='quotemain'>To say Barry Sanders wouldn't be top 100 is absolutely absurd.</div></p>

    </p>

    I dont agree with BF1 that Barry Sanders should be excluded from the top 100 or even the top 10, but he does have a point that Barry Sanders running style wasnt condusive to winning because it does not consistently move the chains and it does not consistently put you in the 2nd and short to medium situations that you need as an offense to dictateto a defense....Barry Sanders did lose more yard from scrimmage than any other RB in history and he did lose yards on more occasions than any other back....which means he was far more likely to put you into 2nd and 13 than he was to break a breathaking run....no one turned nothing into something more spectacularly, and no one turned something into nothing with more flair....</p>
     
  11. Bearsfan1

    Bearsfan1 2 Time Defending FF Champion

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2003
    Messages:
    6,450
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kid Chocolate)</div><div class='quotemain'>To say Barry Sanders wouldn't be top 100 is absolutely absurd.</div>To say barry sanders was anything other then a coward to afraid to fight for even one tough yard is absurd, My 2 year old neice is tougher.
     
  12. MikeDC

    MikeDC Member

    Joined:
    May 24, 2007
    Messages:
    5,643
    Likes Received:
    16
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Occupation:
    Professor
    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    I came into this thead thinking that even though I'm a Bears fan, I'd have to give the nod to Brown, but Bo Jackson changes my mind.</p>

    On a purely game by game basis, a healthy Bo Jackson was the most freakishly dominant RB I've ever seen. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but the guy was like Shaq in that he was just one of those guys who is naturally an order of magnitude better as a physical specimen than anyone he played against. Brown was like that too, but playing against guys who didn't train or anything like they do now. So I tend to think Bo could have done pretty much anything Brown could have done.</p>

    Of course, Jackson doesn't even have enough NFL time to qualify his 5.4 ypc as the best ever. So it's kind of hard for me to add him to a best ever list. </p>

    </p>

    Anyway, my point is sort of this: I think Bo (on the field) was probably a modern day Jim Brown. And I'd still take a healthy, in-his-prime Payton over Jackson any day of the week.</p>
     
  13. Big Frame

    Big Frame Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Messages:
    4,280
    Likes Received:
    30
    Trophy Points:
    48
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BearsFan1)</div><div class='quotemain'>

    NOT IN TOP 100 all time - Barry Sanders. Led the lead in carries for loss every year with his girly dancing style that hurt the team</p>

    </div></p>

    Bears fan, are you just upset that it took like 12 Bears to run him out of bounds with that "Girly Dancing style" he had? For every 5-10 yard loss I knew he had a 80 yard TD run in him.</p>
     

Share This Page