Who's is the greatest RB of all time.

Discussion in 'NFL General Discussion' started by Omen, Oct 25, 2013.

  1. Omen

    Omen Speeling Be Champions Staff Member

    Jim Brown
    Earl Thomas
    Bo Jackson
    Walter Payton
    Barry Sanders
    Emmitt Smith

    Who's is the greatest. Let us know why? State your case.
     
  2. Fez

    Fez Chicharooney!!!

    Earl Thomas?

    It's Barry, Payton, Brown in some order... Emmitt can't hold any of those's jocks.
     
  3. K Train

    K Train Do You Honeycutt?

    Earl Campbell is what he meant

    I think its sweetness or peterson personally, i get that peterson is still young but i got that keen insight
     
  4. markaz

    markaz Resident Cards Fan Staff Member

    I'm mentioning Gale Sayers just because he belongs on any list of all-time great backs. Not that he is the greatest, but........

    No. 1 for me is Barry Sanders. Stats wise others may lay claim to whatever category you're talking about (rushing titles, etc.), but I can't think of any other football player that made me want to watch a game more than Sanders. Given that the offensive lines he ran behind were, well.......crap, he created a vast majority of his own yardage with unbelievable vision, instincts and athletic ability. Had he had the luxury of running behind decent lines, god only knows what kinds of numbers he would have put up. That's where Emmitt Smith had it over a bunch of the other RB's. Except for that joke of a period where he played in Arizona, Smith ran behind some of the best O-Lines during his entire career.

    In a close second....Jim Brown.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2013
  5. Steve12

    Steve12 The night is dark and full of terrors

    I'll take Sanders over anyone else. That dude was just so great to watch. He did it on crapty teams his whole career. I can only imagine what he would have done on a team that cared about winning.
     
  6. markaz

    markaz Resident Cards Fan Staff Member

    [​IMG]
     
  7. ragman

    ragman Pro Bowler Fantasy Guru

    Emmitt. He has the all-time rushing record. Case closed.
     
  8. Steve12

    Steve12 The night is dark and full of terrors

    Lmao. No.
     
  9. ragman

    ragman Pro Bowler Fantasy Guru

    And, why not?
     
  10. Steve12

    Steve12 The night is dark and full of terrors

    Because looking blindly at stats for greatness is stupid. Is Brett Favre the best qb ever?
     
  11. Walnuts

    Walnuts All-Pro

    It really depends on your definition of "best". IMO, the overall most talented to ever play the position, by a pretty considerable margin, would be...
    [​IMG]

    A big, stupidly strong and powerful runner with cut on a dime ability and sub-4.2 40 speed...he'd run over you, through you, around you, whatever, and once he hit open field he wasn't getting caught. If he had dedicated himself to football full-time and avoided that hip crap, this wouldn't even be a discussion right now. Nobody before or since has come close to his freakish athleticism or natural abilities.
     
  12. DawkinsINT

    DawkinsINT Tebow free since 9/5/2015.

    Bo was the greatest that I've ever seen, but Jim Brown was that type of back decades before. Nobody dominated others in the position like he did.

    His running abilities are well documented. His ability to catch the ball and run after are something that most people don't realize that he was so good at. His size made him an excellent blocker as well.

    To me, Jim Brown is the greatest RB of all-time, and it's not even that close.
     
  13. Walnuts

    Walnuts All-Pro

    Also, while not saying he's the best, or even in that conversation (although he was pretty damn good in his own right, see video below), this man deserves mention for completely changing the way the league looked at running backs. If it wasn't for his success in Walsh's offense, dual-threat guys like LDT, Marshall Faulk, Brian Westbrook, Matt Forte, etc., would probably have had very different career paths and would likely not have been nearly as highly regarded as they are. Long live the Catfish.
    [​IMG]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_cOctUzgSY"]Roger Craig vs RAMS.mpg - YouTube[/ame]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 25, 2013
  14. DaBears22

    DaBears22 Matt Forte = future MVP Staff Member

    I think Bo Jackson had the highest potential to be the best ever but that hip injury took care of that. That dude was insane. However my vote goes to Sanders. He did more with less than any other RB in NFL history. Smith may have the all time rushing title but can you really say he had the talent of Sanders, or Jackson, or Payton?

    I'll throw another name out here for discussion: Curtis Martin. Also O.J. Simpson.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2013
  15. Walnuts

    Walnuts All-Pro

    One thing about Brown that I can't get past though...back then, he was playing RB at 230-240 lbs...pretty much the size of a defensive tackle at the time. He was much bigger than linebackers and DE's, and most NFL players weren't nearly the athletes they are in the modern game to boot. It was a LOT easier for him to dominate the game and put up the numbers he did than it is for players today, which isn't to say he wasn't immensely talented or anything, but it does knock him down a peg in my eyes when you're talking about the best ever. Best of his era, without a doubt...one of the greatest ever, sure - but not THE greatest, IMO.

    Not even remotely close.

    Martin, no. He'd never even cross my mind in this discussion. He was good, solid, reliable, etc. but wasn't anything really special. OJ's up there though, you could probably make a solid argument for him.

    Another one who I think gets overlooked sometimes, maybe because of how he finished out his career as a minor role player and backup rather than walking out on top, would be LaDainian Tomlinson. 5th all time rushing yards, 2nd all time rushing TD's, 3rd all time total TD's, 5th all time yards from scrimmage...dude was as good as they come.
     
  16. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    Sanders for me. His elusiveness, quickness and strength is almost unmatched. Not to mention he had killer vision. Remember he retired early too...

    Definitely would put Bo Jackson up there too. I loved watching that guy play.
     
  17. Steve12

    Steve12 The night is dark and full of terrors

    Did Sanders really have great vision? If I remember correctly, he would often pass up huge holes in the middle with the hopes of busting it outside for a bigger gain.
     
  18. DaBears22

    DaBears22 Matt Forte = future MVP Staff Member

    Tomlinson could be forgotten in today's game but what about 5 or 10 years from now? By then he could be considered one of the best ever. It's hard to compare today's players to the players from the past. Either way the dude was a beast.

    Look at Curtis Martin for example. He wasn't exactly a household name or everyone's favorite RB but he's 4th all time in rushing yards. He had the quietest career of all the rushing greats, so far imo.
     
  19. ICECOLD

    ICECOLD 1st Stringer

    This is all opinion, but these are the running backs I've seen in my lifetime who I couldn't wait to watch play on Sundays (in no particular order):
    Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Walter Payton, Roger Craig, Thurman Thomas, Marshall Faulk (Rams version especially), Garrison Hearst, Herschel Walker, Christian Okoye, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Curtis Martin, Warrick Dunn, Frank Gore & Adrian Peterson.

    I have hardly ever seen Ladanian Tomlinson play, but based on what he accomplished he should be in the conversation. Emmitt Smith was very good, but being a Niner fan and hating the Cowboys when I was younger didn't allow me to appreciate what he did. At this point, I recognize he's one of the best to ever do it, but historically I can't place him in the top 3 and it would be hard for him to be in the top 5 in my opinion.

    I agree with Walnuts that if Bo hadn't gotten hurt and didn't play 2 pro sports, he would've been the best hands down.

    All-time Top 5 (my opinion)
    Jim Brown
    Barry Sanders
    Walter Payton
    Earl Campbell
    OJ Simpson

    MFE (Most Freakish Ever)
    Bo Jackson
     
  20. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DcHoF0Gjao]Barry Sanders Highlights - YouTube[/ame]

    I would say yes.