Chris Johnson says the Titans are king of Rbs

[beware_d-ware]

Chris Johnson's become a bit of a "remember when" guy, but he had a hell of a career. Finished a hair under 10,000 yards in his career, ripped off six straight 1000 yard seasons to open it, and of course the big 2K topper. Zeke's career isn't done yet, but he would do well just to match Johnson. With his game imploding like the OL in front of him, I'm starting to doubt he does.

 

[CarolinaFathead]

While I’m as pissed at Zeke as anyone, he’s getting way too much criticism on this board. He’s got an amazing skill set for a running back. Sure, it’s an entirely rational and plausible argument that a running back, in today’s NFL, is not worthy of a top 10 pick but that’s not Zeke’s fault. If anything, his measurables and production in college should tell you how talented he is that he was drafted that high. If Dallas didn’t nab him at four I doubt he falls out of the top ten. Also, it’s not Zeke’s fault that he signed a contract any of us would have signed in his position. I suppose you can get mad at him for the holdout but for any of you alive in 1993, were you mad at Emmitt for holding out while signed to a contract?

Zeke has an extremely rare combination of power, speed, strength, receiving ability, and blocking ability. The fumbling issues, while infuriating (along with his attitude about it going into the last game) shouldn’t deflect from everything else he brings to the table. We might be looking at a severe skill diminishment in a short period of time with Zeke but I’m not quite ready to jump to that conclusion just yet.

 

[CarolinaFathead]

Calvin Hill
Tony Dorsett
Enmitt Smith

Calvin Hill! Nice!

Robert Newhouse was quite productive for us in the 70’s.

 

[RonnieT24]

This is one of a number of arguments which the data can easily settle:

Here are the top 25 rushers of all time:

Rank Player Yds Years Tm
1 Emmitt Smith + 18,355 1990-2004 2TM
2 Walter Payton+ 16,726 1975-1987 chi
3 Frank Gore 15,597 2005-2020 5TM
4 Barry Sanders + 15,269 1989-1998 det
5 Adrian Peterson 14,501 2007-2020 5TM
6 Curtis Martin + 14,101 1995-2005 2TM
7 LaDainian Tomlinson+ 13,684 2001-2011 2TM
8 Jerome Bettis+ 13,662 1993-2005 2TM
9 Eric Dickerson+ 13,259 1983-1993 4TM
10 Tony Dorsett+ 12,739 1977-1988 2TM
11 Jim Brown+ 12,312 1957-1965 cle
12 Marshall Faulk+ 12,279 1994-2005 2TM
13 Edgerrin James+ 12,246 1999-2009 3TM
14 Marcus Allen+ 12,243 1982-1997 2TM
15 Franco Harris+ 12,120 1972-1984 2TM
16 Thurman Thomas+ 12,074 1988-2000 2TM
17 Fred Taylor 11,695 1998-2010 2TM
18 Steven Jackson 11,438 2004-2015 3TM
19 John Riggins+ 11,352 1971-1985 2TM
20 Corey Dillon 11,241 1997-2006 2TM
21 O.J. Simpson+ 11,236 1969-1979 2TM
22 LeSean McCoy 11,070 2009-2020 4TM
23 Warrick Dunn 10,967 1997-2008 2TM
24 Ricky Watters 10,643 1992-2001 3TM
25 Jamal Lewis 10,607 2000-2009 2TM

The Cowboys are the only team with two guys drafted by and who played the bulk of their careers with them in the top 10. The Rams can lay claim to Dickerson, Bettis, Faulk and Steven Davis. So if you go to the top 20 the Rams have a strong case. The Colts drafted Edge and Faulk and traded for Dickerson. The Steelers really only drafted Franco.. Bettis was an acquisition..

Still if you're talking top 10 the Cowboys are really the only franchise that has a case.

On a side note I love seeing Gore and Peterson playing for 5 teams. That's the spirit.. Play the game as long as they will let you. I hate when "fans" whine that a guy "needs to hang 'em up?" Why? What the hell else are these guys gonna do? They have been football players since they're 7 years old. Most of them don't really know how to do anything else. And don't want to. They love the game and can still function at an NFL level.. Let 'em play on!!!

 

[John813]

Dallas is in the top 2 IMO. Only the Rams could probably challenge us as a franchise for RB's.
I have jaded glasses on this one but I don't see the Titans/Oilers being better than Dallas or LA

The Steelers have had quite a stable as well. Harris and Bettis are in the HOF and they’ve had some damn good backs there over the years outside of those two as well.

Bell too if he didn't burn down that bridge/gig.

 

[JoeKing]

IN HISTORY

https://www.inquirer.com/sports/dodgers-braves-world-series-chris-johnson-natasha-cloud-sports-news-20201019.html#:~:text=Chris Johnson says Titans have best RBs in history&text=“Titans have the best running,,” Johnson said on Twitter.

I have to disagree its top 3 maybe but when your team were the oilers before in a different state different name, you cant claim Earl..

but even if its allowed

Our DC have, had

Tony Dorsett
H.Walker
Emmitt Smith
Murray
Zeke

im going to say we are #1 because its all been on the original DC since 1960

what other teams make the top 5 curious..

Do you think fumbling Zeke contradicts Chis Johnson? Never include that overpaid Ewok with the list of great RBs we once had.

 

[CowboysBravesSpurs]

okay. 2 great years. Wonderful. He’s still overpaid and has lost multiple steps.

The year he was suspended, he led the league in rushing if you only count the games he played in. So, 3 great years.

 

[dwmyers]

Chris Johnson's become a bit of a "remember when" guy, but he had a hell of a career. Finished a hair under 10,000 yards in his career, ripped off six straight 1000 yard seasons to open it, and of course the big 2K topper. Zeke's career isn't done yet, but he would do well just to match Johnson. With his game imploding like the OL in front of him, I'm starting to doubt he does.

I remember the year we drafted Felix Jones, and thinking CJ would have been who I would have picked there. That said, he had one great year and some pretty good years. If you break down his game analytically,
he never was a very steady back (poor success rate for a back with his yardage). More of this value was caught up in his long runs than any other back of his era.

D-

 

[JoeKing]

This is one of a number of arguments which the data can easily settle:

Here are the top 25 rushers of all time:

Rank Player Yds Years Tm
1 Emmitt Smith + 18,355 1990-2004 2TM
2 Walter Payton+ 16,726 1975-1987 chi
3 Frank Gore 15,597 2005-2020 5TM
4 Barry Sanders + 15,269 1989-1998 det
5 Adrian Peterson 14,501 2007-2020 5TM
6 Curtis Martin + 14,101 1995-2005 2TM
7 LaDainian Tomlinson+ 13,684 2001-2011 2TM
8 Jerome Bettis+ 13,662 1993-2005 2TM
9 Eric Dickerson+ 13,259 1983-1993 4TM
10 Tony Dorsett+ 12,739 1977-1988 2TM
11 Jim Brown+ 12,312 1957-1965 cle
12 Marshall Faulk+ 12,279 1994-2005 2TM
13 Edgerrin James+ 12,246 1999-2009 3TM
14 Marcus Allen+ 12,243 1982-1997 2TM
15 Franco Harris+ 12,120 1972-1984 2TM
16 Thurman Thomas+ 12,074 1988-2000 2TM
17 Fred Taylor 11,695 1998-2010 2TM
18 Steven Jackson 11,438 2004-2015 3TM
19 John Riggins+ 11,352 1971-1985 2TM
20 Corey Dillon 11,241 1997-2006 2TM
21 O.J. Simpson+ 11,236 1969-1979 2TM
22 LeSean McCoy 11,070 2009-2020 4TM
23 Warrick Dunn 10,967 1997-2008 2TM
24 Ricky Watters 10,643 1992-2001 3TM
25 Jamal Lewis 10,607 2000-2009 2TM

The Cowboys are the only team with two guys drafted by and who played the bulk of their careers with them in the top 10. The Rams can lay claim to Dickerson, Bettis, Faulk and Steven Davis. So if you go to the top 20 the Rams have a strong case. The Colts drafted Edge and Faulk and traded for Dickerson. The Steelers really only drafted Franco.. Bettis was an acquisition..

Still if you're talking top 10 the Cowboys are really the only franchise that has a case.

On a side note I love seeing Gore and Peterson playing for 5 teams. That's the spirit.. Play the game as long as they will let you. I hate when "fans" whine that a guy "needs to hang 'em up?" Why? What the hell else are these guys gonna do? They have been football players since they're 7 years old. Most of them don't really know how to do anything else. And don't want to. They love the game and can still function at an NFL level.. Let 'em play on!!!

There is a long life to be lived after an NFL career is completed. Those that stay too long in the NFL game tend to not have such a good quality of life once their game time is over. There is a "Goldilocks Zone" between making your money and getting out while healthy and it's about 8 to 10 years for RBs. Outside of that zone, RB are doing more harm to their health than its worth.

 

[RonnieT24]

While I’m as pissed at Zeke as anyone, he’s getting way too much criticism on this board. He’s got an amazing skill set for a running back. Sure, it’s an entirely rational and plausible argument that a running back, in today’s NFL, is not worthy of a top 10 pick but that’s not Zeke’s fault. If anything, his measurables and production in college should tell you how talented he is that he was drafted that high. If Dallas didn’t nab him at four I doubt he falls out of the top ten. Also, it’s not Zeke’s fault that he signed a contract any of us would have signed in his position. I suppose you can get mad at him for the holdout but for any of you alive in 1993, were you mad at Emmitt for holding out while signed to a contract?

Zeke has an extremely rare combination of power, speed, strength, receiving ability, and blocking ability. The fumbling issues, while infuriating (along with his attitude about it going into the last game) shouldn’t deflect from everything else he brings to the table. We might be looking at a severe skill diminishment in a short period of time with Zeke but I’m not quite ready to jump to that conclusion just yet.

I don't think anyone was mad at Emmitt (except maybe the Jones family) because everyone agreed he was grossly underpaid for the performance he was putting out there. He was a back to back rushing champ AND a key cog in a Super Bowl run and he was set to make less than $500,000 in '93. When the agent came to him asking for a raise Jerry should have just said "how much you want?" and wrote the check. He ended up giving Emmitt like 100K more than Thurman Thomas' deal which was still a bargain. But I am with you on Zeke.. I have seen enough signs of his being a really tough runner who is having to make a lot of yards on his own. He's averaging more yards per carry AFTER contact than before contact. That pretty much says it all. He's getting crap for blocking on most plays and he still gets me 4 yards almost every time no matter what the defense tries to do. I won't defend the fumbles, hell he doesn't even defend the fumbles but I think the kid cares.. maybe too much because I think the fumbles in the last game were clearly a guy trying to do too much. He needs to settle down, and play his game and get out of his own head and he'll be fine.

 

[RonnieT24]

There is a long life to be lived after an NFL career is completed. Those that stay too long in the NFL game tend to not have such a good quality of life once their game time is over. There is a "Goldilocks Zone" between making your money and getting out while healthy and it's about 8 to 10 years for RBs. Outside of that zone, RB are doing more harm to their health than its worth.

I dunno.. I've been up close to Emmitt a time or two and he looks fine. Walks fine, seems to have a clear mind.. But Emmitt was a master at avoiding contact. He played 15 years but I suspect his body only took about 8-10 years worth of punishment. Big guys like Campbell and Bettis are a different story to be sure. Those guys took a pounding.. because they didn't really have much choice. They were not as nimble as most of the smaller backs are. Eric Dickerson seems to have escaped major damage as well. Ditto Marshall Faulk. Come to think of it most of the guys on the list got out with their faculties and their bodies pretty much intact. But even some of the nimble guys paid a price.. We all know about Tony D's CTE issues.. which frankly makes me sad.. His body is fine but his head is failing him..

 

[CarolinaFathead]

I don't think anyone was mad at Emmitt (except maybe the Jones family) because everyone agreed he was grossly underpaid for the performance he was putting out there. He was a back to back rushing champ AND a key cog in a Super Bowl run and he was set to make less than $500,000 in '93. When the agent came to him asking for a raise Jerry should have just said "how much you want?" and wrote the check. He ended up giving Emmitt like 100K more than Thurman Thomas' deal which was still a bargain. But I am with you on Zeke.. I have seen enough signs of his being a really tough runner who is having to make a lot of yards on his own. He's averaging more yards per carry AFTER contact than before contact. That pretty much says it all. He's getting crap for blocking on most plays and he still gets me 4 yards almost every time no matter what the defense tries to do. I won't defend the fumbles, hell he doesn't even defend the fumbles but I think the kid cares.. maybe too much because I think the fumbles in the last game were clearly a guy trying to do too much. He needs to settle down, and play his game and get out of his own head and he'll be fine.

Totally agree with you about Emmitt. I was mad at Jones at the time and I wasn’t mad at Zeke for holding out either. These kids have to get paid and they need to strike while the iron is hot.

 

[CarolinaFathead]

I dunno.. I've been up close to Emmitt a time or two and he looks fine. Walks fine, seems to have a clear mind.. But Emmitt was a master at avoiding contact. He played 15 years but I suspect his body only took about 8-10 years worth of punishment. Big guys like Campbell and Bettis are a different story to be sure. Those guys took a pounding.. because they didn't really have much choice. They were not as nimble as most of the smaller backs are. Eric Dickerson seems to have escaped major damage as well. Ditto Marshall Faulk. Come to think of it most of the guys on the list got out with their faculties and their bodies pretty much intact. But even some of the nimble guys paid a price.. We all know about Tony D's CTE issues.. which frankly makes me sad.. His body is fine but his head is failing him..

I live near Cleveland and volunteer at the HOF enshrinement most years. I’ve seen most of these guys up close. Emmitt is fine physically. Campbell looks busted. Bettis doesn’t look as bad as Campbell but you can tell he’s got arthritis pretty bad. Dickerson walks around completely normal.

The guys that look the worst are the O-lineman that didn’t drop any weight after retirement. Willie Roaf, for example, looks horrible.

 

[RonnieT24]

I live near Cleveland and volunteer at the HOF enshrinement most years. I’ve seen most of these guys up close. Emmitt is fine physically. Campbell looks busted. Bettis doesn’t look as bad as Campbell but you can tell he’s got arthritis pretty bad. Dickerson walks around completely normal.

The guys that look the worst are the O-lineman that didn’t drop any weight after retirement. Willie Roaf, for example, looks horrible.

The true worst are guys who played before the 90's .. before arthroscopic surgery became the go to. Back then if they needed to operate on anything it was tear open a big hole in whatever body part, stitch it back together and hope for the best. I was on a flight last year with Archie Manning. He was on his way to see an orthopedic specialist in the Bay Area. Archie is maybe 10 years older than me.. but he looks 20 years older and walks 30 years older. That dude took such a beating in New Orleans it was almost criminal.

 

[Runwildboys]

I remember the year we drafted Felix Jones, and thinking CJ would have been who I would have picked there. That said, he had one great year and some pretty good years. If you break down his game analytically,
he never was a very steady back (poor success rate for a back with his yardage). More of this value was caught up in his long runs than any other back of his era.

D-

There was something scary about him though. You knew he could break one and bring it to the house at any time.

 

[HotDog37]

Eric Dickerson is the best RB I have ever seen carry a football. His combination of size and nearly world class speed was amazing.

 

[RonnieT24]

There was something scary about him though. You knew he could break one and bring it to the house at any time.

Yeah he could but dude never weighed more than 190-195 pounds. It typically only took getting half a hand on him to bring him down. But if you let him get into the open field you weren't catching him. He was fun to watch.. Sort of Barry Sanders lite.. even when he was hemmed in you couldn't guarantee you had him because he was that rare back who actually COULD reverse field and still outrun NFL defenders. He didn't have the lower body leg strength that Sanders had but was faster on the top end.

 

[Runwildboys]

Eric Dickerson is the best RB I have ever seen carry a football. His combination of size and nearly world class speed was amazing.

He was great, but the guy in my signature might argue over "best".

 

[RonnieT24]

He was great, but the guy in my signature might argue over "best".

My response to people who constantly try to minimize Emmitt is that I will concede that all the running backs who accumulated more yards and touchdowns than Emmitt were better than he was..

A fun fact I used to like to throw at them was that Emmitt the same number of rushing touchdowns as Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson combined and almost as many as OJ Simpson and Jim Brown combined. When you start having as much success in your career as TWO hall of famers and recognized all time greats at your position then your place among them is secured. People will "if so and so had played in Dallas" till the cows come home. The fact of the matter is that "The Great Wall of Dallas" featured undrafted free agent Nate Newton,undrafted free agent Mark Tuinei, 8th round pick Kevin Gogan, 10th round pick, John Gesek, 3rd round pick Mark Stepnoski, 3rd round pick Erik Williams.. Larry Allen was the closest thing to a top pick and he went in the middle of the 2nd round. (46th) .. The fun part is that all of them except Williams and Allen were there BEFORE Emmitt arrived and had been helped the Cowboys go 3-13 followed by 1-15. Nate will tell anybody who will listen that before Emmitt came to town they were just fat guys.. After Emmitt came to town they were fat guys making pro bowls.

People will never fully appreciate Emmitt because his smooth and effortless running style made it look easy at times. It looked to the untrained eye like "well the defense is just overruning the play" or "the offensive line is opening gaping holes." But in many cases the only reason those holes opened up was because Emmitt was so adept at setting up his blocks.. showing the defense he was going to one hole and then when the defender vacated an area darting back through it. But I get that it was hard for people to see that on TV.. So I understand why Barry Sanders' style was sexier to watch or Dickerson's majestic gait was obviously superior.. or Marshall Faulk or LT;s all around greatness made them better or Jim Brown's dominance or fill in your favorite running back here. But I always come back to when it's all said and done.. all the guys ahead of Emmitt on the yards and touchdowns list can claim to be better.. The rest can ****.

 

[Runwildboys]

My response to people who constantly try to minimize Emmitt is that I will concede that all the running backs who accumulated more yards and touchdowns than Emmitt were better than he was..

A fun fact I used to like to throw at them was that Emmitt the same number of rushing touchdowns as Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson combined and almost as many as OJ Simpson and Jim Brown combined. When you start having as much success in your career as TWO hall of famers and recognized all time greats at your position then your place among them is secured. People will "if so and so had played in Dallas" till the cows come home. The fact of the matter is that "The Great Wall of Dallas" featured undrafted free agent Nate Newton,undrafted free agent Mark Tuinei, 8th round pick Kevin Gogan, 10th round pick, John Gesek, 3rd round pick Mark Stepnoski, 3rd round pick Erik Williams.. Larry Allen was the closest thing to a top pick and he went in the middle of the 2nd round. (46th) .. The fun part is that all of them except Williams and Allen were there BEFORE Emmitt arrived and had been helped the Cowboys go 3-13 followed by 1-15. Nate will tell anybody who will listen that before Emmitt came to town they were just fat guys.. After Emmitt came to town they were fat guys making pro bowls.

People will never fully appreciate Emmitt because his smooth and effortless running style made it look easy at times. It looked to the untrained eye like "well the defense is just overruning the play" or "the offensive line is opening gaping holes." But in many cases the only reason those holes opened up was because Emmitt was so adept at setting up his blocks.. showing the defense he was going to one hole and then when the defender vacated an area darting back through it. But I get that it was hard for people to see that on TV.. So I understand why Barry Sanders' style was sexier to watch or Dickerson's majestic gait was obviously superior.. or Marshall Faulk or LT;s all around greatness made them better or Jim Brown's dominance or fill in your favorite running back here. But I always come back to when it's all said and done.. all the guys ahead of Emmitt on the yards and touchdowns list can claim to be better.. The rest can ****.

I'll openly admit that Barry was the most fun to watch, but Emmitt had the vision, the patience, the intelligence to take as few direct hits as possible, the elusiveness, the hand fighting, straight-arm, and enough speed to get the job done, not to mention the blocking ability. He might always be the greatest ever.