ESPN: Top 10 runnings backs of all time

[the kid 05]

Don Shula, Marv Levy, Emmitt Thomas, Jack Bushofsky, Dan Reeves, Jerry Richardson, Robert Smith and Floyd Reese helped ESPN.com evaluate the best running backs in NFL history. ESPN.com weighed their contributions, balancing rankings with anecdotal evidence and statistics to create the following list: (ZOOM gallery)
1. JIM BROWN
Career: Upon retiring before '66 season, the Browns' RB was all-time leader in rushing yards (12,312), all-purpose yards (15,549) and touchdowns (126).
Quick quote: "Incredible combination of speed and power. As a defensive back, I'm happy he retired just as I came into the league, because my career might have been a lot shorter if I had to tackle him.'' -- Thomas

2. BARRY SANDERS
Career: Sudden retirement in '99 came with the Lions' RB trailing only Walter Payton on the all-time rushing list. Ran for more than 1,500 yards in a season five times.
Quick quote: "He's the only guy I've ever seen who could hurt defenders without touching them. He'd have them twisting their ankles and running into each other.'' -- Reese

3. WALTER PAYTON
Career: Played on mediocre Bears teams until late in career but retired as leading rusher (16,726) in history.
Quick quote: "The most complete back ever."' -- Shula

4. EMMITT SMITH
Career: Smith, who played 13 seasons for Dallas and two for Arizona, took over as all-time rushing leader in '02. His 164 rushing touchdowns are the most in history.
Quick quote: "Phenomenal and extremely tough player. Incredible balance and leverage.'' -- Reeves

5. GALE SAYERS
Career: Knee problems forced him to retire in '71 after seven seasons with the Bears. At 33, he was the youngest person selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Quick quote: "I used to watch him and say, 'How can anybody be that good?'" -- Levy

6. LADAINIAN TOMLINSON
Career: The Chargers' RB has at least 1,200 rushing yards and 50 receptions in each of his first seven seasons.
Quick quote: "He brings as much versatility as any running back ever has.'' -- Smith

7. MARSHALL FAULK
Career: Began career with Indianapolis in '94 but was traded to St. Louis in '99 and became cornerstone of "Greatest Show on Turf." First running back in history to lead his team in receptions in five different seasons.
Quick quote: "Could have been an All-Pro as a wide receiver.'' -- Bushofsky

8. O.J. SIMPSON
Career: The Bills' great became the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season when he gained 2,003 in '73.
Quick quote: "He had it all. He had the same type balance as Jim Brown, and he could just keep going and going.'' -- Reeves

9. LENNY MOORE
Credentials: One of Johnny Unitas' key weapons for the Colts, he scored a touchdown in 18 straight regular-season appearances between '63 and '65.
Quick quote: "He may be underappreciated, but he was very similar to what Marshall Faulk has been more recently.'' -- Richardson, who was Moore's teammate for two years in Baltimore.

10. ERIC DICKERSON
Credentials: Reached 10,000 rushing yards in 91 games (the fastest pace in history) and rushed for 2,105 yards in '84. Played for Rams, Colts, Falcons and Raiders.
Quick quote: "He didn't look fast, but he was so long-legged that he could go the distance.'' -- Reeves


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/colum...as_pat&id=3422309&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

How Marshall is ahead of Dickerson and Simpson is beyond me

 

[EMMITTnROY]

pfft.. Barry Sanders #2? give me a break..

to me, i can accept any form of Emmitt, Payton and Brown being in the top 3, no matter the order.. but Barry Sanders shouldn't be in front of any of them..

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Most rushing yards most rushing TD's sounds like the best RB ever to me.

 

[EMMITTnROY]

Most rushing yards most rushing TD's sounds like the best RB ever to me.

also, most playoff yards, most playoff TDs, most Super Bowls.. Emmitt is barnone the most successful RB of all-time.. both stats and winning in the postseason.. it's not even close.. the ONLY thing that people argue against him is his line.. and it's a weak argument full of holes that i dont have the time to get into right now..

like i said, i can see a valid argument for Emmitt, Payton or Brown as #1.. but Barry? the NFL's all-time leader in negative yards rushing and a guy that had to be taken out on short yardage (ie: crucial 3rd downs, 4th downs, and goalline situations) should never be considered the greatest RB of all-time by anyone.. not to mention that he wasn't the complete back that Emmitt or Payton were.. not to mention that in the postseason, he was horrible.. not to mention he didn't have the heart or passion or leadership or drive of Emmitt or Payton.. yes, he was a human highlight reel and was a ton of fun to watch and could make some moves that nobody else could make.. but if you want to win ballgames, you're gonna pick Emmitt or Payton or Brown over him every single time..

here's my Top 10:

1. Emmitt Smith
2. Walter Payton
3. Jim Brown
4. Barry Sanders
5. LaDainian Tomlinson
6. Gale Sayers
7. OJ Simpson
8. Eric Dickerson
9. Tony Dorsett
10. Marshall Faulk

 

[zack]

Emmitt should be #1. All you have to do is look at how many teams today employ the two RB system to show have great he really was. Barry, please...

 

[THUMPER]

pfft.. Barry Sanders #2? give me a break..

to me, i can accept any form of Emmitt, Payton and Brown being in the top 3, no matter the order.. but Barry Sanders shouldn't be in front of any of them..

I totally agree. Sanders was one of the most exciting runners ever but not one of the elite RBs, at least not top-3 anyway.

The same goes for Gale Sayers. I watched him his entire career, what there was of it, and as exciting as he was he was never a dominant player like Jim Brown was. He was amazing to watch and was outstanding as a return man as well but he didn't last long enough to truly be considered a great RB IMO.

Lenny Moore was more of a receiver than a runner and should not be considered in the top-10. I would replace him & Sayers with Marcus Allen & Thurman Thomas.

 

[gazmc_06]

I'd have Emmitt, Walter and Barry as the top 3, LT will be top 3 very soon though.

 

[THUMPER]

I'd have Emmitt, Walter and Barry as the top 3, LT will be top 3 very soon though.

If Tomlinson can stay healthy and motivated he could very well be in the top-3 all time. But that's the key, staying healthy and maintaining that drive and desire. Jim Brown could have set the record out of reach if his desire would have remained. It is difficult to continue to push your body year after year the way Walter & Emmitt did.

It also requires a team that is playing well consistently. Teams that are behind a lot run less. He also needs to have a solid O-Line in front of him every year to keep his yardage totals up. Lots of things need to stay in place for him to reach that elite level of Emmitt, Payton, & Brown but if anyone could do it he is the most likely and has the best opportunity.

 

[JonCJG]

Question for the board.

Who was the better all around running back in their prime, Marshall or L.T. ?

 

[CrazyCowboy]

#4 goes higher in my book......but, I might be a little biased.

 

[gazmc_06]

Question for the board.

Who was the better all around running back in their prime, Marshall or L.T. ?

I'd take L.T.

 

[HTownCowboysFan]

I have no problem with that ranking to be perfectly honest. The Cowboys fan in me puts Emmitt in front of Barry, but come one, Barry Sanders was great and would be the all time leading rusher if he hadn't retired.

 

[Ren]

I have no problem with that ranking to be perfectly honest. The Cowboys fan in me puts Emmitt in front of Barry, but come one, Barry Sanders was great and would be the all time leading rusher if he hadn't retired.

Barry wasn't even a every down back, no way he should be ahead of Emmitt

 

[PullMyFinger]

The problem I have with Barry is he had so many negative yards. He'd have a game where he'd have 15 rushes for -6 yrds in the third qtr, then in the forth he'd have like 3 50+ yrd runs and his stats would look good in that game.

 

[burmafrd]

Take Brown, Emmitt and Sweetness and put them in any order. They are the top 3. Sanders faults are well known. Gale Sayers was the most dangerous open field runner I have ever seen. He was just a little too fragile for the game. I would put Earl Campbell in the top 10 before Faulk. To be in the top ten to me you had to be dominant for at least several years. The next group after the top 3 would be Campbell, Simpson,Dickerson, LT, TD, Sanders.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Faulk is higher than O.J. and Dickerson cause of his versatility. He was more than just a runner. He could block, he could catch passes out of the backfield, he could line up in the slot and run routes. I'd take Faulk any day of the week and twice on Sundays over O.J. or Dickerson. (And I don't have anything against either one of those as far a their football ability goes).

For those who honestly think that Emmitt was better than Barry because of the rushing numbers what would you fools be saying if Barry hadn't decided to walk away when he still had a good 2-3 years left in his legs?

Would you still be saying "Most rushing yards" means he should be the #1? I loved Emmitt as much as any Cowboys fan but lets not be silly. If Sanders had kept playing at that time Emmitt would have never gotten the rushing record. Had he played another 2-3 years, as he easily could have, the record would be up around 20,000 yards for a career. Emmitt, at his pace toward the end, would have had to play at least 2 more years, beyond where he did, in order to get to that area.

The touchdown thing is also slanted heavily in the favor of Emmitt because the Lions were completely stupid and would take their best weapon out of the lineup when they'd get inside the 5 yard line. Emmitt had the benefit of getting a lot of TDs from inside the 5. For Barry to score he had to score from farther out, most of the time, because his team was stupid.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

The problem I have with Barry is he had so many negative yards. He'd have a game where he'd have 15 rushes for -6 yrds in the third qtr, then in the forth he'd have like 3 50+ yrd runs and his stats would look good in that game.

Does it really matter when you get the yards as long as you do and it helps your team? I don't imagine anyone would complain about the games that Emmitt would start out slow for the first half but then just take over the second half.

And I'd be thrilled to have a back slap down 3 50+ yard runs in a game for the Cowboys, regardless of what quarter they happened in. I'll be attempting backflips if Jones adds something like that to our offense this season.

 

[adamknite]

Faulk is higher than O.J. and Dickerson cause of his versatility. He was more than just a runner. He could block, he could catch passes out of the backfield, he could line up in the slot and run routes. I'd take Faulk any day of the week and twice on Sundays over O.J. or Dickerson. (And I don't have anything against either one of those as far a their football ability goes).

For those who honestly think that Emmitt was better than Barry because of the rushing numbers what would you fools be saying if Barry hadn't decided to walk away when he still had a good 2-3 years left in his legs?

Would you still be saying "Most rushing yards" means he should be the #1? I loved Emmitt as much as any Cowboys fan but lets not be silly. If Sanders had kept playing at that time Emmitt would have never gotten the rushing record. Had he played another 2-3 years, as he easily could have, the record would be up around 20,000 yards for a career. Emmitt, at his pace toward the end, would have had to play at least 2 more years, beyond where he did, in order to get to that area.

The touchdown thing is also slanted heavily in the favor of Emmitt because the Lions were completely stupid and would take their best weapon out of the lineup when they'd get inside the 5 yard line. Emmitt had the benefit of getting a lot of TDs from inside the 5. For Barry to score he had to score from farther out, most of the time, because his team was stupid.

Ok... you make the argument for Faulk because he was more versatile than the others, but you don't make the same argument for Emmitt?

Emmitt could block, Emmitt was a good receiver, Emmitt was great at scoring from within the red zone..... how can you give credit to one player and not give another player the same deal? In the Barry versus Emmitt debate, Barry is "just a runner" and Emmitt is the more versatile player.....

 

[Wolfpack]

Emmitt +1
Sanders -1

 

[braw]

First of all the rankings merit comes from the source. ESPN is a joke when it comes to rankings.

If you want to compare RBs from different eras you need a base of comparison, which usually is stats.

So how can the RB with the most yards, the most TDs in the regular season and in the playoff season, the most super bowls and played at a high level for 11 years(when a rbs lifespan is 3 to 4 yrs) be #4. And Please don't start with the greatest Oline bit because that Oline was there when he held out and they started 0-2. When he came back bam they did not miss a beat on the way to a super bowl.