If you could get any one running back to run behind our line, who would it be?

[CATCH17]

Adrian Peterson, he's got the best combination of size, speed, vision, and power, more so than any running back in history IMO.

Agree.. I'll take him over anyone. Adrian Peterson is violent.

 

[chagus]

John Riggins RB and Christian Akoye FB. Unstoppable.

 

[tyke1doe]

Agree.. I'll take him over anyone. Adrian Peterson is violent.

So was O.J. Simpson.

 

[KJJ]

A better question would have been a RB playing today not named AP.

My answer for that would be Jamaal Charles.

Charles' rushing production has gone down every year since 2012. Granted he's got speed and has never averaged less than 5.0 a carry his entire career due to the many long runs he's had but he's under 200 pounds and isn't going to run over a lot of people or break a lot of tackles. He's a good receiver out of the backfield but he wouldn't be my top choice in todays game after AP.

 

[IAmLegend]

Prime Adrian Peterson. Best RB ever in his prime imo. Emmitt and Barry Sanders would be my next choices.

 

[Bullflop]

Jim Brown -- he had a combination of power and speed that stood up to anything an opponent could muster. He broke more tackles than anyone I've ever seen.

 

[KJJ]

Somehow i would love to see Terell Davis run behind this OL. When i watched this guy in his prime i was just WOW. He took big hits that didnt even made his upper body bend. He was a great one cut runner. With power and speed. I thin he would fit our style of run game.

Maybe Peterson in his prime. But right now i'd go with Davis.

Davis had 4 productive seasons before injures caused him to decline. He was on track for a HOF career before the injuries but he would be well down my list if I could pick any back in history. Denver seemed to have a system where just about any back could produce. After Davis' 2000 yard season in 98 Orlandis Gary put 1159 yards and 7 TD's in 1999. The following year in 2000 Mike Anderson put up 1487 yards and 15 TD's. A couple of years later Clinton Portis came along and put up back to back 1500 yard 15 TD seasons.

In 04 Reuben Droughns came along and put up over 1200 yards. Practically every season Denver had a different back put up 1000 plus yards. I'm not trying to take anything away from Davis he was a terrific back but he was a 4.72 40 guy who didn't have near the speed or power of an AP, Bo Jackson or Eric Dickerson just to name a few. Backs like AP, Jackson, Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson and Earl Campbell could have produced behind just about any OL and I don't believe Davis could have.

 

[remdak]

Duane Thomas, would have been the second coming of Jim Brown!

Thomas could have been a HOF'er if not for his flakiness.

 

[DMAC]

In their prime - Marcus Dupree. Then Bo, Earl, Emmitt, Hershel, Barry, Gale. I think had he not been hurt, Dupree might have been the greatest running back ever. All you that think AD has the whole package needed to see Dupree at his best.

 

[KJJ]

In their prime - Marcus Dupree. Then Bo, Earl, Emmitt, Hershel, Barry, Gale. I think had he not been hurt, Dupree might have been the greatest running back ever. All you that think AD has the whole package needed to see Dupree at his best.

Talk about going outside the box Marcus Dupree??? LOL He was an excellent back at OU for ONE season rushing for 1144 yards and 12 TD's and that was pretty much it for him. Some of his great plays came in the Wishbone. He had great "potential" but never came close to fulfilling it. He left OU after his sophomore season and played 2 uneventful seasons in the USFL never rushing for more than 684 yards. Once he started getting hit and having to break some tackles he started suffering injuries. He had injury issues his first year in the USFL having trouble cracking the starting lineup then tore his knee up during his second season. He was gone for 5 years then attempted a comeback with the Los Angeles Rams rushing for only 251 yards in his 2 seasons in LA.

I've seen Dupree's highlights he was at his best in college and even his best season at OU was almost 800 yards fewer than AP's best season at OU. Give Dupree a wide open lane and he was terrific but you don't get those kind of lanes very often at the pro level playing against better talent. It's one thing to pick a back from a different NFL era but it's another to pick a back who's best plays came at the college level. Below is Dupree at OU he rarely had to break a tackle it was like a parting of the red sea on almost every play. Saw very few runs like those once he left OU for the USFL. Compare his OU highlights with Peterson's who's running over, around and through defenders. He's breaking tackles and tossing defenders aside like pieces of trash. He looks like an NFL back the guy is a freaking beast!

 

[superjoe]

Eric Dickerson.

Yep, this man would tear a hole in space/time behind this line.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

anyone saying someone other than emmitt is drunk and needs to go home

 

[AKATheRake]

You get it blocked for him and he shoots through like a cannon.

Exactly!

His acceleration is as good as any.

He turns a corner and his hips like the wind changes.

 

[Wayne02]

Agree.. I'll take him over anyone. Adrian Peterson is violent.

Yes he is, I prayed that JJ could pull off a miracle and get him on this team. Teams would be forced to put 8 possibly 9 in the box with that freak behind this line.

 

[DMAC]

Talk about going outside the box Marcus Dupree??? LOL He was an excellent back at OU for ONE season rushing for 1144 yards and 12 TD's and that was pretty much it for him. Some of his great plays came in the Wishbone. He had great "potential" but never came close to fulfilling it. He left OU after his sophomore season and played 2 uneventful seasons in the USFL never rushing for more than 684 yards. Once he started getting hit and having to break some tackles he started suffering injuries. He had injury issues his first year in the USFL having trouble cracking the starting lineup then tore his knee up during his second season. He was gone for 5 years then attempted a comeback with the Los Angeles Rams rushing for only 251 yards in his 2 seasons in LA.

I've seen Dupree's highlights he was at his best in college and even his best season at OU was almost 800 yards fewer than AP's best season at OU. Give Dupree a wide open lane and he was terrific but you don't get those kind of lanes very often at the pro level playing against better talent. It's one thing to pick a back from a different NFL era but it's another to pick a back who's best plays came at the college level. Below is Dupree at OU he rarely had to break a tackle it was like a parting of the red sea on almost every play. Saw very few runs like those once he left OU for the USFL. Compare his OU highlights with Peterson's who's running over, around and through defenders. He's breaking tackles and tossing defenders aside like pieces of trash. He looks like an NFL back the guy is a freaking beast!

If you ever saw Dupree in games, you would understand. You can't look at his stats. His freshman year at OU, he only had like 25 yards thru three games. Then Switzer changed from the wishbone to the I formation to utilize Marcus. And he still wasn't the starter until the 7th game. Anyone who watched OU ball I bet would tell you Marcus was physically superior to AD. Bigger, stronger, and a smidge faster (4.3 vs 4.4). I saw him run through LB's like they were cheerleaders, and had the best stiff arm I ever saw.

But you are right. That was college, and doesn't always equate to greatness in the NFL. Even while he was being so heavily recruited out of HS, I was already hoping for him to be a Cowboy someday.

I heard Switzer say that in his career, the way he handled MD was his worst mistake. Would have been great to see him stay healthy and not get depressed and leave during his sophomore year.

I always wanted Earl Campbell to be a Cowboy as well. Bum pretty much ruined his career, or cut it way short. But can you imagine what he could have done at Dallas.

OK, carry on.

 

[FaSho]

Dickerson. Dude was smooooooth.

But honestly, I'd say Barry. Can't imagine how good he'd be with holes to run through!

 

[KJJ]

If you ever saw Dupree in games, you would understand. You can't look at his stats. His freshman year at OU, he only had like 25 yards thru three games. Then Switzer changed from the wishbone to the I formation to utilize Marcus. And he still wasn't the starter until the 7th game. Anyone who watched OU ball I bet would tell you Marcus was physically superior to AD. Bigger, stronger, and a smidge faster (4.3 vs 4.4). I saw him run through LB's like they were cheerleaders, and had the best stiff arm I ever saw.

But you are right. That was college, and doesn't always equate to greatness in the NFL. Even while he was being so heavily recruited out of HS, I was already hoping for him to be a Cowboy someday.

I heard Switzer say that in his career, the way he handled MD was his worst mistake. Would have been great to see him stay healthy and not get depressed and leave during his sophomore year.

I always wanted Earl Campbell to be a Cowboy as well. Bum pretty much ruined his career, or cut it way short. But can you imagine what he could have done at Dallas.

OK, carry on.

I saw Dupree play in games and he was probably the best player that never was. Like I said he had great "potential" which is what you're basing your selection on but he never fulfilled it. He was a great college talent who got everyone excited because he was lighting it up as a freshman but all the talk about him winning the Heisman the next 3 years went to his head. He had a falling out with Barry Switzer and quit the team his sophomore year. Every year his yards per carry went down he averaged 7.8 as a freshman and 6.0 as a sophmore. After his sophomore year he left for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL and his averaged dropped to 4.7 and then to 4.1 during his second season when he suffered a serious knee injury. When he attempted his comeback 5 years later with the Rams he averaged 3.8 a carry his first season and 3.7 his second and last season.

To say he was stronger than AD is a big stretch because there isn't any highlights of Dupree running over and dragging defenders for 5 plus yards like AD has done. Peterson dragged 4-5 Cowboy defenders into the endzone a couple of years ago (video below) go find a highlight of Dupree making a play like that. Most of Dupree's highlights are of him running to the endzone untouched through gaping holes. The runs Dupree scored on in those highlights I posted Peterson could have done the same thing but Dupree couldn't have broken the tackles and run over the number of defenders Peterson did in his OU highlights. I know because when the holes got smaller in the USFL and Dupree was having to find his way through traffic he didn't look like the same player. Peterson's NFL highlights are even more impressive than his college highlights.

C'mon man get real if you could pick only ONE back in the history of the game to run behind the Cowboys OL you would pick Marcus Dupree? You're going to pick a back based purely on the potential they showed during one college season rather than a back who put together a number of great years in the NFL and became a HOF back? There's several players who had the "potential" to be the best player ever at their position had it not been for injuries, drugs or whatever but they never fulfilled it. Feel free to go with a player who might have been while I choose to go with a player who was and is.

 

[DMAC]

No one would like to see Billy Sims on the team? A Texas boy that could do anything. And yes KJJ, another one better than AD!! Heck, AD is only the 3rd or 4th best back from OU.

 

[KJJ]

No one would like to see Billy Sims on the team? A Texas boy that could do anything. And yes KJJ, another one better than AD!! Heck, AD is only the 3rd or 4th best back from OU.

Man, you must really be a HUGE Sooners fans if Billy Simms would be your second choice. Let me guess Joe Washington would have been your 3rd choice? LOL Do you even understand the premise of this thread? There's 121 backs who've rushed for more yards in the NFL than Billy Simms who wasn't even close to the talent of an Adrian Peterson. You're floating around somewhere in Never Never land if you think Simms was better than Peterson. AP is bigger, more powerful and faster than Simms ever was. Checkout the video below of Simms in 100 yard dash Super Stars completion back in 1981 he looked like he was running in deep sand. Speed the video up to the 4:11 mark. Simms was a great college back and a good NFL back who only had three 1000 yard seasons in a 5 year NFL career.

 

[crazyeddie]

I am not sure if we played this game already but if you could choose any one past/present who would you go with? My guy would actually be Terrell Davis. I think he would fit perfectly as most would but his running style from his best years would be a pleasure to watch behind this line.

Ernie Davis