In your opinion What are the best RBs of all time

[Yeagermeister]

He may have led the league in carries for loss but he also had a 2000 yard season, and is 3rd(should've been first) on the all time rushing list.

He probably would have been first but he quit on his team.

 

[dargonking999]

He may have led the league in carries for loss but he also had a 2000 yard season, and is 3rd(should've been first) on the all time rushing list.

ok Jamal lewis had a 2000 yard season,. but i dont se him anywhere near being one of the best RB;s in the league, sorry if i dont buy into numbers, they mean nothing, when your team cant rely on you to get a first down on 3 and 1

 

[yazzmode621]

Once again I say, it won't be a popular opinion. You'd have to understand the game of football to know why 2nd & long as well as 3rd & long was a handicap. If you can't grasp that, fine.

His team wasn't better? Then how come they won more games the year he left?

I know 2nd/3rd and long is a big handicap. I also know that very few (like 5 or 6 I believe) RBs have ever ran for over 2000 yards in a single season. I also know that he is 3rd on the all time rushing list. IMO Barry Sanders was the best running back I have ever seen play(I have been watching football since early 90s).

I also think Terrell Davis could've been one of the best backs to ever play the game. That guy was really good and its a shame that he got a career ending injury. Thanks to that injury the Broncos drafted Clinton Portis just ahead of the Commanders, who selected....Ladell Betts .

 

[SkinsandTerps]

He may have led the league in carries for loss but he also had a 2000 yard season, and is 3rd(should've been first) on the all time rushing list.

Not for one year. ALL Freakin' Time. He has more carries for loss than any player in the History of the NFL.

He had a 2000 yard season ,and how many TDs that year ?
11. That not impressive.

 

[yazzmode621]

He probably would have been first but he quit on his team.

yea he was one at the most two seasons away from breaking the record but he quit. He did quit on his team though. I'm not making an excuse for him but he wanted to leave the Lions and go play for a team that actually cared about winning. The Lions said no and so he retired.

 

[superpunk]

Not for one year. ALL Freakin' Time. He has more carries for loss than any player in the History of the NFL.

He had a 2000 yard season ,and how many TDs that year ?
11. That not impressive.

I believe you underestimate the power "Not" wearing the Star has on some people's perception of Barry Sanders.

 

[Hostile]

I know 2nd/3rd and long is a big handicap. I also know that very few (like 5 or 6 I believe) RBs have ever ran for over 2000 yards in a single season. I also know that he is 3rd on the all time rushing list. IMO Barry Sanders was the best running back I have ever seen play(I have been watching football since early 90s).

I also think Terrell Davis could've been one of the best backs to ever play the game. That guy was really good and its a shame that he got a career ending injury. Thanks to that injury the Broncos drafted Clinton Portis just ahead of the Commanders, who selected....Ladell Betts .

Your standards are based off 1 season per career?

BTW, I'll take scores over yards any day of the week as the worth of a RB.

I've been watching football since 1970, and Barry Sanders is one RB I am thrilled to say was never a Cowboy. He was exciting. I take nothing away form how dynamic he was. He did not have a champions heart and that is why he wouldn't make my top 10 list.

You want him in yours, fine. I have no problem with that, but I won't agree. There are 15 to 20 RBs minimum that I'd rather have because they paid the price.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

I believe you underestimate the power "Not" wearing the Star has on some people's perception of Barry Sanders.

Not at all bro.

Star or not many people (not just Commanders or Cowboys fans) rate him among the top 5 ever. Thats just crazy to me.

The guy was good for one highlight play per game. But when it really came down to taking care of business he played like an over-hyped, overrated back. He simply did not have the tools to get it done between the tackles and IMO had poor discipline on the field. Not to mention his simply horrid blocking skills. I swear he might have made 5 good blocks in his entire career.

 

[Hostile]

Not for one year. ALL Freakin' Time. He has more carries for loss than any player in the History of the NFL.

He had a 2000 yard season ,and how many TDs that year ?
11. That not impressive.

Every Head Coach he had took him out near the goal line. There had to be a reason. There was, it was called going in reverse.

I loved the spin, "Barry wants to share the glory with his team." People actually buy that nonsense. Yeah and Head Coaches want to be fired too.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I believe you underestimate the power "Not" wearing the Star has on some people's perception of Barry Sanders.

Perhaps for some, but not for me.

I have no reason whatsoever to say Walter Payton was better IMHO than Emmitt. I also have no reason to rank a guy like Marshall Faulk far higher than I would rank Barry.


Rich............

 

[superpunk]

Not at all bro.

Star or not many people (not just Commanders or Cowboys fans) rate him among the top 5 ever. Thats just crazy to me.

The guy was good for one highlight play per game. But when it really came down to taking care of business he played like an over-hyped, overrated back. He simply did not have the tools to get it done between the tackles and IMO had poor discipline on the field. Not to mention his simply horrid blocking skills. I swear he might have made 5 good blocks in his entire career.

-8 yards.

That's all I need to know about Barry's heart, and what he ultimately did for that team. All the 2,000 yard seasons in the world won't change my perception. Great RBs can carry their team. Barry never could.

 

[Doomsday101]

Barry Sanders over rated? wow a guy who averaged 5.0 a carry and went into every game with a bulls eye on him.
Yards
1,470
1,304
1,548
1,352
1,115 (11 games)
1,883
1,500
1,553
2,053
1,491

As for Terrel Davis? he had 4 good years and it was over had he not been injured maybe he ends up as one of the all time greats but maybe is not good enough.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

Every Head Coach he had took him out near the goal line. There had to be a reason. There was, it was called going in reverse.

I loved the spin, "Barry wants to share the glory with his team." People actually buy that nonsense. Yeah and Head Coaches want to be fired too.

Exactly. read my other post.

This guy didnt have as you said, the heart. He wasnt a leader, he wasnt the motivator. He was entertainment. Enter...Mike Vick.

 

[Screw The Hall]

My top 10 in order -

1- Brown
2- Payton
3- Emmitt
4- Allen
5- Simpson
6- Dickerson
7- Dorsett
8- Campbell
9- Sanders
10- Faulk

 

[SkinsandTerps]

My top 10 in order -

1- Brown
2- Payton
3- Emmitt
4- Allen
5- Simpson
6- Dickerson
7- Dorsett
8- Campbell
9- Sanders
10- Faulk

I gotta have Sayers, Faulk, Jackson, and maybe even Martin ahead of Sanders. But good list.

 

[Hostile]

Exactly. read my other post.

This guy didnt have as you said, the heart. He wasnt a leader, he wasnt the motivator. He was entertainment. Enter...Mike Vick.

I saw a stat one time, ironically on a lions message board, where some guy went and took away Barry's longest carry in every game. He averaged 2.1 yards or something like that without those carries. It shows you how inflated his 5.0 average per carry really is. It is totally reliant upon him breaking one for 20 or more yards each game to get there.

He was damned exciting. I watched in awe. I'll never say different. I simply wasn't impressed with his overall impact given the fact his entire wow factor is based on breaking one every now and then.

Look no further than his post season games to be un-wowed.

 

[kTXe]

After a night of drinking a couple weekends ago, I literally almost got into a fist-fight while debating Barry vs. Emmitt. (Yes, yes I know...this is a sign that I should stop before finishing the entire 12-pack, but I'm still in college so I get some slack.)

Anyways, for several of the reasons that have already been mentioned, Emmitt was better...by a freaking landslide.

Here is my favorite way to put it...Barry was a better runner, Emmitt was easily the better running back.

Barry killed countless drives for every drive he made with a spectacular 60 yard TD run. He couldn't block, couldn't run up the middle, couldn't get you the first down on 3rd and 1, couldn't punch it in at the goalline, couldn't concede when a play is blown and just take what he could - instead choosing to prance around and suffer a 6 yard loss, couldn't lower his shoulder and absorb contact to gain an extra yard or 2, and most importantly - COULDN'T WIN. Simply - he couldn't be everything Emmitt was. Everything a great RB should be.

 

[Screw The Hall]

After a night of drinking a couple weekends ago, I literally almost got into a fist-fight while debating Barry vs. Emmitt. (Yes, yes I know...this is a sign that I should stop before finishing the entire 12-pack, but I'm still in college so I get some slack.)

Anyways, for several of the reasons that have already been mentioned, Emmitt was better...by a freaking landslide.

Here is my favorite way to put it...Barry was a better runner, Emmitt was easily the better running back.

Barry killed countless drives for every drive he made with a spectacular 60 yard TD run. He couldn't block, couldn't run up the middle, couldn't get you the first down on 3rd and 1, couldn't punch it in at the goalline, couldn't concede when a play is blown and just take what he could - instead choosing to prance around and suffer a 6 yard loss, couldn't lower his shoulder and absorb contact to gain an extra yard or 2, and most importantly - COULDN'T WIN. Simply - he couldn't be everything Emmitt was. Everything a great RB should be.

Welcome Tarheel. Be careful, all that partying on Franklin Street can make the liver angry.

 

[kTXe]

Welcome Tarheel. Be careful, all that partying on Franklin Street can make the liver angry.

The liver has a lifetime to recover...right?

And thanks for the welcome.

 

[dwmyers]

I'm going to give a very personal list of the best running backs I've seen. Yes, I'm sure some of you won't like it, because it's based on single seasons of play, and I'm going to list 4 running backs.

I'm not going to rate running backs I've never seen play. That means people like Jim Brown, Marion Motley, Lenny Moore and Gale Sayers aren't on this list. All the lists I've seen so far have no real ranking of running backs prior to 1965 that I can see; and it's just my opinion but if you're not considering Jim Taylor and Doak Walker among the best you're just kidding yourselves.

I'm not going to rate players I only saw in ESPN highlights or NFL Films. This affects Bo Jackson and OJ, and probably most importantly Eric Dickerson.

This is an area where, if football acquires the equivalent of sabermetrics, it would help. I'd love to see Jim Thorpe's peak running skills normalized to a modern era.

In no particular order:

Terrell Davis - His single season best is the best running I've ever seen by any running back, period. That his line was as responsible for it as he was is almost certainly true, but his high water mark season has to be marked with double exclamation points.

Earl Campbell - There are a couple seasons at his peak that are almost interchangable, but the night game were he ran over, around, and through the Miami Dolphins made a huge impression on me.

Franco Harris - Why? I've never seen anyone do to Tom Landry's defenses what this guy did. He single handedly destroyed a defense whose modus operandi was to stop the run. He was a big game player who always performed, and it's sad the way his career ended.

Emmitt Smith - The New York Giants game. If you're a Cowboys fan, you know what I mean. Just how many yards did he gain on a dislocated shoulder? How many? How important was that game? At his peak, this guy was the best money player in the game.

The near misses:

Eric Dickerson - didn't see enough of him to get any feel for his skill. Then again, I would turn the TV off rather than watch Eric at his peak.

John Riggins - A strong candidate for the 5th spot. He had some absolutely destructive moments in big games.

Tony Dorsett - Another strong candidate for the 5th spot. Terrific outside runner and underrated in the middle of the line. I promise you the 99 yarder against Minnesota wasn't a sweep.

Walter Payton - I didn't see a lot of Sweetness and his problem is that his team, Chicago, wasn't a good team (and therefore on National TV) until near the end of his career. This is a guy that deserves more tape study.

Bo Jackson - Another player I didn't see a whole lot of. Is he a candidate? certainly, but a few snippets on ESPN isn't enough for me to form an opinion of him. As an aside, I think it's hard to consider Bo a great runner and ignore Terrell Davis..

O.J. Simpson - People just don't put together 2 200+ yard rushing games at the end of a 14 game season to get to 2000 yards. I'm going to plead guilty to the 3-tv-station only rule here. Yea, I saw the highlights and read the results, and they certainly are phenomenal. But the Buffalo Bills didn't get much airtime in Haughton, LA.

Jerome Bettis - One of the best college players I ever saw. I just hated what his Notre Dame squads would do with him. Didn't see a lot of him in the pros but the Bus was a fine pro player as well.