NFLN - Top 10 Most Elusive Runners...

[joseephuss]

Emmitt was a great back. He could be elusive when needed, but it wasn't his best skill. He wasn't elusive on the level of the guys on that list and those guys weren't as complete as Emmitt was. I watched some of the highlights on a couple of the players from the list. The defenders weren't getting their hands on them in the open field. Emmitt could do that at times. I thought he was really great at running in confined spaces. The times when defenders were able to get their hands on him, but not much else. He could bounce off defenders with the best of them. I would rank Tony Dorsett as more elusive than Emmitt.

I agree that Terry Metcalf was elusive. He was the first back I thought of as missing when I saw that list.

I don't agree that Marshall Faulk should be on that list, especially so high. He seems like the odd one on the list.

 

[DallasEast]

Top 10 Elusive Runners
Not limited to RBs. Considered players from all offensive positions.

10. Bears RB Willie "The Wisp" Galimore (sp?) died in car accident with other teammate.

9. Chargers RB Dickie "The Mouse" Post - 1967 Rookie of the year

8. Skins/Colts RB 1978 Joe Washington

7. Eagles QB Randall Cunningham

6. Bears HOF RB Red Grange

5. Bobby Mitchell

4. Hugh Mcelhenney

3. Marshall Faulk

2. Gayle Sayers

1. Barry Sanders

Honorable Mentions
Emmitt Smith
Tony Dorsett

Nos. 6 - 10 are kind of questionable to me. There are one or two guys that I can think of--like Deion Sanders--who I would've inserted somewhere within that range.

I haven't seen enough of Mcelhenney to know any better (darn you, NFL Films! : ). If he was, in fact, more elusive than Bobby Mitchell, then I would have to agree with nos. 1 - 5 (even though Sanders and Sayers could be ranked 1-A & 1-B in my book).

 

[dndvalles]

Emmitt was a great back. He could be elusive when needed, but it wasn't his best skill. He wasn't elusive on the level of the guys on that list and those guys weren't as complete as Emmitt was. I watched some of the highlights on a couple of the players from the list. The defenders weren't getting their hands on them in the open field. Emmitt could do that at times. I thought he was really great at running in confined spaces. The times when defenders were able to get their hands on him, but not much else. He could bounce off defenders with the best of them. I would rank Tony Dorsett as more elusive than Emmitt.

I've seen a couple posters indicating TD over Emmitt in elusiveness. I would consider Dorsett to be much more explosive, speed type ball carrier. Hence the big deal when Darrell Green caught him from behind.

 

[Mash]

No Earl Cambell?

Also...why a QB? Randell was a great scrambling QB....but more elusive then say...a Dante Hall.

Btw....Emmitt was the total package....but his elusiveness wasnt his best trait....he had great vision and played behind a pretty good OL.

 

[bobtheflob]

Emmitt wasn't elusive in the break-your-ankles way that Sanders was, but he was very very good at being subtly elusive. He broke so many tackles because defenders weren't able to get a clean hit on him. He was perhaps the best ever at making slight adjustments to slip past defenders.

 

[joseephuss]

No Earl Cambell?

Also...why a QB? Randell was a great scrambling QB....but more elusive then say...a Dante Hall.

Btw....Emmitt was the total package....but his elusiveness wasnt his best trait....he had great vision and played behind a pretty good OL.

Hall probably is more elusive than Cunningham, but Randall just had many more opportunities to show off his skills.

 

[ZeroClub]

Don't know a couple of those guys. But yeah not bad. Of course Emmitt was elusive and TD more so. But not the kind of elusiveness the author was obviously talking about.

Metcalf was elusive. Now it'll bug me until I think of some more of those squirt bugs.

When you mention squirt bugs, the guy who immediately comes to my mind is the guy they called "Super Gnat." I remember him as a punt returner - he may have played WR or RB too. I believe he played with a couple of different teams, but I remember him as a Chief. His name was Nolan Smith.

 

[Established1971]

No emmitt smith!!

Did ESPN develop this list???

:bang2:

Just two quick highlights of #22

well emmit was more of a tackle breaker if you think about it, I wouldnt make him 10 top "elusive" but to not have OJ Simpson on there is bizarre

 

[DallasEast]

No Earl Cambell?

After all the pain he inflicted on players who were dumb enough to get in his way, there are many ex-players who WISHED Campbell had an ounce of elusive blood in him. I know you were kidding, btw.

 

[Doomsday101]

well emmit was more of a tackle breaker if you think about it, I wouldnt make him 10 top "elusive" but to not have OJ Simpson on there is bizarre

I agree. To this day they still can't catch OJ. :laugh2:

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Emmitt didn't have the moves the guys on this list had... Barry Sanders missed a lot of holes instead of getting 5 yard gains he would try to cut back and take it 50 etc...

 

[bobtheflob]

well emmit was more of a tackle breaker if you think about it, I wouldnt make him 10 top "elusive" but to not have OJ Simpson on there is bizarre

I think the NFL is trying to pretend that he never existed.

 

[adamknite]

I don't agree that Marshall Faulk should be on that list, especially so high. He seems like the odd one on the list.

I was thinking the same thing. The list is just fine to me, except for Marshall Faulk, maybe I'm just underestimating his elusiveness but I don't think he should be that high on the list, if at all. Other then that, nice list really.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I think the NFL is trying to pretend that he never existed.

I don't think so. He might've been acknowledged as an honorable mention, but I was distracted while making the list.

That said, they don't forget about him when it comes to the NFL context.

 

[iceberg]

I'll never understand people who make an invalid assumption due their lack of knowledge, then base their judgement off of it.

wah. emmitt didn't make the list.

wah....emmitts my buddy and i've got a blow up bobblehead of him.

wah....emmitt should make all lists!

wah....all the cowboy haters out there are holding emmitts true greatness wah back.

wah.

wah i say.

there. help any?

 

[BouncingCheese]

I can think of an almost endless list of superlatives to describe Emmitt but "elusive" wouldn't make my top 10. Yes he had his moments (see his Legendary Atlanta Run) but being elusive certainly wasn't his main style of running.

Agreed.

 

[BouncingCheese]

Faulk deserves to be on that list.

 

[Vintage]

wah. emmitt didn't make the list.

wah....emmitts my buddy and i've got a blow up bobblehead of him.

wah....emmitt should make all lists!

wah....all the cowboy haters out there are holding emmitts true greatness wah back.

wah.

wah i say.

there. help any?

Still not getting it.


Run it by me one more time.

 

[JonJon]

No emmitt smith!!

Did ESPN develop this list???

:bang2:

Just two quick highlights of #22

Emmitt Smith had great vision and cut back ability, especially early in his career, but being ellusive was not his main trait. He did have the ability to make people miss, and I recall him squirting from a few human piles and gallop for huge chunks of yardage every now and then. However, it did not happen enough on a regular basis to be considered one of the most elusive runners ever.

I don't agree that Marshall Faulk should be on that list, especially so high. He seems like the odd one on the list.

I agree. I cannot understand why Faulk is on this list, especially at number 3. He was more like a faster version of Emmitt Smith that excelled in screens. His durability issues played a big role in him not having the numbers that Smith had IMO.

I agree. To this day they still can't catch OJ. :laugh2:

Now THAT was funny!!! :laugh1:

 

[iceberg]

Still not getting it.


Run it by me one more time.

there was this running back by the name of emmitt smith. at first he was just a mid 1st round pick and nothing special by looking at the value at the time. yet through the years he avoided things like dog fighting, strip clubs, getting shot or shooting others, paintballs to the tata's and so forth by doing something unusual like performing on the field to the tune of ending his career not as a cowboy (well, except for that 1 day contract signing good people sometimes do) but as the NFL all time leading rusher - setting the record at least as a cowboy at home against seattle.

he wasn't the fastest kid on the block and calling him "elusive" can be done out of love if not factual. he was caught from behind from time to time yet his overall skill and "gift" was durability. so much so that many fans of emmitt (and he does rightfully have quite a few!) take it personal when you mention facets of a game that other RBs can have (it's not like emmitt rolled a 10 on every skillset known to running backs and had a vorpal helmet to boot) and how other RBs were damn good at the game in their own right, they tend to get whiney-girl upset that *their*favorite back isn't mentioned every time great RB's are mentioned and they tee off on the topic as useless.

simply because it didn't include "their" boy.

/sarcasmoff.