Who is the greatest running back in NFL history?
Moderators: sgt.null, StevieG, hierachy
- Kinslaughterer
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2950
- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 3:38 am
- Location: Backwoods
Who is the greatest running back in NFL history?
Who do you think is the greatest running back in NFL history. I figured I'd ask since Payton died in the recent past and Emmitt Smith broke his record last season. My personal favorite is Barry Sanders. He moved like he was born to play football. You can even watch some of his college clips and he was just as amazing. Even Emmitt said he was glad Barry retired otherwise he would still be chasing Barry.
There are plenty of possibilities.
There are plenty of possibilities.
"We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and remember:X never, ever, marks the spot."
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
https://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
https://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!
- Kinslaughterer
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2950
- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 3:38 am
- Location: Backwoods
Yes, Jim Brown is a close #2 for me.
Its funny, Dromond, old people always pick Jim Brown
Its funny, Dromond, old people always pick Jim Brown

"We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and remember:X never, ever, marks the spot."
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
https://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
https://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!
- Kinslaughterer
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2950
- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 3:38 am
- Location: Backwoods
Practically none left, I got'em all first.
They can't catch me, I got moves like Barry Sanders.

They can't catch me, I got moves like Barry Sanders.

"We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and remember:X never, ever, marks the spot."
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
https://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
https://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!
- danlo
- Lord
- Posts: 20838
- Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2002 8:29 pm
- Location: Albuquerque NM
- Been thanked: 1 time
- Contact:
My personal fav is Barry. Not 2 mention all the sheer amt. of discounted yardage he racked up going back and 4th b4 he even crossed the line of scrimmage. I understand what u mean about Jim Brown, but the speed of today's defenses almost (I said almost!) evens that out. He was a tuff bastard! I met Walter Payton just b4 he passed--what a nice guy.
Being a, fairly, long time Tampa fan Alstott has my vote 4 fullback!
Being a, fairly, long time Tampa fan Alstott has my vote 4 fullback!
fall far and well Pilots!
I consider myself young and I've placed my vote for Jim Brown. I loved to watch Barry run...he would be my second vote...but Jimmy seemed to be in a league all his own. Some of those old clips are amazing...He was like a man amongst boys.
P.S.
Danlo,
Alstott!?!?! Best fullback ever???? What about Jim Taylor of the Packers. He played in the early 60's and once scored 19 TD's in a season. How about Larry Csonka? Bronco Nagurski? Actually I think Jim Brown played FB as well. Well, since you're a no-longer a long-suffering Tampa Bay fan I guess we can overlook your bias!
P.S.
Danlo,
Alstott!?!?! Best fullback ever???? What about Jim Taylor of the Packers. He played in the early 60's and once scored 19 TD's in a season. How about Larry Csonka? Bronco Nagurski? Actually I think Jim Brown played FB as well. Well, since you're a no-longer a long-suffering Tampa Bay fan I guess we can overlook your bias!

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. John Stuart Mill
- Damelon
- Lord
- Posts: 8598
- Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2002 10:40 pm
- Location: Illinois
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 5 times
I voted for Payton, Sanders would be #2, though I have a bit of a bias. He only missed one game in his career, his conditioning was second to none. He could level an opponent with his stiff arm, and like Sanders, played for teams where he was the offense for most of his career.

Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.
Sam Rayburn
- jacob Raver, sinTempter
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:54 pm
- Location: Wisconsin, US
Both were great runners that could catch the ball too, but…
Brown
125 typg, .94 tdpg, 3 MVPs, 2-2000 yard equivalent seasons, 2 Championship appearances, losing one
Sanders
119 typg, .72 tdpg, 1 MVP, 2000 yard season
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that the more games you play, the worse you do. But in Barry’s 2000 yard season, all four of his last games were good yardage games, so while one might lower Brown’s adjusted totals slightly, it probably wouldn’t make that much difference.
Also, Barry got shut down at times, leading history in negative yard games.
Winner: Brown
Brown
125 typg, .94 tdpg, 3 MVPs, 2-2000 yard equivalent seasons, 2 Championship appearances, losing one
Sanders
119 typg, .72 tdpg, 1 MVP, 2000 yard season
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that the more games you play, the worse you do. But in Barry’s 2000 yard season, all four of his last games were good yardage games, so while one might lower Brown’s adjusted totals slightly, it probably wouldn’t make that much difference.
Also, Barry got shut down at times, leading history in negative yard games.
Winner: Brown
Sunshine Music
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
- Sunbaneglasses
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2460
- Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 5:39 am
- Location: Jasper Alabama
- jacob Raver, sinTempter
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:54 pm
- Location: Wisconsin, US
Bo ran high, he would have gotten hurt regardless.
Sunshine Music
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
- dANdeLION
- Lord
- Posts: 23836
- Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 3:22 am
- Location: In the jungle, the mighty jungle
- Contact:
Not as high as Ricky Williams runs....oh, you mean the other kind of 'high'.
Dandelion don't tell no lies
Dandelion will make you wise
Tell me if she laughs or cries
Blow away dandelion
I'm afraid there's no denying
I'm just a dandelion
a fate I don't deserve.
High priest of THOOOTP
*
* This post carries Jay's seal of approval
Dandelion will make you wise
Tell me if she laughs or cries
Blow away dandelion
I'm afraid there's no denying
I'm just a dandelion
a fate I don't deserve.
High priest of THOOOTP

* This post carries Jay's seal of approval
- jacob Raver, sinTempter
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:54 pm
- Location: Wisconsin, US

Sunshine Music
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
- Mr. Broken
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 1308
- Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:49 pm
- Location: The arm pit of hell, Titusville Pa.
I would have to vote for Brown being a life long fan of the Browns , but I find it curious that over the years his involvement with the team has continued, while the teams commitment to being a running team has declined . He attends the team training camps, and assists in an advisory capacity, but the running game of the Browns never gets better, great player but not much of a teacher.
Wide Eyed Stupid
Payton, no doubt.
But....If Sanders had a decent line in front of him, he would have (I think) eclipsed everyone. And I think that Bo Jackson would have been something special had he continued playing as well.
But it ain't about "if".....
But....If Sanders had a decent line in front of him, he would have (I think) eclipsed everyone. And I think that Bo Jackson would have been something special had he continued playing as well.
But it ain't about "if".....
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
- jacob Raver, sinTempter
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 1744
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:54 pm
- Location: Wisconsin, US
My full list-looking at Total Yards primarily-would probably be:
1. Brown
2. Sanders
2. Payton
4. Dickerson
4. Simpson
6. Emmit
7. Faulk
7. LT
9. Thurman
10.Edge
11.Barber
11.Martin
13.Campbell
14.Alexander
15.Allen
16.TD
17.Jim Taylor
18.Watters
19.Ottis Anderson
20.Dorsett
21.Craig
22.Fred Taylor
23.Portis
24.George
25.Stephen Davis
26.Lewis
27.Riggins
28.Dunn
29.Harris
30.Foreman
HM.Sayers
1. Brown
2. Sanders
2. Payton
4. Dickerson
4. Simpson
6. Emmit
7. Faulk
7. LT
9. Thurman
10.Edge
11.Barber
11.Martin
13.Campbell
14.Alexander
15.Allen
16.TD
17.Jim Taylor
18.Watters
19.Ottis Anderson
20.Dorsett
21.Craig
22.Fred Taylor
23.Portis
24.George
25.Stephen Davis
26.Lewis
27.Riggins
28.Dunn
29.Harris
30.Foreman
HM.Sayers
Sunshine Music
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
Deep Music

"I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge." - Tony Block, Planet Terror
And he wasn't a cocky jackass like so many of the rest of them. Payton was a class act.sgt.null wrote:payton could run, catch, block. and even played qb when the bears were in an emergency.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________