Friday's Top Ten: Greatest NFL Running Backs
I'm moving this post to my new sports blog. Cats have been getting at me for years about this post and no matter what you say, Walter Payton is still the greatest. So, you'll just have to visit my new blog to insult me.
There are some new Top Ten coming and I'm even accepting submissions from the jerks that talk crazy to me. Holla
11:41 AM Can't argue with your list
4:21 PM I thought today was Thursday...
7:47 PM Yeah, I'm living one day in the future.
4:54 PM where the Hell is John Riggins?
Mak
11:24 AM John Riggins deserves some love. It was either John, Fraco or Earl. In the end I had to give it to Franco because the Steelers were my favorite team when I was growing up. But I couldn't argue that he could be in the top ten.
6:07 AM that was a tough list to compile.
i liked roger craig and hershel walker. i dislike emmitt smith. your list does seem to "skip" folks such as czonka and riggins and grange (galloping ghost).
7:43 PM This Isn't a list!! Jim Brown #1! OJ needs to be higher! Give some love to Riggins,Csonka,Marion Motley,Joe "the Jet" Perry, Campbell,Thurmon Thomas, Curtis Martin. A monkey could make a better list!
9:28 AM I love Earl, but he's not in the top ten. And Csonka Thurman Thomas are great - but top ten. I'm not familiar with Motley and Perry so you'll have to forgive me for that. Maybe I'll look them up - but I'll grant you that there is an argument for Jim Brown being number 1. But I'm sticking with "Sweetness".
5:57 PM I'm afraid I haven't paid much attention to sports lately, but this caught my eye.....
I would agree with the guy who put Jim Brown at #1......and I would put Gale Sayers at #2 and Franco Harris at #3.
It seems to me it would be interesting to make top ten lists of ....
1. Power backs.
2. Elusive backs.
3. Guys who could be both.
2:17 PM What About Bo Jackson? Were Is he?
2:22 PM eric dickerson needs to be higher, gale sayers needs to be lower ,emeit smith does not even need to be on the list, oj needs to be higher, and like i said were is bo jackson?
2:24 PM Barry Sanders#1, Bo Jackson#2, and Eric Dickerson#3
2:25 PM Thats the last of my coments good bye
7:46 PM were is bo jackson on this list
8:01 PM How is Jim Brown not # 1 he is the all time yards per carry leader had unreal stats in shorter seasons. It is stunning that he is # 3 what were you doing just picking names out of a hat?
8:21 AM I wasn't drunk - Walter Payton is my pick. Jim Brown was great - but overall, I give it to Payton.
11:25 AM i would say marshall faulk should be on this list somewhere, i think people tend to leave him out bc he still plays
3:05 PM jim brown is 1 payton is 2 n sanders is 3 oj n harris should be higher get it right
3:07 PM n how about ladainian tomlinson idc if he doesnt have the most yards he makes the big plays when he has to and he still has a good 7 to 8 years left n hes already better then some of those ppl on ur list
9:58 AM Thats a good list . Walter is surely the greatest RB of all time. But where is earl campbell he should be in there.
11:55 AM EARL CAMPBELL, RIGGINS HAVE GOT TO BE THERE, JOE PERRY TOO EVRYTHING ELSE IS BASICALLY FINE THURMAN THOMAS NEEDS TO BE THERE.... BO DONT THINK SO. LT... NOT YET
9:55 AM I have been following this site and so far the site
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rickjshandicappingpicks.blogspot.com/
11:34 PM This is a great list, payton and jim brown should be tied for #1, then you add Bo Jackson, no only was the guy an amazing running back, he was also a phenomenal overall athlete; a biological machine if you know what I mean.
P.S. I really like your blog, keep it up.
8:08 PM Comment
9:48 AM Barry Sanders was by far the number one back then Jim brown then payton Sanders had the best natural talent of all time
9:50 AM Larry Csnoka should most definetly be on here one of the best power backs of all time
9:08 PM Comment
9:35 AM Payton is great,definitely in my top 3,but for me,Sanders is the greatest. The #s he put up behind that weak line speak for themselves,& while a few have moves "like Barry," NOBODY moves like Barry. Only Brown belongs in an arguement for the top spot. & while all the backs mentioned on this sight are great,Csonka,Motley,Perry,Harris,Walker,Craig,& Jackson in the top 10,come on. Jackson was an athletic phenom who didn't play long enough nor commit to the game. Thomas,Martin,Riggins,maybe. Sayers definitely. Grange definitely;he Halas,& Brown created NFL football as we know it.
10:04 AM Solid list. I agree with your top 5,though I'd shuffle the order a bit. We need to call the guys with the butterfly nets to take whoever put Bo Jackson #2 & left Brown out of the top 3 back to the booby hatch.
11:08 AM What about Floyd Little three-time all-American at Syracuse and the Broncos first #1 draft. He retired as the seventh all-time rusher in NFL history.
9:20 PM soon LT, shaun alexander and rudi johnson should be up there.
1:15 PM Tiki Barber! Where's Tiki Barber?
2:55 PM I'm not going to argue, it's your list. I will say this, when it comes time ten years down the line to redo this list, Ladainian Tomlinson will be at the Number 1 spot. CHARGERS all the way!
2:25 PM wow u guys give this guy way to much crap bout his list its hard to make a list like this but i do think that heres a small list from me
1-walter payton
2-barry snaders
3-jim brown
4-eric dickerson
5- tie between hershal and marshal faulk
6-oj simpson but he could also be # 5
2:26 PM i posted the last comment yea lt and tiki and shaun will be up there soon but as far as i can see they will never be #1 thats forsure
8:39 AM what about lenny moore of the baltimore colts
2:59 PM You have got to be kidding.
Earl Cambell Texas. Obviosly atleast in the top five running backs ever.
You guys are messed up.
2:21 AM Several Things.
The most obvious thing in the list to me is that OJ is seriously overlooked. He's top 3 easy. He had it ALL. The only back to rush for 2,000 in 14 games. (On an average team).
Jim Brown should be #1 - that seems to be the consensus here.
Emmitt at #4 is what I had - he wasn't flashy, but is the most consistent back EVER. He is the reason Dallas won their 2nd Title.
Barry vs. Gayle = a coinflip. I went with Gayle. His last full season was post-knee surgery and he still ran for 1,000 yards. (less games, less medical technology). He proved he could be a completely different back and still succeed in the NFL.
Earl is the toughest back in Football History. He deserves to be in there.
Marshall Faulk is hard to leave out..... has there ever been a better 'weapon'?
Marion Motley - he was Jim Brown and Earl Campbell combined....he helped pave the way along with Jim Brown for Blacks in the NFL.
Red Grange could easily be in the list - He WAS the NFL in it's infant stages.
1. Jim Brown
2. Walter Payton
3. O.J. Simpson
4. Emmitt Smith
5. Gayle Sayers
6. Barry Sanders
7. Earl Campbell
8. Eric Dickerson
9. Marshall Faulk
10. Marion Motley
-------
11. Red Grange
6:19 PM Look this is a real list
1.Walter Payton
2.Jim Brown
3.Barry Sanders
4.Earl Campbell
5.Eric Dickerson
6.Ladainian Tomlinson
7.Emmitt Smith
8.Marshall Faulk
9.Gale Sayers
10.Tony Dorsett
2:25 PM Where is Curtis Martin?????
2:21 PM ok i don't get it.... why in the world isn't MY BOY Ladainian Tomlinson on the list.... he is the greatest running back of all time just because he is still young. LT would have to be at least #5 on my list! and just because he is from my favorite team!! YEA GO CHARGERS!
10:19 AM i think that emmit smith should be off the list. i mean he was very good, but he was not great. also, i believe that eric dickerson should be ranked higher, atleast # 4
8:48 PM Wow, I don't think you know football. There is no way Emmitt or Tony Dorsett were better then Earl Campbell. Earl was the one man wrecking crew, while the latter guys had great players around him and no one but earl played against the great steel curtain 3 times a year. Besides during his great years sweetness was a step behind him. Franco was not a great runner either. He had a great team and ran out of bounds to avoid contact not like Earl. Know your subject before you rank it!
6:50 PM MY List
Emmitt Smith
walter Payton
Barry Sanders
jim brown
eric dickerson
gale sayers
curtis martin
oj simpson
jerome bettis
ladainian tomlinson will one day be the best ever
5:47 AM i cant even see emmit smith being in the top 10 ever period sure he was consistant he was a lesser earl cambell + some more moves and 1 phenomenal o-line, bo jackson wtf how can u say someone is one of the greatest when they only played in 38 games barry sanders shouldve been the greatest ever if he had a o-line which even knew the term block or a passing game which existed detroit is only like putting up its first decent season since his departure
12:58 AM Barry Sanders
Eric Dickerson
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
OJ Simpson
Earl Campbell
Jerome Bettis
Franco Harris
Gayle Sayers
Emmitt Smith
I put Barry 1 because with so little and so little time he did so much.
I put Emmitt 10 because he played with a team who was far above the rest. I did the same with Troy
Bettis needed to be here. He was a force. He was huge yet very light on his feet. He played less than Emmitt and the only superbowl ring came from a wildcard season.
As for the rest, they have all deserved a spot here. It just depended on what you liked to see from a runner. I do wish that I could've put Dorsett on this list.
10:53 PM THE BACKS ON THE LIST ARE GREAT BUT YOU GUYS SHOULD KNOW SOME FACTS LOOK AT YARDS PER RUN AVG THINK ABOUT THE LINE THEY HAD AND IF THE TEAM HAD A PASSING GAME I WATCHED A NFL SHOW ONE TIME THAT HAD WALKER,EMITT,THOMAS,MARTIN DICKERSON ,PAYTON,ALLEN ,OJ,BROWN AND THEY ALL SAID BARRY SANDERS WAS THE MAN ONLY JIM BROWN HAD HIGHER YARDS PER RUSH AND HE HAD NO O LINE NO PASSING GAME THINK ABOUT HIS TEAMS QB'S! WELL THATS MY OPINION. PURERUNNER1.SANDERS HARDRUNNER2.PAYTON ALLROUND3.FAULK VERYFASTPOWER4.BOJACKSON POWER5.J.BROWN SPEED6.O.J. SUPERSPEED7.T.DORSETT THESLASHER8.G.SAYERS RUN,CATCH,PASS9.L.T. LONGSTRIDER10.E.DICKERSON
12:16 PM I agree with zeezy4sheezy, Hard to argue with. I think LT could one day be at the top of that list
3:36 PM Its a good list but Earl needs to be up there. You also need to take off harris, move Brown to second and tak of smith. It is still pretty good though.
1:58 PM Jim Brown was not even the best fullback when he was playing Jim Taylor was. Remember what his great coach said. "Brown will give you his leg and take it away, Taylor will give you his leg and jam it through you chest!".
10:05 PM wheres bo jacksonjz
5:23 PM Walter Payton was the best, breaking the world record, still for 375 yrds in one game
7:40 PM Riggins, MC Ellhaney, Nagurski and Campbell need to be on list.
9:36 AM jim brown number 3? hes the greatest to ever live! i got a stat for you YPG Jim brown 104 Walter Payton 88 Barry Sanders 99. And u cant say anything about all time rushing leader or yards per year cus first jim brown played less years and there were less games in a season. When i saw this list i figured it was some idiot bears fan
6:12 AM yo get ready because when ladanian retires he gonna be on dis website
7:16 AM Whoever said that emmit smith should be off the list is crazy. He holds the record for most rushing yards in a career and most career rushing touchdowns.
And what about Jamal Lewis? He once held the record for the most rushing yards in a game. He was one of the few that made 2000 rushing yards in s season.
6:39 AM Marcus Allen should be higher than Dorsett. The reason why is b/c LT has to pass 123 in rushing TDs to put Allen in 3rd.
6:46 AM Not familiar with Marion Montley? He was one of the first African American NFL players.
2:04 PM Heres my list:
1. Jim Brown
2. Barry Sanders
3. Walter Payton
4. Emmit Smith
5. Marcus Allen
6. Eric Dickerson
7. Ladanian Tomlinson
8. O.J. Simpson
9. Earl Cambell
10. Marshall Faulk
2:07 PM Why is everbody on here complaining when they culd make there own list? This list is only an opinion. And whoever said that Payton rushed 375 yards in a game, The record is 296 yards by Adrian Peterson.
8:07 PM Listen here, I looked at the Top 100 Players ever. I then took the RBs from the list and put them in the order I found them:
1. Jim Brown
2. Walter Payton
3. Barry Sanders
4. Gayle Sayers
5. O.J. Simpson
6. Marion Motley
7. Earl Campbell
8. Bronko Nagurski
9. Erick Dickerson
10. Tony Dorsett
11. Emmit Smith
12. Lenny Moore
13. Marcus Allen
14. Steve Van Buren
15. Franco Harris
16. Jim Thorpe
17. Elroy Hirsch
I did not make that up. Some of them were around before 1950.
7:55 PM Were you just drawing names?
7:01 PM Here is a fact to know: The 7 RBs to rush 100+ TDs:
Emmit Smith: 164
Marcus Allen: 123
LaDanian Tomlinson: If olny he would hold still, I could figure it out.
Walter Payton: 110
Jim Brown: 106
John Riggins: 104
Marshaul Faulk: 100
believe it or not:
Barry Sanders: 99
10:30 AM Never heard of Joe Perry? He held the nfl rushing yards record until Jim Brown aka #1 beat it.
12:15 PM Jim Brown played in 9, 12 game seasons and he got over 12,000 yards. How the hell is he number 3?
10:24 AM What do yah mean Brown ran in a different era? Sayers played in the same era.
2:50 PM i think the order should be:
1 walter payton
2 franco harris
3 gale sayers
4 barry sanders
5 tony dorsett
6 earl cambell
7 earl dickerson
8 marshall faulk
9 jerome bettis
10 fred taylor
-jb3
3:01 PM the next 5 would be:
11 jim brown
12 marcus allen
13 emmitt smith
14 bo jackson
15 john riggins
adrian peterson will be no.1 in about 8 years. And bronko nargurski was a freakin fullback!
-jb3
6:46 PM who cares if nagurski was a fuullback? it said ruuningbacks, not halfbacks.