best Runningback of all time

I think Jim Brown was the best of all time Ricky Willams had what it takes but we all no what his promble is

Barry Sanders (barely over Walter Payton IMO) simply for the fact that he could have beaten Payton's record had he stayed in football longer. Plus add to the fact that he was as good as he was, with the type of line he had in Detroit

Questions like this are hard to answer because of the changes that the game underwent.

As a kid, I was impressed with Jim Brown and Jimmy Taylor. Brown had power and speed. Taylor had power.

OJ Simpson was fun to watch. Elusive speed and moves.

Barry Sanders - how did he change direction so quick?

Brown or O.J. for me.

And if you wanna talk about "coulda beens", the best combination of speed and power I ever saw in a RB was Bo Jackson.

With the different eras, it's impossible to say for sure. Jim Brown would get my vote, although I never saw him play. He averaged a little over 5 yards per carry during his career. He also had 12,000+ yards in just 9 seasons. Had Brown not retired early, he would have probably set records that Payton & Emmitt could have never broken. We'll never know.

I also always hear a comparison how the hash marks were different when he played. Basically, they were not as close together as I recall. I'm not 100% of the significance, other than to say Brown rarely ran out of bounds.

From the last 20 years, I would say Barry Sanders & Walter Payton. Honorable mention to Emmitt Smith.

Best of the best? Mostly those who were mentioned - Brown, Payton, Simpson, Sanders, and now, Smith.

Future? Ladanian Tomlinson, Priest Holmes, and my boy Willis McGahee (hehe )

And I believe that those were 12 games seasons, not the 16 they play now.
The hash marks being further apart meant that the team on offense had a shorter field to work with, either to their right or left depending upon where the ball was spotted.

So that would make it even more of an achievement if he hardly ever ran out of bounds, altho I don't beieve I've heard that said about him.

I did see him play, but it's hard to remember more than 40 years ago.

Marshall Faulk

id say dillon or O.J. or payton but chris brown has what it takes to be a top guy if he keeps doing what he has been doing.

Barry Sanders was the best ever just because of how elusive he was. Hes the only guy that can make a 5 yard gain look pretty. Walter Payton, however, is the best footbally player ever. Jerry Rice just recently passed him in totatl yardage a year or two ago, bu hes also played 5-7 more years also. Walter could catch very well, which Barry couldn't do. I cant give it to Brown because he decided to retire early and not play as long as he couldve so he could go into movies.

I thought this would be a no brainer with Jim Brown.

I love a good Running back. Problem with the position though is that it has the shortest life span in the NFL. They get beat up.

The best modern game RB has to be Barry Sanders though, it's a shame he retired so early, but a lot of the best do. People like him changes games, so amazing to watch. There's just some teams you'd watch especially for one player just for the excitement they bring to the game. He was one of them.

I agree with DJ for LdT in the future. And I can't wait to see people like Adrian Peterson and Reggie Bush in the NFL.

Jim Brown, no question in my mind. Gale Sayers may have been more exciting, but was too fragile. Barry Sanders was also exciting, but if you're the greatest back in history you don't get taken out of the game when you get near the goal line - and that is what the Lions did.

Give me OJ and Jim Brown in the backfield anyday.

Sweetness, Sanders, Brown, Smith, Faulk, Sayers, Simpson.

Bo Jackson is simply a gifted athlete. Had he remained healthy, and devoted time only to one sport, he would have been even better than he already was.

Herschel Walker deserves an honorable mention.

Anybody remember Marcus Dupree? If ever there was a Frank Deford "whatever happened to" Sports Illustrated article, Dupree would be it...

tony b.

Marcus Allen? Eric Dickerson?

Csonka?

Grange?

Nagurski?

Since we're into the "Honorable Mentions"....

Eric Dickerson
Earl Campbell

Honorable Mention: Thurman Thomas (when he didn't lose his helmet) :p

1. Jim Brown - Possibly the greatest football player of all time. Watching film of Brown is like watching a man play against high schoolers.

2. Walter Payton - He could do it all. He could outrun you, or jump over you. And he inflicted so much punishment on the defenders. It's usually the other way around.

3. Barry Sanders - He could have put the rushing record out of reach if he wanted to. The record would be over 20,000 if he was still playing today. He was very elusive and very entertaining. A more durable Gale Sayers.

4. Emmitt Smith - Some say he benefitted from playing behind the huge Dallas 0-line and having Aikman, Irvine, and Novacek to spread the defense. But you can't argue with the man's numbers. Probably had the best vision of any running back. He made up for his lack of speed with his instincts and decision making.

5. Eric Dickerson - Still holds the record for rushing yards in a season and rushing yards for a rookie. He ran with such grace that you forgot he was going so fast. If he stayed with the Rams he would have broken Payton's record before Emmitt. He might be best remembered for his contract squabbles.

6. O.J. Simpson - Speaking of Running Backs who will be remember for things off the field... Simpson was Jim Brown with less power but more moves. He had sprinter's speed and moves like Sayers and Barry. First man over 2000 yards in a season.

7. Gale Sayers - Most exciting RB of all time, along with Barry. His 6 TD performance in the mud against the 49ers will never be forgotten. Everyone was sliding around in the mud and Sayers was running around like the grass was perfectly dry. He'd be higher up on my list if he stayed healthy and played longer.

8. Earl Campbell - Next to Jim Brown, probably the best power back of all time. He led the league in rushing his first three seasons, and he was the epitome of the irresistable force. He could outrun you or lower his head and knock you down like a bowling pin.

9. Marshall Faulk - The ultimate weapon. He could take handoffs out of the backfield or line up in the slot and kill you as a receiver.

10. Tony Dorsett - Great back from the 70s and 80s that is often overlooked. Had great speed and was the main weapon for the Cowboy teams that bridged the gap between the Staubach and the Aikman eras.

Honorable mention

Jerome Bettis - a personal favorite of mine. Another great power back who is surprisingly near the top of all of the career rushing lists. Very clean record off the field, and everyone seems to love this guy. Has there ever been a better nickname for a RB than "The Bus"?

Curtis Martin - another guy who is climbing the all time rushing charts. He could end up in the top 4 or 5 before he's done. Unfortunately he has never been "the guy" in the league, always being overshadowed by the likes of Terrell Davis, Barry, Emmitt, Jamal Lewis, Priest Holmes, and others.

Marion Motley - You won't find his name on any of the all time leader lists, but this guy was the cornerstone of the early great Browns teams. Another great power back.

Bronko Nagurski - I don't know much about this guy, but the stories I have heard are legendary. He was bigger than most offensive linemen of his day.

Bo Jackson - In my opinion he could have been the next Jim Brown had he exclusively played football. Sports has never seen such a freakish blend of power and speed. He would play half a season and still rush for 900 yards.

Marcus Allen - He'd be higher up on this list if he didn't spend all of those years rotting away on the Raider bench because of Al Davis. One of the best goal line RBs ever, he resurrected his career in KC.

Welcome back Don Corpuzzi. It's been a heck of a long time since we've seen you.

Good to be back. I've been really busy these last several months and haven't been able to browse this site as much as I'd like. Glad to see some of the old gang is still around!

OMG!

Good seeing you around, DC!

As your old picture used to remind me of:

Good to see you back Corpuzzi and great call on the Bus. Many people have doubted he can still do it because this season he's primarily been a goal line back, remember that first game of the season? Something like 3 TD's for 1 yard on 5 carries. Well the last two games proved he can still perform in this league, not as fast as Duce and now Martin will have to wait just that little bit longer until he passes his record.

Both will pass Dorsetts record this weekend.

In my opinion it is a toss up between Jim Brown, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. This is a tough call because of the different eras that these guys played in. When Brown played the game it was a different game. Payton and Sanders also played in different era's, but thier era's were probably more close than compared with Brown's.

So I would have to say that it is between the 3 of them.


Don Cardi

The best college running back was Red Grange.

My pick for best college RB would be Herschel Walker.

Barry Sanders or Curt Warner.

Shaun Alexander from Seattle is a touchdown machine, and he racks up a tonnage of yards when the terrible Seahawks play-calling gives him the ball. He could be up there.

I have to go with Barry Sanders. The man made moves that I never thought were ever possible. No offense to Daunte Hall, but this man has the rights to the title of the "human joystick". I am certain that if Barry would have continued to play, Emmitt Smith (or any other player for that matter) would never be able to catch him. The rushing record would be ridiculously high. His career is truly one of the biggest "what if's" in sports history.

Well I actually think that Sanders got out when he could because he just didn't have the love anymore, not to mention all the problems he had with the Lions management. Really, why keep playing for a team who's management wasn't doing what was needed to WIN? Of course this added to Sanders' desire not to leave Michigan and relocate his family so he retired and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame...on the FIRST ballot.

Jim Brown and Sanders are indeed the greatest running-backs ever, but the thing about Sanders that was amazing was this. You know what many defensive coaches in the NFL had their players do inorder to prepare to do during the week for any sunday game with Sanders? They had the players CHASE a chicken. I kid you not, I mean big defensive tackles/linebackers trying to catch those quick-turning chickens(and not to mention those damn creatures scratching and pecking you all to hell in the process). Thus Sanders was the best of his species since 1980...and yes over Walter Payton(though he was superb too). However, the all-time title has to be given to Mr. Brown....I mean he WAS in THE DIRTY DOZEN(and that has to count for something).

I agree. That disqualifies Sanders.

The most important aspect of the game is scoring touchdowns.

To be considered the "greatest", you need a combination of speed and power.

The greatest RB in history cannot be someone who was taken out of the game in short yardage goal line situations.

Kurt Warner is a QB.

Curt Warner was a RB who had a decent NFL career with Seattle in the 1980's. He went to Penn State, I believe.

Yeah, I remember Curt Warner. He played in 3 Pro Bowls but is only 43rd all time in rushing. No reason for him to be discussed on this list.

Yeah, considering I never heard of him despite sharing a name with a present QB, then he should not be mentioned here.

Another thing about Jim Brown also is that he didnt pass block. Payton was probably a better pass blocker than a runningback. He seriously could just do it all.

Barry Sanders, and it's not even close.

Get yourself some old tapes of Jim Brown and try to defend that claim. Not only was he a great blocker, he often would appear downfield leading the blocking for the wide receivers. Don't get me wrong - Payton was a fantastic player. It is still Jim Brown, then everyone else.

Sorry, but I dont own any Cleveland Browns tapes from the 1950's and 60's but I have had many Cleveland fans tell me that he was the best runningback ever but then also tell me at the same time that he never pass blocked. If I see some tapes that will prove me wrong then I'll say he pass blocked. But when Browns fans who loved Jim Brown tell me he didnt pass block, then I'm going to believe them.

I've heard it on those NFL films specials that Brown didn't pass block. Although Payton was a great pass blocker, I still think that Brown is better. If I ever find evidence I'll post it here.