Is Ladainian tomlinson the best runningback in history because of his stats?

Question

chargers football

Answer 1

The way he is playin now, u would have to say yes. Look at alexander last year he was playin like he was a hall of famer, now look at him this year. LT has been pretty consistent, but i really dont like him. I dont like his running style and he doesnt seem like a flashy guy, i know this sounds weird because hes fast and makes guys miss but i really dont get excited to watch him, like i did with barry sanders. Barry Sanders was and is the best running back in nfl history. He played on a really bad team and still put up numbers. He could make any guy miss and had the best feet i have ever seen. If he kept on playin he wouldve shattered all records and if he played on a great team he would literally be unstoppable. So LT is good but not the greatest.

Answer 2

No and he doesn't even have the BEST Stats. Ever hear of guys like Sweetness Walter Payton and Barry Sanders are you living in the only today category. For the record Payton was before MY time and I still think he was one of the best. I am not saying Tomlinson can't become one the best. If he keeps this up for YEARS he will be up there. Right now though he has NO longevity to prove he can keep it up. Now if you only mean for the Chargers to be honest he probably is the best they have ever had.

OK Barry Sanders DIDN'T retire because he was looking out for himself. He retired because he was no longer into the game. He didn't have the heart for it anymore. He could have stayed playing. He could have made the money. He could have taken the records. At the end of the day what would that have given him? Stats. That is what you are BASING this question on. I don't think that is what truly makes a player great though.

Answer 3

This is a tough question to answer due to the fact that there are many great running backs. The best of which was Barry Sanders. Now don't get me wrong there are some other great ones, Emmit, Jim, Gale and Eric, but on pure durability and running style then it is Barry.

LT on the other hand could be the greatest football player in history. As long as he stays healthy he will break many records. He can catch better than 99% of the running backs out there today and throw better than half the quarterbacks. I believe we need to really enjoy him while we can because a football player like him does not come very often.

Answer 4

The great ones aren't always great for what shows up in the stats. Tomlinson makes teams change their defensive schemes to stop him, and then he runs for 150 yards and a handfull of touchdowns on them anyway. He has moves like sanders, but unlike sanders, you almost never see L.T. get dropped for a loss. To me, that's the most amazing thing, not the 50 yard runs, but the runs that he does every game where you know that any other back in the league would've been dropped for a loss, but somehow L.T. gets a couple of yards. Just on running style alone, he could be considered top 10, but when you count in all the other things he can do, blocking, catching, passing, walking on water, you get the most talented back to ever play the game. I won't say best yet, because he's not done yet, but he will be if all goes as it should.

Answer 5

Thats a tough question as to say who's the greatest running back of all time. Right now LT isn't. Too many great backs before him. Stats are tough to decipher because of the different eras the players played in. Some backs played when there wasn't free agency, so that meant the players around them were pretty much the same for a lot of their careers, then you have guys on a team without much of an offensive line but he still produces. It's one of those great debates because there have been some great backs in the history of the game.

Answer 6

Not Yet...........

Of course, I am a huge Bears fan.

I would put Barry Sanders right there at 1 A ....if not the best ever.
He played the game with as much respect and dignity as Walter did.
Emmit Smith, while a great running back (and evidently a good dancer) and deserving to be mentioned as one of the best, is not in the top 3-4.


1. Walter Payton
1-A. Barry Sanders
2. Jim Brown
3. Gayle Sayers
4. Earl Campbell
5. O.J. Simpson..........JERK - OFF

Let the hateful arguments begin............

Time will tell with all of these 'new' guys. Please.... lets wait to see if they will be the "next" Payton, Brown, Sanders....

I would like to see more of the respect that La Dainian Tomlinson displays from more of his colleagues these days.

If a running back today shows me that he would rather hit a potential tackler (like Walter Payton did), than go out of bounds unless time is a factor, then we will talk about who may be worthy of mention with these giants..........

Oh, to have seen what Gayle Sayers and Bo Jackson could have done if they could have stayed healthy.....

Answer 7

This debate is a valid one. I believe his is a better back than emmit smith, marcus allen, walter payton, marshall faulk and several others due to the fact that the san diego chargers have had little else but him to contribute offensively for the past 6 years or more. look at their quarterbacks; jim harbaugh, ryan leaf, drew brees developed into a solid quaterback and now rivers is suprisingly capable in his first true season. Look at the recievers they have had during his career, McCardell is older than dirt, still producing but they have had little else (do i have to even mention david boston) it is a very small list of talent. There offensive line is very young, atheletic but inexperienced. Following lorenzo neal doesn't hurt either. I think that the only runningback to do as well as LT with as little help has to be barry sanders who showed so refreshing class and hung up the cleats while in his prime while so many of his peers (faulk and emmitt smith come to mind) clung desperately to their rapidly declining years. Both of whom played for super bowl champion teams that where offensive giants. Is LT the best?, or is it barry sanders? Flip the coin I'm just lucky to have watched them both play.

Answer 8

No he is not. LT is a huge talent no doubt and when its all said and done for his career he will probobly get into the hall of fame and maybe even called one of the greatest running backs but I just dont think he is the best ever. Barry Sanders, Walter Peyton, Gayle Sayers, Jim Brown guys like that among others are ahead of him. LT is a product of a team who is willing to base their whole offense around him. He runs, he catches he throws he does it all. Other than what he produces the Chargers dont have much offense.

Answer 9

when his carrer is over he will probably own every or close to every rushing record in the nfl, that is if he decides to have a long carrer. in my eyes there have been other great backs: Brown, Sanders, Payton, Smith. Two of them retired very early in their carrer's. If they had stayed as long as Smith did he wouldnt have been the all time leading rusher, but you have to give him credit for sticking it out and trying. as a complete back i would say it's LT and Smith. They can block, catch, and rush. Brown, Sanders, and Payton never did any of that, they just ran the ball real well. And especially long that the defense are far more advanced than what they were back then and the athletes are more bigger, faster and smarter. LT is the best.

Answer 10

No. Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emitt Smith, and perhaps even Marshell Faulk are better than Tomlinson. Tomlinson needs to be consistent to the end of a season before we can call him one of the greatest. He tends to flame out at the end. so we'll see.