who agrees walter payton is the greatest runningback of all time?

Question

i mean cmon i watched a highlight he knocked a defender out with a stiff arm who does that!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3oN2aLf9qk

Answer 1

I'm old enough to have watched some of the greatest runningbacks to have ever played the game like Jim Brown, Paul Hornung, Gale Sayers, Sweetness Walter Peyton, Barry Sanders, and Marcus Allen among others. In my humble opinion, Peyton was by far the best running back of all time. He was incredible!

Answer 2

Emmit was no where near as good as Payton. Put Payton behind those Dallas lines of the 90s, he would have racked up yards that would have never been touched. I'm a Packers fan and Payton is still clearly the greatest. The only the come close are Sanders or Brown.

Answer 3

Yes Walter Payton from Chicago, Michael Jordan # 23 , Chicago, Devin Hester #23, Chicago

Best RB
Best Basketball Player
Best Special Teams

Answer 4

I just love it when people try and say that players that played 40 or 50 years ago were the greatest of all time.
They were the greatest of their time.
players were smaller, slower and weaker back then.
You put Walter Payton, Emmit Smith, Barry Sanders, back in the 50s and you would see every one of them rush over 2000 yards plus.
It's impossible to tell who would be the best of ALL time.
You have to take each one in the context of the era they were in and the quality of athletic competition they faced.
Makes you wonder if a 25 year old Jim Brown would excel in this modern era of the big, strong fast players there are today.
It's hard to measure.
If you go by stats, you go with Emmit, most yards ..etc.
If you go with sheer determination and absolute gutty no quits, you go with Peyton and Brown.
It's immpossible to tell, and ten years from now, people will still be asking the same question.

Answer 5

I've seen many a great RB in the NFL--from Jim Brown (yep--I'm that old) and Gale Sayers (once my hero when I was young) , to Larry Csonka, Franco Harris, Earl Campbell, John Riggins, Dickerson, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, "The Bus" , LT, et.al...

I think that each was remarkable in a number of ways,. None of them could do what Barry Sanders could do (such as run full speed down the line on a sweep on astroturf--stop on a dime and make a 90 degree cut and still be at full speed --all without blowing out a knee!! Remarkable!!)

But as far as work ethic, leadership, toughness (you never saw him step out of bounds--he always lowered a shoulder and dished out punishment), performance (even on some pretty crappy teams in the mid 70's) and class -- there's nobody, in my opinion, who can compare in totality to Walter "Sweetness" Payton.

Answer 6

for his era walter is the best.better than jim brown.brown was the same size as his o-line.he also had a pretty good passing game to help him.rb is not supposed to be the fastest on the field,not the strongest.they are supposed to be as unique as a linebacker.versatility is key.herschel walker,bo jackson,marcus allen,marshell faulk all modeled after the man.imitation is the sincerist form of flattery.lets see brown play for the bears from 74-83 with the same impact.in order to be the man you gotta beat the man.walter did that.maybe if brown new walter was gonna beat his yardage record he might have put off hollywood a few more years.but atleast we have 'im gonna get you sucka'

Answer 7

I think a lot of the old timers will tell you Jim Brown dwarfed him. I agree with you....and let's be honest...Jim Brown was running over far less athletic white guys.

Do the guy below me who asked about Barry Sanders....

Barry was a one dimensional scat back. He wasn't capable of taking over a game in the way that Payton or Brown were. Barry often stuck his QBs with 3rd and longs....which is part of why his QBs got sacked so often, and threw so many picks. There was nothing wrong with Peete or Kramer, the Lions just killed them.

Barry had to be pulled in 3rd and short. The best Rb does NOT get pulled on 3rd and short.

To be perfectly honest, Barry would not make my top 10 backs list. And there is a back playing now...Tomlinson....who is FAR superior to Sanders.

As to Sander's OL stinking...how could you tell? He never followed a block anyway. They asked Barry to follow a blocker, and he took his football and went home. He didn't want to play in a real offense...the run and shoot gave him big stats.

I am so tired of hearing about Barry Sanders. P.S....Emmit was a better back then Barry...look at the TDs. Look at the wins.

Answer 8

Well, second to Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders had absolutely no blocking and was always a defense's number one priority. Yet he still averaged over 1500 yards a season. Nobody has broken more 40 and 80 yard runs than Sanders. Barry Sanders could make a whole defense look like a second string middle school team.

Answer 9

He is up there on that level that few reach. About the only true competition to him in my view are guys like Barry Sanders. I'm sure you will have some trying to say Tomlinison is already there, sorry but that isn't true. You have to PROVE you belong there and that takes takes more then what 2,3 years that he has been playing. Sure he is great but that doesn't make him the best or one of the best.

Answer 10

Yes, he was AWESOME. But maybe not the greatest of all time. There are many young RBs currenty such as LT and LJ that could be the best of all time. Who know?! But I agree that Walter Payton was amazing and GREAT.