Who do you think is the best running back of all time?

Question

Please don't bash me for this, but the best I have ever seen was Barry Sanders. Ask anybody who played against him, he was the best they've ever seen as well. Averaged over 1500 yards a season, and that was behind a poor offensive line. He was also every defense's focal point. Watch some of his highlights. Nobody could do the things he did.

LT definately had one of the greatest seasons of all time, but scoring 30 touchdowns when you get the ball in every goal line situation isn't as big an accomplishment as average 5.1 yards a carry through a 10 year career. There are two reasons Barry was never severely injured: he was in great physical condition, and he didn't take a lot of clean hits.

Barry Sanders' father played running back in high school and college. He actually said that it was
1. Jim Brown
2. Himself
3. Barry Sanders
Even though he naver made the NFL, he still considers himself the second best of all time.

Answer 1

I am from Chicago and was always a huge Walter Payton fan. But Barry Sanders was the best I ever saw. His moves were the best ever. LT may someday be the best back ever, but for now Sanders is the best.

With Walter Payton & Jim Brown in the team picture. But if you want a pure bruising back, you have to look at Earl Cambell.

Answer 2

I really don't think you can ever conclusively settle the debate of best running back ever. Just too many subjective criteria as well as disparities in the era's football has gone through.
My two cents, however, would be this-

60's - Jim Brown
70's into 80's - Walter Payton
80's into 90's - Barry Sanders
late 90's to present - Ladainian Tomlinson
Fairly obvious I would think.
Don't think Tomlinson ranks as a great RB? Take a look at his career totals already. Phenomenal.

If you really wanted to pick the best RB ever, I would suggest going with the one who MOST dominated their era, and that would be Jim Brown. He was like Gretzky in hockey or Jordan in basketball, dominant beyond anything seen before or since. If he'd played 2-3 more years, there might not be any debate. I'd put Sanders just behind Brown in terms of dominance. He'd be the focal point of the defense and still get big yards. Sanders was elusive, but Brown was simply the best athlete on any field he stepped onto.

And I say this being a huge Payton fan. I would give Walter the nod as most complete back ever. A devastating blocker, tough as nails runner, who could catch but played in an era that rarely asked the RB to be a receiver.

In five years, barring injury, Tomlinson will weigh in heavily on this debate. He may not have Barry's moves, Brown's power, or Payton's blocking, but he does it all. Perhaps the smartest RB I've ever seen, even more so than a Marcus Allen. Time will tell.

But for now, I'll go with Jim Brown, with Barry a close second.

Answer 3

Barry Sanders had the best moves of all time, the guy could go into a crowd of 10 players and 2 seconds later pop out the other side, but he lacked speed, his dancing around behind the line of scrimmage cost the Lions a lot of negative plays and his early retirement is what costs him the most had he stayed and played an entire career he would be more highly regarded
.
Sweetness Walter Payton was my favorite. I went to see him here in Detroit one time and at half time the Lion were shutting him down and winning, and the screen at the end of the field put up a quote saying Walter Who?, Walter definitely saw it up there in big lights, in the second half he rushed for 190 yards two TDs and the Bears came back and won, and the guy who controlled board I am sure got let go the next day.

Jim Brown was great.

Emmitt Smith was Mr. Clutch

But even though it is early and he still has more to do to get there I think LT is the greatest of all time, he has it all good speed, great moves, good receiver, good at the Goal Line and he is a great team player.

Answer 4

Walter Payton...I think some of these people are a bit ignorant of football history. Throughout much of his career Payton didn't play with a good QB or a decent offensive line, and yet he was the 2nd leading rusher of all time. He was a great receiver out of the backfield, he could block, and unlike Barry Sanders he almost never went down for negative yardage. Unlike Jim Brown and Barry Sanders, Payton had the ability to either run through or around tacklers.

Beyond all of that, anyone who knew of him knew how great a person and a teammate Walter Payton really was. He didn't quit in the middle of his prime, letting down his team and their fans.

As far as the best in the game today, its hard to look past LaDanian Tomlinson, but historically Walter Payton really stands out.

Answer 5

No...The NFL did have running backs who came before him...Barry Sanders was in the top 5 maybe...but he didn't win a Super Bowl...The greatest RB of all time was "Sweetness", himself...Walter Payton...and then there was this guy the Cowboys had named Emmitt Smith...(with 3 Super Bowls, and the breaking of Walter Payton's record for yards, Emmitt was NOT overrated)...I could see an argument for Barry at #3, although Jim Brown is in there somewhere too...Barry has a couple RBs that were ahead of him...What Barry was was Michael Vick at RB...exciting, but like I said...no Super Bowl...

Answer 6

Barry's dad has problems.
1.Sweetness. This can be argued but I like him at no.1
2.Barry Sanders. The first 4 of my top5 can be arranged in any order for the most part, so I'll put Barry here.
3.Jim Brown. He retired in his prime like Barry and had NFL rushing record when he retired, just like Sweetness.
4.Gale Sayers. Emmitt was over rated. Thats all I'm saying about him. Gale is youngest player to be inducted into HOF and he had his career shortened because of knee injurys.
5.O.J. Simpson. He should have been an eagle but the eagles won their last game making bufallo the worst. O.J. was still awesome and would have been better as an Eagle.

Answer 7

Jim Brown with an edge over Sanders and Payton. He was one of the strongest players, much less halfbacks, in the league when he played. He didn't wear all the pads available for they would slow him down, and he still ran over people, never avoided a hit. He could catch as well. The most dominating player of his time. While Payton and Sanders were great, they never dominated like Brown did.

Answer 8

I know its early, but LT is the best i've seen. Barry Sanders was the most naturally talented RB in history, but LT has it all. The guy can rush for 30 + touchdowns, catch 80-90 balls a year, pass for a few TD's and carry the ball 25-30 times per game. He is the absolute total package.

Answer 9

It's a toss up between Barry Sanders and Walter Peyton.

However, you can't count out Emmit Smith.

Even though he had a very short career I think Terrell Davis was awesome.

LT is no slouch either.

Answer 10

With out a doubt, Barry Sanders. Not only was he form the great state of Kansas, but he kept his mouth shut. Players in today's NFL are all about the show and over the top antics, he just ran, and ran, and ran....