I'm going Barry Sanders. He had no line, but still finished 2nd at the time when he retired in All-Time Rushing Yards
2007-03-11 13:04:05 · 41 answers · asked by VikeFan 3 in Sports ➔ Football (American)
BARRY SANDERS...he never had anything...never had an offensive line, never played on an elite team which had a descent defense, never boasted about being the best, never humiliated his opponents...even with everything in his favor, Barry Sanders has never admitted he is the GREATEST NFL'S BEST...
2007-03-11 13:20:32 · answer #1 · answered by esnagui 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This is a difficult question, surely, because there are so many factors that contribute to it. Walter Payton and Barry Sanders each were on truly terrible teams, whereas a guy like Emmitt Smith played behind one of the best O-lines in history. Tomlinson, a guy in the league right now, is already filling up scoring records, and probably will make a dent in the rushing records, too.
I would say that the best pure running back, not all around back, would be Barry Sanders. He was famous for his minute long one yard carries in which he would change direction three or four times. He never had any consistency at any other position of the offense or defense, yet he took the team to the playoffs.
Other guys that should be considered are Walter Payton, Jim Brown, Terrel Davis, and Gale Sayers, who was truly explosive but suffered many injuries.
2007-03-11 13:46:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you go by numbers, players like Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith lead the way. However, there are guys like Jim Brown and Barry Sanders who retired early and would have had astronomical numbers. The consensus amongst the football world has been Jim Brown. Sanders had some unbeliveable moves while Brown had great power and speed. It's tough to say, but after I've watched videos of some of the great running backs in history, I would have to agree with the majority of the football experts and say Jim Brown.
2007-03-11 14:07:01 · answer #3 · answered by bluejacket8j 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Barry Sanders
2007-03-11 14:41:40 · answer #4 · answered by joseph 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Barry Sanders. if he wouln't have retired so early, he would have smashed the All-time rushing yards record. Barry was fresh off a 1500+ yard season. He never had a bad season. If only he had some blocking.
2007-03-11 15:49:23 · answer #5 · answered by atvman_400 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Walter Payton...Barry was good, he would have been great if he had a line, but walter was the man. Im a Sanders fan myself but i had to go another way with this question.
2007-03-11 19:11:30 · answer #6 · answered by midwestplaya21 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
George Allen tried to write on this and everybody attacked him when he didn't pick their candidate. If we go by carrying the ball alone, I agree that Barry Sanders was the best. If you add in catching passes out in the flat, etc., then I'd go with Chuck Muncie. Great blocker , fast enough to run outside, played with poor lines, and despite a chronic bad wrist he was able to run inside and do lots of other things.
2007-03-11 14:19:21 · answer #7 · answered by Robert David M 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
1. Jim Brown
2. Barry Sander
3. Walter Payton
4. Emmitt Smith
5. O.J. Simpson
2007-03-11 14:42:40 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Id think Barry Sanders too, but he could've been clearly the BEST if he played a couple of more years
2007-03-11 13:08:59 · answer #9 · answered by jaque strap 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its Jim Brown. He was and is the best ever. He was also #1 on the 100 best football players of all time list. Remember, when he played, they only had a 12 game season. One day in the next couple of years, the guard will change and it will be a man named LaDainian Tomlinson. If LT continues at his current pace, he will be the best football player ever and untouched for 100 years.
2007-03-11 14:27:47 · answer #10 · answered by cold 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋