Greatest RB of all time?

Question

I asked this question before, but i wanna know the greatest runningback of all time. Here are a few stats that might help.

Jim Brown
Yards a season: 1,368
Yards a game: 104
TD a season: 12
TD a game: 0.89
Games Played: 118
Yards a Carry: 5.2

Barry Sanders
Yards a season: 1,527
Yards a game: 100
TD a season: 10
TD a game: 0.64
Games played: 153
Yards Per Carry: 5.0

Walter Payton
Yards a season: 1,286
Yards a game: 88
TD's a season: 8
TD's a game: 0.58
Games Played: 190
Yards Per Carry: 4.4

Emmit Smith
Yards a Season:1,223
Yards a Game: 81
TD's a season: 11
TD's a game: 0.72
Games Played: 226
Yards per Carry: 4.2

Gayle Sayers
Yards a Season:708
Yards a Game: 73
TD's a season: 5
TD's a game: 0.57
Games Played: 68
Yards a Carry: 5.0

Tony Dorsett
Yards a Season: 1,061
Yards a Game: 74
TD's a season: 6
TD's a game: 0.44
Games Played: 173
Yards a Carry: 4.3

Erick Dickerson
Yards a Season: 1,104
Yards a Game: 91
TD's a season: 8
TD's a game: 0.60
Games Played: 146
Yards a Carry: 4.4

Answer 1

Walter Payton.

He’s one of the few running backs that you can look at and judge him accurately by his career. Meaning, Jim Brown and Gale Sayers, both great running backs, great role models, but both played short careers for a span of 8 years. And their combined total of games is still less than Walter Payton. While Barry Sanders retired, not because he was getting older or starting to wear, but because it was his only way out of Detroit. And while Smith, Dorsett and Dickerson were all incredible running backs, their prospective teams didn’t believe they were both worth keeping in the long run. All three were traded to other teams and never reclaimed the glory that they had once had.

If you look at the career of Walter Payton, there is no question he was the most complete running back. He was fast and incredible strong. He has over 4,000 career receiving yards. He was an incredible blocker. He was a team leader, unselfish. For instance, instead of him running in a touchdown in the Super Bowl, he blocked to let a defensive lineman named Perry score. The man was class and strength, and of those listed, Emmit Smith was even quoted as saying that Walter Payton was an inspiration to him as a player. LaDainian Tomlinson has also shared the same sentiment.

And when Walter Payton finally broke Jim Brown’s all time rushing record, he did it with Jim Brown’s blessing, because the man reminded him of himself. That in itself was a compliment of the highest degree. And not only that, he was the Bear’s emergency quarterback and their emergency punter. He’s thrown a 60 yard pass for a TD. There are many great running backs, and there will probably be tons more in the future, but no one has done more for the game and said nothing about it than “Sweetness.” Take a note T.O.

Answer 2

Without any hesitation its BARRY SANDERS, One of the main reason's I am a lions fan. Look at everything he has done. He had no O-line. He played less years than emmitt smith and damn near had the record. The thing is Barry didn't care for the record. He knew that he would have broken the record if he would have played the season in which he retired in. He was unstoppable. Nobody can move like Barry did, not even LT. Hands down he is the best of all time. Nobody cannot and will not come close to barry. If people wouldn't say Barry, well I would think that the person has some sort of retardism. He is also the only player in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl every year he played.

Answer 3

I agree completely. It takes more than stats to make a player "great". People toss that word around like they tried calling Axle Rose a "genius" a decade or so ago. The greatest all around running backs of all time are Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Period. They did some incredible things on the football field WITHOUT an actual offensive line blocking for them for most of their careers! I won't even get into Walter playing a game at quarterback when the Bears were really hurting. Maybe if Smith would have played a season or two (in his prime) for a team that didn't have the best offensive line in football, he could be compared to the other two. But he didn't, instead he was cast off to the Cardinals when he was finished.

Answer 4

I will give it to Jim Brown For now. LT has everything to break every record but Brown played less years and less games every year than all of those guys did and he still is in the leaders in everything. He could have the records if he hadn't passed it up for movies. He dominated everyone he came up against and won a few NFL Champion chips in his day.


It's not Walter Payton because of the fact that he played more games and years than Brown so hes gonna break his record. And the only reason he scored was because the D kept them close the the End zone on every possession.


Its not Emmit because he had every thing around him. Hall of Fame rs were every where when he was good. But when the left or retired he was terrible and was signed by the Cardinals. The worst way to end your career, He shouldve retired the day he broke the record.


Dickerson was solid but nothing compared to Brown Emmitt Sweetness or even LT.


Sayers didn't play enough


Dorsett.... See Emmitt and still wasn't as dominate as Brown


Sanders was great and faster than Brown but not 1/4 as strong or as physical. Ya he played with nobody, but Brown really didn't for most of his career.Sanders is the only one that comes close but Brown was way more dominating.

Answer 5

Barry Sanders was the most electrifying and could carry (and did carry) some horrible Detroit teams on his back. He could and did take a handoff and run circles around all 11 defenders on multiple occasions. Barry was the best who like Jim Brown who was the best of his era went out early. Bo was the best package of speed and power that has ever played but he went out due to an injury but if he had a full football career there would be no one in his class. I think the best right now is L. Tomlinson of SD, who will probably end up with better career numbers than all of those listed above as long as he stays on offensively talented teams much like Emmitt Smith did through his career.

Answer 6

Barry Sanders

Answer 7

Emmit Smith
Yards a Season:1,223
Yards a Game: 81
TD's a season: 11
TD's a game: 0.72
Games Played: 226
Yards per Carry: 4.2

Answer 8

If you don't answer Barry Sanders you are retarded. While all these other running backs are great, they were on good or great teams. The Lions are a joke always will be always have been. Barry never had a good line blocking for him, or a good quarterback running the O, or receivers to take pressure off the running game. Nope...every single inch Barry gained, he did it by himself. The hardest player to tackle of all time. If Barry would have been stuck behind even a good O line, his numbers would have been more ridiculous than they already are...

Answer 9

In reality, he doesn't have that far to go. Peterson has carried the Vikings since he's been with them. His injury put him deep on the sideline, but he came back and lead the NFL in rushing. He came within a broken tackle and 9 yards of breaking the record. In my eyes, Peterson is top 5 already.

Answer 10

Walter Payton and Barry Sanders are top 2 (no specific order)
LT will be with them by the end of his career