Bo should make the list for best running back to never break 1,000 yards in a season. Oj broke 2k in 14 games and the rest did it with 16. But bo couldn't break 1k with 11 games. Plus he only scored about 5 td per year with all his speed and breaking tackles. His hype and highlights never match his actual stats. Frank Gore, Corey dillion, Fred taylor, Shaun Alexander, Curtis Martin, Edgerrin James should get honorable mention before Bo Jackson. As if we forgot Bo wasn't even the best running back on his team that was hall of fame running back Marcus Allen.
@@jeffjacobson59 I do agree the only way he makes any hall of fame is with him only playing and focusing on one sport. It's interesting to me that in the same era there was another full back who played the same amount of years. With similar stats and also injury ended his career. But I never hear anyone suggest he would be a hall of famer. That was Ickey Woods by no mean would I claim he was a future hall of fame or even better than Bo. But he had more td in like 3 out of 4 seasons than bo and with less games and rushing attempts. Bo did have more total yards but there not far off for either player. Ickey also had get commercials like Bo. Are we saying he would have been to if not for injuries? I think neither would have been especially Bo just for the simple fact you brought up he was not gonna give up baseball and Al Davis wasn't gonna ask him to. After all he still had Marcus Allen even if Al let a personal situation cut Marcus touches they still had him to fill in the gap.
Gotta end with Barry and Jim Brown. The 2 "what ifs" they didn't retire early because the ownership didn't respect them. Jim Brown may have still today had the record for rushing. And Barry CERTAINLY would have had more yards than Emmitt.
That is so true, both left the game on top. I don't remember watching Jim Brown. I was just a baby, but I do remember watching Berry Sanders and the rest of them.
And Emmit got so many yards in “garbage time.” He was nothing but a ball hog who ran behind the greatest line ever assembled. Seriously if you switched him and Barry and Smith wouldn’t have lasted as long as Barry did.
There is more to being the best running back than running with the ball. Blocking and pass catching factor in as well. Emmitt was the best all around running back in NFL history. And he has more yards than super talented Barry Sanders BECAUSE he lasted longer for whatever reason. He did it.
1 person we forgot, John Riggins. He's the only running back to gain more yards in his thirties then anybody else. And he is in the hall of fame too. But Barry Sanders was always electrifying to watch. And so was Walter Payton.
Earl Campbell should have been #1, this coming from a Pittsburgh Steeler fan. The man was faster, more powerful than any other running back I ever seen.
I agree with that Campbell was a force to be reckoned with the 1st Round 1st pick in the 1978 nfl draft out of University of Texas he won all 3 NFL MVP Awards he's won Rookie Of The Year not to mention he went to two AFC Championship games although he may have not won a super bowl ring but it's all right cause they call him the Tyler Rose for a real reason he Born and Raised in the state of Texas he's a legendary icon with the Houston Oilers and he still is to this day
@@ryaneugenelawrencewalls1987 From everyone I have known that has met him he is just a genuine good person, who is humble. Just a good person in general.
NFL running backs are expected to run, block, and catch. NO ONE mastered those three duties like Payton. He was the greatest RB of all time and the greatest player of all time. He showed up every game, never got seriously hurt, almost never fumbled, blocked like a lineman, caught like a receiver, and never gave up easy. He fought for every inch every time, refused to go out of bounds, would stiff arm anyone, and feared no one. He often led the Bears in rushing and receiving. NO ONE has a bigger heart.
Barry Sanders is my #1. Barry would have had 25000 yards + rushing if he had kept playing. I love Earl Campbell, he made human roadkill out of a lot of guys.
He blew out both ACL and MCL, which made his monster MVP season even more mind-boggling. AP also played several years with mediocre q.b.’s and few weapons on offense. As a result, defenses stacked the line to stop him but he still tore it up.
1) Barry Sanders 2) Walter Payton 3 ) Eric Dickerson 4) Jim Brown 5) Emitt Smith 6) Billy Sims 7 ) Earl Campbell 8 ) OJ Simpson 9) Terrell Davis 10).Priest Holmes
Walter Payton is the best running back of all time for me. He was a complete player who ran, blocked and passed. He rarely fumbled. He could play equally well on grass and turf (unlike Barry Sanders who was not nearly as effective on grass). Payton was incredibly durable.
At the time it was the right move to make . NFL teams don't normally select RBs in 1st round .You can make the case of " would or should of " for every college draft in modern NFL drafts . It's always easy to criticize past drafts . As we know , hindsight is 20 / 20 . .Not every # 1 draft choice is ' guaranteed " to be an NFL success , nor a 7th rounder to become an All Pro .
I think Jim Taylor of the Green Bay Packers belongs somewhere on this list. He was Lombardi's back who 'ran to daylight'. Not as flashy as some of the other guys on this list, but he was certainly a winner.
Sayers was amazing Dickerson always seemed to fumble at the worst time Emmitt played behind a great O-line, for sure. However, so did many other backs, but it usually only gets mentioned for Emmitt Sanders was the best I ever saw at making something out of nothing Walter Payton is my pick for #1. He had power, speed, was a fantastic blocker and for his era a good receiver Jim Brown is legendary. You could argue that the competition wasn't as great as it is now. You could point out that his replacement Lenny Moore was All Pro for 3 seasons right after Brown left. However, he WAS the offense. The defense knew he was getting the ball and still couldn't stop him. He also get points for incredible durability
Tony ..For sure overlooked , Im thinking of Thurman Thomas , Overall , its an accurate list . Certainly cant argue with these 10 at all . Should come out with a sincere " honorable mention " list where readers might add an " overlooked " player ?? Dorsett , Thomas would get my vote .
Brown, Payton, and Sanders all have large drops in Yards Per Carry in playoffs, Emmitt Smith IMPROVED his average to 4.6 Y/C in playoffs to be the #1 out of the 4 by a decent amount (Sanders is #2 at 4.2, with Payton & Brown below 4.0)... also, Emmitt Smith is the one who played with a separated shoulder during a big regular season game... nothing bad to say about the other 3, i just think Smith gets short changed despite being the best player on 3 championships... fax!!!
I have 1 . Jim Brown 2. OJ 3. Gale Sayers 4. Earl Campbell So 2 through 4 can be in whatever order you want . 5. Eric Dickerson 6. Barry Sanders 7. Terrell Davis 8. Walter Payton 9. Emmit Smith 10. Marshall Faulk Eric and Barry had average to below average quarterbacks so the team's offensive success was dependent on the running game. Terrell's career was short but he's one of the few to eclipse 2000 yards in a season, but he also ran his team into 2 Superbowl championship seasons. Walter was excellent but an interesting trivia is he was never handed the ball to run it in for a touchdown when the Bears were near the goal line in his only Superbowl. Instead they used him as a decoy and gave the ball to William "the Refrigerator" Perry, who scored every time,. As for Emmit and Marshall, they played with Hall of Fame quarterbacks and superior talent all around them on the offense.
The deal with Payton not scoring in the SB was because of ditkas massive ego . No way in hell should perry have gotten the chance to score a TD before Walter ! Freaking Ditka , after the game he says “oh I didn’t know “ ……Bullshit !
Anyone who thinks Jim Brown isn't the GOAT needs to check his record. No other PLAYER, let alone running back, can match what Brown did over nine seasons in terems of productivity, durability and leadership. This guy was UNSTOPPABLE.
I like the list, but IMO not having Adrian Peterson on here is troubling. Numbers wise and eye test wise, he's likely somewhere in the top 5. Also, as much as I love Gale Sayers, whose style of running was simply ahead of it's time, his lack of longevity and the fact he only had 2 1'000 yard rushing seasons, is enough for me to keep him out of the top 10, ALL things considered. He's unquestionably a top 10 RB TALENT, but didn't have top 10 RB career. I would replace him with Tony Dorsett or Marcus Allen. I agree with the top 3 in the order they were in. I think Eric Dickerson and OJ should be flipped with LT and Emmitt.
There is not a single doubt Jim Brown was #1. If you are skeptical, look up his career stats. They did not say much about his records here. Only player to ever average over a 100 yards per game for his entire career! Averaged 5.2 yards per carry over his entire career! He was 6'2", 230 lbs of pure muscle and fast. Legend says he ran a 4.5 sec 40 yard dash in full pads from a 3 point stance. Do not know if that is true, but I don't doubt it. I'm 76 and saw them all. None can equal Jm Brown, although Earl Campbell wasn't that far behind. If someone had taught him to hook slide, he would have done even better.
I saw everyone on the list and I have one major problem with it. As great a runner as Jim Brown was, he didn't catch a lot of passes, wasn't asked to block much, and wasn't a threat to throw the ball on a sweep. Walter Payton was all of those things. Don't get me wrong, Jim Brown was probably the greatest pure runner, but if you're talking about an all-around running back, it has to be Sweetness.
Good Point, thank you for that, but like you said , he wasn't asked to do those other things, it would've been nice to know if he would've been able to though!
The reason he was not asked to block was that he could only block 1 defender-by flaring out of the backfield he would draw the attention of 2-3 defenders-the blocking back was Ernie Green
Crazy when Bo played, he didn’t show up until week 6-8 each year, obviously his contract was set up that baseball came first, but when he played, he was the best back on everyone’s list. I still have all the inside sport magazines, SI, and sure, Barry, Thurman, Emmitt, Neal Anderson, Dickerson were on the list, but they had an asterisk that when Bo arrived in week 8 he was #1. Sure, Bo didn’t play long enough, he didn’t amass tons of stats, but when Bo played he either ran you over or past you with his speed. I don’t need a 12 year career to see he was a top back of all time. A freak injury doesn’t cut him short that he was a better version of Jim Brown, even LT and Adrian Peterson were said to be “The next Bo Jackson’s” on their NFL Scouting reports from all the scouts at the time of them being drafted. Bo is a top Back. IMO.
Thanks for the comments, Bo definitely would've changed the game if he played longer, I may have to do a second just for some great backs that did not dhow on the list! Much appreciated@@xxCapitalPxx
Barry is #1 and pretty clear… he averaged over 1500 yards PER SEASON! Let that sink in… only RB to run for 1000 yards and make the pro bowl every year (10 years straight). On a short list of RBs to run for over 2000 yards. Would’ve been the only RB to run for over 20000 yards had he played 3-4 more seasons… all on playing on the Detroit Lions his whole career… yea no debate. Plus has arguably the greatest college single season in college history.
Barry is right there with Brown but I got to give the edge to Brown. Many fail to realize that when he played they were 12 and 14 game seasons with defenses that were strictly designed to stop him. Even with that he averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 per attempt over his career.
I cant really argue with any names on the list. Brown at #1 will remain forever, there is simply no way around it. On the field, he was a man among boys. For me, 2 and 3 are a toss-up but I am fine with Barry and Walter in either order. There will always be those who are deserving who are left out but that shouldn't diminish their accomplishments. Perhaps an honorable mention list leading into the top 10 would have been a nice touch to keep those legends in the public consciousness.
The best football player ever was Walter Payton. He could do it all; block, run, catch passes, throw passes (8 TD’s off the halfback option, with a beautiful spiral). He could also punt and kick. He was not the fastest runner, for sure. Sayers was about as elusive as Barry. Barry was great though.
I'm old enough to have seen all of them in their prime, and this is truly difficult because of my bias to the older guys. Jim Brown was the MAN when I was a kid, but when OJ came along he was my FAVORITE player. OJ you DID IT!!! However on the field I will always have fond memories. Barry was the most fun to watch, and would have BROKEN all rushing records! Walter Payton won most fans hearts, but unless you were a Bears fan you pulled for the guy on your favorite home team. Earl would be my number #2 he was a BEAST!!! A guy carrying that much weight with speed in an era that didn't have all of the strength training like we have today. I'm NOT a cowboy fan but I will mention Tony D. and Emmitt S. were pretty good runners. ;-) Moving on Adrian Peterson and Jeromy Bettis could carry the rock, and honorable mention to the Galloping Ghost Sayers. Erik, Marshall, LaDanian, and Thurman all get my love. However I will place Barry at Number #1 and Earl at number #2 Follow me for more GREAT picks...
@@johnjaso3281 yes, and I say craig is the most underrated rb of all times! thanks for the comments, also, he was the first 1,000 rushing and receiving back if im not mistaken!
LaDainian Tomlinson so phenomenal playing to watch 1st Round 5th overall pick in the 2001 nfl draft out of TCU he won NFL MVP in 2006 the gifted one the best running back with the Chargers and Jets
Call me somebody who thanks all of these are like slicing a hair, but some running backs we will never mention like anymore were fabulous and make me pause and thinking which one of these would I choose. I’m not complaining if I have running back as different as Ricky Waters or Roger Craig. It also makes me think of running backs if they had a different situation how good they would be like Randy McMillan, and Curtis Dickey. Also, is interesting that when you really pull apart the best running backs year after year from the 70s, 80s and even 90s, there’s always a lot of interchanging until you get to players like Emmett Smith who was the top funny back for about four years straight That’s all I looked at some of the old 1950s running from Jim Brown, I had him lower, but Jim Brown is my top NFL player ever
No offense, but you lost some of my focus when you said "by far". Like it's not even close, and he's head and shoulders above everyone else. If it was "by far", everyone would see it.
I completely admit I’m biased as a Viking fan but I’d put Adrian Peterson in over Gale sayers. My top 10 1. Walter Payton: Greatest Football player of all time 2. Jim Brown 3. Barry Sanders 4. LaDanian Tomlinson 5. Emmitt Smith 6. Earl Campbell 7. Erik Dickerson 8. OJ Simpson 9. Adrian Peterson 10. Thurman Thomas
Imagine an alternate reality where the Cowboys had drafted Barry Sanders in 1989. And waited until 1991 to draft a quarterback. They could have had Brett Farve. Imagine that combo
This is never ever going to be agreed upon any way you do it, but how about we do a top 15 for each era, because they're so many that are going to be left out and it's not fair
Because of the freak injury that left him with a very short career-had he played 8-9 seasons would likely have been top 5 if not higher-very hard to speculate-his career lasted 4 seasons
Guys ,I wpuldnt try to Tackle Earl Cambell ,Eric Dickerson, Jim Brown They PUNISHED would be tacklers .The others ,Sayers. ,Sanders , Faulk, Payton , Smith would have just faked me out of my jock strap ! Been a follower since the Mid 50s The game has evolved immensely . There are others that had great seasons , injuries cut short sone greats ,Sayers ,Sanders ,Brown retiring while in they still had olenty of gas in their tanks .Backs that had awesome O lines , to allow them to compile great stats ,Emmit ( Cowboys ) OJ , (;first 2k ) With the dawn of the age of the salary cap ,free agency ,rookie contracts it has become nearly impossible to keep a team together..Going back ,these greats didnt really have to worry about those things that allowed teams to stay together for several years . Id take 2 guys not on this list as versatile backs Roger Craig ( 49ers ) and Thurmond Thomas ( Bills ) Sure ,might not have the total numbers But ,I believe that Roger was the 1st to have a 1000 yards in ridhing and receiving .But the West Coast Offense is ab example of how pro foitball has evolved .Presently ,we have running QBs that are a rhreat with their legs , as well ss their arms Couldnt imagine Bart Starr ,Unitas , Fouts , Namath even Brady brating any one with their running abilty But ,They were terrific with their passing ability . Trying to vomplie a list of 10 greats at any position is arduous .Many will have their own opion.But tgese RBs is pretty accurate .in my opion !! I was lucky to have seen many of these RBs live . You should come up with a " honorable mention " list that readers can add to . Its fifficult when you read these lists to think back immediately of players you might think that are worthy of this list .Without doing any research on the dtays they compiled ..Its still alot of fun as to recalling all the greats !! Keep up the great work .Thanks
Thank you! I thought I was the only one who remembered roger Craig! The most underrated running back ever! I think he should be in the hall of fame! Thanks for the comments!
Barry the GOAT...coming from a Cowboys fan
And from a Raider fan
You ain’t lying my friend and I’m in the same vote I love Emmitt but Barry the 🐐 and he played it a trash team.
i love what Barry did to ya'll
Marshall Faulk might be the best of all time. Complete package. Barry is number 2. Emmitt is number 3.
Yup from a vikings fan. Dude had no help either
Bo Jackson should get an honorable mention. He would have been the best runningback in history had he not gotten hurt.
For me, it's a toss up if I had first pick. Barry Sanders or Bo Jackson.
An Terrell Davis if he stayed healthy
Bo should make the list for best running back to never break 1,000 yards in a season. Oj broke 2k in 14 games and the rest did it with 16. But bo couldn't break 1k with 11 games. Plus he only scored about 5 td per year with all his speed and breaking tackles. His hype and highlights never match his actual stats. Frank Gore, Corey dillion, Fred taylor, Shaun Alexander, Curtis Martin, Edgerrin James should get honorable mention before Bo Jackson. As if we forgot Bo wasn't even the best running back on his team that was hall of fame running back Marcus Allen.
Bo should’ve played a few years in the NFL and then focus on baseball. He could’ve been a HOF in both sports
@@jeffjacobson59 I do agree the only way he makes any hall of fame is with him only playing and focusing on one sport. It's interesting to me that in the same era there was another full back who played the same amount of years. With similar stats and also injury ended his career. But I never hear anyone suggest he would be a hall of famer. That was Ickey Woods by no mean would I claim he was a future hall of fame or even better than Bo. But he had more td in like 3 out of 4 seasons than bo and with less games and rushing attempts. Bo did have more total yards but there not far off for either player. Ickey also had get commercials like Bo. Are we saying he would have been to if not for injuries? I think neither would have been especially Bo just for the simple fact you brought up he was not gonna give up baseball and Al Davis wasn't gonna ask him to. After all he still had Marcus Allen even if Al let a personal situation cut Marcus touches they still had him to fill in the gap.
Sanders is the best RB I've ever saw.
Earl Campbell is my favorite all time NFL player.
Gotta end with Barry and Jim Brown. The 2 "what ifs" they didn't retire early because the ownership didn't respect them. Jim Brown may have still today had the record for rushing. And Barry CERTAINLY would have had more yards than Emmitt.
That is so true, both left the game on top. I don't remember watching Jim Brown. I was just a baby, but I do remember watching Berry Sanders and the rest of them.
And Emmit got so many yards in “garbage time.” He was nothing but a ball hog who ran behind the greatest line ever assembled.
Seriously if you switched him and Barry and Smith wouldn’t have lasted as long as Barry did.
There is more to being the best running back than running with the ball. Blocking and pass catching factor in as well. Emmitt was the best all around running back in NFL history. And he has more yards than super talented Barry Sanders BECAUSE he lasted longer for whatever reason. He did it.
Adrian Peterson..??
AP needs to get a second look, thanks for the eye opener!
What about the great Franco Harris of the 4- time champion Pittsburgh Steelers
1 person we forgot, John Riggins. He's the only running back to gain more yards in his thirties then anybody else. And he is in the hall of fame too. But Barry Sanders was always electrifying to watch. And so was Walter Payton.
Good One!
Earl Campbell should have been #1, this coming from a Pittsburgh Steeler fan. The man was faster, more powerful than any other running back I ever seen.
I don't like these shows. His personal picks.
I agree with that Campbell was a force to be reckoned with the 1st Round 1st pick in the 1978 nfl draft out of University of Texas he won all 3 NFL MVP Awards he's won Rookie Of The Year not to mention he went to two AFC Championship games although he may have not won a super bowl ring but it's all right cause they call him the Tyler Rose for a real reason he Born and Raised in the state of Texas he's a legendary icon with the Houston Oilers and he still is to this day
@@ryaneugenelawrencewalls1987 From everyone I have known that has met him he is just a genuine good person, who is humble. Just a good person in general.
Earl Campbell was the greatest running back ever. He injured defenders and destroyed defences. The Tyler Rose is #1
Until he met Donnie Shell...
R.I.P to the one and only Jim Brown God Bless You Jim
Marcus Allen should be on this list
I am a big fan. He definitely makes top 15 for me. To bad Al and he did not get along
. He was a dick for benching Marcus
If he was paired with Tom Brady, that would be unstoppable!
NFL running backs are expected to run, block, and catch. NO ONE mastered those three duties like Payton. He was the greatest RB of all time and the greatest player of all time. He showed up every game, never got seriously hurt, almost never fumbled, blocked like a lineman, caught like a receiver, and never gave up easy. He fought for every inch every time, refused to go out of bounds, would stiff arm anyone, and feared no one. He often led the Bears in rushing and receiving. NO ONE has a bigger heart.
Barry Sanders is my #1. Barry would have had 25000 yards + rushing if he had kept playing. I love Earl Campbell, he made human roadkill out of a lot of guys.
IF is a big word and he didn't.
Because he wasn’t vain and didn’t care about records. Barry also never spiked the ball and always handed it to the Ref after a TD
He could have broken some high school rushing record yet he chose not to in order let the other kids play.
No AP is crazy. He was the best back of his generation and had arguably the greatest season ever coming off an
ACL tear in 8 months.
That definitely was a miss! Thanks, there will be another one, for sure
He blew out both ACL and MCL, which made his monster MVP season even more mind-boggling. AP also played several years with mediocre q.b.’s and few weapons on offense. As a result, defenses stacked the line to stop him but he still tore it up.
Emmit Smith...facts are facts. Elusive and knew how to slide the hit and keep on moving. It's not all about running hard. it's about running smart.
Barry sanders should be number 1 most 20+ yard carries in NFL history behind the worst offensive lines in history
Barry is number one of all time.
Barry the GOAT
If Sayers' career was not cut short it would probably be his records everyone would be chasing. He is my number 1 since he could do it all.
cant go wrong with Bo or Sayers, but I would say Sanders, if he didnt retire early, I dont think any one would catch any of his records!
1) Barry Sanders 2) Walter Payton 3 ) Eric Dickerson 4) Jim Brown 5) Emitt Smith 6) Billy Sims 7 ) Earl Campbell 8 ) OJ Simpson 9) Terrell Davis 10).Priest Holmes
Walter Payton is the best running back of all time for me. He was a complete player who ran, blocked and passed. He rarely fumbled. He could play equally well on grass and turf (unlike Barry Sanders who was not nearly as effective on grass). Payton was incredibly durable.
Thanks for the comments
No Adrian Peterson?
Man I can't even watch this list because it's false from the jump.
Where should AP go, who would you take out? Thanks for the comments
I love these videos! Keep them coming!
Thank you!
I love 1,2,3 the rest of the list I can debate but I absolutely love the top 3 great list this earns a subscribe.
Thank you
I don't have a problem with no.1 and 2 but and this is my opinion Dickerson should be 3 and earl and Simpson should be higher
Barry Sanders just amazing.
The Packers picked Tony Mandarich ahead of Barry! 😂😂😂😂
At the time it was the right move to make . NFL teams don't normally select RBs in 1st round .You can make the case of " would or should of " for every college draft in modern NFL drafts . It's always easy to criticize past drafts . As we know , hindsight is 20 / 20 . .Not every # 1 draft choice is ' guaranteed " to be an NFL success , nor a 7th rounder to become an All Pro .
I think Jim Taylor of the Green Bay Packers belongs somewhere on this list. He was Lombardi's back who 'ran to daylight'. Not as flashy as some of the other guys on this list, but he was certainly a winner.
Jim Taylor was awesome. Unfortunately he's not well known nowadays and very underrated.
#1: Jim Brown
*Walter
*OJ
*Barry
*Earl
*Eric
*Tony D
*Gail
*Marcus
*Riggo
Amazing content! Keep the good work coming!
Thank You, I sure will try!
Walter Payton all day
Berry is Ana’s always will be the G.O.A.T
If I had first pick Id take Bo Jackson.
I have a pretty hard time with lt being 1 slot behind emmitt. I can maybe give him top 10 but top 5 is insane
Sayers was amazing
Dickerson always seemed to fumble at the worst time
Emmitt played behind a great O-line, for sure. However, so did many other backs, but it usually only gets mentioned for Emmitt
Sanders was the best I ever saw at making something out of nothing
Walter Payton is my pick for #1. He had power, speed, was a fantastic blocker and for his era a good receiver
Jim Brown is legendary. You could argue that the competition wasn't as great as it is now. You could point out that his replacement Lenny Moore was All Pro for 3 seasons right after Brown left. However, he WAS the offense. The defense knew he was getting the ball and still couldn't stop him. He also get points for incredible durability
great insight, thanks for the comments
Tony ..For sure overlooked , Im thinking of Thurman Thomas , Overall , its an accurate list . Certainly cant argue with these 10 at all . Should come out with a sincere " honorable mention " list where readers might add an " overlooked " player ?? Dorsett , Thomas would get my vote .
Great Idea, thanks for that!
Brown, Payton, and Sanders all have large drops in Yards Per Carry in playoffs, Emmitt Smith IMPROVED his average to 4.6 Y/C in playoffs to be the #1 out of the 4 by a decent amount (Sanders is #2 at 4.2, with Payton & Brown below 4.0)... also, Emmitt Smith is the one who played with a separated shoulder during a big regular season game... nothing bad to say about the other 3, i just think Smith gets short changed despite being the best player on 3 championships... fax!!!
Good Points, thanks for the comments
Did you see part 2? It's just like you said!
I have
1 . Jim Brown
2. OJ
3. Gale Sayers
4. Earl Campbell
So 2 through 4 can be in whatever order you want .
5. Eric Dickerson
6. Barry Sanders
7. Terrell Davis
8. Walter Payton
9. Emmit Smith
10. Marshall Faulk
Eric and Barry had average to below average quarterbacks so the team's offensive success was dependent on the running game. Terrell's career was short but he's one of the few to eclipse 2000 yards in a season, but he also ran his team into 2 Superbowl championship seasons. Walter was excellent but an interesting trivia is he was never handed the ball to run it in for a touchdown when the Bears were near the goal line in his only Superbowl. Instead they used him as a decoy and gave the ball to William "the Refrigerator" Perry, who scored every time,. As for Emmit and Marshall, they played with Hall of Fame quarterbacks and superior talent all around them on the offense.
The deal with Payton not scoring in the SB was because of ditkas massive ego .
No way in hell should perry have gotten the chance to score a TD before Walter !
Freaking Ditka , after the game he says “oh I didn’t know “ ……Bullshit !
Are we pretending Terrell Davis didn’t play with a hall of fame quarterback and superior talent around him?
bigsportsguy is back at it again. im back to show your channel love
Excellent list indeed!!!🙏👌🏈✨👻
Thank you so much!
Anyone who thinks Jim Brown isn't the GOAT needs to check his record. No other PLAYER, let alone running back, can match what Brown did over nine seasons in terems of productivity, durability and leadership. This guy was UNSTOPPABLE.
I completely agree. No one is better than Jim Brown led the league in rushing 8 times and only played 9 years!
Sweetness was the GOAT... coming from a Browns fan
I'm ok with any of the top 3! Thanks for the comments
Peak1967 Gale Sayers and 1973 OJ Simpson
Sweetness is No 1 Everyone else is second.
1 Brown , 2 Payton , 3 Sanders 4 Campbell , 5 Gayle Sayers , that’s my top 5 .
6 Faulk , 7 Simpson , 8 Jim Taylor , 9 Riggins , 10 Tomlinson
very good list, thanks for the comments
I like the list, but IMO not having Adrian Peterson on here is troubling. Numbers wise and eye test wise, he's likely somewhere in the top 5. Also, as much as I love Gale Sayers, whose style of running was simply ahead of it's time, his lack of longevity and the fact he only had 2 1'000 yard rushing seasons, is enough for me to keep him out of the top 10, ALL things considered. He's unquestionably a top 10 RB TALENT, but didn't have top 10 RB career. I would replace him with Tony Dorsett or Marcus Allen. I agree with the top 3 in the order they were in. I think Eric Dickerson and OJ should be flipped with LT and Emmitt.
Thank you for the comments, much appreciated!
Jim Brown of course
There is not a single doubt Jim Brown was #1. If you are skeptical, look up his career stats. They did not say much about his records here. Only player to ever average over a 100 yards per game for his entire career! Averaged 5.2 yards per carry over his entire career! He was 6'2", 230 lbs of pure muscle and fast. Legend says he ran a 4.5 sec 40 yard dash in full pads from a 3 point stance. Do not know if that is true, but I don't doubt it. I'm 76 and saw them all. None can equal Jm Brown, although Earl Campbell wasn't that far behind. If someone had taught him to hook slide, he would have done even better.
I saw everyone on the list and I have one major problem with it. As great a runner as Jim Brown was, he didn't catch a lot of passes, wasn't asked to block much, and wasn't a threat to throw the ball on a sweep. Walter Payton was all of those things. Don't get me wrong, Jim Brown was probably the greatest pure runner, but if you're talking about an all-around running back, it has to be Sweetness.
Good Point, thank you for that, but like you said , he wasn't asked to do those other things, it would've been nice to know if he would've been able to though!
The reason he was not asked to block was that he could only block 1 defender-by flaring out of the backfield he would draw the attention of 2-3 defenders-the blocking back was Ernie Green
@@Bigsportsguythat's why Emmitt should be #1 on anylist. Did all three well and lasted 14 years .
Very good point! Thanks for the comments, Part 2 is coming soon@@OneOut1
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders
Adrian Peterson
Those are the dudes!
There are several great ones, but those are the four for me.
thanks for the comments
YOU FORGOT.....BO....JACKSON!!!
You underestimated Gayle Sayers. it's 1.Jim Brown 2. Gayle Sayers, 3. Barry Sanders, 4.Walter Payton 5. Emmitt Smith, etc., in that order.
You going to do my dudes Peterson and Holmes like that?
AP was a miss, but are you referring to Priest Holmes? Do you think he should be top 10? Thanks for the comments
Bo Jackson should be on this list.
I don't think Bo played long enough, thanks for the comments
Crazy when Bo played, he didn’t show up until week 6-8 each year, obviously his contract was set up that baseball came first, but when he played, he was the best back on everyone’s list. I still have all the inside sport magazines, SI, and sure, Barry, Thurman, Emmitt, Neal Anderson, Dickerson were on the list, but they had an asterisk that when Bo arrived in week 8 he was #1. Sure, Bo didn’t play long enough, he didn’t amass tons of stats, but when Bo played he either ran you over or past you with his speed. I don’t need a 12 year career to see he was a top back of all time. A freak injury doesn’t cut him short that he was a better version of Jim Brown, even LT and Adrian Peterson were said to be “The next Bo Jackson’s” on their NFL Scouting reports from all the scouts at the time of them being drafted. Bo is a top Back. IMO.
Thanks for the comments, Bo definitely would've changed the game if he played longer, I may have to do a second just for some great backs that did not dhow on the list! Much appreciated@@xxCapitalPxx
Absolutely not!!!
Barry is #1 and pretty clear… he averaged over 1500 yards PER SEASON! Let that sink in… only RB to run for 1000 yards and make the pro bowl every year (10 years straight). On a short list of RBs to run for over 2000 yards. Would’ve been the only RB to run for over 20000 yards had he played 3-4 more seasons… all on playing on the Detroit Lions his whole career… yea no debate. Plus has arguably the greatest college single season in college history.
Barry is right there with Brown but I got to give the edge to Brown. Many fail to realize that when he played they were 12 and 14 game seasons with defenses that were strictly designed to stop him. Even with that he averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 per attempt over his career.
I would have sanders #1, simply because he was consistently great, IN DETROIT, WITH THE LIONS
Good point! They haven’t been the same since he retired!
The 90s Lions weren’t bad
I cant really argue with any names on the list. Brown at #1 will remain forever, there is simply no way around it. On the field, he was a man among boys. For me, 2 and 3 are a toss-up but I am fine with Barry and Walter in either order.
There will always be those who are deserving who are left out but that shouldn't diminish their accomplishments. Perhaps an honorable mention list leading into the top 10 would have been a nice touch to keep those legends in the public consciousness.
Nice! thats a great idea, thanks for the comments!
Sweetness
Very hard to pick. Its easy to forget the running backs that weren't are winning teams besides Barry.
Well said!
Barry is the 🐐
The best football player ever was Walter Payton. He could do it all; block, run, catch passes, throw passes (8 TD’s off the halfback option, with a beautiful spiral). He could also punt and kick. He was not the fastest runner, for sure. Sayers was about as elusive as Barry. Barry was great though.
I'm old enough to have seen all of them in their prime, and this is truly difficult because of my bias to the older guys. Jim Brown was the MAN when I was a kid, but when OJ came along he was my FAVORITE player. OJ you DID IT!!! However on the field I will always have fond memories. Barry was the most fun to watch, and would have BROKEN all rushing records! Walter Payton won most fans hearts, but unless you were a Bears fan you pulled for the guy on your favorite home team. Earl would be my number #2 he was a BEAST!!! A guy carrying that much weight with speed in an era that didn't have all of the strength training like we have today. I'm NOT a cowboy fan but I will mention Tony D. and Emmitt S. were pretty good runners. ;-) Moving on Adrian Peterson and Jeromy Bettis could carry the rock, and honorable mention to the Galloping Ghost Sayers. Erik, Marshall, LaDanian, and Thurman all get my love. However I will place Barry at Number #1 and Earl at number #2 Follow me for more GREAT picks...
Saquan Barkley I believe will become something special.
List ain't complete, Where's Marcus Allen?.
@@mikeweizer3149 marshall Faulk
Bo Jackson possessed a balance of speed, power and skill will bever be seen again. He is my pick for the best running back.
Jim Brown #1Barry Sanders#2 O.J.Simpsons #Walter Payton #4 Emitt Smith #5 That's what's up
My favorite RBs are #1 Juice, #2 Earl Campbell, #3 Marcus Allen, #4 Roger Craig, #5 CMC.
Roger Craig is the most underrated rb in the history of the game in my opinion!
@@BigsportsguyRoger Craig had the same running style as Duane Thomas of the Cowboys 70-71. That high kicking motion. Fun 2 watch!!!
@@johnjaso3281 yes, and I say craig is the most underrated rb of all times! thanks for the comments, also, he was the first 1,000 rushing and receiving back if im not mistaken!
LaDainian Tomlinson so phenomenal playing to watch 1st Round 5th overall pick in the 2001 nfl draft out of TCU he won NFL MVP in 2006 the gifted one the best running back with the Chargers and Jets
One thing people don’t realize. In Earl Campbell’s time the “Astro turf” was like playing on asphalt! That stuff should have been illegal!
What about Terrell Davis. Davis became the 4th player in NFL history to rush over 2,000 yards
Most under appreciated is ricky watters
He would be second behind Roger Craig to me, thanks for the comments!
Call me somebody who thanks all of these are like slicing a hair, but some running backs we will never mention like anymore were fabulous and make me pause and thinking which one of these would I choose.
I’m not complaining if I have running back as different as Ricky Waters or Roger Craig.
It also makes me think of running backs if they had a different situation how good they would be like Randy McMillan, and Curtis Dickey.
Also, is interesting that when you really pull apart the best running backs year after year from the 70s, 80s and even 90s, there’s always a lot of interchanging until you get to players like Emmett Smith who was the top funny back for about four years straight
That’s all I looked at some of the old 1950s running from Jim Brown, I had him lower, but Jim Brown is my top NFL player ever
good insight, thanks for the comments
Jim Brown, O J, Gayle Sears, Eric Dickerson, and Earl Cambell is number 1
I don't know who did this list but they need to watch football
Payton was by far the greatest. A one man team. Played in weather, real Turf. No team till late. All around greatest football player ever.
"real Turf" Nice oxymoron
No offense, but you lost some of my focus when you said "by far". Like it's not even close, and he's head and shoulders above everyone else. If it was "by far", everyone would see it.
Real turf is why they don't get so many injuries. It's these artificial turfs that kills these backs and their market value.
@@r.l.8170 That's called grass
I agree with this list 100%
Not the top but my favorite five Barry, Marshall Faulk,Bo Jackson,Earl Campbell,Walter Payton/Jim Brown honarable mention Jerome Bettis
Terrell Davis is my favorite Running back.🏉🐎
I completely admit I’m biased as a Viking fan but I’d put Adrian Peterson in over Gale sayers.
My top 10
1. Walter Payton: Greatest Football player of all time
2. Jim Brown
3. Barry Sanders
4. LaDanian Tomlinson
5. Emmitt Smith
6. Earl Campbell
7. Erik Dickerson
8. OJ Simpson
9. Adrian Peterson
10. Thurman Thomas
Wow, for a minute I thought you were from Texas. 5 of your guys are.
@@kelledc born and raised in Duluth MN 😆
Yes. Indeed, Walter Payton was the greatest football PLAYER of all time.
Adrian Peterson top4 easily.
I would move emitt Smith back behind Dickerson
Definitely B-Saunders number 1
Jim Brown THE GOAT!
Dorsett over Tomlin
Gayle sayers over Barry Sanders? What GM would make that pick?
The State of Kansas has surprisingly contributed 3 HOF RBs. Gayle Sayers, John Riggins and Barry Samders.
Faulk only at 9? He’s at 5. He’s an A at everything. What’s something he was weak at?
Walter Payton is the baddest nan to ever run the 🪨....
Imagine an alternate reality where the Cowboys had drafted Barry Sanders in 1989. And waited until 1991 to draft a quarterback. They could have had Brett Farve. Imagine that combo
Green Bay could have taken Barry but they picked Tony Mandarich. 😂😂
As a lifetime Cowboys fan I would still stay with the Emmitt and Aikman combo in any reality. But, Barry and Brett does have a nice ring to it.
This is never ever going to be agreed upon any way you do it, but how about we do a top 15 for each era, because they're so many that are going to be left out and it's not fair
I love that idea, thanks for that
I'm a huge bear fan but Gale Sayers doesn't belong on this list..
YOU COULDN'T BE MORE
WRONG!!!!!!!!!
Oj should have been ranked higher.
PS -he did it!
Picture this. Picture this. Picture this. Picture this. Beep boop bop.
Barry Sanders Marshall Faulk Warrick Dunn my 3 favorite running backs. What's yours?
Barry Sanders, Roger Craig and Walter Payton, thanks for the comments
O.J top 5 easily. LDT top 20.
Thanks for the comments
To me marshall Faulk the goat
How did Bo Jackson not make this list?
Good Question, Bo's career was cut short, but the time he did play does deserve a mention, Thanks for the comments
Because of the freak injury that left him with a very short career-had he played 8-9 seasons would likely have been top 5 if not higher-very hard to speculate-his career lasted 4 seasons
Guys ,I wpuldnt try to Tackle Earl Cambell ,Eric Dickerson, Jim Brown They PUNISHED would be tacklers .The others ,Sayers. ,Sanders , Faulk, Payton , Smith would have just faked me out of my jock strap ! Been a follower since the Mid 50s The game has evolved immensely . There are others that had great seasons , injuries cut short sone greats ,Sayers ,Sanders ,Brown retiring while in they still had olenty of gas in their tanks .Backs that had awesome O lines , to allow them to compile great stats ,Emmit ( Cowboys ) OJ , (;first 2k )
With the dawn of the age of the salary cap ,free agency ,rookie contracts it has become nearly impossible to keep a team together..Going back ,these greats didnt really have to worry about those things that allowed teams to stay together for several years . Id take 2 guys not on this list as versatile backs Roger Craig ( 49ers ) and Thurmond Thomas ( Bills )
Sure ,might not have the total numbers But ,I believe that Roger was the 1st to have a 1000 yards in ridhing and receiving .But the West Coast Offense is ab example of how pro foitball has evolved .Presently ,we have running QBs that are a rhreat with their legs , as well ss their arms Couldnt imagine Bart Starr ,Unitas , Fouts , Namath even Brady brating any one with their running abilty But ,They were terrific with their passing ability .
Trying to vomplie a list of 10 greats at any position is arduous .Many will have their own opion.But tgese RBs is pretty accurate .in my opion !! I was lucky to have seen many of these RBs live . You should come up with a " honorable mention " list that readers can add to . Its fifficult when you read these lists to think back immediately of players you might think that are worthy of this list .Without doing any research on the dtays they compiled ..Its still alot of fun as to recalling all the greats !!
Keep up the great work .Thanks
Thank you! I thought I was the only one who remembered roger Craig! The most underrated running back ever! I think he should be in the hall of fame! Thanks for the comments!
Dickerson beat you more with speed than punishment. The guy could flat fly with that upright running style.
Walter Payton is number 1
Bo Jackson should be in the 3 slot - football career cut short - Peyton is #1 - Hard for Brown to hold #1
This is a chat gpt list
Chuck out Ladanian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk!... Bo Jackson, Adrian Peterson, John Riggins, Franco Harris, and Tony Dorsett easily supplant them.