Mount Rushmore--NFL Running Backs

[albionmoonlight]

I found this one pretty easy. For me, four running backs just seem to fit on a Mount Rushmore much easier than most of the other ones that I have done. If you have no idea what I am talking about, do a forum search for Rushmore and you will figure it out soon.

JIM BROWN
WALTER PAYTON (My favorite player of all time)
EMMITT SMITH
BARRY SANDERS

The only slight debate that I had with myself was Sanders over Gayle Sayers, but Sanders played for longer and is recognized by a lot more people--which is part of the Mount Rushmore concept for me. I'm pretty happy with these four.

[SirFozzie]

Jim Brown
Gayle Sayers
Walter Payton
Curtis Martin

[Suicane75]

Jim Brown
OJ Simpson
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders

[panerd]

OJ Simpson
Lawrence Phillips
Corey Dillon
That Brown's running back who was stabbed by his girlfriend

[digamma]

Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
Walter Payton
Emmitt Smith

Smith narrowly over Sayers and Dickerson.

[JeffR]

Needs an old-school guy:

Bronko Nagurski
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders

[Fritz]

Red Grange
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Emmit Smith

[Fritz]

leaving Marion Motley off the mountain is too hard. Perhaps Walter should have been left off instead

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Fritz

Red Grange
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Emmit Smith

ditto.

[JAG]

Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Emmitt Smith
Barry Sanders

[Fritz]

Having a Mt Rushmore of NFL Running backs without Red Grange would be like having a 200ft crucifix at the Vatican with Big Bird under center.

[rjolley]

Running backs I saw play:

Walter Payton (best of all time)
Barry Sanders (the best 1 yard gains ever)
Emmit Smith (durability and longevity)
Bo Jackson (what could have been...)

[Joe]

Walter Payton
Gale Sayers
OJ Simpson
Jim Brown

[Ben E Lou]

I'm not sure if I like this one. There's basically no justification for leaving off two guys (Brown and Payton), and very little for a third (Sanders). Seems like really a battle for #4. That being said, I'll go with:

Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders

and....

Gayle Sayers

[tanglewood]

Brown
Payton
Sanders
Grange

4 guys who were unquestionably (IMHO) the best backs in their repective eras.

[Franklinnoble]

Cliff Battles
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders

Kills me to leave my all time favorite, John Riggins, off that list.

[korme]

Current NFL:

Emmitt Smith
Curtis Martin
Marshall Faulk
Jerome Bettis

[Bubba Wheels]

Jim Brown
Earl Campbell
Eric Dickerson
Gayle Sayers/Walter Payton take pick

I would have put Barry Sanders, but he was a 'little girl' compared to Billy Sims

[Kodos]

Sammie Smith
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Mark Higgs
JJ Johnson

Oh, I thought it was the Mt. Rushmore of sucky Miami runningbacks.

[temley06]

Brown
Sanders
E. Smith
Payton

[yabanci]

Originally Posted by rjolley

Running backs I saw play:

Walter Payton (best of all time)
Barry Sanders (the best 1 yard gains ever)
Emmit Smith (durability and longevity)
Bo Jackson (what could have been...)

I would go with this list. Bo Jackson was the best I've seen.

[Franklinnoble]

I really don't think Emmitt Smith belongs on the list.

[Glengoyne]

I'm thinking
Brown --Hard to leave off the guy who set the standard for more than a generation
Payton --He got it done day in day out for a helluva long time I give him a slight edge over E.Smith here.
Dickerson -- Revolutionary: the best Back by leaps and bounds while he played. What a waste, then again look at what he accomplished with an abbreviated career.
Marcus Allen --Hard to say he isn't deserving. I put him here with difficulty over favorites of mine like Gayle Sayers and Marshall Faulk.


I mentioned seven guys above. That means I have Sanders behind at least that many, and possibly OJ as well.

[bosshogg23]

Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders
Gayle Sayers

Looks like everyone took Jim Brown. Im suprised since he is 8th and falling on the rushing list.

[Draft Dodger]

Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
Walter Payton
Earl Campbell

[General Mike]

Brown, Sanders, Payton, Martin

[primelord]

Jim Brown
Gale Sayers
Walter Payton
Emmitt Smith

I wouldn't argue much if you dropped Emmitt for Barry.

When I was growing up a buddy of mine's dad always said that if you were taking a running back for only one game it should be Gale Sayers, if you were taking a running back for one season it should be Jim Brown, and if you were taking a running back for a career it should be Walter Payton.

[primelord]

I know this is all just opinion, but how did Curtis Martin make it on to 2 other lists besides Shorty's? Martin is a great running back, but top 4 all time? Martin wouldn't even be in my top 10.

[Pumpy Tudors]

In alphabetical order:

Curtis Enis
Gaston Green
Sammy Winder
Ray Zellars

(comedy option)

[Bubba Wheels]

Sanders was always exciting, and I really hope that when the next one comes along he plays for anyone but the Lions. Sure, he had big numbers, but: Need a big game in the playoffs? Lions lose to Vikings, Sanders -1 yard rushing. Need a short gain for a critical first down or score? Sanders always came out for the big guy. Need some leadership, pass-blocking or pass catching? Anyone but Sanders is your man. Big numbers and bad teams. He really only played under one coach, comic-genius Wayne Fontes. One year under Ross and Sanders had had enough. Some of us in Detroit actually had had enough before that.

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by bosshogg23

Looks like everyone took Jim Brown. Im suprised since he is 8th and falling on the rushing list.

I'd say the reason Jim Brown is on so many lists is that he was dominant even in his short career. The fact that he is 8th all-time now shows that, since he played only 9 seasons. The only reason I didn't put him on my list was that I didn't see him play, but from the films I've seen, he was one of the greatest to play. Just think if he would've played until he was 34 or 35 instead of his prime of 30. Emmit might've been trying to pass him instead of passing Sweetness.

Info on Jim Brown.

[Axxon]

Walter Payton
Jim Brown
Barry Sanders

and ...

I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet...

Jim Thorpe - possibly the greatest american athlete ever. Bo Jackson only wishes he could be Jim Thorpe, well, except the being dead part.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Originally Posted by Fritz

Red Grange
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Emmit Smith

Most accurate one yet, but we need to add either Barry Sanders and maybe even Jerome Bettis into the list.

[mckerney]

Jim Thorpe
Red Grange
Bronko Nagurski

....Cecil Collins

wait, how about Walter Payton.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Sammie Smith
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Mark Higgs
JJ Johnson

Oh, I thought it was the Mt. Rushmore of sucky Miami runningbacks.

Where's Avery?

-Anxiety

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by CHEMICAL SOLDIER

Most accurate one yet, but we need to add either Barry Sanders and maybe even Jerome Bettis into the list.

I think that Bettis belongs on the same list as Curtis Martin. They're good maybe great, but only tourists at Mt. Rushmore.

[Blackadar]

Let's throw a new name into the mix:

Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
Walter Payton

and

Earl Campbell (when healthy, was the best I've ever seen)

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Let's throw a new name into the mix:

Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
Walter Payton

and

Earl Campbell (when healthy, was the best I've ever seen)

You forgot to throw a new name into the mix after all.

[Tigercat]

Gale Sayers
Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
OJ Simpson

And as an aside to an offhand comment above, Cecil Collins is perhaps the most talented college RB I have ever seen. As a freshman(in the few games he was able to play) he ran over people, around people, and past people. He would run over a lineman, a LB, lose his shoe, and still outrun CBs who had angles on him. Too bad he is/was a nutcase. I don't think the NFL had even seen the best of him, by then he hadn't been playing football on a consistent enough basis and he wasn't always in his best shape. But still, even in the NFL he showed flashes of brilliance...

[moriarty]

In order:

Walter Payton
Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
Gale Sayers

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

And as an aside to an offhand comment above, Cecil Collins is perhaps the most talented college RB I have ever seen. As a freshman(in the few games he was able to play) he ran over people, around people, and past people. He would run over a lineman, a LB, lose his shoe, and still outrun CBs who had angles on him. Too bad he is/was a nutcase. I don't think the NFL had even seen the best of him, by then he hadn't been playing football on a consistent enough basis and he wasn't always in his best shape. But still, even in the NFL he showed flashes of brilliance...

I agree. Collins was a steal talentwise in the third round for Miami, and if I remember correctly the consensus about him at the time was he was he could be the most talented runningback in the draft (which included Ricky Williams and Edgerain James), but he made Randy Moss look like a choirboy.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by Fritz

Red Grange
Jim Brown
Walter Payton
Emmit Smith

I second these choices, but it's hard not to put Thorpe on there. Might have to swap Payton for Thorpe, but I'd need to do some research first. (don't hold you breath waiting on that one).