Best runningback of all time

[dickey1331]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I went with Emmitt Smith. Im a Cowboys fan and was there when he broke the record so I am biased but he was the running back I grew up watching but I think hes the GOAT cuz of his heart when he played against the Giants with a separated shoulder and cracked ribs. He had a better rushing average in the playoffs than the regular season and his playoff stats were 17 games 1928 yds and 22 TD compared to Barry 6 games 286 yds 1 TD and dont tell me its because of the oline. The Lions had Brown who is a HOF and Glover who made 4 pro bowls.

[bkrich83]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I don't think Emmitt was ever held to -2 yards in a playoff game either.

[wheelman990]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I don't think Emmitt was ever held to -2 yards in a playoff game either.

Your obviously a gamer, or you wouldnt be here. So Im going to use a video game perspective, the way that at least I see it.

Have you ever played a video game, and just been amazing at it? That you could crush people and have god like stats? Well, I have many times. In bfbc2 for example I can lead the boards, or my squad almost every game. But guess what happens when I play a game with 5-6 great players on the other team, and my team of randoms happens to be kinda poor? I look like a noob. Sure, every once in a while I'll still have a good game against them, but the fact they hit you at every angle makes even the most skilled gamer, look average, or SILLY.

That is Sanders right there. We never saw his full potential. He wasnt with a superbowl, or even a champoinship type team. He was with a wildcard if your lucky team, and often in his career they werent even that, they plain stunk.

Theres no way you can tell me that Emmitt didnt benifit from having hall of famers, pro bowlers, and a superbowl team around him, and that his stats would have been as good with the Lions. thats not believable or realistic. That would suggest Manning could go to the Browns,Buffalo,Raiders,etc.. and have just as good of a year, and lead them to the superbowl. NOT GONNA HAPPEN.


By the way, the team Sanders had -1 yards with in the playoffs was the Green Bay Packers. Sanders only had 13 carries, but the bigger issue was Sanders had just smoked the Packers with a 188 yards just 4 games prior(and 160+ yards in the other meeting that year) and the Lions won that game. Theres still write ups on the issue, but basically, the Packers took offence to the loss, and there gameplay was to attack sanders at any cost. If Sanders had negative yardage on every carry but 2 that went for a yard a piece, wouldnt that scream a offensive line issue? Not to mention this game had like under 13 points per team, so it was a really really denfensive game on both sides. Some games are just that way. You realize the Lions QB that year was a washed up Dave Krieg, right?

We dont know how Emmitt Smith would have done against the packers that year a few games later to compare, he was injured in that playoff game.....yet Dallas had no problems dropping the Packers with there great line and back up runningback Blair thomas, who was the games leading rusher. I think logic would say what Sanders would have done in that game with that line. I can gaurenty Sanders wasnt just falling down at the line of scrimmage and taking a loss in the detroit vs packers game for the fun of it. The team was man handled. They had -4 yards rushing if you add in the other runningbacks, etc...

Heres a article


Just a month earlier Sanders made the Packers defense look like Swiss cheese as he found holes all day long. He ran for a staggering 188 yards and the Lions won a 34-31 thriller. In the two regular season contests the teams combined for a total of 133 points. The football experts and fans alike anticipated another high scoring affair for the playoff game.
They could not have been more wrong!

Packers defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur had a special game plan to combat Barry Sanders this time. In the first two contests Packers all-pro Reggie White lined up at his usual position of left defensive end. The Lions countered by running sanders to the opposite side of White on over 80 percent of his rushes. So on this day, Shurmur moved Reggie White inside to defensive tackle and allowed him to move freely to line up on both the right and left sides.
Backup defensive end Don Davey started at White’s usual left end position. The moves worked better than anyone could have imagined.
The Packer defense didn’t just contain the hall of famer Sanders, they eliminated him entirely. When it was over, Sanders had exactly MINUS ONE YARD rushing. The Lions as a team had exactly MINUS FOUR YARDS rushing. It would be the only game in Barry Sanders career in which he had negative yardage for an entire game. The Packers also set an NFL playoff record as a team by holding the Lions to their minus four yards rushing.

[wheelman990]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I'm pretty sure there are alot of OS 'gamers'.

Ya, thats what I was saying.....

Did it read wrong? Sorry if it did.

[Evan_OS]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Ya, thats what I was saying.....

Did it read wrong? Sorry if it did.

Woops zeee. I thought you were referring to him being in the Pro Football forum because he was a gamer.

[JerzeyReign]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Barry Sanders, hands down. A threat to take it the distance every time.

[TheShizNo1]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Mike Alstott/Warrick Dunn

[Rocky]

Re: Best runningback of all time

They never had a great QB, but they didn't need one. People forget Barry got help from that offense as well. 4 WR's spreading the field. Lots of open space. Never had to face 8 and 9 man fronts. Nearly impossible to run blitz against the offense.

Lots of very mediocre RB's put up great numbers in that offense. A great RB like Barry obviosuly put up confounding numbers. But to act like the offense he played in or the talent aroound him was so detrimental is simply not true. Barry had some talent around him and was in an offense that really fit his skills in particular.

I just don't agree with this. It's hard to speculate what could've happened if he played out his career in a more conventional offense, but I don't think it's any coincidence that he put up absolutely eye popping numbers in the the most downhill running games in the pro and college level. I don't think he would've lost as many yards, that's for sure. And it would've been risky business to run blitz because if Barry somehow got through the first line, it's lights out because no one's probaly going to tackle him one on one in the second level.

Barry was just exceptional. Like I said, I don't think there is a single category that Emmitt Smith was better in. He may have been a marginally better pass receiver. Barry was probaly stronger and if need be finished better than anybody in the game, but Emmitt finished runs more consistently but that's about it.

[Motown]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Considering he ran behind an POS offensive line, Barry Sanders is BEST RB ever.
Note this, In my eyes Gayle Sayers was the best RB i ever saw...dude had 360º
Peripheral vision.

[bkrich83]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I just don't agree with this. It's hard to speculate what could've happened if he played out his career in a more conventional offense, but I don't think it's any coincidence that he put up absolutely eye popping numbers in the the most downhill running games in the pro and college level. I don't think he would've lost as many yards, that's for sure. And it would've been risky business to run blitz because if Barry somehow got through the first line, it's lights out because no one's probaly going to tackle him one on one in the second level.

Barry was just exceptional. Like I said, I don't think there is a single category that Emmitt Smith was better in. He may have been a marginally better pass receiver. Barry was probaly stronger and if need be finished better than anybody in the game, but Emmitt finished runs more consistently but that's about it.

I was going to say. Emmitt was the better run finisher imo. He was also the better back in pass protection and I think he was better in short yardage situations. . For that style of offense, he had about as good field vision as I ever saw. If you want a one cut and downhill runner, Emmitt is your guy not Barry.

I honestly don't know who was better, I am not as high on Barry as others, but still acknowledge him as being one of the all time greats.

That being said, this whole idea that Barry had nothing around him and he didn't benefit from that offense, I simply don't buy.

All purely my opinion mind you.

[bkrich83]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Considering he ran behind an POS offensive line, Barry Sanders is BEST RB ever.
Note this, In my eyes Gayle Sayers was the best RB i ever saw...dude had 360º
Peripheral vision.

If talent around him is the sole factor, Walter Payton easily trumps Sanders.

[Scott812313]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Best running back I ever saw was Terrell Davis. Dude was simply amazing until he blew out his knee. Elway can thank TD for the 2 super bowls he got riding TD's coattails.

[Jerseys Very Own]

Re: Best runningback of all time

Jimmy or Barry. Jim because he was completely hard nose and destroyed a lot of defenders and also played defense. Barry simply he was mister untouchable.

[CreatineKasey]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I really like what Earl did. He's one of those guys that you can't really gameplan to stop. It didn't matter what you did, he was going to run through you.

[grunt]

Re: Best runningback of all time

I picked Emmit because of his all around play.