Top 5 Running Backs All Time

[Wazmankg]

If Bo had stayed healthy and not have his career cut short, I don't doubt for a moment that he would have been in this top 5 conversation with just about everyone. For those few healthy years, he was deadly.

He could be a beast but he was a part-timer. His high water mark was 86 yards per game 1 year. You have to do hell of a lot of "what if-ing" to get Bo anywhere near top 5 all time.

 

[Wazmankg]

Someone give me a 5th for my top 5 if they could have stayed healthy. i got 4 of my all time faves here

Earl Campbell, Gale Sayers, Bo Jackson, Billy Simms

Add Terrell Davis for 5?

 

[Ron G]

Gale Sayers is missing. The NFL did not just start in 1975.

 

[olympicoscar]

Walter Payton
Eric Dickerson
Earl Campbell
Adrian Peterson
O.J. Simpson

Jim Brown
Eric Dickerson
Barry Sanders
OJ Simpson
Walter Peyton

 

[PDay8810]

J. Brown
Sweetness
B. Sanders
E. Smith
E. Dickerson

 

[Nosferatu]

Jim Brown
Eric Dickerson
Barry Sanders
OJ Simpson
Walter Peyton

Not a bad list Oscar, i'm surprised.

 

[olympicoscar]

Not a bad list Oscar, i'm surprised.

Been watching since 1954.

 

[Ron G]

Red Grange was not too bad either. Rating players from different eras just does not work. The argument should be based on how a player rated against his contemporaries. Every player today with their size and speed would be better than any that played in the 20's , 30's, 40's and 50's if they played back then against that competition.

 

[Nosferatu]

Been watching since 1954.

Yeah, but the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top so it's surprising to see you pick five players worthy of being top five.

 

[sonnyblack65]

Not a bad list Oscar, i'm surprised.

Any list that doesn't have Danny Woodhead in top 5 is a bust . But seriously like your AV Nos, that kid Dassey should have never been incarcerated, never mind life. Cops interview a 15 yr old kid with a 60 IQ with no parent or lawyer present and give him the answers, sad. Those 2 cops should have been arrested and then the other 2 that looks like they planted evidence, and shouldn't have been at crime scene

 

[NolePride]

It saddens me to see so many posts and no mention of Jim Brown.

Agree 100%...and I would add, Jim Thorpe, also.

The game was different, but Thorpe had to be a dominant player for his era.

He played, at a time, when a 220lb tackle was huge.(Guards were 140-150lbs) Thorpe, was a running back,
the world's greatest athlete and was 6-2 190. (Oops, I thought I was in the college thread,
however, he's in Canton so I'll leave him on the list)

 

[Wazmankg]

Red Grange was not too bad either. Rating players from different eras just does not work. The argument should be based on how a player rated against his contemporaries. Every player today with their size and speed would be better than any that played in the 20's , 30's, 40's and 50's if they played back then against that competition.

Agreed, though I don't know that I'd take it back that far. Anything prior to the 50s is had to assess, because pro football really wasn't a major sport until the 50s and blacks weren't allowed to play. There was a much smaller talent pool and many of the best athletes weren't even allowed on the field, so they weren't even playing against the best of their contemporaries. So I take accomplishsments prior to that with a large grain of salt, wrt comparing them with players from other eras.

 

[Myles]

Tough choices. It's hard to leave Brown off the list. Much easier to leave E. Smith off of it. Sanders, Payton and Simpson are 3 that must be in the top 5.
Sanders was the best I've ever seen.

Walter Payton
Eric Dickerson
Earl Campbell
Barry Sanders
O.J. Simpson

 

[handicappers]

Emmitt Smith

everyone else.

 

[olympicoscar]

Yeah, but the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top so it's surprising to see you pick five players worthy of being top five.

My elevator goes all the way too the top. Ever seen film of Beattie Feathers play? First player to reach 1000 in the pros.

 

[Nosferatu]

My elevator goes all the way too the top. Ever seen film of Beattie Feathers play? First player to reach 1000 in the pros.

Over 8 yards per carry is pretty good!

 

[olympicoscar]

Over 8 yards per carry is pretty good!

Yeah, that's really the impressive part. Not that many carries.

 

[broncosmitty]

I know he won't be on most lists, but Frank Gore has got to be a consideration. 4th all-time in yards from scrimmage, 3rd all-time in rushing yards, and an underrated fact: he's played in 16 games nine times in his career, and has never played in less than 11. He played the majority of his career for bad teams, but damn he was an ironman. Never controversial, and nobody out-worked him. Class act all-around.

He's the Eli of RBs, minus the SBs.

He's in me and Casey Kasem's Top 40 though.

 

[broncosmitty]

Again, i'm not trying to knock Jim Brown but when you are as big as the defensive linemen thats a pretty big advantage, Leroy Kelly, came in after Jim retired and did pretty darn well with that team.


Imagine if someone with Adrian Peterson's speed and ability weighed 300 pounds.

Dead kids erywhere.

 

[broncosmitty]

There will probably never be a player more fun to watch than Barry but he had limitations and just wasn't a complete back IMO. Taken out often on short yardage and goal line situations, wasn't a very good receiver, didn't block, too many negative runs that hurt his team. I am not trying to knock Barry but if I needed a back for the most important game of my life, he's not in my top 5.

Lulz