Warrior General Games

Thurman fumbled the ball too much imo. Great runner when he could hold on to it though.

Originally posted by kadafitcd
Originally posted by eric95403

Other: off field issues aside...OJ Simpson

Bills Homer!

OJ has no right to make the list. He was good. But not as good as the rest. And the off field antics and BS way he got off will always put him in a pit as far as I'm concerned.

I would have rather you said Thurman Thomas. That guy was great. He is one of my favs. I just couldn't see putting him on the list tho.

Damn right I'm a Bills Homer, but that doesn't change the fact OJ was one of the best RB's of all time. Just go to YouTube and jog your memory and see The Juice get loose. Thomas was great too, but OJ was just more of an instictive runner.

Originally posted by eric95403


Damn right I'm a Bills Homer, but that doesn't change the fact OJ was one of the best RB's of all time. Just go to YouTube and jog your memory and see The Juice get loose. Thomas was great too, but OJ was just more of an instictive runner.

I agree. Hopefully I'll be saying the same about Lynch someday.

I'm gonna tell you guys again that Barry is not the same running back that Jim Brown was.

Jim was better because he did what he had to do to win the game. Barry didn't have that option - sure he didn't have a good team around him, either - and his retard coach brought in the Run-Shoot offense which further reduced his carries - but Barry Sanders got tackled for loss more than any other RB in NFL History.

I live outside of Detroit - I watched every NFL game he played in, and went to 8 games a year from '93-'97.

He was a damn good running back - 2nd best ever imo - but Jim Brown was the best. He carried his team when they under-achieved and complimented them when they didn't.

Barry was an all or nothing back. He got all more often than most HBs do, but he also got Nothing more often. There was a saying that NFL Analysts had for Barry - The most exciting No Gain they've ever seen - or the longest 2 yard gain ever was used a lot too.

He was a great player who played on some HORRIBLE teams. But Jim Brown was better - even Barry Sanders' dad says so:

"I'm so proud of Barry, but I'm also a realist," William said. "I watched Jim Brown play for the Cleveland Browns and he was the best I have ever seen. Playing football back then was harder."

Dave Meggett or Eric Metcalf?

Marcus Allen...

There is not a doubt in my mind that Barry Sanders was the best ever. I have all the respect in the world for Brown and Payton, but what Sanders could do was incredible. He was Michael Jordan. He made the people around him better and NO ONE could demoralize a defense like Sanders could. He took a team that had no business being even respectable to the playoffs multiple times. He is the only player Detroit has ever had.

Oh, and Faulk is definitely the best to not make that list. That is a guy who could do it all. He could make a man miss in the open field, or run right over him. He could shed tackles and run away from a defense. He could catch out of the back field and pick up a blitz. Most complete running back to ever play right there.

I voted for other, that other is Terrell Davis

top 5

1. Terrell Davis
2. Barry Sanders
3. Walter Payton
4. Jim Brown
5. Emmit Smith

Go Broncos! I know I am a homer, but I do not think TD's talent and skills were appreciated enough. I know he was MVP, but the guy did so much more than have a 2000 yard season. Ok maybe I actually don't believe he is #1, I waffle on whether or not he is as good or if I am a homer, but I think Barry is the best outside of TD. That guy was ludicrous. Emmit should send him money, he never would have gotten close to the record if Barry didn't retire early.

Barry is the best, and lol at the votes for LT.

Originally posted by ignitionnight
I waffle on whether or not he is as good or if I am a homer
You're a homer.

Jim Brown

I think Brown was easily number 2 if not number 1 but I voted for Sanders. Sanders ran against D Lines and LB corps that were faster and in better shape. I think there's a huge difference in how athletes progressed from the time that Brown was running to the time that Tomlinson has been carrying the ball. During Browns days they took big strong guys that weren't all that agile and threw them on the field. Although big, these guys would have nothing on the defensive players that would take over in the late 80's. LBs put on more actual muscle but gained more agility and speed making them oversized safeties. Sure Brown ran over people but the bulk of his big gains were against shotty tackles from men who could not catch up to him and who were not agile enough to get in position to do anything about it. Barry ran against better athletes without a line making his gains that much more impressive and and his tackles for losses that much more acceptable. I won't give credit to Smith because I can't give credit to a guy who gained his yards behind a line that could be considered one of the best ever. How do you validate a running backs talent when he doesn't get touched for 5 yards simply because his line is that good. Throw Smith on any other team and that man only gains 60% of the yards he did.

You guys are forgetting one thing:

When Jim Brown played football, there were such penalties as:

Facemask
Unnecessary Roughness
Spearing
Chop Block
Illegal Hands to the Face

ect...

Just to add a bit to fuzzy's thoughts. Let's take another look at things. Jim Brown just plain dominated his leagues and destroyed everyone in his way. I understand that. And yes I'm too young to have seen him in action. But let's do this. Take Jim Brown from back then and put him in Barry Sanders Shoes against the same D's. If Jim Brown played on the same team as Barry I don't think he would be nearly as good. I do believe that if Barry would have played on Jim Browns Team he would have been even better. Now I do throw in the fact that penalties werent called as much and Barry might have been injured back then. But that's the only way I have to compare it. Jim Brown was a great one. I have only seen highlights and I have to say he had some decent blocking compared to Barry. Barry was so quick I would think he would just blow up defenses back then.

Look at it like this. Would Wilt Chamberlin be anything more than Mediocre now days? It's easy to be the great one when the surrounding talent isn't on your level. But he was the best of his time (mainly because he was a foot taller than any other opponent.) just as Jim Brown was the best of his time. Just as Barry was the best of his time. It's a tough decision which is why it will never be conclusive as to who was the best ever. But it's a good entertaining discussion none the less.

LaDainian Tomlinson will hold the yards and TD record before it's all said and done.