The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

Who's the best RB you've ever seen, not from highlights, one that you actually got to see play that just made you say daaaaamn! I wish I could've seen those from the 60's and 70's that are considered some of the best. I'm sticking to retired players, you don't have to if it doesn't apply; eg (you're young)

1. Barry Sanders, DET:  GD, I am so glad I had a chance to see this man play, the human highlight reel on a team that didn't build around him, sadness.

2. Walter Payton, CHI: Caught him at the tail end of his career, but watching a future HOF RB in '86, 87 was enough to appreciate, and know what I had missed.

3. Thurman Thomas, BUF:  I know, weird pick, but growing up a Dolphins fan, it made me cringe whenever they met up with Buffalo. TT always had my respect, the man was an all around awesome back, to me. It was odd seeing him in Miami, too bad he was out of gas by then.

4. Emmit Smith, DAL: From beginning to end, I saw it all, and am glad to say that I did. Even though I hate the team.

5. Eric Dickerson, LAR/IND: Strange seeing him in a Colts uni when he was traded, but the dude was an incredible talent to watch in LA AND Indy.
 

Hows about you guys? Doesn't have to be 5, whatever you can muster up is coo.

I don't know if anyone will disagree with the first two, except possibly the order. Walter was the most amazing thing I had ever seen until Barry came along. I think Jim Brown should be on the top 5 list although he was before my time. I think I would have to pull Thurman off to put him up there.

Barry Sanders is the best runner I've ever seen.

Proof Posistive some of the best players ever didn't win a championship.

Easily Barry Sanders.  I love the way he just walked away from the game as well. That was a man who knew what he wanted. I read somewhere they modled his foot and ankles for the latest in Limb replacements for the soldiers. How cool is that?

barry

Bo Jackson
Big, really fast, and elusive.

Barry Sanders

Walter Payton

My top five would Be.....

1.) Barry Sanders
2.) Marshall Faulk
3.) Walter Payton
4.) Eric Dickerson

Maybe Hershal Walker,or Roger Craig...Ladanian Tomlinson is moving up to knock off Eric Dickerson...

I'd Have Gayle Sayers up there But I've never seen him play He was out of the legue before I was born...

  Barry Sanders, hands down.

1.  Emmit Smith

2. Walter Payton

3. Barry Sanders

4. Eric Dickerson

5. Bam Morris- I know this last one might cause a bit of controversy, but this guy would bust up the middle and get you 6 or 7 yards while dragging two or three guys with him.  Too bad he had another source of income... a lucrative drug trade on the streets of Corpus Christi, Texas.  One has to wonder what might've been if he had not run afoul of the law. 

You are right he does create controversy, but not because of his drug convictions. He creates controversey because he doesn't belong anywhere near this list much less on it.

And he probably doesn't belong on the list because of his drug convictions.  He had two seasons with the Steelers and two with the Chiefs where he was one of the top RB's in the league.  In between were multiple arrests on drug related charges, and suspensions for violating the NFL's substance abuse program. 

This guy was so good that the Steelers jettisoned perennial Pro Bowl RB Barry Foster to make him a starter.  Keep that in mind. 

Barry Sanders and.....
Ricky Williams (before the whole drug suspension/retirement thing)

He never got over 900 yards in a season. Those Chiefs years he never broke 500. That is not even close to a top RB for a season much less all time.

How about some more props for my favorite 80's RB, Roger Craig? In one season the guy rushed for AND received for 1,000 yards in each category. Think about how awesome that is.

One more for Barry Sanders.

Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk

Faulk has to be #1 on my list. I just think his overall game was better then Barry Sanders. Faulk was a duel threat.

Keith Byars at #3.........

Surprised you didn't say Terrell Davis or Sammy Winder.  ;D

In a seperate category, Larry Csonka was the best fullback of the modern era. The role he played is now essentially obsolete in NFL football, but wow was he fun to watch.

Jim Brown was probably the best ever, and Walter Payton and Barry Sanders stand with him at that elite level. Emmit Smith was just a notch below, and Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson are certainly in the room with these guys.

And while he is a totally despicable human being, OJ Simpson was one hell of a running back. Ladamian, Marcus Allen, and Thurman Thomas are probably in the top ten somewhere. Gale Sayers, based on talent, would have been in this discussion, but his career was sadly cut short by injuries.

QFT,doctord56.From one old fart to another,I gotta agree with your list although I only saw Jim Brown play on old films,he was one tough s.o.b.--the other 11 guys knew he was getting the ball and still couldn't stop him,and he retired at the top of his game--who knows what kind of numbers he coulda put up.My list in order;
1.Walter Payton
2.Gale Sayers
3.Emmitt Smith
4.Earl Campbell
5.Barry Sanders

I just gotta say to all the Emmit fans out there...put Barry Sanders behind that line, along side that QB, WR and all around great team, and he makes records no one will ever touch...Emmit was a great back, no doubt about it, but he was no Barry Sanders.  Barry did it all on his own with a horrible team around him his entire career, ultimately leading to his retirement.

Barry.

1) Barry Sanders
2) Walter Payton
3) Eric Dickerson

...for my standards, these three were the greatest RBs I've ever seen. I also very much agree that if Barry had run behind a better O-line, his records could very well be untouchable. Imagine Barry running behind a Walter Jones-Steve Hutchinson OL tandem? Mercy...

I have to go with Sweetness.

But the best single game I think I ever saw came from Ricky Williams.  Anyone else remember his 200+ yard effort in Buffalo in a blizzard?  He went over, through, around...it was awesome.

Just out of curiosity...

Did people here not see Bo Jackson play or were they just not that impressed with him?

Bo knows fumbles.....I always felt he was more flash than substance....

Modified to add,He never played a full season,and only played a few years....

I have to give Marshall Faulk a mention here for being a great all-purpose back, but I still go with Barry Sanders for pure running.

My bad.  I meant to post in the "Greatest Running Back YOU'VE ever seen" thread, not the "Greatest Running Back YOU'VE ever seen that played full seasons and had a long career" thread.

^^ It's comments like that that aren't needed on the board,as they add Nothing to the disscussion...

Yeah, I don't throw the word great around,to a guy that had 18 career Touhdowns,and 11 career fumbles over 38 NFL games....

Bo Jackson wouldn't even crack my top-10 "Greatest RB" list, and I was sitting in the Kingdome the night he ran over Brian Bosworth.

Sorry if I'm stepping on toes.  ;)

You do know why he never played a full season, and why his stats were a bit diminished, right?

So Playing baseball and the hip injury are excuses for not being able to hold onto the ball.Weak Run,Real weak.......Again He was more of a Nike creation celebrity,than a great Running back....Never topped 1,000 yards,only came close once...Never had more than 20 receptions in a season...Poepl use Great,with short careers generally have Some great numbers to back them Up....The little I saw of him..He fumbled,or was hurt....and his numbers certainly don't suggest greatness...

Maybe you can explain what made him so Great....

Playing MLB doesn't make you a great running back.....

Just so don't have to go scrounging for his numbers...
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackBo00.htm (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackBo00.htm)


I agree completely,but I wasn't there to see him run over the Boz...Lol

Where does 5.4 ypc rank all time?

1st if you remove qbs and 1 person who played in 1946.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_per_att_career.htm

He only played 38 games....They usually have a min. numbers of games....Like 50 or 100 games played when ranked historically....

So when you said his numbers don't suggest greatness, you were just joking? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxnf5Tq-AcY

Barry Sanders...I went to a game where Detroit played at Miami. I consider it an honor to be able to say that I saw Barry live, just like seeing Marino live.

No those numbers suggest a Good O line...3 years he had long runs of 91,92 and 88 ...making the rest of his numbers look even worse....Again..Not Great....
 ::)

So now I'm supposed to put him in the Great category because of a handful of Carries...Wow...The argument is getting weaker by the post.....

I guess you don't know.  

The only relevant and accurate part of your response.  The rest was just strawman arguments and ignorance.

This link (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlleMa00.htm) might help you.

You guys are masters of arguing points that were never made.  

You DON'T know why?  Why not just ask a question.  Kind of like this:

Now was that so offensive?  Seems a bit innocuous to me.

 

Some of his numbers certainly suggest greatness.  

His one major injury ended his career.  Did he miss many games other than that?

Another argument no one made.  

Thanks, but no need for that.




If you're game, I'm willing to pretend that this post of mine:
... was followed by only by:

Historically? 

Now we're back to:

Wow Run you figure you'd learn how to Quote by now....With posting back to back...Learn how to use the midify button....

Really what numbers show Greatness,his average? based on 38 games? That's a joke...That he had 3 long runs in his career so he's Grat now?

Yeah,I said historically,Maybe you didn't notice Tepops,B.S. answer of 5.4 yards per carry averge stat..he tried to show Greatness.....

Sorry you Didn't like my answer too your Bo Jackson question....I don't feel like he was the best RB in his own Backfield....As you posted Marcus Allen....

Sorry boys breaktime's over now...

You never did directly answer my Bo Jackson question.  You just went off on a bunch of ignorant strawman arguments.   


I'm still not sure you understand the significance of that.  I'm still not sure you understand the signficance of him playing MLB. 


Recess was always my favorite part of the day too.   ;)

::) And you've Failed to show me anything of why he was such a great back......How about that for Ignorant Strawman Argument......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjO_QfFYV78

I'm still not impressed.....

If you're game, I'm willing to pretend that this post of mine:
... was followed by only by:

Are you game or do you want to keep pretending that you know what a strawman argument is?

That's perfectly fine.

Seems like we could have avoided a bunch of crap. 

Come on run we all know, you read only what you want to read in a thread run... ;)

You've made it clear, that, beyond being a hypocrit, you don't know much.

Want me to explain "strawman argument" so you can use it properly next time?

What's wrong run,you're resorting to name calling now? Your B.S. act wearing thin on everyone  ;)

Why do you get so mad when people respond "in kind"? 

I know ... it sucks when your own moderator statements apply to yourself as much as anyone else.  How many times did I ask to start over and skip the BS?  You refused each time and I'm wearing thin?  You're the moderator ... if you're not going to set the example at least follow.

Arguing for the sake of arguing again Run....I guess you're not getting the picture...are you....

I know an example of Bo Jackson being great....

(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/bedtimebear423/NES_Games_I_Own/TT/TecmoBowl.jpg)

For my money, Walter Payton.

WOW were back on topic!! Barry Sanders !