[phinzphan1372]

sanders had an all-pro on his o-line every single year but one. they were actually decent run blockers (pass blocking was another matter). hard to block for a guy that isnt looking to go north south and doesnt run set plays well, always looking to bounce, always looking to extend the play

Sanders line was decent at best … With the exception of Kevin Glover and Lomas Brown.. He never really had anyone better.


If your talking pure talent and all around skills as you mention in another post…. you have to give it to this guy…. not stat wise… just pure talent and ability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BQ72rE6iyw

[fast93bird]

Yeah, if there is a "couldabeen" then Bo would be at the top of the list. That guy was amazing, so much potential cut short. Side note, met him once as a teen. Movie theater in Scottsdale AZ in the mid 90's. Nice guy.

[savagenate]

Watched some highlights of LT...for my lifetime, I'm going with him. Amazing balance, speed, and a wicked stiff arm! Though not looking for contact, he could still run over and through people...and let's not forget a near perfect passer rating with 7 throwing tds! He was also a great blocker, and a great receiver. He also had the prettiest end zone dives since Walter Payton...But I love the old school, smash-mouth rbs too...Lynch (though he may never be considered among the greats, I love his style, and that run vs the saints has to be an all time great highlight!), Lacy could be another, and watching film clips of Csonka, Brown, Campbell, and Jim Taylor.

[bakerman8419]

I saw Barry play live 5 or 6 times and countless times on TV and in my lifetime I have to say him. Tomlinson and Faulk were more "complete" backs but Barry was in his own class imo. I think anyone that says Sweetness or Sayers shouldnt receive an ounce of criticism because when you watch highlights of them those two guys were just ridiculous. I also love watching Earl Campbell highlights as well.

[favrecollectors4]

sanders had an all-pro on his o-line every single year but one. they were actually decent run blockers (pass blocking was another matter). hard to block for a guy that isnt looking to go north south and doesnt run set plays well, always looking to bounce, always looking to extend the play

You and I obviously weren't watching the same games. I'm a Packer fan. The Lions aren't exactly a team I like at all, but I know talent when I see it, and will give credit where credit is due. The only reason the Lions had pro bowl lineman was because of Barry. I think it was Lomas Brown, if memory serves. One pro bowler doesn't make a good offensive line. Many times Barry was dancing around because he would take the handoff and have a guy three yards behind the line of scrimmage already. He did much of his dancing out of necessity. It's not like the Lions ever had a great QB on their team. QBs played well because of Barry demanding eight and nine in the box. Journeymen like Dave Krieg and Erik Kramer looked like Brett Favre and Joe Montana because of his mere presence. Scott Micthell even made it to a Pro Bowl.

If you are a fan of the team that your selection played on, your vote should automatically be discounted because you're biased. I hated the Bears and Lions equally, have seen Bo play, and have watched as many Jim Brown highlights as I can find. Barry did more with less.

And btw, thank you all for not giving Emmitt a lot of mentions. I want to go scream when people say Emmitt. I could have been a thousand yard rusher behind his offensive lines.

[MarinoRookiesRMine13]

Pure God-Given talent, its not even close: Bo Jackson. The guy was a once in a lifetime (maybe longer) type of talent to watch.

The greatest running backs IMO who completed their career in full: Barry Sanders was as good as it gets to see in entirety. He left the game while he was still the best. Emmitt Smith (his vision was elite and his game vs. the Giants is etched in history), Walter Payton, Marshall Faulk, Jim Brown, LT, OJ Simpson round out the list.

Even though they both retired in recent years, I think people forget how dominant Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James were. Faulk was literally unstoppable. If Herschel Walker had played his first few seasons in the NFL instead of the USFL, he'd certainly be in the top 15 all time in rushing. Dickerson and Dorsett were great too. Curtis Martin is underrated and seemingly unnoticed. Can't fault the dude for being durable throughout his NFL career.

The greatest RBs with shortened careers that come to mind include Terrell Davis, Gale Sayers, Priest Holmes.

There have been so many great backs in NFL History, but when I think of the greatest, those are some of the names that jump off the page.

[foleylion08]

Love the comment above this one from Marino, agree almost entirely. I feel like it's hard to compare the backs from different eras of the game. Football was so much different when Brown and Sayers played. Certainly not taking anything away from them, but it's apples to oranges. You all know who my pick is by looking at my signature, but I won't get into all of that as I have done on these very boards numerous times. I'll give a top 5 all things considered in no particular order:
Brown
Sweetness
Sanders
LT
Smith

I do not believe Emmitt is the GOAT. in my top 5, he's 4. Benefited from being one of numerous stars and a hell of an o-line almost his whole career. Played forever to get the record and went to AZ to pad it. Dude had longevity because his jersey didn't get dirty until his 5th or 6th season. Having the highest career stats doesn't necessarily make you the best.

[fast93bird]

Can't be hating on Emmitt now. He had a lot going for him with the team he was surrounded with, but his toughness, up and down ability, and capability to see things all keep him firmly rooted in the conversation.

[skywalkb]

Jim Brown.

[tdwright13]

+1. Unlike Emmitt, Barry didn't have the line or HOF QB.

My vote goes to Barry Sanders (Yes, I know that's sacrilege coming from a huge Cowboys/Emmitt fan as myself). But the guy did stuff with, as mentioned in the WR thread, zero support. His ability to make a defender miss, shake a tackle, and move laterally as well as he could vertically just makes him unparalleled IMO. I almost want to say that if he was in the place of Emmitt he wouldn't have known what to do because he wouldn't have been shaking people off 3-5 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

In the same conversation though, there's a LOT of worthy competition. What say ye?