Top RB's of All Time when they were at the peak of their game

[VADC Bills]

If you were picking a team or the best RB at the peak of their career, how would you rank them.

Where do you put OJ and Thurman?

 

I have Jim Brown as the best. But at the peak of all of their careers if I was picking a team it would be OJ after Brown.

Until someone gets 2000 yards in 14 games it will be OJ for me.

I'm going by what I have seen and I have seen all of them play quite a bit.

1 Jim Brown - The most powerful..period.

2 OJ - The most spectacular since Gayle Sayers. No one ever caught him from behind. Contrary to opinion he could catch.

3 Barry Sanders - Really deserves to have the all time record. Could have played longer but didn't. If he didn't play for

the Lions with a bad OL he probably would have had more yards.

4 Eric Dickerson - Powerful and dominated when he played. Didn't always play for good teams.

5 Walter Payton - Outside of Jim Brown probably the toughest of the bunch. He and Emmitt had long term durabilty better

than the rest which resulted in long careers and great numbers. Again played for bad teams until the end of his career.

6 Emmitt Smith - Very durable, read the hole amazingly. Probably played on better teams than the above.

 

Marcus Allen and Thurman were probably 2 of your best receiving RB. Better than the above. I just don't think they were top 5.

[K-9]

If you were picking a team or the best RB at the peak of their career, how would you rank them.

Where do you put OJ and Thurman?

 

I have Jim Brown as the best. But at the peak of all of their careers if I was picking a team it would be OJ after Brown.

Until someone gets 2000 yards in 14 games it will be OJ for me.

I'm going by what I have seen and I have seen all of them play quite a bit.

1 Jim Brown - The most powerful..period.

2 OJ - The most spectacular since Gayle Sayers. No one ever caught him from behind. Contrary to opinion he could catch.

3 Barry Sanders - Really deserves to have the all time record. Could have played longer but didn't. If he didn't play for

the Lions with a bad OL he probably would have had more yards.

4 Eric Dickerson - Powerful and dominated when he played. Didn't always play for good teams.

5 Walter Payton - Outside of Jim Brown probably the toughest of the bunch. He and Emmitt had long term durabilty better

than the rest which resulted in long careers and great numbers. Again played for bad teams until the end of his career.

6 Emmitt Smith - Very durable, read the hole amazingly. Probably played on better teams than the above.

 

Marcus Allen and Thurman were probably 2 of your best receiving RB. Better than the above. I just don't think they were top 5.

 

Hard to argue with anyone on that list. OJ's 2003 in 14 games will be hard to equal as you say. I don't like comparing players across eras but something tells me if Sayers had remained healthy he would have broken some records himself. He was dynamite to watch and a threat to score anytime he touched the ball.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[TheBlackMamba]

i think ladanian tomlinson needs to be added to the top 10...what he has done in 9 years is remarkable

 

(BTW...i think emmitt may be a little overrated due to the fact that he had one of the best O lines in football for his entire career)

[Gene Frenkle]

Don't forget Gayle Sayers.

[The Senator]

Somewhere in there, you gotta make room for...

 

Cookie Gilchrist

[tennesseeboy]

1. Jim Brown

2. Gale Sayers

3. OJ

4.Walter Payton

5. Barry Sanders

6. Eric Dickerson

7. Bo Jackson

8. Marcus Allen

9 Cookie Gilchrist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_Gilchrist

10 Thurman Thomas/Emmit Smith and a few others.

 

You said "at their prime" and at his prime Gale Sayers may have been even better than Jim Brown, but I'm going to have to go with Brown. Gilchrist was a remarkable running back for two leagues, and perhaps the greatest blocking back that ever lived.

[jcbuck3]

Terrell Davis was a hell of back for the short time he played.

[MrLocke]

Terrell Davis was a hell of back for the short time he played.

 

It seemed like just about anyone tore it up in Denver during that period. Terrell Davis good, no doubt, but Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson put up good numbers too.

[Gene Frenkle]

It seemed like just about anyone tore it up in Denver during that period. Terrell Davis good, no doubt, but Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson put up good numbers too.

Not a 2,000 yard season and 2 Super Bowls though.

 

+1 for TD at his peak

[dgrid]

make room for Earl Campbell

[VADC Bills]

make room for Earl Campbell

The original beast mode

[Coach55]

If you were picking a team or the best RB at the peak of their career, how would you rank them.

Where do you put OJ and Thurman?

 

I have Jim Brown as the best. But at the peak of all of their careers if I was picking a team it would be OJ after Brown.

Until someone gets 2000 yards in 14 games it will be OJ for me.

I'm going by what I have seen and I have seen all of them play quite a bit.

1 Jim Brown - The most powerful..period.

2 OJ - The most spectacular since Gayle Sayers. No one ever caught him from behind. Contrary to opinion he could catch.

3 Barry Sanders - Really deserves to have the all time record. Could have played longer but didn't. If he didn't play for

the Lions with a bad OL he probably would have had more yards.

4 Eric Dickerson - Powerful and dominated when he played. Didn't always play for good teams.

5 Walter Payton - Outside of Jim Brown probably the toughest of the bunch. He and Emmitt had long term durabilty better

than the rest which resulted in long careers and great numbers. Again played for bad teams until the end of his career.

6 Emmitt Smith - Very durable, read the hole amazingly. Probably played on better teams than the above.

 

Marcus Allen and Thurman were probably 2 of your best receiving RB. Better than the above. I just don't think they were top 5.

Backs that you truly need to consider:

 

Earl Campbell - 78-80 he was just dominating 5081 Rushing Yards, 45 TD's

Jamal Lewis - Rushed for 2066 yards in 2003

Shaun Alexander - 04/05 - 48 Rushing TDs 3576 Rushing yards

Priest Holmes - 01-03 - 4590 Rushing Yards, 56 TD's

Tomlinson - 02-07 - 9411 Rushing Yards, 105 TDs (that's averaging 1568 yds and 17.5 TDs a season!)

Bo Jackson - 5.4 yards per carry over his career - stats are jaded due to his Baseball responsibilities and splitting carries with Marcus Allen - could've been the best ever.

[DarthICE]

Sanders hands down

[K-9]

The original beast mode

 

Nah. Original beast mode goes to Bronko Nagurski or Marion Motley.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[KRC]

It depends on what you want out of your back. If you want a powerful runner, you have Brown or Motley (Brown gets the edge). If you want elusiveness, Barry Sanders. If you want versatility, you go Spec Sanders.

[KRC]

Nah. Original beast mode goes to Bronko Nagurski or Marion Motley.

 

[sniff] Thank you.

[l< j]

make room for Earl Campbell

 

You could either make room for Campbell, or he would make room for himself.

 

Skoal, Brother.

[vincec]

make room for Earl Campbell

Earl is #3 on my list, right after Sanders and Brown. OJ is #4. I'd knock Dickerson off the top 10. Always played with strong OLs, was a fumbler and never got it done in the playoffs.

 

Consider that in 1979 Campbell was voted by coaches in the NFL as the one player, regardless of position, they'd like to have on their team.

[Tcali]

If you were picking a team or the best RB at the peak of their career, how would you rank them.

Where do you put OJ and Thurman?

 

I have Jim Brown as the best. But at the peak of all of their careers if I was picking a team it would be OJ after Brown.

Until someone gets 2000 yards in 14 games it will be OJ for me.

I'm going by what I have seen and I have seen all of them play quite a bit.

1 Jim Brown - The most powerful..period.

2 OJ - The most spectacular since Gayle Sayers. No one ever caught him from behind. Contrary to opinion he could catch.

3 Barry Sanders - Really deserves to have the all time record. Could have played longer but didn't. If he didn't play for

the Lions with a bad OL he probably would have had more yards.

4 Eric Dickerson - Powerful and dominated when he played. Didn't always play for good teams.

5 Walter Payton - Outside of Jim Brown probably the toughest of the bunch. He and Emmitt had long term durabilty better

than the rest which resulted in long careers and great numbers. Again played for bad teams until the end of his career.

6 Emmitt Smith - Very durable, read the hole amazingly. Probably played on better teams than the above.

 

Marcus Allen and Thurman were probably 2 of your best receiving RB. Better than the above. I just don't think they were top 5.

I would put Earl Campbell at #3.

 

1.Brown

2.simpson

3.Campbell

4.Sayers

5.Dickerson

6.Sanders

[dickleyjones]

Sanders hands down

 

+1.

[stuckincincy]

make room for Earl Campbell

 

Good call. I'll add Riggins, and Jim Nance. There's so many - tough to pick.