Stanley Lombardi Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Many hardcore Bills fans do. Yes they do, in the same way that some historians might debate whether Hitler had the best mustache ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan1959 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Jim Brown was probably the best RB of all time and OJ was probably second. Like others have stated, however great Thurman was, he is never in that conversation. With everyone knowing he was getting the ball, the Bills throwing about 10 passes a game, OJ averaged 6.2 YPC in 73. He caught 6 passes the entire year. He had IIRC 462 yards against one team, the Patriots that year (250 and 212?). You had to stop him, you knew he would get the ball, and you couldn't stop him. He was one of the best college players ever and one of the best pro players ever. His size and speed were ridiculous. OJ was clearly better than Thurman as a RB although Thurman was great. And the reason it took him a couple years was because John Rauch didn't know how to use him, and was an idiot, and less because he needed the Electric Company. Spot on. Didn't he play under both John Rauch and Harvey Johnson his first few years? Bad coaching and bad teams (there is a reason the Bills had the 1st overall pick when they selected Simpson). I don't know as if Jim Brown could have excelled on those teams. Lou Saban, coming back in 72, had as much to do with Simpson reaching his potential as anything else. Coaching does make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Spot on. Didn't he play under both John Rauch and Harvey Johnson his first few years? Bad coaching and bad teams (there is a reason the Bills had the 1st overall pick when they selected Simpson). I don't know as if Jim Brown could have excelled on those teams. Lou Saban, coming back in 72, had as much to do with Simpson reaching his potential as anything else. Coaching does make a difference. Harvey Johnson 1971 1-13..Saban came in and drafted Linemen and a blocking TE in Paul Seymour. Thurman was great but no where near the player OJ was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Best runner- OJ. Speed and juking ability second to none. Best All-around- Thurman. Great vision. Played with chip on shoulder. My favorite all-time player btw. Best receiver- Larry Centers. Here briefly during the Greg Williams era but he was awesome at catching passes out of the backfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsCelticsAngelsBama Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 O.J., Thurman, J. Cribbs. Best team 1980 Bills, 1991 Bills, 1965 Bills.... yes I'm that old to have seen them ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_g Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Miami has the oranges but Buffalo has the Juice, Hands down OJ best Buffalo RB ever, Not even close. watched him once live at the rockpile against the jets, couldn't stop him, everyone knew he was getting the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Spartacus Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Jamie Mueller Ronnie Harmon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I'll add the unforgettable Carlester Crumpler to the mix. And can we get these names correct, for the love of God? Antowain Smith Kenneth Davis Darick Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Spartacus Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Mini Max Anderson was pretty good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisonbrigade Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Ronnie "butter fingers" Harmon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxy312 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I think this question is tougher than people are making it out to be. If you're talking simply the best pure running back and leaving everything else out, I don't know how you would have anyone in the same ballpark with OJ. He was that good running the football, even when opposing teams knew he was getting the ball. That said, he wasn't that good of a blocker in pass protection and he wasn't great catching passes. If I had to pick an all-purpose running back, I would take Thurman Thomas all day. He could do it all. After these two, you can kind of throw a lot of other guys at that next tier. Joe Cribbs, Travis Henry, Marshawn Lynch, and Freddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Spartacus Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Cribbs was good man - scary good.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 91 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 OJ is basically Demarco Murray? If you truly believe that I don't even know where to start... And Thurman had some great Oline's to run behind, they were just overshadowed by a lot of HOF talent at the skill positions. Thurman had HOF WRs, and a HOF QB who could throw the rock with the best of them. OJ had good players around him, but make no mistake, he WAS the offense, and THE focus of every defense the Bills faced. Injuries caught up to him at the end. Thurman wasn't balling out of control at the end either. Age and injuries do that to most players, it's just especially noticeable at the skill positions. This is no knock on Thurman, who was dynamite, a great football player, but the Juice is one of the most dynamic talents in football history, and arguably the best at his position. A combination of Barry Sanders elusiveness with Eric Dickerson size. DeMarco Murray... Im only 30 with a basketball background. Meaning... i have only been a football fan since the end of TT. BUT through highlight of Thurman i saw some of the most amazing line play i have ever seen. The size speed pulling capability and hole creation of TT lines were remarkable. Anyone who says he didnt have a line... well. I just dont know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 91 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I would go OJ best ever. I think you have to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Gordie Lockbaum!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalftimeAdjustment Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yes they do, in the same way that some historians might debate whether Hitler had the best mustache ever. He certainly retired that style of mustache permanently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Gordie Lockbaum!! Lennox Gordon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I remember watching Thurman Thomas make a many defender miss/whiff on a tackle with his elusiveness. Although I'd vote OJ Simpson, Thurman could have been or was as much an offensive weapon as OJ. Also OJ ran behind a great offensive line as well, the Electric Company. I don't believe Thurman's line had such a moniker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Also OJ ran behind a great offensive line as well, the Electric Company. I don't believe Thurman's line had such a moniker. The power of marketing. O.J. coined the term and it stuck. But man for man, the lines TT ran behind were superior to the Electric Company. Joe D was great, Reggie was above average but the other guys were just good, not great. Will Wolford, Jim Ritcher, Kent Hull, John Davis/GlennParker and Howard Ballard were one hell of a line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 The power of marketing. O.J. coined the term and it stuck. But man for man, the lines TT ran behind were superior to the Electric Company. Joe D was great, Reggie was above average but the other guys were just good, not great. Will Wolford, Jim Ritcher, Kent Hull, John Davis/GlennParker and Howard Ballard were one hell of a line... Yeah, I definitely think the K Gun line was easily superior to the Electric Company line as far as all five spots. Hull was tremendous. Both tackles were very good. The guards were solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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