BackInDaDay Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 jim brown wasn't nearly as elusive as simpson.. didn't have to be. if sayers and brown had a kid - it would be oj - the best i ever saw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 The guards were solid. Jim Ritcher was one of my all-time favorite Bills. Quite a remarkable post-football career as well... https://www.nflplayerengagement.com/next/articles/where-are-they-now-%E2%80%93-jim-ritcher/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Jim Ritcher was one of my all-time favorite Bills. Quite a remarkable post-football career as well... https://www.nflplayerengagement.com/next/articles/where-are-they-now-%E2%80%93-jim-ritcher/ Yeah, you could easily say Ritcher was very good, too, instead of solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Totally disagree WRT OJ; Thurman is the greatest HB - he could run, catch, and block. Take Thurman over OJ in a second and this coming from someone who watched OJ play his rookie game in 1969 until traded in 1978! With OJ you have to forget what we learned later. Absolutley amazing and best I ever saw in a Bills uniform. Bruce is probably #2 overall with Thurman as the #2 RB. I'd love to see some Cookie highlights. I was too young to appreciate him, I guess. Those OJ highlights were great, and there's a lot more where that came from. Cookie was a battering ram and fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonechiller Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Rob Riddick!!! hands down.... feet up.... oh, you don't count elevation? ........ nevermind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Totally disagree WRT OJ; Thurman is the greatest HB - he could run, catch, and block. Take Thurman over OJ in a second and this coming from someone who watched OJ play his rookie game in 1969 until traded in 1978! Cookie was a battering ram and fast! OJ was a threat to run for TD every time he touched the ball. Thurman was great but OJ was one of the best of all time. I take OJ every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Thurman was my favorite Bill but OJ is in the discussion of greatest of all time. Thurman was behind Emmitt and Barry in his own era. Interesting they both had combination skills. OJ power and speed. Thurman cutting/ability to set up blocks and catching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotAGuy Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Preston Ridlehuber. Replaced the injured OJ and threw a halfback option pass for a TD that won the game. Better passer than OJ, by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Totally disagree WRT OJ; Thurman is the greatest HB - he could run, catch, and block. Take Thurman over OJ in a second and this coming from someone who watched OJ play his rookie game in 1969 until traded in 1978! Cookie was a battering ram and fast! In hs prime, thurman was the 3rd best rb in the nfl, behind sanders and smith. OJ played at a different level. As i mention above, his season in 1973 is arguably the greatest season for a rb in nfl history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I've noticed that many here who list of the contenders for GOAT are missing Walter Payton. Brown, Payton, Sanders, OJ, Campbell, Sayers, Dickerson, Dorsett, even Emmitt Smith are all worthy names IMO for GOAT RB.....though I think Brown is clearly the best. I love TT and think he was a tremendously great talent and easily a worthy HOF player, but he really is not in the same league as OJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Thurman was my favorite Bill but OJ is in the discussion of greatest of all time. Thurman was behind Emmitt and Barry in his own era. Interesting they both had combination skills. OJ power and speed. Thurman cutting/ability to set up blocks and catching. Barry sat the bench behind Thurman and Emmitt wasnt a receiving threat like Thurman. Marshall Faulk was Thurman Thomas with more speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Barry sat the bench behind Thurman That's the way college football was played back in the '80s. It seems like high button shoes and buggy whips today, with underclassmen actually starting from day one and juniors leaving early. Sanders was a top-5 all-time RB, even better than Thurman in the pros. But he had to wait his turn behind a two time All-American while at OSU... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Bills Fan Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 No, OJ was clearly the best hands-down..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34-78-83 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 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. This ^^ Not even a debate really. And someone compared OJ to Demarco friggin Murray???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Emmitt Smith deserves a lifetime achievement award for playing so many years behind what was usually one of the best OLines in the league. At no point was he better than Thurman, or Barry, or several others. Just one guys opinion. Above average back with superior opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Preston Ridlehuber. Replaced the injured OJ and threw a halfback option pass for a TD that won the game. Better passer than OJ, by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webster Guy Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Thurman was NFL MVP for two seasons. Has any running back done that since? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Thurman was NFL MVP for two seasons. Has any running back done that since? Thurman only won it once, in 1991... http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/award_apmvp.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) As much as we all love Thurman, who was a great all-round back, OJ Simpson in his prime was the greatest running back in NFL history, with the possible exception of Jim Brown. Thurman does not belong in that conversation. Ask anyone who played with or against OJ in the early 70s.Agreed, the debate is between the two and OJ was top dog, the man was a track star at usc, could run a 9.4 100 and still run a guy over. There is a reason he is blowing buy everyone, he was that fast. Only Cliff Branch WR Okland, was faster during those days. AP is the closest but not sure he has OJs upper body strength though probably thicker in his legs. Remember OJ ran for 2003 yards in 14 games. No one has done that since, not AP, not anyone. Great book I still have titled Csonka Simpson Sayers and Brown tells of OJs exploits. Edited April 3, 2015 by North Buffalo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaadThingsMan Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 With a tip of the hat to OJ my pick would be Thurman Thomas, dual threat, could rush for 1000 and receive for 1000 every year given the touches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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