Best ever NFL running back

[Gugny]

7 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Yes, Campbell instead of Bettis for sure.  

This discussion is repeated on message boards over and over, all over the country.

 

You know what discussion DOESN'T appear nearly so often?   Best RECEIVER of all time.   That's a very short discussion.  

 

Obviously that's Zay Jones.

[Greybeard]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

 

Marion Motley was a man among boys in his era and some guy named Thurman led the League in total yards from scrimmage an unprecedented 4 Straight Seasons. So it’s really just in the eye of the era’s beholder.

            In high school and a few years past that, my friends would play a game called Motley.   Basically it was football, which had to be played in the snow or mud, with no passing.  Obviously named after someone in your post.

[Shaw66]

1 minute ago, BillsFan1988 said:

These comps are definitely like splitting hairs . It's all about preference. I didn't watch OJ or JB live i watched them on highlight videos and they were Supreme talents. Barry on the other hand I watched his career closely and he was the best by far that I ever seen.  I wish he would of took down the record he had a chance for 20,000 yds that would have been unbreakable basically especially with the way RBS are used today in RBBCs.

Yeah, I get it.  All I can say is that if you'd seen them live, there's a chance you'd change your opinion.

 

The thing I often though about Sanders is that he did things that didn't look humanly possible.  Sometimes watching him was like watching some video game fantasy game.  Nobody else has done that.  As I've said, sometimes Shady gets vaguely close, but not really.  

 

I think that aspect of Sanders' play makes him unique among all running backs.  But if you're drafting a team to play in the NFL, unique isn't necessarily the best.  I think a team with Brown or Simpson (and maybe one or two others) has an advantage over a team with Sanders.   All I know is I'd pay to see a game with the Brown and Sanders as the two starting running backs.  

2 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

            In high school and a few years past that, my friends would play a game called Motley.   Basically it was football, which had to be played in the snow or mud, with no passing.  Obviously named after someone in your post.

Motley was another of those man-among-boys guys.   I don't think it was an accident that he wore number 76.

[Iron Maiden]

Another fun back to watch ( not in the GOAT discussion by any means ) was Christian Okoye....The Nigerian Nightmare......When he was on, he was practically unstoppable....

[Logic]

16 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Yes, Campbell instead of Bettis for sure.  

This discussion is repeated on message boards over and over, all over the country.

 

You know what discussion DOESN'T appear nearly so often?   Best RECEIVER of all time.   That's a very short discussion.  

I think the Receiver discussion should involve who fills out spots 2 through 5, since we all know who number 1 is and always will be.

TIGHT END....now there's a discussion that will produce a lot of different answers.

[mannc]

1 hour ago, metzelaars_lives said:

Fine, add OJ to the list.  You still can’t say he was definitively the best.  And also, what did he win?  At least Sanders made it to an NFC Championship game.

Wait, you're not blaming OJ for not winning the title with those Bills teams, are you?   They were an abysmal team when he arrived and he single-handedly took them to the playoffs for the first time since the franchise joined the NFL.  In his first two years with the Bills, OJ was coached by an idiot named Johnny Rauch, who was too stupid to simply hand the ball off to the best collegiate running back of all-time, whom the team had selected with the first overall pick in the draft.  In his third season in the NFL, OJ was coached by the immortal Harvey Johnson...     

Edited March 29, 2019 by mannc

[BillsFan1988]

7 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Yeah, I get it.  All I can say is that if you'd seen them live, there's a chance you'd change your opinion.

 

The thing I often though about Sanders is that he did things that didn't look humanly possible.  Sometimes watching him was like watching some video game fantasy game.  Nobody else has done that.  As I've said, sometimes Shady gets vaguely close, but not really.  

 

I think that aspect of Sanders' play makes him unique among all running backs.  But if you're drafting a team to play in the NFL, unique isn't necessarily the best.  I think a team with Brown or Simpson (and maybe one or two others) has an advantage over a team with Sanders.   All I know is I'd pay to see a game with the Brown and Sanders as the two starting running backs.  

U know what I wish and this wish was very close to happening was for the Bills to have signed Reggie White to play with Bruce Smith. Oh my that would of been killer . The pocket would of collapsed like a can of soda being hit on the highway. 

 

Reggie had the Bills on his short list of teams he wanted to go to.  I believe the Jets, Packers were 2 of the others. We would of won those next 2 Superbowls vs Dallas and maybe more. I always blamed Ralph for not going after him.  Maybe this had something to do with Pollan leaving who knows. 

Edited March 29, 2019 by BillsFan1988

[Dat]

All different, but some more love for Campbell, Payton and Dickerson.

 

Not the best but the scariest back who i loved to watch..... Christian Okoye the nigerian nightmare, nobody wanted to see that coming at them.

Original Beast mode but x 30% bigger and nasty.

Edited March 29, 2019 by Dat

[hemma]

Here's a link to a SI article about and with Jim Brown, that included interviews with some of the other backs on the short list of Great.

Belichek's comments make it clear where he stands on the issue.

 

Anyway if you have the time, a real good read:

https://www.si.com/mmqb/2015/09/28/jim-brown-cleveland-browns-hall-of-fame-nfl-greatness

 

 

[Shaw66]

14 minutes ago, BillsFan1988 said:

U know what I wish and this wish was very close to happening was for the Bills to have signed Reggie White to play with Bruce Smith. Oh my that would of been killer . The pocket would of collapsed like a can of soda being hit on the highway. 

 

Reggie had the Bills on his short list of teams he wanted to go to.  I believe the Jets, Packers were 2 of the others. We would of won those next 2 Superbowls vs Dallas and maybe more. I always blamed Ralph for not going after him.  Maybe this had something to do with Pollan leaving who knows. 

I don't remember that.   That would have been like Brown and Simpson in the same backfield, only better.  There's only one ball to rive to your running back, but there are two paths to the quarterback.   I mean, can you imagine that?  If I'm on the team that starts White and Smith at the two defensive ends, I want to be a defensive tackle.   With the constant double teams on the outside, I'm going to get a lot of good looks at the QB.  

[WMDman]

OJ

[BillsFan1988]

1 minute ago, Shaw66 said:

I don't remember that.   That would have been like Brown and Simpson in the same backfield, only better.  There's only one ball to rive to your running back, but there are two paths to the quarterback.   I mean, can you imagine that?  If I'm on the team that starts White and Smith at the two defensive ends, I want to be a defensive tackle.   With the constant double teams on the outside, I'm going to get a lot of good looks at the QB.  

That's the beauty of it . It's very hard to even double team both unless your playing 12 or 13 personel and that would kill the passing game. Plus they both played on the opposite side of one another so there would of been a natural transition for White. Man we missed out on an opportunity to have arguably the 2 greatest ever to play there position on the same team. 

[Shaw66]

8 minutes ago, hemma said:

Here's a link to a SI article about and with Jim Brown, that included interviews with some of the other backs on the short list of Great.

Belichek's comments make it clear where he stands on the issue.

 

Anyway if you have the time, a real good read:

https://www.si.com/mmqb/2015/09/28/jim-brown-cleveland-browns-hall-of-fame-nfl-greatness

 

 

WOW!!!  Haven't finished the article, but it's great!  Thanks. 

 

It's worth it just for the photo of Ali, Bill Russell, Jim Brown and Kareem.   Incredible.  

[hemma]

1 minute ago, Shaw66 said:

WOW!!!  Haven't finished the article, but it's great!  Thanks. 

 

It's worth it just for the photo of Ali, Bill Russell, Jim Brown and Kareem.   Incredible.  

 

About once a year, I read something and tear up a bit and I don't even know why.

One of those.

[billykay]

16 hours ago, Mojo44 said:

 I remember this,also, growing up in Niagara Falls. Not only was Jim Brown the greatest running back of all time, in my opinion he is the greatest football player of all time. He had to be seen to be appreciated! 

I have to agree with you. Also, perhaps one of the best athletes all time. Besides football, he was an all american lacrosse player. He also started on the Syracuse basketball team. Love me some JB when he wasn't throwing women off balconies.

[Shaw66]

6 minutes ago, hemma said:

 

About once a year, I read something and tear up a bit and I don't even know why.

One of those.

I almost wrote a post about his run against the Cowboys.  It's described in article.  Most amazing three yard touchdown in history.   As John Wooten described it, they started a sweep to the left and when Wooten, the pulling guard got out there he said "everybody is out there. The end, the tackle, the linebacker, the safety, the corner. Everybody.”  Brown retreated to 10, Wooten says, and then somehow willed himself past everyone into the end zone.   Simply incredible.  

[Bing Bong]

13 hours ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

Nope, couldn’t. It hurts to say but Marshall Faulk was simply a better version of Thurman Thomas....  

I'm partial to Marshall Faulk's myself. FWIW he always gave Thurman Thomas props for being the RB he most tried to emulate.

 

He was so dang smart and had great vision. His screen passes were like cheat plays. I don't know if Faulk belongs with Barry and them but I like my cerebral RBs. Faulk and Thurman made their offenses tick.

[RyanC883]

17 hours ago, Roch Jim said:

JIm Brown---hands down. Led the league in rushing 8 of his 9 years. Averaged 100 yards a game. Not flashy like Barry just brutally effective

 

I'd put Sanders slightly ahead of Brown, although Brown is likely the best CFB RB ever.  And he's up there for best college Lax player ever.  

When you need to get a yard, Bettis in his prime was unstoppable.  That doesn't make him the best all-time, but perhaps the best all-time goal-line back.  

[Ethan in Cleveland]

59 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Yes, Campbell instead of Bettis for sure.  

This discussion is repeated on message boards over and over, all over the country.

 

You know what discussion DOESN'T appear nearly so often?   Best RECEIVER of all time.   That's a very short discussion.  

Campbell has less than 10K yards rushing and is not in the top 25 all time rushers.  He is an all time great no doubt but Bettis has nearly 5k more yards.

Best TE - Tony Gonzalez and its not close. 

2-5 TE is just as hard as 2-5 WR

[billykay]

43 minutes ago, mannc said:

Wait, you're not blaming OJ for not winning the title with those Bills teams, are you?   They were an abysmal team when he arrived and he single-handedly took them to the playoffs for the first time since the franchise joined the NFL.  In his first two years with the Bills, OJ was coached by an idiot named Johnny Rauch, who was too stupid to simply hand the ball off to the best collegiate running back of all-time, whom the team had selected with the first overall pick in the draft.  In his third season in the NFL, OJ was coached by the immortal Harvey Johnson...     

OJ also had great vision. Can anyone remember his

 ever absorbing a big hit. That's why he was rarely injured until late in his career.