My list is skill set only playa! You don’t have to look at stats to tell who was the best physically at running the football. Once again if you have to look at numbers you don’t know running backs.
1. Walter Payton
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| “Sweetness” |
2. Barry Sanders
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| “Mr. Elusive” |
3. Jim Brown
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| “Mr. Way Before His Time!” |
4. Bo Jackson
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| “Bo Knows!” |
5. O.J. Simpson
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| “The Juice” |
6. Gayle Sayers
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| “The Kansas Comet” |
7. Tony Dorsett
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| “The Speed Merchant” |
8. Marshall Faulk
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| “The 1st dual threat” |
9. Earl Campbell
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| “The Tyler Rose” |
10A. Eric Dickerson
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| “The Gazelle”
|
10B. Adrian Peterson
“All Day”
Now this list is in no particular order after the top two and many would argue that Barry should be at the top of the list. I could respect that. However, Walter did it for a longer period of time and played on a terrible team too. I can also hear the old timers askin’ how in the world do you put Payton and Sanders ahead of Jim Brown?
Listen up playa, Jim played from 1957 to 1965 and there were very few African Americans playin’ during that era. He was 6’2″ 232 lbs. and was pretty much the fastest and strongest guy on the field in every game he played. The average corner was 5’9″ 165lbs and couldn’t run him down. Would Jim had been as dominate if he were playin’ against cats like Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson or safeties like Jack Tatum etc. Players that could move as quickly as he could? There were no Ronnie Lott’s or Shawn Taylor’s out there playing against Jim. He was a man among boyz and that’s why he was so dominant. He’s still one of the best of all-time because he could have played in any era. But was he better than Sweetness or Barry?
It’s like sayin’ that Babe Ruth was the best hitter ever and he didn’t play against the best players in the world at the time. There were no Latin or African-American players playin’ in the Majors when he was the king of baseball. Babe didn’t line up against Satchel Paige or players like that. That’s Jim’s problem. Not all of the brothers got a chance to play while he was playin’.
I can hear the clown on the roof screamin’ “What about LeBron? He ain’t playin’ against the best players in the world!” He’s playing against the best players alive bruh! There is no rule to say that certain players can’t participate because of their race or religion etc. Babe was playin’ with Satchel playin’ down the street in the Negro League.
Also LeBron would be LeBron in any era just like Jordan, Magic and Deion would too. Great players are great players, the only question is where do they stack up against other great players. That’s my deal with Jim Brown. He’s top 10 but could he have done what he did against boyz that were just as athletic that could run him down at the time?
I‘m also hearin’, “Why isn’t the all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith on the list.” Well he was the recipient of probably the best offensive line ever assembled and he played for 143 years. He wasn’t more physically gifted than the other guys. He just ran through bigger holes. I could pull my Range Rover into some of the holes that dun ran through. Would he have been Emmitt Smith playin’ in Chicago or Detroit? Absolutely not! He would have been just another cat drafted because he was as slow as molasses.
Just think of what Walter or Barry would have accomplished during their career’s if they were just on decent teams. Give me a break with the Emmitt Smith argument!
Bo Jackson was probably the most impressive physically of the group. No one possessed the size and speed that he did. He was 6’1″ 220lbs and ran a 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.12 seconds, which is still the fastest verifiable 40-yard dash time ever recorded at any NFL Combine. Not to mention his ability to run through a boy at the mere sight of him. Just ask Mr. Steroid himself Brian Bosworth. Bo essentially ended The Boz’s career on Monday Night Football when he completely destroyed him at the goal line.
Many will question why I’ve got Marshall in the top 10 but those that know the game realize that he changed the running back position forever because of he was the first to catch the football out of the backfield consistently. Without Marshall we wouldn’t have the spread offenses that we’ve fallen so in love with over the past two decades or so.
Do I really have to explain why Adrian Peterson is on the list bruh? When it’s all said and done he may even become one of the best to ever do it and he’s playin’ in a quarterback driven league. Just think about what he would have done to boyz.
The last thing that I have to say to those that think because Emmitt holds the rushin’ record that he should be in the top 10. Who are you going to take off of the list to put Emmitt on it? I’m just sayin’!
Playas Thesaurus:
1) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.