Who is, was the best running back in the NFL?

[ViperXX]

I bought Madden NFL 2003 and I was looking at the user forum at EAsports.com. There is a mighty long discussion about who is the best running back of all time.

I can't build a voting poll (not a subscriber) but if there is someone who can lets have a little vote.

Here are the choices.

Walter Payton-Chicago Bears
Jim Brown-Cleveland Browns
Emmitt Smith-Dallas Cowboys
Barry Sanders-Detroit Lions

My vote goes
Walter Payton
Emmitt Smith
Barry Sanders
Jim Brown

 

[BlamoHammer]

Walter Payton...

If only for the insane skill he portrayed on Tecmo Bowl. Run 2 was UNSTOPPPABLE!

 

[ViperXX]

Well the guy who is dominating my Franchise is Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins). The guy is averaging 120 yds per game. He's good in real life but he isn?t that good.

 

[broon]

Barry all the way. Emmitt shouldn't even be on that list. Priest Holmes is better than Emmitt.

 

[thawolfman]

Originally posted by: broon
Barry all the way. Emmitt shouldn't even be on that list. Priest Holmes is better than Emmitt.

I take it you base that comment on this season alone?

Second Place?
Again

 

[bigrash]

Walter Payton

 

[broon]

Originally posted by: thawolfman

Originally posted by: broon
Barry all the way. Emmitt shouldn't even be on that list. Priest Holmes is better than Emmitt.

I take it you base that comment on this season alone?

Second Place?
Again

No. Look at his abilites. In Emmitt's day he had one of the best lines to allow him to run like he did. The Chefs (intentionally forgot the "i") don't have that kind of line. That was always Barry's problem. Numbers and championships don't always make a great player. Emmitt could not get the kind of numbers he had then with the Chiefs line anytime between then and now.

 

[Johnnie]

sweetness...he was amazing!!

 

[AvesPKS]

Originally posted by: broon

Originally posted by: thawolfman

Originally posted by: broon
Barry all the way. Emmitt shouldn't even be on that list. Priest Holmes is better than Emmitt.

I take it you base that comment on this season alone?

Second Place?
Again

No. Look at his abilites. In Emmitt's day he had one of the best lines to allow him to run like he did. The Chefs (intentionally forgot the "i") don't have that kind of line. That was always Barry's problem. Numbers and championships don't always make a great player. Emmitt could not get the kind of numbers he had then with the Chiefs line anytime between then and now.

Hmm....I don't know if you can say that. Mark Rypien is someone who benefitted from a great line (and great receivers, and great rb's, and a great coach). I'm not so sure you could say Smith would only have been successful if he had a line.

 

[Cyco]

Originally posted by: broon

Originally posted by: thawolfman

Originally posted by: broon
Barry all the way. Emmitt shouldn't even be on that list. Priest Holmes is better than Emmitt.

I take it you base that comment on this season alone?

Second Place?
Again

No. Look at his abilites. In Emmitt's day he had one of the best lines to allow him to run like he did. The Chefs (intentionally forgot the "i") don't have that kind of line. That was always Barry's problem. Numbers and championships don't always make a great player. Emmitt could not get the kind of numbers he had then with the Chiefs line anytime between then and now.

Oh, and don't forget how great Priest Holmes was in Baltimore.

Not going to say he isn't talented because his numbers in KC tell otherwise, but don't think he's better than Emmitt.

 

[ViperXX]

Barry all the way. Emmitt shouldn't even be on that list. Priest Holmes is better than Emmitt.

That's BS and you know it. Once Emmitt got out into the secondary he was on his own. Go back and watch the tapes. Emmitt performed magic almost every time he got the ball. That?s why he's about to break Walter Payton's record. He is one of the best!!

He's 35 years old and when a lane opens up he's still able to get 20-30 yds out of his run. Watch the last couple of games and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I watched Barry play and he's a hell of a back, some of his runs were just freaking unbelievable!! But if he didn't get the blocks he needed he was stuffed just like Emmitt is sometimes.

But Barry quit and Emmitt is still in the NFL.

Barry could have broken the record but he choose to retire.

 

[mpitts]

Barry Sanders is the best running back I ever saw play. Payton would be second. Smith isn't even on the list.

Sorry, but Barry Sanders was a WAY better back than Emmitt Smith ever was.

 

[glenn1]

Too bad Bo Jackson got hurt early in his career, otherwise he could have easily been a candidate as well.

Of the four listed, Jim Brown is by far the best, Barry Sanders was probably the most fun to watch.

 

[NeoV]

another Bo Jackson fan here....probably was the best athlete to ever play in the NFL..

of that list, Jim Brown, Barry, Walter, Emmit..

 

[pnho]

barry sanders cuz he lived in the same home town as me....and he gives back alot to the community. Emmit...went to hs wid my aunt in pensacola...

 

[ViperXX]

I'm going to quote this guy form the Madden 2003 forum because he makes good sense.

Soza12,

If football is a team sport, then why are people using Emmitt Smith's O-Line as an excuse to his greatness instead of pointing out it was nearly an important piece of the puzzle to his greatness? If this discussion were about great QBs are you going to say Dan Marino was only great because he had the "Marx Brothers" to throw to over the years? Joe Montana because of Jerry Rice and John Taylor? Emmitt Smith is going to be considered the best once he breaks Walter Payton's record..Period. The rushing record has stood for years and it will be a looooonnnngggg time after Emmitt breaks it that ANYONE will even come close...Just the facts baby..Deal with it.

By the way here is the site. Madden 2003 running back discussion[

 

[Masas]

maybe i'm a minority here...
but the record IS STILL (dunno for how much longer) walter payton's...
and he was a pretty good runningback...
if you just look at runningback stats...gotta give it to payton...
but then...had Barry kept playing...I'm pretty sure he could still be a top 5 rb in the league now...
he kinda got ran out....
such a good person too (with the whole non-celebrations and keeping professionalism and such)

 

[Sid59]

walter then barry ..


emmitt may break the record, but he knows, i know, we all know, he shoulda retired 2 seasons ago. There is no joy in watching a good back scrap for yards just to break the record.

Barry got burned out, can ya blame him? He's been on the same losing team ... Shoulda shipped barry over to the Niners in the early 90s.

 

[glenn1]

Yeah, and it only took Emmitt how many years (13?) to rush for the same amount of yards Jim Brown did in 8, with Brown playing less games per season to boot? And he has less rushing titles (4 over 13 seasons, compared to Brown's 8 out of 9), less Pro Bowl selections, less yards per game, less touchdowns per game, and has been hurt more often (Brown never missed a game). I'll admit though, he did tie Brown's record for quickest time to reach 100 TD's (93 games).

 

[ViperXX]

It took Jim Brown 9 years to get to 12,312 yds.

Look here for yourself.

Emmitt Smith had 13,963 yds by the end of his 9th season.

 

[Zebo]

Barry Sanders.

Did anyone see that Monday night game against Dallas the year after they won thier first 90's Superbowl? Barry ran on thier leage leading defence for over 230 yards. Made them look silly, like a man amongst boys, even with his not so good O-line.

I think he just stopped careing about football. He seems really devout to his religion and the football life and peers can really go against that belief system. So he just quit and now works for his dads roofing company. BARRY #1

 

[Jhill]

It's funny that when Emmitt used to run for a lot of yards people always say "he had a good line" but when he doesn't run for a lot it's not because he has a bad line it's because he sucks.

I've seen Emmitt break enough tackles to where I can say he was for real.

You don't break the all time rushing mark on a good line alone.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: Sid59
walter then barry ..


emmitt may break the record, but he knows, i know, we all know, he shoulda retired 2 seasons ago. There is no joy in watching a good back scrap for yards just to break the record.

Barry got burned out, can ya blame him? He's been on the same losing team ... Shoulda shipped barry over to the Niners in the early 90s.

There was an article on ESPN about that.

"Lets face it, it's just not pretty what this sport does to running backs over time. Payton gained 533 yards his last season. Franco Harris? 170. Thurman Thomas? 136. Eric Dickerson? 91.

Watching Emmitt so far this season has given me a whole new respect for the enigmatic Barry Sanders, whose most brilliant pirouette may have been the one he pulled in 1999 when he disappeared from the game within reach of the record. He did it, I now suspect, to avoid exactly what Emmitt is going through this season: the world tuned in to watch your every move long after the magic has left those legs."

Here, mentioning the benefits of Dallas's o-line

"Still, Smith's greatest gift as a runner has been his timing. He was drafted into a budding dynasty, played next to a Hall of Fame quarterback who kept defenses honest and in front of a line that revolutionized the concepts of size and power in the NFL. (Smith's blockers have taken 26 trips to the Pro Bowl. Sanders'? Six. Payton's? Four.) And he'll likely end up playing longer but with a shorter yards-per-carry average (currently 4.3) than any of the top five running backs of all time."


article

 

sweetness. If you dont think so then stab yourself.

 

[eplebnista]

Walter Payton