Greatest RB Of All Time?

In my lifetime - If it's not Barry then it's got to be Dexter Carter

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Brown's claim to the title of greatest running back of all time is supported by statistics. In 118 career games, Brown averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. None of the NFL's career rushing leaders come close to these spectacular totals. For example, Walter Payton averaged only 88 yards per game during his career with a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. Emmitt Smith averaged only 81.2 yards per game with a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. Brown has famously said on the subject: "When running backs get in a room together, they don't argue about who is the best."

You younger fans need to educate yourselves on a subject before speaking on it. Jim Brown is the Jerry Rice of running backs. Even Barry Sanders dad agrees.

Barry averaged 5 yds. a carry and 100 yds. per game on 20 carries. Stats on par with Brown in a less vanilla era.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Brown's claim to the title of greatest running back of all time is supported by statistics. In 118 career games, Brown averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. None of the NFL's career rushing leaders come close to these spectacular totals. For example, Walter Payton averaged only 88 yards per game during his career with a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. Emmitt Smith averaged only 81.2 yards per game with a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. Brown has famously said on the subject: "When running backs get in a room together, they don't argue about who is the best."

You younger fans need to educate yourselves on a subject before speaking on it. Jim Brown is the Jerry Rice of running backs. Even Barry Sanders dad agrees.

Barry averaged 5 yds. a carry and 100 yds. per game on 20 carries. Stats on par with Brown in a less vanilla era.

Originally posted by T-9ers:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
Brown's claim to the title of greatest running back of all time is supported by statistics. In 118 career games, Brown averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. None of the NFL's career rushing leaders come close to these spectacular totals. For example, Walter Payton averaged only 88 yards per game during his career with a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. Emmitt Smith averaged only 81.2 yards per game with a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. Brown has famously said on the subject: "When running backs get in a room together, they don't argue about who is the best."

You younger fans need to educate yourselves on a subject before speaking on it. Jim Brown is the Jerry Rice of running backs. Even Barry Sanders dad agrees.

Barry averaged 5 yds. a carry and 100 yds. per game on 20 carries. Stats on par with Brown in a less vanilla era.

In a less vanilla era? Barry is a great one, but as I said, and the stats prove Jim Brown is the best, and in the argument as the #1 player ever.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
In a less vanilla era? Barry is a great one, but as I said, and the stats prove Jim Brown is the best, and in the argument as the #1 player ever.

I've only seen Brown highlights. Got to watch Sanders in his prime. All I can say is they played in much different eras. I believe Barry played against better competition.

For me it's still Jim Brown...in the 9 years he played for the Browns, he was their primary offensive weapon. Opposing defenses stacked the line against him, yet he still managed 5.2 yds per carry. He ran around you or over you...it was your choice. In his first 4 seasons, there were only 12 games. In addition to his 12,312 yds on the ground and 106 TD's, he also caught 262 passes for just under 2500 yds and 20 TD's, So, in 9 years he had 14,811 yds and 126 TD's from the LOS. He was absolutely an amazing RB, the likes of whom we'll never see again in the NFL.

Paul Hornung -- best ever in the red zone, where it counts.

I voted for Sanders. Can you imagine if he had continued playing even for a crappy Detroit team? He could have ended up with 20k+ rushing yards as the primary focus of his offense for over a decade.

I have had the pleasure of watching all these players play in their prime. While Sanders was the most exciting, Brown was an opposing teams worst nightmare. Aside from the stats that have been expressed in this thread, I find to be the most interesting stat is that Brown missed only one play due to injury in his entire career. One play! That's why he was such a nightmare for opposing teams. They knew he was going to show up every Sunday. No RB in history was more intimidating, no one! Also, he was involved in 3 NFL championship games, winning one. Was a physical freak. 6'2" 230lbs. could run a 4.5 40 with his pads on. Without a question the strongest mentally of any RB. Would dominate today, guaranteed.

Thought Bo Jackson was an interesting option. He is the only one that might have had a chance if he hadn't gotten the injury.

I always go with Sanders when this question comes up. If he didn't retire early there's no telling how far ahead of Emmitt he'd be.

I just kind of think Brown was so physically superior in that era but in the modern era things have evened out and he wouldn't be able to mash through everyone like he did back then. Barry Sanders talent transcends eras, he is simply the most unique, the most untouchable, shifty person to ever touch a football. My vote would go to The Juice anyways, not sure why he's not on the list.

Originally posted by T-9ers:
I just kind of think Brown was so physically superior in that era but in the modern era things have evened out and he wouldn't be able to mash through everyone like he did back then. Barry Sanders talent transcends eras, he is simply the most unique, the most untouchable, shifty person to ever touch a football. My vote would go to The Juice anyways, not sure why he's not on the list.

Don't forget that if Brown played today, he would have probably played at 245+lbs with the training, nutrition and special meds they have available today. Even without that, everyone else pales in comparison mentally. Although the highlights show a lot of his bull dozing, he could read and hit the hole fast as well as set up his blocks masterfully. He rarely was brought down from behind having many 50 yd. runs. I think he would do well in today's game.

Originally posted by 60sFan:

Don't forget that if Brown played today, he would have probably played at 245+lbs with the training, nutrition and special meds they have available today. Even without that, everyone else pales in comparison mentally. Although the highlights show a lot of his bull dozing, he could read and hit the hole fast as well as set up his blocks masterfully. He rarely was brought down from behind having many 50 yd. runs. I think he would do well in today's game.

I agree that Brown should rightfully be on top of the list.

Originally posted by Niners99:
lol you can tell the average age in this thread with all the Barry Sanders love.

Sanders was great, but people tend to forget how often he used to get dropped for losses. I never saw him play outside highlights, but Walter Payton probably gets my vote for best RB of the post-Brown era.

I saw Payton as a rookie all the way up until he retired...he was without question one of the best-ever RBs, for me 1B. But I think Sanders was 1A, he was just a bit better...he walked away from the game after putting up a 1500 yd season, if he played another 3-5 yrs he would've absolutely buried the all-time rushing record. They were both good receivers, Payton the better blocker and short-yardage, but also fumbled quite a bit more than Sanders, and Sanders consistently dominant in yds per rush.

Payton played on some bad Bears teams, but then he got to play on some very good teams his last 5 years, which included that Bears D. Sanders was on a couple decent Lions teams, but their OL was usually horrible, and whether the team good or bad it was Sanders who carried them...plus some of the things he did were just impossible moves for the human body to make, but he did it on a regular basis.

Originally posted by T-9ers:
I just kind of think Brown was so physically superior in that era but in the modern era things have evened out and he wouldn't be able to mash through everyone like he did back then. Barry Sanders talent transcends eras, he is simply the most unique, the most untouchable, shifty person to ever touch a football. My vote would go to The Juice anyways, not sure why he's not on the list.

I think anyone with Brown's size, speed, smarts, and toughness would do well in any era. But it is just a simple fact that his being a physical freak was magnified playing in an era when you had defensive players who--as a whole--were nowhere near as big and fast as players have gotten over the past couple decades. That's why when looking at it through that prism, I think that's what makes Barry Sanders' accomplishments so incredible