Who, in your opinion are the BEST 5 rbs ever regardless of career rushing yards, etc

[bwgood77]

Just by what you watched, or have gone back and seen highlights from players.

I made the stipulation that career rushing yards shouldn't really determine this kind of list, based on personal opinions, after reading today that Frank Gore has now passed Jim Brown, Franco Harris, Marshall Faulk, Marcus Allen, Thurman Thomas and Edgerrin James this year and I doubt people consider him better than more than a few of those guys, if any.

[caliswiss]

Barry S., Sweetness, Terrell Davis, AP, Bo Jackson


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[DirtybirdGA]

Payton
Brown
Sanders
Smith
Allen

[Otis Driftwood]

The best I've ever seen... (I've seen all of these)

1 - Jim Brown
2 - Sweetness
3 - OJ
4 - Emmett
5 - Barry

And - I really hate leaving Dorsett off this list.

[bwgood77]

Barry S., Sweetness, Terrell Davis, AP, Bo Jackson

I can't imagine if Bo had an entire career. Not sure about my 5 yet, but it would have to include him, Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders.

[bluejerseyjinx]

1) Earl Campbell
2) Walter Payton
3) Barry Sanders
4) Tony Dorsett
5) Jim Brown

[Angel strike1]

1) Jim Brown
2) Walter Payton
3) Barry Sanders
4) LT
5) Allen

[bleu]

It's very hard for me to say, as I'm a "young one" who hasn't seen most of these guys play aside from a few youtube videos. But LT has to be up there in like the top 7 or 8, right?

[bwgood77]

It's very hard for me to say, as I'm a "young one" who hasn't seen most of these guys play aside from a few youtube videos. But LT has to be up there in like the top 7 or 8, right?

Perhaps. It's tough to say. I didn't watch Jim Brown but I assume he is there. You could argue Eric Dickerson is there. But when I say best I meant even if they only played a year and were unbelievable. Tomlinson was great and versatile, could cut well and even do halfback passes.

Many would put O.J. in there and Emmitt. I really didn't see enough of O.J. and only saw highlight of Sayer and he was great. Walter Payton was awesome.

Earl Campbell was great and Franco Harris' immaculate reception, but if not, here it is (make sure to watch the replay).

Watch on YouTube

So if you put BEST, as in most exciting regardless of longevity, it will differ between many.

If you mean TOP 5 in history including longevity, I think LT is probably top 5.

[RavenMad31]

In no particular order:
Emmitt Smith: the foundation of possibly the best of the dynasty teams
Jim Brown: Still 10th in rushing after playing only 9 12-14 game seasons.
Payton: I guess I have to put him on here. I might be biased because I never paid attention to the Bears until the '85 season. Also, back then a star RB and a little defense should have been enough to make you pretty good and the Bears were pretty damn bad most of his career.
Barry Sanders: Again, I guess I have to put him here. So fun to watch, but I'd build my real life offense around Smith rather than Sanders.
OJ: Picture some combination of Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders with more power

Okay, that was my diplomatic list. Here's my troller list. Think more along the lines of 5 RBs I'd make the cornerstone of my offense.
Herschel Walker: No reason that in better situations that he wouldn't be a top 3 all time rusher. If he called me today, 10/10/2016, I'd give him a tryout.
Jim Brown: See above.
Eric Dickerson: Goggles
Bo Jackson: Because Tecmo Super Bowl and because I honestly think so.
Jamal Lewis: Because F U, that's why. Lol.

What I've learned trying to do this is that in my time, there has probably been about 15 or more RBs that played at an all time great level and none of them are appreciably better or worse than the others. A lot of it depends on preference of running style. BJJ, if you don't edit your post and include Emmitt Smith, I am personally coming to take away your Cowboy card.

[RaoulDuke79]

Surprised there isn't more love for Marshall Faulk. Can't go wrong with any of the names already mentioned but I'd be pretty damn tempted to take Faulk over most of them.

[bwgood77]

In no particular order:
Emmitt Smith: the foundation of possibly the best of the dynasty teams
Jim Brown: Still 10th in rushing after playing only 9 12-14 game seasons.
Payton: I guess I have to put him on here. I might be biased because I never paid attention to the Bears until the '85 season. Also, back then a star RB and a little defense should have been enough to make you pretty good and the Bears were pretty damn bad most of his career.
Barry Sanders: Again, I guess I have to put him here. So fun to watch, but I'd build my real life offense around Smith rather than Sanders.
OJ: Picture some combination of Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders with more power

Okay, that was my diplomatic list. Here's my troller list. Think more along the lines of 5 RBs I'd make the cornerstone of my offense.
Herschel Walker: No reason that in better situations that he wouldn't be a top 3 all time rusher. If he called me today, 10/10/2016, I'd give him a tryout.
Jim Brown: See above.
Eric Dickerson: Goggles
Bo Jackson: Because Tecmo Super Bowl and because I honestly think so.
Jamal Lewis: Because F U, that's why. Lol.

What I've learned trying to do this is that in my time, there has probably been about 15 or more RBs that played at an all time great level and none of them are appreciably better or worse than the others. A lot of it depends on preference of running style. BJJ, if you don't edit your post and include Emmitt Smith, I am personally coming to take away your Cowboy card.

I think Emmitt Smith was a great RB, but I think he benefited big time from having a GREAT offensive line. Much like DeMarco Murray. Over 1,800 yards one year with Cowboys and great OL and then 702 the next on a new team? McFadden over 1000 last year? Emmitt was a great downfield runner, but I wouldn't put him top 5 as best.

I always would take Barry Sanders, playing with a bad OL, over him, with his awesome elusive skills.

As far as the Cowboys, I'd also take Tony Dorsett over him as he had elusive skills similar to Barry Sanders. If you haven't seen Dorsett highlights.

Watch on YouTube

[bwgood77]

Then you have Dickerson...and when you have over 1,800 yards as a ROOKIE? Then broke the record and had 2,105 in his 2ND YEAR? In some ways he was like LT was. Rarely flashy like Sanders but just elusive enough and so good at finding holes that he got tons of yards.

Watch on YouTube

[RavenMad31]

In no particular order:
Emmitt Smith: the foundation of possibly the best of the dynasty teams
Jim Brown: Still 10th in rushing after playing only 9 12-14 game seasons.
Payton: I guess I have to put him on here. I might be biased because I never paid attention to the Bears until the '85 season. Also, back then a star RB and a little defense should have been enough to make you pretty good and the Bears were pretty damn bad most of his career.
Barry Sanders: Again, I guess I have to put him here. So fun to watch, but I'd build my real life offense around Smith rather than Sanders.
OJ: Picture some combination of Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders with more power

Okay, that was my diplomatic list. Here's my troller list. Think more along the lines of 5 RBs I'd make the cornerstone of my offense.
Herschel Walker: No reason that in better situations that he wouldn't be a top 3 all time rusher. If he called me today, 10/10/2016, I'd give him a tryout.
Jim Brown: See above.
Eric Dickerson: Goggles
Bo Jackson: Because Tecmo Super Bowl and because I honestly think so.
Jamal Lewis: Because F U, that's why. Lol.

What I've learned trying to do this is that in my time, there has probably been about 15 or more RBs that played at an all time great level and none of them are appreciably better or worse than the others. A lot of it depends on preference of running style. BJJ, if you don't edit your post and include Emmitt Smith, I am personally coming to take away your Cowboy card.

I think Emmitt Smith was a great RB, but I think he benefited big time from having a GREAT offensive line. Much like DeMarco Murray. Over 1,800 yards one year with Cowboys and great OL and then 702 the next on a new team? McFadden over 1000 last year? Emmitt was a great downfield runner, but I wouldn't put him top 5 as best.

I always would take Barry Sanders, playing with a bad OL, over him, with his awesome elusive skills.

As far as the Cowboys, I'd also take Tony Dorsett over him as he had elusive skills similar to Barry Sanders. If you haven't seen Dorsett highlights.

Watch on YouTube

One stat that always slipped through the cracks about Emmitt Smith, and I feel it's especially important because I feel way to much of the credit he deserves is carelessly tossed over to his O-line, is that Smith consistently would lead the league in yards after contact. This means that he was still responsible for creating a lot of his own yards. Emmitt never just got hit and tackled. There would almost always be a lean or push for one or two more yards. He was elusive, powerful, fast and incredibly durable. You don't set the all time rushing record by just having an great offensive line. You can have a good year, like Murray, but Smith has more rushing yards than anyone in history. I'll point to something else concerning Smith and offensive lines. In 2004, at the age of 35 freaking years old, he manages a 900+ yard season with 9 TDs playing behind a garbage offensive line in Arizona with Josh McCown as the main passing threat to force defenses to empty the box.

[RavenMad31]

I also won't be foolish enough to try to compare the Detroit offensive line to the Cowboys, but Sanders did run behind guys like Lomas Brown, Kevin Glover, Jeff Hartings, Mike Compton, Dave Lutz and Ray Roberts. All guys that either made Pro Bowls or were long time starters in the league. Detroit was not simply Barry Sanders and 21 players named trash. They really had some good players in places. They just never got to be as good as the NFC elite during his career. The other thing with Barry is I can't rinse the taste out of my mouth of his performance in GB in the playoffs. I want to say it was '93 or '94 and one thing is for sure, behind no line at all, Emmitt Smith would not have allowed himself to shrink like that in a playoff game.

[bwgood77]

One stat that always slipped through the cracks about Emmitt Smith, and I feel it's especially important because I feel way to much of the credit he deserves is carelessly tossed over to his O-line, is that Smith consistently would lead the league in yards after contact. This means that he was still responsible for creating a lot of his own yards. Emmitt never just got hit and tackled. There would almost always be a lean or push for one or two more yards. He was elusive, powerful, fast and incredibly durable. You don't set the all time rushing record by just having an great offensive line. You can have a good year, like Murray, but Smith has more rushing yards than anyone in history. I'll point to something else concerning Smith and offensive lines. In 2004, at the age of 35 freaking years old, he manages a 900+ yard season with 9 TDs playing behind a garbage offensive line in Arizona with Josh McCown as the main passing threat to force defenses to empty the box.

That stat is nice to point out, however, when we are talking about the greatest backs ever, I'd rather see the comparison in that stat with them, not the other backs in the league at the time. It's not like the league was full of really good and great backs.

That year in AZ he only averaged 3.5 yards a carry after averaging 2.8 ypc the year before. Despite the great OL, he still, in most years, averaged 4 or fewer ypc or slightly over that. For his career he averaged 4.2 ypc as opposed to Sanders' 5.0.

Another thing about yards after contact, is that when you are a downfield runner with a great OL, you are able to build a head of steam and barrel into defenders, as opposed to Barry Sanders, being elusive or untouched, but once hit, usually not having run with the power and speed because of the way he had to run. He also often would run into the line, probably be touched, and then turn around and go the other way entirely and maybe only eventually get back to the line of scrimmage, so he may not have been great with that stat.

[bluejerseyjinx]

It's very hard for me to say, as I'm a "young one" who hasn't seen most of these guys play aside from a few youtube videos. But LT has to be up there in like the top 7 or 8, right?

I personally wouldn't have him in my top 20.

[bluejerseyjinx]

In no particular order:
Emmitt Smith: the foundation of possibly the best of the dynasty teams
Jim Brown: Still 10th in rushing after playing only 9 12-14 game seasons.
Payton: I guess I have to put him on here. I might be biased because I never paid attention to the Bears until the '85 season. Also, back then a star RB and a little defense should have been enough to make you pretty good and the Bears were pretty damn bad most of his career.
Barry Sanders: Again, I guess I have to put him here. So fun to watch, but I'd build my real life offense around Smith rather than Sanders.
OJ: Picture some combination of Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders with more power

Okay, that was my diplomatic list. Here's my troller list. Think more along the lines of 5 RBs I'd make the cornerstone of my offense.
Herschel Walker: No reason that in better situations that he wouldn't be a top 3 all time rusher. If he called me today, 10/10/2016, I'd give him a tryout.
Jim Brown: See above.
Eric Dickerson: Goggles
Bo Jackson: Because Tecmo Super Bowl and because I honestly think so.
Jamal Lewis: Because F U, that's why. Lol.

What I've learned trying to do this is that in my time, there has probably been about 15 or more RBs that played at an all time great level and none of them are appreciably better or worse than the others. A lot of it depends on preference of running style. BJJ, if you don't edit your post and include Emmitt Smith, I am personally coming to take away your Cowboy card.

I think Emmitt Smith was a great RB, but I think he benefited big time from having a GREAT offensive line. Much like DeMarco Murray. Over 1,800 yards one year with Cowboys and great OL and then 702 the next on a new team? McFadden over 1000 last year? Emmitt was a great downfield runner, but I wouldn't put him top 5 as best.
I've been fighting and arguing with Cowboy fans for years over this one. Dorsett >>>>> Emmitt Smith. Much greater. Emmitt ran behind the greatest O-line in NFL history so far.
I always would take Barry Sanders, playing with a bad OL, over him, with his awesome elusive skills.

As far as the Cowboys, I'd also take Tony Dorsett over him as he had elusive skills similar to Barry Sanders. If you haven't seen Dorsett highlights.

Watch on YouTube

One stat that always slipped through the cracks about Emmitt Smith, and I feel it's especially important because I feel way to much of the credit he deserves is carelessly tossed over to his O-line, is that Smith consistently would lead the league in yards after contact. This means that he was still responsible for creating a lot of his own yards. Emmitt never just got hit and tackled. There would almost always be a lean or push for one or two more yards. He was elusive, powerful, fast and incredibly durable. You don't set the all time rushing record by just having an great offensive line. You can have a good year, like Murray, but Smith has more rushing yards than anyone in history. I'll point to something else concerning Smith and offensive lines. In 2004, at the age of 35 freaking years old, he manages a 900+ yard season with 9 TDs playing behind a garbage offensive line in Arizona with Josh McCown as the main passing threat to force defenses to empty the box.

[bluejerseyjinx]

Finally. Someone who has seen what I have seen. Tony Dorsett >>>> Emmitt Smith. Been fighting over this one for years with Cowboy nation. Always thought tony was 3 times the RB than Emmitt.

[bwgood77]

Here is a career leader list in yards per attempt.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rush_yds_per_att_career.htm

This includes qbs, so if it didn't some would be ranked higher (for example Vick is 1st and Cunningham 2nd) but Jim Brown is 5th with 5.2 ypc,Sayers and Sanders tied at 7th with 5 ypc, Peterson tied at 10th with 4.9 ypc, O.J tied at 17th with 4.7

Terrell Davis tied at 28th with 4.6.
Dickerson tied at 52 with 4.4
Dorsett, Faulk, LT and Campbell tied at 75 with 4.3
Smith tied at 107 with 4.2
Allen tied at 134 with 4.1

Bo Jackson didn't qualify for list because he only had 515 total carries, but he averaged more than all of them at 5.4 ypc.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackBo00.htm