Top 10 Greatest Running Backs of All Time
10) Larry Csonka - If it wasn't for the fact that he had the share the backfield with two other great running backs (Jim Kik & Mercury Morris) he career states would have been extraordinary. By far, one of the hardest running backs to ever on the ground. There may have been running backs with more talent, but fewer were tougher.
9) Curtis Martin - Is there any other football player who has had a greater career with less publicity. An absolutely amazing 14,000 yards rushing in his career and his name never gets mentioned with the all time greats, and thats a shame. The definition of consistency.
8) Gale Sayers - The original Barry Sanders. If it wasn't for a horrible injury that destroyed his career, he might be at the top of the list. He only played in 68 games in his career but his legacy will live forever.
7) Eric Dickerson - Smooth, Smooth, Smooth! it was like watching a gazelle run. He made it look so effortless. If he wasn't holding a football, you'd think he was sprinting for the relay in the olympics. And, oh, yeah the guyg put up monster numbers. He actually owned the single season rushing record at one time.
6) Emmitt Smith - Yes I know he's the all time leading rusher in NFL History. I'm not taking anything away from him. He is obviously one of the greats. But you can't help but wonder if his career stats would have been the same, if he didn't play for one the best franchises (90s cowboys) of all time. He also one of the best offensive lines of all time as well. You could have had the cavalry run through the kind of holes he was getting.
5) Marshall Faulk - May the be the best all around running back the game has ever seen. If he played as a wide receiver, I still thing he'd be going to the hall of fame. Was the key component to the greatest show on turf. Once he was by you, you had no shot of catching up to him.
4) Ladanian Tomlinson - When his career is over, he might go down as the greatest of all time. He deserves to be on the list just for the last seven years. I can only image what the numbers will be like when it's all said and done.
3) Walter Payton - What else needs to be said about "sweetness:. You can probably find guys who ran a faster 40 yard dash, but he fought for every yard he ever picked up. Play on some horrendous teams thoughout the majority of his career and still retired, at that time, as the all time leading rusher in NFL history.
2) Jim Brown - I know he is usually #1 on these lists, but he is going to have to take the runner up position on this one. Watching highlights of the man, it was like watching a man play against a children. He was WAY ahead of his time. An incredible mixture of strength, size, and quickness. He could do it all. if he didn't retire so early, his final rushing numbers may have never been close to topping,
1) Barry Sanders - By far, the most explosive weapon, the NFL has ever seen. he was the ultimate "hold your breath" player. He could take it 80 yards on any single play. It was actually comical watching defensive players tackle him. They would grab air or run into their own teammate. What was more amazing is that many of his runs would have counted if they were playing two hand touch. He did this all with some of the most embarassingly pathetic teams. He was running for his life out there. The moment he'd touch the ball, there were 3 defenders right on top of him. If he had the same offensive line as Emmitt Smith did (and got the same amount of touches that he got) we might have seen our first 3,000 yard rushing season.
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