AP is a great running back. He averages 5 yards per carry for his career. That's outstanding, but it's almost a yard less per carry than Jamaal Charles at 5.8. Granted he has done that with twice as many touches, so that does say something for durability. I foresee AP's career being fairly short due to the number of touches he gets each year. He's averaging just under 300 rushes and 30 receptions per year. That's a LOT of wear and tear on a running back, especially one that runs w. AP's style of contact.
This is based on what...that someone couldn't be that great of an athlete without drugs? The guy was recognized as a special athlete from the time is was a young kid. He didnt' even start lifting weights until years into his NFL career. He was the most naturally gifted athlete in the modern era.
Barry Sanders hands down. Sweetness was a great RB, but only Barry could do what he did. He could turn a 5 yard loss into a 25 yard gain. And, the way he juked and made people miss was just awesome. Just imagine if the Lions had a real GM when he was there....how many Super Bowls they would have won. Plus if he had stayed longer, he would have set records NO ONE would have touched for a long time.
the game is complete night and day. I have to admit, the game was just pure back in the day. No one was doing it for the money, no one was on steroids and talk was cheap. They played with heart and just loved the game. Now, you have to require drug tests, 99% of the guys playing are doing it solely for the paycheck and fame and it turned into as much of a head game as a test of physical ability and football smarts. Faking injuries, giving misleading information, and all the bs off the field is just as big a part of the sport as what happens on the field. Yes, the athletic ability is so much higher because of modern training programs and understanding of the human body and ability, but the pureness of the sport, IMO, is gone forever. So, the bottom line of picking the best running backs of all time is really hard to do because you need to look at the all around player, not just the paperwork. sorry if i rant a little, playing for 13 years of my 24 year life and coaching for the last 2, i just love the game.
No one was on steroids?? Are you kidding me? How many offense lineman who played in the 70's and 80's have died early due to side effects from steroids. That era is one of the reasons we have the testing that we do now. Have you ever seen Anthony Munoz? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk www.skyangler.com
im well aware of when steroids were being used. Lyle Alzado was another big user that started in 69 and died from a brain tumor at the age of 43 as a result. Im talking about the birth of the NFL. Cliff Battles, Tony Canadeo, Bill Dudley, Harold Grange these guys never even knew what PED's were and they were the guys that lived football. Hell, im surprised anyone even survived the 70's with all the steroids/ drugs that were being used that no one knew anything about. if there is an NFL biography out there, ive seen it.
Ok. I thought you were specifically talking about the eras when all the RBs listed above were playing. I can agree with the birth of the NFL era. The drug usage in the 70's and 80's were outrageous. I forgot all about Lyle Alzado haha wow what a mess. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk www.skyangler.com
the sad thing was they knew nothing about them. They saw them as a miracle drug. No one was thinking about the long term effects. why should they, right. whats even more sad is they guys today that are well aware of the effects and still use them.
Either I zipped through these too fast or some other greats have been left out. Can't forget about Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, Thurman Thomas or Marcus Allen!
I'll give you Peterson, but I doubt people will talk about the other guys in twenty years the way folks talk about the greats of yesteryear these days.
Best Pure Runner is Barry Sanders. Best All Around Running Back is Emmitt Smith. Rushing, Receiving, Blocking. Everything that a Running back is asked to do. Emmitt was the best. Those that holler about him running behind a great line must have never really watched him play game in and game out. Look at his highlights alone and watch how many yards he got after he passed the line of scrimmage. Plays he made with his ability to make the first guy miss before he even got to the line. Yes, Barry did that, but Emmitt had the ability to power through guys as well.He won the Rushing title on a team that was 2-15. Rushed for over 1800 yards in one season even though he missed the first 3 games in 94. He was (until recently) the All Time High School Rushing Leader. Dominated at Florida the years he was there. Jimmy Johnson said it best when asked why they drafted Emmitt, "He knows how to get the ball in the End Zone!."
I am a hater of Emmitt Smith...11 yards before he was ever touched, then he got 3 on his own and was drug down from behind. He was a beast that played hurt, injured, sick etc...but greatest ever, NO. Barry sanders played on some of the worst teams in NFL history, and ran against 9 man fronts every single week. He was still unstoppable, and most of the time he had to run backwards to get past the first 5 guys through the line to have a shot at positive yardage. Google his highlights, as some seam to have forgotten how sick he was. Those teams SUCKED. When Scott Mitchell was your best shot a super bowl winning QB, you got issues!!! Bo went to the Barn, so he sucks for that, but he was unreal. You need to watch the 30 in 30 on him and hear the guys who know big time athletes talk about how much better he was...PEDs, maybe, but not in the beggining
