Speaking Of Best Hb Ever

Taco918

Well first off I want to wish y'all a Merry Christmas but I was just taking a look at the Adrian Peterson thread and a few of the responses alluded to him possibly being the best HB ever and it got me thinking about it. I was hesitant about posting this with the regular season still going on but considering our season is over next week I figured it couldn't hurt. Who would y'all peg as the best HB in NFL history? Now I'm only 24 so I haven't seen as much football through the years as some of the older members have so I'm just gonna stick with who I've actually seen play. I was lucky enough to see Peterson play in person during that amazing freshman year he had at OU (should have won the heisman) and he is an absolute beast but my pick definitely has to be Barry Sanders. He was shifty as hell, could stop on a dime and get back to full speed just as quickly, and it took half the D to bring him down. I can remember when I was in grade school being excited for thanksgiving merely for the fact that I knew I'd actually be able to see him play. I remember getting in fights with kids at school who had the audacity to say Emmitt Smith was a better running back then Barry Sanders. I realize the picture I'm painting for y'all is a bit biased but these types of discussions rarely can be unbiased. With that said I'd love to hear you guy's opinion on the subject and why you have said opinion. Stats, accomplishments, whatever criteria y'all want to apply to it.

PoeticG

Jim Brown. Simply because he's a legend and he's one of our own. Plus, injuries never ended his career nor did he lose his skills over time. He played 10 seasons and went out on his terms. Plus he learned from Paul Brown and that counts for something.

cdl15

Yep

CantonLegend

i dont think there is a clear cut #1

my favorite was and will probably always be walter payton but there are so many great ones

jim brown has to start the list followed by payton and sanders

guys like bo jackson and earl campbell were so good. Ladanian tomlinson was on pace to shatter everything before the head coaching change and the cutting of his fullback in san diego

emmitt smith, probably the most underrated of all of them, but also the most productive

its hard to give a true answer to the question but everybody has their favorite

then when you throw in backs in today's game....i dont think AP is even the best in the league today. guys like steven jackson, fred taylor(who just retired), etc. who have done such and outstanding job carrying the rock over their entire careers definitely have to jump in front of AP

TypicalBrowns

Mr. Barry Sanders was better than Jim Brown, but Brown is 2nd best for sure.

The Gipper

First off, when you use the term HB, meaning halfback, that in itself is an outdated term. Though we do have fullbacks, the RB position or TB for Tailback position is the guy that is the primary running back.

Jim Brown is listed as a fullback.

Jim Brown is the greatest Running Back of all time.

And YES, that is "Clearcut".

And NO, it is not Barry Sanders or Earl Campbell or Walter Payton (who would be #2) or Emmit Smith.

Why? Because Jim Brown could do everything that Barry Sanders could do AND everything that Earl Campbell could do.

And FYI, it IS Jim Brown who was the most productive RB ever. Others have gained more yardage due to career longevity, but none were ever as productive year to year, game to game, play to play.

Jim Brown holds the record for most average yards per game, most average yards per play. The only reason he may not hold the average for most yards per season is because he played in only 12 and 14 game seasons compared to 16 game seasons for some.

For a short spurt, Bo Jackson did show some Jim Brown traits, but he was off playing baseball and then got hurt after only about 3 years.

Tour2ma

Excellent clip... The run against the Cowboys at the 1:35 mark is still the greatest short run I've ever seen, and I believe I was at the old stadium for the long run against the 'Skins at the 3:07 mark.

Jim is an easy #1 RB choice. Physically he was a freak of nature... a man playing with boys. Funny thing was football might have been his 2nd best sport...

However, since I'm a biased, homer it never hurts to cite a source that agrees with me. He was #2 in the The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players assembled in 2010. #1 was Jerry Rice (and I was surprisingly OK with that). The next RB showed at #5, Walter Payton. Barry Sanders was the #3 RB and 17th on the list.

My personal #2 RB was Earl Campbell and he was all the way down at #55 on the list. Biggest thighs in the history of NFL RB's without a doubt. The sternum thump he gave Isaiah Robinson (at the 1:23 mark) will be forever burned into my memory. Although he said nice things ("Earl may not be in a class by himself, but it doesn't take long to call the roll.") Bum Phillips should be ashamed of the way he abused Earl.

The Gipper

@tour2ma said:

Excellent clip... The run against the Cowboys at the 1:35 mark is still the greatest short run I've ever seen, and I believe I was at the old stadium for the long run against the 'Skins at the 3:07 mark.

Jim is an easy #1 RB choice. Physically he was a freak of nature... a man playing with boys. Funny thing was football might have been his 2nd best sport...

However, since I'm a biased, homer it never hurts to cite a source that agrees with me. He was #2 in the The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players assembled in 2010. #1 was Jerry Rice (and I was surprisingly OK with that). The next RB showed at #5, Walter Payton. Barry Sanders was the #3 RB and 17th on the list.

My personal #2 RB was Earl Campbell and he was all the way down at #55 on the list. Biggest thighs in the history of NFL RB's without a doubt. The sternum thump he gave Isaiah Robinson (at the 1:23 mark) will be forever burned into my memory. Although he said nice things ("Earl may not be in a class by himself, but it doesn't take long to call the roll.") Bum Phillips should be ashamed of the way he abused Earl.

I think they are putting Jerry Rice at #1 because of the gap that he has in many of his records over the #2 guy in terms of catches, yards and TD. What these guys forget, because people are stupid when it comes to history, they think only the things that happened in the last 10 years have historical relevence, is that JB, when he retired, had even by far wider gaps over the next closest RB. When JB retired he had 12312 yards. Joe Perry had 9723 yards. JB had 106 TDs, Joe Perry had 71.

Tim Couch Pulls Out

Reuben Droughns and James Davis

nickers

I can tell you hands down it was Jim Brown. Defenses had nightmares of Jim Brown in theyre sleep. Ask the once famouse linebacker Sam Huff of the New York Football Giants how much he hated Brown. Defenses Kicked his ribs,Punched him. Spit and scratched and piled up on him. Then Jim Brown would rise slowly from the pile. Walk slowly to the bench. then still still almost expending no energy. Then come back on the fieled and kick major ass!. Brown was not only a great RB...He also excelled and was a master at LaCrosse. Brown was as tough a mother fucker as they come. There will never be another Jim Brown!