The greatest running back of all time

[funkedup]

Sandman the answer to your question lies in watching films of Sayers running.  He had incredible speed and moves, similar to Barry Sanders but even more creative.

Davis was a good back but he ran in a system that provided him with huge holes due to an agressive passing scheme which put pressure on the defense, and a great offensive line.  He was not a "spectacular" back in the sense of Sayers or Sanders.  You could plug any good back into that system and they would have had huge numbers.

Sayers was an artist, who would have been spectacular even on the worst team.

[Eagler]

ALL of the above ran with the football .....

only one RB  in history did the same, very well when his fro wasn't wound so tight,  AND got away with double murder

go OJ!

[aknimitz]

OJ Simpson (do not think he is the best, but certainly in the same group as most others mentioned)

Nim

[Raubvogel]

Barry Sanders
Gale Sayers

If Barry had played 1 or 2 more years, yesterday would have been just another loss for the Cowboys.

[AKDejaVu]

Ah yes... OJ... how could I forget.  Er... wait.  I remember now.

Walter Payton is a given.  Much like Emmitt Smith is a given (like him or not).

[Nifty]

Jim Brown.

[Charon]

Walter may have not been the greatest running back, but perhaps greatest football player would be more appropriate. There are those who were quicker, stronger, faster -- but not by much. And Walter could switch his style the instant he needed too. Can't go over, go around. Can't go around, then hammer the tackler so he hesitates a bit the next time around. Whatever it takes to win.

Much, if not most, of his career was played without a great offensive line or multi-threat QB. If you want to point out the 85 Bears then be sure to point out the 70s Bears. Walter tended to grind his yards out a handful at a time -- 13 seasons setting rushing records in 4-yard and 10-yard increments, with the occasional spectacular feat. Remember, the defense knew Walter would get the ball at least two downs (sometimes 3) each possession. The Bears had no other offense, so there wasn’t much choice. But Walter didn’t seem to mind. I can remember calling out the plays in front of the TV before the snap - Walter left, Walter right, Walter up the middle -- and being accurate at least 90 percent of the time. I'm sure the defense knew it much better than I. But he still get the 100+ yard games and 1000+ yard seasons. He achieved these feats through force of will, and you got the feeling he would have played for free if he had too, because the game was the most important part of his being a football player. You really had to have seen him play, not just in a highlight film, but in a season full of long, boring over matched games -- to understand what I am talking about.

A few quotes:

"I thought Walter Payton was the greatest football player who ever lived," TV commentator John Madden said. "He did it better than anyone. And he had more fun -- and that combination is a treasure.

"As far as I'm concerned, I thought he was the greatest," Franco Harris said, minutes after former Colts running back Lydell Mitchell phoned Monday with news of Payton's death. "With the teams he played on, and what he did, missing only one or two games his whole career ... and he was a great guy. "We had different styles, but I always enjoyed watching him, the way he ran and the way he played the game," Harris said. "There's no doubt about it, he did it all, running, pass receiving and catching. He was the type of guy who made things happen."

Was he as powerful as Jim Brown?
 Probably not.
 Was he as fast as O.J. Simpson?
 Probably not.
 Was he as quick as Tony Dorsett?
 Probably not.
 But he outdid them all.
 Payton was talented, and he was tough. He never went out of bounds on his own. If you were going to hit him, you were going to take a licking. This became his forte.
 He took great pride in his conditioning. In his 13 years, he missed only one game due to injury. That's particularly impressive for a running back.
 No player ever trained as hard as Payton did. He had his own special hill in the suburbs where he trained, a steep incline where he worked out in secret. When camp opened, he was always the best-conditioned player. There was no feat he couldn't perform. [edit: Other Bear players he took to the “Hill” usually ended up vomiting before they left…]

 He was always focused on the job, on winning. When he broke Simpson's individual-game rushing record with 275 yards, they stopped the game and Payton acknowledged his accomplishment. But he insisted they resume play immediately because the Bears were locked in a tough game with Minnesota.
"Let's get on with the game," he said. The Bears won 10-7."

I wonder if this era of the game is gone forever now. A bunch of spoiled millionaires doing their happy dances because they caught a ball 3 yards short of a first down on third down. I don’t recall ever seeing Walter perform a solo “celebration.” He didn’t need to, or want to.

Charon

[narsus]

Emmitt Smith 150 TD's
Walter Payton 110 TD's
Marcus Allen 127 TD's (could be wrong)

These guys were humble and great on and off the field, they had longevity, toughness, and skill. All of them play injured trying to get the team to win.

Emmit has been on the same team since he was first drafted into the league, through good times and bad for 12 years.

People just don't remember him breaking tackles, spin moves, stutter step. They always think it was just the O-Line (Pah-Lease), look at some old footage of his running, breaking tackles cutting, etc.

Barry had a good yds per carry, but didn't touch the amount of TD's emmitt has. Barry and Emmitt had 2 different rushing styles, hard to compare the two.

Hurts you guys to know a Cowboy broke the record, Payton respected Emmitt and vice-versa.

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

Stephen Davis for modern RBs... just doesn't have one of the better teams to boost his stats (hint: Emmit Smith)
-SW

[midnight Target]

Stats Schmats


Gale sayers was freakin poetry. He was grace. He was like a swift running stream flowing easily around the boulders. I would rather see Gale in his prime, than anyone else... Period.

[AKDejaVu]

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
Stephen Davis for modern RBs... just doesn't have one of the better teams to boost his stats (hint: Emmit Smith)
-SW

Davis is good.  Too bad he's playing for perhaps the worst coach in the league.

AKDejaVu

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

WHAT??? The worst coach in the league???

He'll fun 'n gun every team to... oh yeah, our endzone.

The worst is listening to sport's announcers... every other word is "fun 'n gun"... *sigh* There ain't no fun in losing...
-SW

[Airhead]

Forrest Gump, although he never played pro.

[AKDejaVu]

I've watched every Redskins game this year except for last night (was out).  Steven Davis would run for 8 yards on 1st down, then the skins would go to a no-back offense for the next two plays... then punt.

Its to the point that if Davis is behind the qb, he's getting the ball.  If he's not, he's not.  Kinda makes it easy for the defense to focus on him.

AKDejaVu

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

Oh yeah... no doubt... at this point I think all defenses are just saying, "rush if Davis is behind the QB, zone-cover if not"

It's really sad... really... how predictible the Skins offense has become.
-SW