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In your opinion, who was the greatest RB of all time?


TuscanyTile2

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Its hard to judge one as "greatest of all time". There were RBs that were a wonder to watch. mesmerizing with their athleticism and talent (Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson). Then there were guys that were just dominating in every game (OJ Simpson, E.Dickerson, E.Campbell, G.Sayers), then there were RBs that amassed insane #s over long careers (E.Smith, L.Tomlinson, C.Martin)...

But its hard to argue against Jim Brown, who, IMO, had a combination of speed, athleticism, power and most importantly DOMINANCE at the time he played, when defenses focused on stopping the run. He's the #1 guy in my book.     

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I think it's a generational thing.  My Pops, about to turn 80, will tell you Jim Brown or Gayle Sayers.

My brother, 50, will tell you Earl Campbell or OJ Simpson.  He loved him some John Riggins too. 

My other brother, 46, will tell you Walter Payton or Eric Dickerson.

I'm 37 and the best I've ever seen is Barry Sanders.  But man, LT and Marshall Faulk were ******* amazing at the pinnacle of their careers. 

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In all seriousness, there have been so many great RB's. I would have to say Jim Brown and OJ Simpson are on equal footing as the greatest, even though OJ is/was a psycho murderer, he was the greatest RB I have ever seen, I never saw Jim Brown play, but the statistics are undeniable. I think #3 all time is Earl Campbell, with Honorable mention to Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Bo Jackson, Gayle Sayers and Barry Sanders.

All of these gentlemen were so great in a game that was not the pu$$y foot game we see today, they got hit - hard. Nothing was reviewed, or given to anyone - These guys earned everything they got.

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2 hours ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

I know this isn't Jet-related but let's be real that unless Petty or Hack gets in there, we're essentially in the offseason right now. 

For my $$, I'll take Earl Campbell. 

Jim Brown and it's not close after that. 

Most will tell you Jim Brown was the greatest football player.  Period. 

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2 hours ago, JetFanWithNOPSL2017 said:

Jim Brown

Nobody else was or is in the same league

I remember an old interview of Merlin Olson, where he was asked what was the hardest hit he ever dealt out to a player. He said in one game against the Browns, he hit Jim Brown harder than he'd ever hit anyone in his life. It was so violent that Olson himself blacked out. When he came to, he turned around, expecting to see Jim Brown lying next to him, possibly even injured from the hit. But Brown wasn't there. He was downfield, still running.

I always thought that was a cool story.

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2 hours ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

Before my time but I've heard that.  How about if I change the criteria to "1980 or after".

Walter Peyton was the best running back I ever saw.

He did it all, for years, on awful teams before the Bears got good.  When he retired, he was the all time rushing champion.  He also was the all time leader in receptions by a running back, he also could block. 

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33 minutes ago, sourceworx said:

I remember an old interview of Merlin Olson, where he was asked what was the hardest hit he ever dealt out to a player. He said in one game against the Browns, he hit Jim Brown harder than he'd ever hit anyone in his life. It was so violent that Olson himself blacked out. When he came to, he turned around, expecting to see Jim Brown lying next to him, possibly even injured from the hit. But Brown wasn't there. He was downfield, still running.

I always thought that was a cool story.

Kind of like Tatum laying out Earl Campbell, and Earl still scoring a TD.

Honorable mention..... for just a few quick years Bo was really fun to watch.

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