Rich Barcellos
Puritan Board Freshman
Dan Marino? Sanders and Payton are the best RBs, in my opinion. Jim Brown and Sayers are up there, too.
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Originally posted by Steadfast
Originally posted by BaptistInCrisis
Originally posted by Steadfast
Re: Football,
Barry Sanders was far greater than Lawrence Taylor, who, great though he was, may not even have been much better than Dick Butkus at the same position.
Dude - with all due Christian love and respect...you're insane!
Barry Sanders was a great running back...but he wasn't even the greatest running back of all time. L.T. was unstoppable during his prime. L.T. was faster, more agile and more explosive than Butkus. He was the best linebacker to ever play the game (with all due respect to Sam Huff, Dick Butkus, Mike Singeltary, Corneilus Bennett and Ray Lewis).
My dear brother, I fear for your stability
Barry Sanders was hampered by two defects: He played on horrible teams throughout his career and he retired far too early. While the latter is his own fault, the former is something about which he could do very little.
Had Barry been able to play for a good team throughout his career, even if he nonetheless retired early, Emmit Smith would never even have gotten a sniff at the career rushing title.
In ten seasons (on a horrible team), barry rushed for 15,269 yards. That's an average of over 1500 yards a season. Had Barry played 5 more years and had he played (again) on a decent team, he'd have crushed both Payton and Smith in the standings.
Crushed them.
Four of those years he won the rushing title and three of them he placed second. He NEVER placed lower than fifth and that was in a year when he was injured for 5 games! He still rushed for 1115 yards!
A strong case can be made for the position that LT was the greatest Linebacker ever to play the game. I wouldn't even begin to argue too strongly to the contrary.
But Barry was not only the greatest running back ever to play the game, he was dominant every time he stepped onto the field and is, clearly, to anyone not biased by team preference, the Greatest Football Player, ever.
I am surprised no one has brought up Jerry Rice.
Here's an interesting site for football stats.
Originally posted by fredtgreco
I agree that Sanders is great. But I don't think he was the best running back ever. Jim Brown also retired in his prime. And he did not play in 16 game seasons. The other fact is that the league expanded from Brown's day, thus watering down the talent.
If we don't count pure stats, I believe Gale Sayers was a better runner than both Brown and Sanders, and if he had as lengthy a career, it would have shown that.
As to Sander's playing on a bad team, he did not have it is as bad as O.J. - quick, name ANY player from the 1970s Bills! And O.J. ran for 2,000 yards in a 14 game season.
Originally posted by BaptistInCrisis
O.J.? His "if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit" aside...he was an awesome player. I never saw a running back as fluid as O.J. He was graceful and ballet-like in open field.
Originally posted by fredtgreco
I agree that Sanders is great. But I don't think he was the best running back ever. Jim Brown also retired in his prime. And he did not play in 16 game seasons. The other fact is that the league expanded from Brown's day, thus watering down the talent.
If we don't count pure stats, I believe Gale Sayers was a better runner than both Brown and Sanders, and if he had as lengthy a career, it would have shown that.
As to Sander's playing on a bad team, he did not have it is as bad as O.J. - quick, name ANY player from the 1970s Bills! And O.J. ran for 2,000 yards in a 14 game season.
Originally posted by kceaster
Bruce Lee
That man was in tremendous shape. Anyone who can fracture a rib while stretching and flexing...
KC
Originally posted by trevorjohnson
Does competitive eating count?
I vote for that little Japanese guy who can down 39 hot dogs in 10 minutes!