Who was the best NFL RB ever?

[csfansince60s]

I'm a Bears fan so I would say Sweetness, but I never saw him play myself (that I can remember) except in classic games and highlight films.

Barry Sanders was the greatest RB I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

Hey Fafnir, if you're a Bears fan check out Gale Sayers. He could pick holes and get thru them with his quickness, and if there were no holes, he could stop on a dime and change direction like no one I've seen before or after, and after he got thru the line, he could freeze LBs and DBs and make them look like statues. Truly amazing. Career too short, but perhaps the greatest for a brief time, maybe not with numbers, but with talent.

[Fafnir]

Sayers certainly was amazing, but his career was so short he really can't be mentioned in this sort of discussion.

[Roy Hobbs]

Sayers certainly was amazing, but his career was so short he really can't be mentioned in this sort of discussion.

But he does rank #1 in terms of being one of the dual inspirations for the best football movie ever.

[Truck Lewis]

Sayers certainly was amazing, but his career was so short he really can't be mentioned in this sort of discussion.

But he does rank #1 in terms of being one of the dual inspirations for the best football movie ever.

thanks Roy....i hadnt cried in a while...thanks for giving me a reason...lol.....i love brians song

[buellj814]

Barry Sanders.. he was a magician!

[Kuberski33]

Never saw Brown actually play, so I have to go with Earl Campbell in his prime.  He was just devastating.  Bo Jackson could have been in the discussion if he hadn't gotten hurt.

OJ needs consideration because he changed the game.  The 3-4 defense came about in response to him.

[KCattheStripe]

Sayers certainly was amazing, but his career was so short he really can't be mentioned in this sort of discussion.

But he does rank #1 in terms of being one of the dual inspirations for the best football movie ever.

thanks Roy....i hadnt cried in a while...thanks for giving me a reason...lol.....i love brians song

I love Truck lewis. And I want you to love him to.

[Eja117]

The difference between him and the next best RB during his era was probably the biggest difference between a top guy and the next guy of any position in any sport of any era.

I'd take Babe Ruth in that particular discussion, with Gretzky a close second.  If you're talking individual sports, too, I think Tiger and Federer have been more dominant, as well.

I'm not sure I'm enough of a sports historian to know, but who was the next bes RB during Brown's era?

Ruth and Brown have something in common, which is that it took decades and juiced up athletes to brea their records.   (Well Hank Aaron and Maris probably weren't, but you see what I mean)

But during his day Lou Gehrig was not too far behind him. Was Jimmie Fox around? Didn't he hit like 58 homers once?

During Gretzky's time there were other good players. Bobby Orr was just a little before Wayne I think Tiger had Phil.  Hard to argue with Federer.

[Truck Lewis]

Sayers certainly was amazing, but his career was so short he really can't be mentioned in this sort of discussion.

But he does rank #1 in terms of being one of the dual inspirations for the best football movie ever.

thanks Roy....i hadnt cried in a while...thanks for giving me a reason...lol.....i love brians song

I love Truck lewis. And I want you to love him to.

this is where i need the ability to give mega-TPs worth like 50 tps....

[Rondo2287]

I cant believe curtis martin is on the list

[Rondo2287]

And if I could I would vote for Ernie Davis as even Jim Brown admitted he was a better runner.