best running back ever

[TomBrady#1]

Jim Brown is the best running back of all time. PERIOD.

 

[chrishansen]

James was the last white guy to go over 1000 rushing yards in a season. Gotta support whitey. :lol:

support whitey

:nohead:

 

[RupertPupkin]

James was the last white guy to go over 1000 rushing yards in a season. Gotta support whitey. :lol:

In that case give me John Riggins over Craig James who had (5) 1000 yd seasons including most recently in 1983 and 1984 ( James' was in 85').
Riggins was a one man wrecking crew - James a one hit wonder and both were white.

 

[Railbird]

 

[lifexpired]

1.Jim Brown
2.OJ Simpson
3.Barry Sanders
4.Walter Payton
5.Eric Dickerson

 

[Dafinch]

Jim Brown. It was a different game back then, for sure, and one of the ways it was different is that it was a lot dirtier. Teams were geared to stop him and used a lot of extracurriculars to do so. In spite of this, he never missed a game, led the league in 8 of his 9 years in rushing, and, oh, yes, is the only guy to average over 5 yards a carry. To me it isn't even close...

 

[RupertPupkin]

Barry Sanders career 5.0 btw ...

 

[Railbird]

The Juice went for 6.0 yards a carry in 1973, the year he went for 2003 yds in 14 games. Has anyone else ever won the Heisman and an NFL MVP ?

 

[5teamparlay]

Seeing Connie Payton present the Walter Payton award at the SB made me think of him. Good to know he wont be forgotten.

He might not be the best RB of all-time but he could qualify as the BEST FOOTBALL player of all-time ALA BABE RUTh he could do it all if need be.

 

[Kabbagecough]

Jim Brown. Of course I'm biased having grown up in Cleveland watching him but he was the greatest. 5.2 yds/carry career average.

 

[FairWarning]

Really how can Barry Sanders be the best? He had ONE playoff game over 69 yards, and ONE playoff TD? That line is the same as the one he built his gaudy stats behind during the regular season.

Why do people get caught up in thinking Bo Jackson was great? Great skills don't necessarily translate into the best ever. Look at Randy Moss for another example. How many titles do each of them have?

 

[HiPockets]

I don't remember too many specific games as a kid at Franklin Field but I sure remember the special days when Cleveland came to town:

 

[texansfan]

LT after 7 years: 10,650 rushing yards, 3375 receiving yards, 129 TDs, 24 fumbles.

Jim Brown after 7 years: 9,322 rushing yards, 1832 receiving yards, 96 TDs, 45 fumbles.

Not saying Jim Brown wasn't great, but I'd be hard pressed to ever say he was better than LT.

You do realize that Brown only played 12 and 14 game seasons right? Most of those first 7 seasons were 12 games. Jim Brown could have put the rushing total at whatever he wanted to. The man left in the prime of his career.

 

[RupertPupkin]

You do realize that Brown only played 12 and 14 game seasons right? Most of those first 7 seasons were 12 games. Jim Brown could have put the rushing total at whatever he wanted to. The man left in the prime of his career.

I dont think he did realize the game factor , because if he had ... he wouldnt posted their statistics ... because when you make them the same amount games played wrather then seasons , BROWN Wins the stats argument ...lol. Mind you not by a landslide and definatley not in the Touch down department , but in Rushing Yds he does. Btw here are top 10 RBS all time for Yds per game ... rushing yds per game.

<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD align=right>1.</TD><TD>Jim Brown+ </TD><TD align=right>104.3</TD><TD align=right> 1957-1965 </TD><TD align=right>cle</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>2.</TD><TD>Barry Sanders+ </TD><TD align=right>99.8</TD><TD align=right> 1989-1998 </TD><TD align=right>det</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>3.</TD><TD>Terrell Davis </TD><TD align=right>97.5</TD><TD align=right> 1995-2001 </TD><TD align=right>den</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>4.</TD><TD>LaDainian Tomlinson (28)</TD><TD align=right>95.9</TD><TD align=right> 2001-2007 </TD><TD align=right>sdg</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>5.</TD><TD>Clinton Portis (26)</TD><TD align=right>91.8</TD><TD align=right> 2002-2007 </TD><TD align=right>2TM</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>6.</TD><TD>Eric Dickerson+ </TD><TD align=right>90.8</TD><TD align=right> 1983-1993 </TD><TD align=right>4TM</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right></TD><TD>Edgerrin James (29)</TD><TD align=right>90.8</TD><TD align=right> 1999-2007 </TD><TD align=right>2TM</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>8.</TD><TD>Walter Payton+ </TD><TD align=right>88.0</TD><TD align=right> 1975-1987 </TD><TD align=right>chi</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>9.</TD><TD>Jamal Lewis (28)</TD><TD align=right>85.9</TD><TD align=right> 2000-2007 </TD><TD align=right>2TM</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>10.</TD><TD>Ricky Williams (30)</TD><TD align=right>85.7</TD><TD align=right> 1999-2007 </TD><TD align=right>2TM</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[JakeT.]

You do realize that Brown only played 12 and 14 game seasons right? Most of those first 7 seasons were 12 games. Jim Brown could have put the rushing total at whatever he wanted to. The man left in the prime of his career.

Understood but you also need to figure in the almost double amount of fumbles he had if you want to use the smaller game comparison. It's all relative IMO. I think LT is the more complete back personally. Does it all including catching the ball out of the backfield.

 

[RupertPupkin]

Understood but you also need to figure in the almost double amount of fumbles he had if you want to use the smaller game comparison. It's all relative IMO. I think LT is the more complete back personally. Does it all including catching the ball out of the backfield.

I never realized Brown was such a big fumbler ( funny none of the old timers talk about that aspect of his game ..)

Jim Brown had 57 Fumbles in 9 years ... WOW !!! including 2 separate years where he lost 9 ?? Holy shit. He was the Tiki Barber of Yesteryear !!!

 

[1cheater]

I may be wrong, but I bleieve his fumbles came from gang tackles of which he's held up and stripped of the ball? They couldn't get him down is what I'm saying. He would have had alot less nowwa days cause they blow the whistle earlier.

 

[RupertPupkin]

I may be wrong, but I bleieve his fumbles came from gang tackles of which he's held up and stripped of the ball? They couldn't get him down is what I'm saying. He would have had alot less nowwa days cause they blow the whistle earlier.

Well since I wasnt born yet when Brown played , I can't say for sure.But I did run a fumble check on some of the other running backs of Browns era. Because you figure if gang tackling affects one back , its got to affect others too , maybe fumbles were abundant back when more so than today , lets check out the stats ...

Jim Brown 57 Fumbles in 9 years
Jim Taylor 34 Fumbles in 9 years
Joe Perry 66 Fumbles in 14 years
John Henry Johnson 48 Fumles in 13 years
Lenny Moore 41 fumbles in 12 years


Im sure Brown was probably hit harder and more often than everybody else on this list , but everybody on this list was a top runner back in the day and Brown seems to be the top fumbler as well as top runner.

 

[bellyputter]

The Juice went for 6.0 yards a carry in 1973, the year he went for 2003 yds in 14 games. Has anyone else ever won the Heisman and an NFL MVP ?

Frank Sinkwich, Paul Hornung, Earl Campbell, Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders.

 

[RupertPupkin]

Heres some more stats I just compiled .....

These are career "Fumbles per attempts" statistics for running backs , the first list are top 10 RBs of all time

Emmit Smith 72.2
Walter Payton 44.6
B sanders 74.6
C martin 121.3
J bettis 84.7
E Dickerson 38.4
Dorsett 32.6
J Brown 41.3
M Faulk 78.7
M Allen 46.5

Notable active players
E James 69.5
F Taylor 91.4
Tomilson 98.5
W dunn 95.5
S alexander 70.2
J Lewis 57.3
Larry Johnson 131.3
Portis 77.2

Retired morons
Tiki Barber 41.8


Looks like Jim Brown was a big time fumbler after all , averaging 1 ever 41 attempts over his career. Very interesting. I honestly never knew that before Jake Thompson pointed it out. :think2: