Emmitt Smith has decided to retire from football. He was one of the most steady and reliable runningbacks of all time. Whenever a player like Emmitt decides to hang up the cleats, inevitably people tend to ask who is the greatest runningback of all time. The runningback position is one of the more underated positions in football. John Elway didn't win any Super Bowls until Terrell Davis came along. The Rams of the 80's went to three championship games solely on the legs of Eric Dickerson. Dan Marino, spearhead of one of the greatest passing offenses of all time, did not win a Super Bowl because of the lack of a ground game. Here's a little bit of football 101 for you. A strong runningback helps the offense and defense. Running the ball successfully makes the opposing defense bring more men up to the line of scrimmage. As Lee Corso says "that's when you hit them with the big pass play". It works every time. It also helps out your defense by allowing them to rest and be fresh for the fourth quarter. Anyway, enough of that. Who's the greatest runningback of all time? It is a tough one, but I will have to give my vote to Jim Brown. He was absolutely unbelievable. During his nine seasons in the NFL no one could even come close to his production. He is third all time in rushing yards and his combination of power and agility is unrivaled. He was also one of those rare athletes who retired at the peak of his abilities. Therefore, all Jim Brown fans have nothing but great memories of him on the field.
Aveosmth's Top Five Backs of All Time
1)Jim Brown--No question about it. See above.
2)Walter Payton--He was the only runningback that should be mentioned with Jim Brown in the same sentence. He was a similar back to Jim Brown, as he was strong and nimble. He was unfortunate that the Bears had a non-existent passing game, as if their offense was more balanced, they would have won more than one Super Bowl in his career. It's a shame he's no longer with us and its a shame that he didn't get a touchdown in the Superbowl.
3)Barry Sanders--Why did you leave us so early??? Barry Sanders was the most exciting runningback in the history of the NFL. I loved to watch how he made people miss tackles. He had the same misfortune as Walter Payton; his teams were generally bad. This led to his frustration with ownership of the Lions and his subsequent retirement.
4)Eric Dickerson--Eric Dickerson his probably the back who I have watched the most. He was the only back who I saw that could run away from defensive backs. It didn't even matter if they had an angle on E.D., he would still find his way to the end zone. He was truly amazing. He could run between the tackles as well; however, his forte was the sweep. He could get to the corner exceptionally fast. Definitely a great back.
5)Emmitt Smith--For a guy who most people thought would only last a few seasons in the NFL, he has done alright. He was a back who you could count on to give you the 20 plus carries a game and be just as effective in the 4th quarter as he was at the start. His durability was phenomenal. If I were rating based upon staying healthy, Emmitt would be the best. His offseason training regime allowed him to keep himself game ready for 14 years. Also, there's no way I would ever leave the man who has the most rushing yards of all time off my list.
