Greatest RBs ever...#20, #19, #18...

Greatest Rbs ever…#20, #19, #18...

Ok, so now we are starting to get some speed going here.

I am counting down my top Running Backs in the history of the NFL, working my way from #25 on up to the best EVER. I am using a formula that rewards points to a great back in three major elements; Team Accomplishments, Individual Stats and Individual Awards. Each of those elements have certain characteristics that determine how great a running back really is. And each is, in my opinion, quite legit.

As I said before, great running backs make their teams great. This would show in the success of the team. Remember, this is a team sport. But there is also great credibility in individual stats. If a guy is great, he should be somewhere in the top 30 in either yards, touchdowns or yards per carry amongst his running back peers. And greatness is always rewarded by individual awards, which further prove how superior an athlete this player is. These three elements can determine the greatness of a running back…and also determine the GREATEST.

But I also added in an adjustment. I call it “era adjustment” which actually subtracts one point for every decade the back has been away from the game. I subtract one point for every decade after 2000. So if a back retires in 2003, he loses no points. If he retired in 1996, he loses one point, if he retired in 1988, he loses 2 points, and so on. I do this because there must be a control that says that NFL players today are better than those of the past. I know many have their favorites, but as time goes along, even our favorite players can be surpassed.

So, let’s continue with the countdown, ok?

#20 O.J. Simpson: 33 points

When I was a kid, and had no interest in football (yet) I had heard of “The Juice”. I remember when I started getting fascinated in football stats, and read about how this guy, O.J Simpson, was so great and was nearly unstoppable with the Buffalo Bills. For a lot of people, including some of the great players today, this man was an icon to the sport. Never mind what has happened more recently with him, when Simpson played in the NFL, there was very little doubt who was the better player. He gave hope to a team that could not get him to the promised land, but even some of the best defenses of the day feared playing against this man. Anybody that can rush for over 2000 yards in ONE season has GOT to be good.

Why not higher? The one thing that separates O.J. Simpson from being higher on the list is the team accomplishments. The Buffalo Bills never got to the Superbowl in his career, and Simpson ended up going to the 49ers to finish his career. Ironically, not too long after that, both teams met in the Superbowl. I remember that because O.J. Simpson was one of the guys that came to flip the coin, and wore a special jacket that has the Bills on one side, and the 49ers on the other…very cool. But Simpson also lost points due to era adjustment. According to my list, even if he had not lost points in era adjustment, it would not have changed his position. If the Bills had made a better run at the Superbowl, it certainly would have made him greater.

Why on the list? Because O.J. Simpson was great when he played, and some of his greatness still lingers. This is a testament when a player can be out of football as long as he was, and still this high on the all time list. Most of his points came from his individual awards, and he is still ranked high in yards per carry and total yards. In comparison, I know John Riggins at #21 had better team accomplishments, and both he and O.J. Simpson were even in my individual stats element, but Simpson scored more than twice as many points in the individual awards as Riggins. By the narrowest of margins, Simpson is better.

#19 Lenny Moore: 37 points

As a number of you are scratching your heads, wondering who this Lenny cat is, I can feel your confusion. When I looked at a list of running backs, and saw this one, I wasn’t too sure either. But for the sake of being fair, I ran it through my formula. Surely some dude who played in the 50’s and 60’s can’t be on the top 25 list right? Wrong! If the great Johnny U liked him, there had to be a reason. Lenny Moore was a champion with the Baltimore Colts and STILL has one of the best rushing averages today, after all these years. It’s funny that he is tied with 37 points with another “old timer” (said with respect).

Why not higher? If I did not have the era adjustment, Lenny Moore would very well be higher in the rankings…several spaces higher. But since he left the game in 1967, he lost 4 points in era adjustment…one for each decade. He’s not on the top 30 in total yards or rushing touchdowns, but his yards per carry is incredible. It is very amazing to see greatness in a player that was so long ago, before I was even born, but it is certainly a credit to his skill.

Why on the list? Lenny Moore is one of those guys that proves that a great player makes his team great. We know this because he helped the Colts win the NFL Championship twice. I mentioned already that he has a very high yards per average, and his individual awards include a 7 time Pro-Bowl player. He’s on this list because he deserves to be on this list.

#19 Bronco Nagurski: 37 points

This was perhaps the first “big man” of the running backs. A 6 foot 2 inch man at 235 pounds playing back in the 30’s and 40’s was like a Sherman tank plowing through a field of wheat. Bronco Nagurski was one of THE best players in the game. Long before there was a Superbowl, he was helping the Chicago Bears win NFL Championships and Division titles. If you ever dare to speak about legendary running backs, don’t ever forget to mention this name….Bronco Nagurski.

Why not higher? I actually almost FORGOT to add him to my list, and near the end of my rankings I decided to find some of the older players and see how they would fare. I am embarrassed to have forgotten (for a moment) this guy. But you also see that he has the same number of points as Lenny Moore. But I put Bronco Nagurski a shade higher because his team accomplishment points is way up there at 40. He clearly made his team great, and that cannot be ignored. But he also loses 6 points for era adjustment, since he retired in 1943. There weren’t a lot of awards given back in his day either, but if there were, he would certainly be higher.

Why on the list? Champions make this list and multiple champions should be almost guaranteed to be amongst the greatest if they were a solid foundation to the success of the team. Bronco Nagurski was that force for the Bears and was almost a freak of nature at that time. He was bigger than most of the defensive players and could swat them like annoying flies. When you’re that great, you deserve to be on this list.

Ok, that updates you a few more spots up, so I hope you guys can keep checking in to see how this turns out. As I said before, this ranking is very relative, and will easily change with time. This is my rankings as of 2008, between September and October of this year. But if done at any other time, this would have been different.

You see, when we make polls of “all time” we say that as if what was said today will ALWAYS be that way. This isn’t true at all. Case in point, if I had done this “Greatest Running Back EVER” back in 1978, in stead of 2008, this poll would be MUCH different.

If so, then Red Grange, whom I gave 18 points to, would technically have at least 21 points. And there are at LEAST 13 guys on my rankings that would not even be on this list…they’d be either unborn or crawling around in diapers or in grade school. Of the guys already mentioned on my list, Ladainain Tomlinson would not be there, neither would Shaun Alexander, and Ottis Anderson. Larry Csonka and O.J. Simpson would be near the ends of their careers and John Riggins would be in his prime. The top 25 would be VERY different in 1978 than it is now.

And in the same way, I can imagine that by 2018 this list would be very different. Some of these guys that are very low on my rankings are a point or two from being bumped off the top 25. Some of the current running backs in the NFL are a Superbowl or conference championship away from vaulting many points. As I said before, if LT was to win a Superbowl this year, or before he retires, he’d likely jump 8 spaces at least.

So this certainly isn’t the end all of the debate, I just enjoy the sport enough to spend time talking about it. So until the next blog on this debate, keep thinking of who is really the best running back EVER.