Greatest Running Back EVER is...

And now, the Greatest RB ever!

I think I have kinda toyed around with you guys enough, we might as well reveal who THE greatest running back in the NFL is.

Remember folks, this started out as the top 25 running backs in the history of the NFL as of 2008, and that is subject to change every season. As time goes on, there will be better players as some of the best begin to slip in the rankings.

Remember also, that my rankings are based on four basic elements: Team accomplishments, Individual Stats, Individual Awards and a penalty for Era adjustment. I went through 63 of the best known running backs in the history of the NFL and ran each through my formula of Team Accomplishment pts + Individual Stats pts + Individual Awards pts and then subtracted the Era Adjustment from the sub total. From this I got my final number and ranked the running backs according to that total.

My scores ranged from zero to over 78. Of course, if you read my last blog on the greatest running backs ever, you know that Jim Brown was listed at #1 with 78 points. When I started this countdown, I had Ladainain Tomlinson at #25 with 28 points. So you can see that there is a 50 point difference between Jim Brown and LT.

Throughout my series of the best running backs ever, I listed several others who didn’t make the list. Before I reveal the Greatest Running Back Ever, I’d like to share a few more that were good, even great, but didn’t make my list, and why:

Tiki Barber: 16 points

Obviously I am sure Tiki Barber wished he had stayed with the Giants just a little longer, if he had won the Superbowl last year it might have put him very close to being on the all time list. But Tiki didn’t score well in the Individual Awards category, with only 3 points. He wasn’t as well decorated as many of the other running backs. His yards per carry was very good, and he is on the top 20 all time in rushing yards. The individual stats element was his strongest point with only 8 points. He does get 5 points for playing in a past Superbowl, but collectively it just wasn’t enough to say he was on the great list. A very good player, yes, but greatest, no.

Bo Jackson: 12 points

Bo knew a lot of things, but sadly he didn’t know how long his career would last when he got that injury that ended not one, but two careers. I still have some of his baseball cards. He was a great player, and tack on that fact that he was playing for my Raiders was incentive enough for me to make him one of my favorite players. But Bo Jackson didn’t make the list simply because his longevity was cut short by his hip injury. He still ranks at the top with yards per carry, and is really his strongest point in this ranking. He gets 2 points for playing in a conference championship and only 1 point for individual awards, plus the 10 points for individual stats. He loses one point for era adjustment so only has 12 points. If I did a top 40 all time, he’d still not make the list.

Chuck Foreman: 27 points

Fans of the old school Minnesota Vikings know this name very well, and Chuck Foreman saw the Superbowl a few times, but just barely missed the cut for the top 25 all time. Why? Well, remember that my #25 was Ladainain Tomlinson with 28 points, so Chuck missed it by the slimmest of margins. Without the era adjustment of -2 points, he would have had 29 points instead of 27. But what also hurts Chuck Foreman is the fact that in the Individual Stats element, he gets no points at all. He’s not on the top 30 all time in rushing or yardage, and averages under 4.2 yards per carry. As I mentioned before, he has seen a lot of post season games and has been “to the top of the mountain”. He just never won a Superbowl. By a paper-thin margin, Chuck Foreman missed my cut.

Now, it’s time to reveal the GREATEST Running Back of our time…at least until someone else takes that spot.

THE GREATEST RUNNING BACK: Emmitt Smith: 88 points

It seems that every era produces a great back, and the 90’s produced the best running back the history of the NFL has ever seen in Emmitt Smith. I never got to see Jim Brown play, but I know he was great. I barely got to see Franco Harris play, and I know he was great. But I DID get to see Emmitt Smith play and I know he is the greatest running back the NFL has ever seen.

Emmitt Smith scored 10 points more than Jim Brown, and I realize that many are questioning the logic. Here’s why Emmitt Smith is the greatest ever:

He did not score the highest score in the Team Accomplishments element, in fact 7 other players on my list of 63 scored higher than he did. But he got 32 points in this element because he did go to, and win three Superbowls as well as going to a conference championship and losing that one. But no one is going to question his value to the team, in fact one year there was a contract dispute between Emmitt Smith and owner Jerry Jones. Emmitt sat out because he was not getting his fair share, and apparently Jerry Jones felt that the Dallas Cowboys could win without Emmitt. After losing the first couple of games, there was a report of a VERY angry Charles Haley, who supposedly smashed his helmet into the wall, demanding that SOMEBODY (hint, Jerry Jones) to get Emmitt Smith back on the team. It was reported that Jerry Jones was nearby when that tantrum happened, and was moved to pay Emmitt what he was worth…he was rewarded with a Superbowl that same year.

In the Individual Stats element, Emmitt Smith scored 21 out of 30 points. He is, at this moment THE all time leader in yardage AND touchdowns. He got 10 points each for those two categories and 1 point because his yards per carry was the very minimum to score, at 4.2. Only the great Jim Brown scores more in this element, and only by one point. Remember, a great player has to get his team to the promised land AND win, as well as making an individual mark as one of the greatest backs ever by his stats.

Finally, there is the Individual Awards element, which shows how much the league recognized his talents. Emmitt Smith scores 32 points in this element because Mr. Smith was clearly seen as the jewel of the NFL on “America’s Team”. But like the Team Accomplishments, Emmitt Smith was not the leader in this element either. Seven other running backs had more points in this element than Smith, including Marshall Faulk with 34 points, Earl Campbell with 37 points and again, Jim Brown with 41 points. But how many people can say they accumulated the NFL rushing crown, the NFL MVP, a Superbowl Trophy AND become the Superbowl MVP all in the same year….

Nobody.

So the argument would be, side by side, why is Emmitt Smith better than Franco Harris? Franco won more Superbowls, right? That is true, but Smith eclipses Harris in both Individual Stats and the Individual Awards element, and then there is that -2 for era adjustment.

So why is Emmitt Smith better than Jim Brown? Surely it might appear that I am penalizing Brown because he never played in a Superbowl. Not true, remember, I award 10 points to winners of the Superbowl AND I also award 10 points to running backs who won the NFL Championship before there was a Superbowl. Jim Brown and the Browns won the title twice…Emmitt Smith won it three times.

And as I mentioned, Jim Brown edges Emmitt Smith by one point in the Individual Stats category, but scores 9 points more in the Individual Awards element. But the era adjustment subtracts 4 points from Jim Brown, whereas Emmitt Smith suffers no penalty.

The difference between Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith is 10 points…the difference of Emmitt Smith’s third Superbowl victory. So the greatest running back of all time…for now, is Emmitt Smith.

I really hope you had some fun with this, remember folks, this is just my opinion based on some ideas, I understand that if 100 people did a similar ranking it would be different 100 times. But I wanted to do more than just SAY who the best were, I wanted to give a case for each, and why they were great. As I said before, this is not meant to disrespect those that have been our childhood favorites or current favorites. We all have players we tend to like more than others. My favorite NFL teams are the Raiders (ugh) and the Saints, so I had to keep my feelings in check on these rankings.

So there it is, the greatest running back of all time…for now. Who knows what the next 5 years will bring? Right now, I have one, maybe two players that are still active. Ladainain Tomlinson at #25 is still active, so he can move up with time, and IF Shaun Alexander has not retired, then he could possibly move up. That means that this may be set in stone for awhile. But for now, my pick for the Greatest Running Back EVER is Emmitt Smith.

The Greatest Running backs ever..#2...#1

Greatest Rbs ever…#2, #1...

So here we are, at the final installment of this countdown. I am sure there were like 3 million readers just clinging to their keyboards, sweating out the last few moments until I blogged the best running backs of all time…

Yeah, right.

Anyway, we are at the final steps of the greatest running back in NFL history…and no I was not persuaded by the donate button on some of my blogs…I mean, it wasn’t like Bo Jackson was emailing me or dropping a few bucks to get is name in the conversation.

But if you read the last blog on this, you may have noticed something that might throw you off a bit…I am wondering if you caught it yet…if not, you will.

So, we have counted down the top 25 running backs of all time (as of 2008) using a formula I made up, which awards greatness by team accomplishments, individual stats and individual awards, while also penalizing players by era. As I said before, I had to do that because players today are better overall than players in the past. This does NOT mean that every player today is better than every player in the 50’s, that is not true either. But in general, we have to accept that football players today are stronger, faster, and more intelligent than ever before. I am not saying that guys that played “back in the day” were brainless, that is not true at all. But every player today that is considered great built on the success of those before him, and in fact became a better player, and made the NFL greater.

But WHO is the greatest NFL running back of all time?

Oh, I guess I better say this before I continue, this is a poll that I created to identify for myself who may be the greatest, but by no means is it the gospel truth. I am just a humble American fan who loves football, and also likes to write. Got it?

Good. Now, on to the next player on the list:

#2 Franco Harris: 71 points

Raise your hands, all those who have FOUR Superbowl rings? Hmmm, not many out there, huh? Say what you want about the 70s but this period of time was very good to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The true glory years were never so good for an NFL football club as it was for Franco Harris and his Steelers. If you are ever going to dub a running back “greatest ever” then surely he must be a proven winner. Winning the supreme championship 4 times, and being on the all time list in rushing categories, as well as being a decorated player is why Franco Harris is clearly one of the greatest of all time. If I was not such a Raiders fan (although HIGHLY questionable with Monty Burns running the team) I would have made the Steelers my favorite because of Franco Harris.

Again…all those running backs with FOUR Superbowl rings…ok, thought so.

Why not higher? Well, how much higher SHOULD Franco go? He’s number 2, right? But if pressed to tell, I’d say that his strongest point was in fact his post season points. Franco Harris received 44 points in this element, better than anyone except Jim Taylor. He was also tied with Rocky Bleier, but no one will debate as who the real star of the backfield was. Sure he suffers a -2 by era adjustment, but even if we didn’t have that, he’s still be in this same spot. The guy ahead of him has more than that. In fact, the guy ahead of Franco Harris has more than twice the points in the individual stats element and almost twice as much points in the individual awards element. Great Franco Harris clearly was (is), but not quite THE greatest.

Why on the list? I say once and I say again, great players make great teams, and we all know how important a running game is in football. If you cannot run, you cannot throw effectively. This means Franco Harris brought strong credibility to the Steelers, which in turn opened up the game. But even when you KNEW Franco was getting the ball, what were you gonna do about it? That’s why he is in the top 20 all time in yards, and top 10 in touchdowns. With a weapon like that, you can’t lose…and apparently, Pittsburgh didn’t…not much.

#1 Jim Brown: 78 points

Could there be anyone else? I mean, really?

The standard of what a running back should be, Jim Brown was the best running back that most NFL players could every think of when it came to rushing. James Nathaniel Brown is an iconic figure to the history of the NFL, and the mere mention of his name triggers thoughts of supreme greatness. Jim Taylor might have been great in his time, but he was almost always overshadowed by Jim Brown in almost every aspect of the game. Jim Brown was winning championships before there was a Superbowl, and was the role model of the great backs of the 70’s and even the 80’s. And to think, Jim Brown MIGHT have played a few years longer if Art Modell had not demanded that he report to training camp instead of being out working on a future classic movie, “The Dirty Dozen”. He could have EASILY played a few years longer, but at that time, what was left for him to do?

Some of the “new school” backs of today need to take a history lesson and read about this great individual, or at least as the Cleveland Browns about this legend. When I was a kid, I thought they actually named the team after Jim Brown…I mean, it was HIS team anyway in how he carried it.

Why is he #1? Across the board, Jim Brown was just better than everyone else on the list. Even with a -4 era adjustment, he was still #1. Even if I didn’t count that, he’s still be #1. It is pure amazing how Jim Brown accomplished so much under the age of 30. He won the NFL Championship in 1964, and twice got the Browns to the Championship.

Jim Brown is amongst the best in yards per carry, he is in the top 5 all time with rushing touchdowns, and top 10 all time in yards. He won so many individual awards it is insane…even in the late 50’s and mid 60’s. Of all the backs, only Jim Brown has more points in the individual awards element with 41 points. This includes 9 Pro-Bowl selections and three times being the NFL MVP. And even after all these years, he is STILL number ONE. Truly a legend in every sense of the word.

So there you have it, the number one running back in the history of the NFL….

“WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!!!”

What’s the problem? Don’t you agree that these are the greatest running backs of all time in the NFL? Did I not count down the top 25 running backs of all time (as of 2008) and also identify why others were not on the list? Did I not count down all the running backs from #25 to #1?

Did I not share with you my reasons, step by step, why each running back was where they were, and why some didn’t make the list? I admit the formula may not be perfect, but surely you see the logic…

Oh…I see…I forgot something…..

I listed the top 25 running backs off all time, but I forgot that the people I listed are a line of succession…to THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME…

I mean, even in wrestling or boxing, there are contenders to the title, and then there IS the title, right? Then if so, then the number one of all time is a contender to the true greatest running back of all time…meaning there is yet one more to be named…

But surely you know who that is by now, don’t you? If not, then we’ll reveal that name, the GREATEST running back EVER, next time, on the finale of this list.

Don’t miss it!

Greatest RBs ever...#5, #4, #3...

Greatest Rbs ever…#5, #4..#3...

So now we are in the top 5 greatest running backs of all time. I have counted down from #25 to this point, so if you have missed any, drop back a few to catch them.

There was a question that came up about the points I award, and what the minimum and maximum points could be. That’s actually a very interesting question.

The minimum is easier to explain than the max, so I will start there. The least a running back could score would be in the negatives. I mean, if a running back never went to a championship, or isn’t in the top 30 in yardage, touchdowns or even yards per carry, then he’d have no points. If he had no individual awards, that would be a zero in that element too, but even with no points he still has to get an era adjustment. A real old school player could get 6 or 7 points deducted by era adjustment, giving them a -6 or -7 on their score…but then, if they were that low, they would not be considered great, right?

Now, as far as the max, that is very relative. I mean, just off the team accomplishments alone, what is the max number of Superbowls or Championships you could win? You can, in theory, win one every year of your career. But what if a guy played 7 years and won 7 Superbowls? That’s 70 points right there! Now that sounds silly, but you see the relativity of the element. I cannot truly say what the max would be, since every player on this list is different.

So let’s continue with the top 5 and see what we’ve got ok?

#5 Marshall Faulk: 62 points

Years ago, when this cat was playing for San Diego State, there was just something special about him. When he was picked by the Colts, he almost immediately began to show his greatness. But it was with the Rams that he solidified his legacy, helping the Rams to two Superbowls. Marshall Faulk was an incredible weapon not just for rushing, but passing as well. As a part of the “Greatest show on turf”, Faulk was indeed one of the key performers on a team that saw much success. A highly decorated running back, he is clearly one of the best…ever.

Why not higher? There are a handful of running backs that are indeed better than Marshall Faulk. Some might wonder why he is listed above Barry Sanders. Faulk has much better post season experience than Barry Sanders, with 2 Superbowl appearances. Some wonder why he is listed above Walter Payton. Faulk narrowly edges out Sweetness by only one point, even with the postseason experience and with the era adjustment against Payton. But Marshall Faulk himself is edged out by one point by the next two individuals. He’s not any higher because the next few are better.

Why on the list? To be one of the greatest of all time, you really have to score well on all three elements. Marshall Faulk scored 17 points in the team accomplishments because of his great postseason experience, and 11 points in the individual stats element, and got major points from the individual awards element. Remember, this is a guy that was selected to 7 Pro-Bowls, won the MVP, Rookie of the Year and other awards. Sure, others may have won that, but few put together the total package of greatness as Marshall Faulk did.

#4 Marcus Allen: 63 points

If the argument of best running back ever included collegiate, then Marcus Allen would be even higher. But this guy made a profound impact on not one, but TWO NFL teams. The Raiders were the first to see his greatness as he led them to a Superbowl victory (something the Redskins won’t forget). I remember this game because as a child I went to a preseason game that next season in DC to watch the “rematch”. We had seats on the field on the Raiders end zone off to the corner and it was the only NFL game I was ever able to go to. We actually left that game late because the Redskins was winning, and we thought it was all over…MY Raiders ended up winning the game. Marcus Allen gave the Raiders some of the last success they would see for a long time, then went to the Chiefs and helped them to find postseason success. Few backs in the history of this game were as outstanding as Marcus Allen and clearly set the mark as one of the greatest backs ever to play the game.

Why not higher? Marcus Allen may have had an extremely great career, but there are better ones ahead of him. He is tied on points with the #3 back, but nobody is going to question his greatness. I certainly cannot say he is THE greatest, even as a Raiders fan, but I can say he is amongst the greatest. Heck, even with 5 more points, he’d still not be any higher, only jumping over #3 and breaking the tie. There is no sin in Marcus Allen being in this spot, he truly has earned that.

Why on the list? No doubt there are many guys that have more points in the team accomplishments than Marcus Allen, but his 14 points in this element is better than greats such as Walter Payton. His team stats element scores him 12, because he is in the top 10 in yards and top 3 in touchdowns. But it’s his team awards that really puts him on this spot, scoring more than all other backs except ONE… we’ll get to him later. But rest assured, Marcus Allen won’t get too many arguments as being one of the best ever.

#3 Jim Taylor: 63 points

The 1960s and the Green Bay Packers will probably have no argument here, but most people will wonder just who this old cat is. Only one other guy was better than Jim Taylor during those days…only ONE. If you remember the earlier countdown, Paul Hornung was listed in the top 15...he was in the backfield WITH Jim Taylor, and the reason why Green Bay won the NFL Championship several times, and the first Superbowl. This was a back that was great in the pre Superbowl era as well as the early Superbowl era. Long after he has retired, he is STILL on the list in some individual stats, solidifying his greatness to the sport.

Why not higher? Well, I already mentioned that while Jim Taylor played, there was one that was better. And he loses 4 points on era adjustment. He is tied with Marcus Allen with 63 points, but I give the nod to Jim Taylor because of his team accomplishments. Remember, a great player makes his team great, and that is not a knock in any way to Marcus Allen. Jim Taylor had a more successful post season experience, which is what makes a great player and a great team. Jim’s championships prove that.

Why on the list? This actually could be a legitimate question, because the novice football fan may not even know Jim Taylor. I mean, personally speaking, he is before my time, so I never saw him play. Before I started compiling this list, I would have omitted him if I wasn’t looking at other lists of great running backs. But Jim Taylor is a perfect example that a great player elevates his team to greatness. What would the legacy be of the Green Bay Packers if they didn’t win those earlier NFL Championships and that first Superbowl?

Well, that takes us into the very elite…and if you have been following my list carefully, you might have noticed something…odd…

We’re down to the #2 and #1 running backs in NFL history…and I’ll reveal then next time…but I wonder if you caught something I just said…and how this makes the debate even more interesting…

Anyway, gotta fly.

Greatest RBs ever...#11, #10, #9....

Greatest Rbs ever…#11, #10 & #9

This is getting pretty interesting as we count down the greatest NFL running backs of the current time…note I wanted to say of ALL time, but that technically is incorrect. We can never make a list of the greatest all time, because we are basing it on the idea that nothing in the future will change what we say.

If someone had done this list back in 1998, it would be different from what we have now, because some of the guys on the list were not at their prime. If this same poll was done in 1988, there would be some on the list now that wasn’t even in the NFL then. If this poll was done in 1968, some of these backs weren’t even BORN. So the idea of greatest of ALL time, or the greatest EVER is purely subjective.

I even say that against myself.

But let’s not confuse the idea of “great” with “favorite”. There are lots of backs that some older guys might have really liked. Emerson Boozer, John Brockington, Sam (the BAM) Cunningham, Chuck Muncie, numerous other guys might have been favorites of some of the older readers, but they may not have been amongst the greatest of all time.

I have lots of favorites that didn’t make the list, so I have to separate what makes a running back good, and what makes him great. With that in mind, let’s continue through the menu….

#11 Thurman Thomas: 47 points

There actually is a lot of irony here because history begs us to only remember winners…but how many running backs can say they led their team to the Superbowl FOUR times? Thurman Thomas is actually tied with the #10 on this list, but you’re going to get a lot of amens from Buffalo Bills fans on this one. One of the constants of the 1990s was Thurman Thomas scoring touchdown after touchdown and making the Bills a dynasty for that magical time in NFL history. A very classy player, and certainly a great back.

Why not higher? The difference in him being #11 and being in the top ten is paper thin, but a lot is based on his team accomplishments. As mentioned before, Thurman is tied with the next guy on the list, but if he had one just one of those four Superbowls, he’d been a lock for the top 10. He is on the list on each of the three characteristics of individual stats and has a great number in individual awards element. But the easiest answer to this question of why he is not higher is this: because there are indeed better backs coming up.

Why on the list? This is where many could argue about Thurman Thomas losing four Superbowls…after all, we only remember the winners right? That’s kinda perverted thinking because remember, the Superbowl is made up of the NFC AND AFC Champions… of which Thurman Thomas was a great part of many times. Many good or even great backs might get one shot at a Superbowl, even if they lose. Even though Thurman and the Bills lost 4, at least he GOT there…how many of YOUR favorite backs can even say that?

#10 Roger Craig: 47 points

Many times the difference in any tie I have will usually favor the great back that has greater team accomplishments. For this reason Roger Craig is in the top 10 list. Roger Craig is a pure definition of the word, “all purpose back” and proved it from the first year he entered the NFL. From start to finish, Roger Craig on any team he played for meant playoffs because you could count on his rushing as well as any other yards in any other way. The perfect TEAM player and an excellent back, you just cannot go wrong with Roger Craig.

Why not higher? Roger Craig had high marks when it came to team accomplishments, but he no longer ranks in any of the three characteristics of individual stats. He is not in the top 30 in yards, touchdowns and his yards per carry does not give him any points. The three elements must be in agreement for a back to be considered the greatest, and even though Roger Craig is clearly great, I could not put him any higher.

Why on the list? Roger Craig helped the San Francisco 49ers to three Superbowls, and won them all. They also went to an NFC Championship or two, so the resume of Roger Craig is very heavy. Again, one of the key elements of being great is being a powerful force in the team’s accomplishments. Granted he gets no points off my formula in the individual stats element, he still gets plenty of points in the individual awards element. Roger Craig has easily proven his worth to this list.

#9 Frank Gifford: 51 points

Another “old school” back that played before there was a Superbowl. The once-voice of “Monday Night Football” Frank Gifford is a legendary figure to the sport for winning, endurance and old school football. Much like Roger Craig, he had to wear a couple of hats, but he proved his credibility not just in the running back position, but in other positions as well. A true champion in every sense of the word, well before there was such a thing as a “Superbowl”. Old die-hards of the way the NFL used to be can stand up and be proud of Frank Gifford.

Why not higher? One of the first things that actually worked against Frank Gifford was the era adjustment. Because he retired in the 60’s that was 4 points off. If there was no era adjustment, he would still be about this same spot, or tied with #8 coming up. But as we continue to move up, we see that to be THE greatest, the numbers in all three elements must be higher. No one is going to question Frank Gifford in team accomplishments. He scored a 35 with that, which is up there with the best On that alone, he’d be in the top 5, but he also ranks barely on the top 30 with touchdowns and he does have a good yards per carry average. Frank Gifford is well decorated in individual awards, so yes, he is quite worthy.

Why on the list? Champions need great players, and Frank Gifford is one of them. Multiple trips to the NFL Championship game and a Pro-Bowl selection 8 times, there are few that can make claim to greatness as Frank Gifford can…in fact, according to my list, there are only a hand full of others that can boast greatness as well as Frank Gifford has. The New York Giants had a gem in this man.

So there you have it, three more on the list as greatest of all time, and oddly enough, the last two I listed were just as much a threat as a RECEIVER as they were a running back. I didn’t want to limit this to just a pure and absolute running back, because in the game of football sometimes you have to do more to help your team. This really is a solid point of what makes some of these guys great.

Before I go, let me share another name that didn’t make the list, and why. Remember, just because they didn’t make it does not mean they are great. I mean, who drew the line to say that the top 25 running backs are great? Why can’t it be 36, or 42, or 58? It’s just a nice clean number to work with, so don’t get upset at the rankings, it’s just some ramblings from a football fan.

Jamal Lewis: 20 points

This is interesting because he has an excellent chance of getting on the top 25 with just a few more accomplishments. Remember, the #25 back of all time (according to my insane formula) was Ladainian Tomlinson with 28 points. Now granted, with both being current in the NFL, LT could move up as well, but Ottis Anderson at #23 is not likely to move up any more.

A Superbowl Championship with the Baltimore Ravens adds a big star to his resume, and a pretty good yards per carry as well as being on the top 20 all time with yards helps too. If I did this ranking in 2010, he may very well be on that list, knocking somebody off. So this isn’t about why he isn’t on the list, it could easily be how soon he may be on that list.

Ok, let’s shut it down for a little bit, hope you can get some mileage out of this ranking. Remember, I am not doing this to degrade anybody, every one of these backs is a hero and a model to somebody, and we all have our favorites. Hope yours is on this list. Next time, we’ll cover a few more as we get even closer to the greatest of all time….

Gotta stop saying that, it isn’t quite accurate…

Later guys….

Greatest RBs...#14, #13, #12...

Greatest Rbs ever…#14, #13, #12...

Ok, now we are in the top 15 of my list of greatest running backs ever in the NFL.

I really hope I have not offended those that might have favorites that did not rank high (or at all) in my system. Don’t think for a second that if your favorite running back was not listed then they “suck”. That’s not what this is about. It is about me trying to recognize THE greatest running back to ever play in the NFL…to this date.

And you see, that can change easily inside the next few years. Heck, there could be a running back right now in high school that will change everything we know about rushing…or there could be one in college right now. We just don’t know what the future holds as far as what defines “greatest”. But one thing seems to be certain, the records and titles and awards that were held by legends of 30, 40, 50 or 60 years ago will fall, as time marches on.

The top ten running backs of NFL history back in 1968 are not the same as the top 10 of this year, and it is to be sure that the top 10 in 2018 will be different too. That’s not to say that some of the names we know now will be wiped out, it just means that the sport of football is still evolving, and better players are coming.

But as for NOW, we get to continue the debate of the greatest running backs ever, so let’s continue with…..

#14 Eric Dickerson: 40 points

This is actually another tie, with #13, but I will get to that in a moment. I still have one or two Eric Dickerson cards somewhere up in the attic and when the Rams were in Los Angeles, I was still a Raider fan. (when they were in Oakland, and to return after bouncing in CA for a bit). When you needed touchdowns, you looked to Eric. When you needed yards, you looked to Eric. Eric Dickerson was one of those elite backs that unfortunately was on a team that could not help him get to more playoff games. This was a guy who was one of the best EVER when he touched the ball. A Superbowl win OR loss would have easily made him an even greater player. I was not much of a Rams fan, but I can certainly appreciate what this cat did for the Rams, Colts, Raiders and Falcons as well as the NFL.

Why not higher? Eric Dickerson would be clearly one of the best IF the formula did not include team accomplishments. He played 10 wonderful years in the NFL but rarely saw post season accomplishments. His points on the team accomplishments is very low, only 2 points, and that kinda held him back from moving further up the rankings. But his individual stats and awards are, as they say, “off the hook”.

Why on the list? I can preach all about team accomplishments, because this is a team sport, but I’m not buying that crap about “there is no I in team”. It takes great individuals to help teams, and sometimes greatness is like a candle in a dark room. Eric Dickerson may not be THE best, but he certainly is on the list…there may not be an “I” in team, but there are FOUR in the word, “individuality. Eric was certainly a great one.

#13 Jerome Bettis: 40 points

Jerome “Bus” Bettis was a bruising running back that earned his Superbowl the hard way…he earned it. But it wasn’t until I saw a feature on Bettis a couple of years ago that really touched me. There was a package on ESPN that showed what Jerome Bettis goes through AFTER the football games are over. It really touched me to see how much this man gave to the Steelers every Sunday, and to be walking in so much pain from Monday to Thursday (maybe even up until kickoff). He was a guy that really laid it out there for his team AND teammates. If ever a Superbowl was earned by a hard working running back, this was clearly one of them.

Why not higher? Jerome Bettis is tied with Eric Dickerson, according to my rankings, but I give the nod to Bettis because of his team accomplishments. With him, the Steelers made a heck of a lot of noise in post season, but some of the higher ranking running backs have even more impressive numbers. To be sure, this is a very great position for Jerome Bettis, but as you will see in the coming blogs, there are those that reached even higher accomplishments.

Why on the list? Jerome Bettis is on this list because he is one of the best rushers the game has ever seen. He ranks top 5 all time in rushing and is in top 10 in touchdowns. He clearly is not an argument as far as best ever. Even with one Superbowl win, he still has an aura of greatness about him because of everything else he has done.

#12 Earl Campbell: 44 points

If Jerome Bettis was a “bus” then Earl Campbell was a freight train. I remember watching Earl Campbell when he played with the Oilers, and it was just maddening how somebody could be so punishing to a defense. If I ranked these guys ONLY from my individual awards element, Earl Campbell would be #3 ALL TIME. Any “old school” fans from the Houston Oilers days better have a football card, a jersey or something to remember this great legend. Heck, Earl Campbell’s name is even a verb. His career took a turn when those games on the artificial turf were really getting to him, and he quite literally played until he burned his knees out. Today when we see a running back that is being overly used, we say, “they’re gonna Earl Campbell that guy”.

Why not higher? There is a trend here that shows that a lot of the greater backs played for teams that could not get them to the next level. But the TRUE measure of greatness is based on the whole body of work. Sometimes just that element, if left off, can take off a lot when it comes to being THE best. Consider that IF Earl Campbell had ever one just one Superbowl, he would have cracked the top 10.

Why on the list? There are a lot of defensive guys that played against Earl Campbell that can answer that a lot better than I ever could. But the biggest drawback against Earl was the team accomplishments. Yet he is on the list because he has numerous individual awards, more than most, which makes him a highly decorated running back. He still ranks in the top 30 in yards rushed, yard per carry and touchdowns. He was literally a workhorse for his team and deserves his credit.

So now we are getting close to the top 10 running backs of all time, and the stakes are getting bigger. As you have read, a great running back does not have to have Superbowl rings or played in the last 10 years. But it is the balance of all three elements; team accomplishments, individual stats and individual awards that make the best running back. Eventually no one can evade era adjustments, but it is a necessary evil I had to use.

I want to share with you another guy that didn’t make the list, and this one comes with some raised eyebrows. I’ll explain what I mean.

Rocky Bleier: 42 points

This is odd because by my formula, Rocky Bleier (and I hope the spelling is right, it is spelled differently on a few other sites) has 42 points, which in THEORY should put him in 13th place all time, right? I mean, we know he also won 4 Superbowls with the Steelers, so shouldn’t he be considered amongst the GREATEST? And how can you ignore such a cool name?

This is an exception to the rule because the listing is of the GREATEST running backs ever. If I did a list of the GOOD running backs of the NFL, then that list would have to be twice as long as the one I am doing now. There is no question that Rocky Bleier was a good running back, in no way am I criticizing that, but the rankings are for the BEST ever.

Yes, Rocky was a good running back…but WHO was he backing up????

Someone else who is on this list….

I ran this through on the suggestion of a reader, and if you just go by the numbers, then Rocky would be amongst the greatest. But under that same formula, the second string or even third string tailback of a Superbowl winning team gets equal glory and greatness. Not true.

I am not devaluing Rocky Bleier, not at all, but for the list of greatest ever, the running back has to stand out alone as well as with the team. The elements must all be in some form of agreement to his greatness, and Rocky was not THE man for the Steelers when they won those Superbowls. He was an IMPORTANT man, no doubt, but not THE man.

Ok, so next time we’ll pick up on the next few backs as we continue to count down the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL…Join me next (insert day) at (insert time) on this station (insert any channel except Cartoon Network). Until next time..

Greatest rbs #17, #16, #15...

Greatest Rbs ever, #17, #16, #15...

So now we are moving up the ladder and as we go forth, there are likely to be some names you know quite well, and some that you may not remember…depending on your age.

But if anything, what I hoped to have proven by now is that the top running backs of the NFL are not all within the last 10 years. I think any bar room debate on this would usually favor the current players or those who have retired in the last 5 years or so, but when you REALLY sit down to think about it, the history of the NFL has produced a lot of very, very good running backs.

Already we have identified great running backs from today on back to the 40’s and all in between. At first I figured that only those in the last 20 years would dominate the list but I have slowly found that there is so much history to this game, that I have only touched part of it. Believe me, I am finding a new respect for guys like Bronco Nagurski, Steve Van Buren and Lenny Moore.

Now, to make a correction, I mentioned in the previous blog on the greatest ever identified #20, #19 and #18. I accidentally mentioned #18 twice, those being Lenny Moore and Bronco Nagurski. Even though they were tied with 37 points, I gave the nod slightly to Bronco because of team accomplishments.

Now, let’s continue with the countdown….

#17 Larry Csonka 38 points

Well…how many running backs do YOU know that played on a perfect team? Any guy that can win two Superbowls, get Superbowl MVP and play on a perfect team, well, he’s GOTTA be on this list. Larry Csonka was one of those tough nosed players that was an incredible piece to the Miami Dolphins and their Superbowl runs. A lot of stats may have changed since Larry Csonka has left the game in 1979, but his greatness still remains. Quite worth of this list.

Why not higher? If this poll was done about 10 years ago or so, Larry would certainly be higher. The strong case for Larry Csonka is his championship rings. Few running backs get the chance to win a Superbowl, let alone win two. As great as Larry Csonka was, the weak point in the formula for him was the individual stats. Larry was not on the top 30 in rushing yards or touchdowns, but was barely on the list with the yards per carry.

Why on the list? Superbowl champs should always be on the list, and two-time Superbowl champs should be up here as well. Larry Csonka is legendary for being on the perfect team, and although some teams have had a perfect regular season record (Patriots), no one has a perfect season…except the Dolphins, thanks in part to Larry Csonka.

#16 Tony Dorsett 39 points

If you run a short list of Superbowl Champion Running Backs, how can you NOT add this name. Anybody who calls themselves a Cowboys fan knows this cat, and he OUGHT to get a free pass to any Dallas Cowboy game. Tony Dorsett was (is) one of the most decorated running backs of football history. You’re not going to get a lot of arguments from die-hard football fans about this one, Tony is one of the best. It’s ironic that his season ended with the team he helped Dallas beat in the Superbowl…the Denver Broncos.

Why not higher? Within 3 points up or down of my list, there are 6 other guys who are great. Tony Dorsett ranks about half of them because not only does he have Superbowl Championship experience, he also has individual stats that still stand today. He’s on the high end of rushing yards, he ranks high on touchdowns and is on the top 30 for yards per carry. He also has individual awards as well. While he does not have as many individual awards like OJ Simpson or Larry Csonka, he has much more post season experience than the Juice and many more individual stat points than Csonka.

Why on the list? Well, if you gotta ask, you don’t know football. In fact, Tony Dorsett is on the list because of his greatness, but at the same time, he is in a tie with the next guy. You don’t have to win 5 Superbowls or be MVP every year to be great… but he is on the list because he has been one of the best ever.

#15 Paul Hornung: 39 points

A tie yes, but I give the nod to Paul. Even four decades later, there is such greatness dripping from this legend that he MUST be on this list. Before there was a Superbowl, Paul Hornung was winning championships. He was there in the pre-Superbowl era, as well as being there at the very first Superbowl. Before there were great legends in Green Bay like Brett Farve and Reggie White, there was, and apparently will ALWAYS be, Paul Hornung.

Why not higher? I mentioned that Paul Hornung and Tony Dorsett were even at 39 points. Technically that is a tie, but I give the nod to Paul because of his team accomplishments. He scores incredibly high in this element because he has a Superbowl rings and NFC championships…remember, this was before there WAS a Superbowl. But for all his team accomplishments, the era adjustment takes off from his greatness and his individual stats are very low.

Why on the list? You don’t get two Superbowl rings and Conference Championships AND become a legend in Green Bay Packer history and NOT make this list. He edges out Tony Dorsett because of his team accomplishments, but there are other running backs that are even greater than Paul Hornung. He’s great, no doubt about that, but not quite THE greatest.

So this takes us inside the top 15 of all time, now we start edging closer as we continue the countdown. Before I go, I wanted to share another very good running back that did not make the greatest short list and why.

Gale Sayers: 13 points

This one actually hurts my feelings. A couple of days ago I was watching Monday Night Football and Gale Sayers was in the stands. When I first started reading about football, this was perhaps the GREATEST running back I never saw play. He was before my time, but he was one of two backs that I never saw play, but greatly admired.

But why is he not on the list? Surely he is one of the greatest backs of all time? This is what bothers me, because I had to leave my favorites behind and run each player through my formula the same way.

When I did, I first had to award points for team accomplishments…that was the first problem. As great as Gale Sayers was, his teams never really accomplished much when it mattered. Remember, a great running back makes his team great. I could not award any points for the team accomplishment element.

When it came to individual stats, there was a slight problem too. Remember, Gale Sayers played for only 6 years, and had just under 5000 yards in his career. That alone puts him near the bottom of all 60+ running backs I tested. So he was not on the top 30 for touchdowns or yards all time, but had the best yards per carry of them all, so he got out of a possible 30 points in the individual stats department, a total of 10.

In the Individual awards element, he got 6 points total for his pro-bowls and Rookie of the Year, but lost 3 points because of era adjustment (retired 1971). In the end, he just didn’t have enough points to put him on my list.

I gotta tell you, I was half tempted to change the formula, but to do that would not be fair to what I set out to do. Gale Sayers in on my short list of FAVORITE running backs ever, but I am trying to share the GREATEST running backs ever. And unfortunately on my list, he was not up there.

Don’t take that as an insult to his or anyone else’s greatness, it was just that I had to narrow the field down to 25, and he was not up there. He’s still a legend to me, as well as everybody in Chicago who knows the Bears history.

Oh well, we’ll pick it up next time, hope you will continue to follow along….

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.

Greatest NFL backs #23, #22, #21...

Greatest Rbs ever…#23, #22, #21...

Shall we continue with the list?

We are counting down the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL, from the beginning to now…as in RIGHT now. That has to be made clear because as time goes on, these rankings are certainly subject to change.

If you have not read the first few blogs on this, you might want to bounce back and check them out. It will give you a better idea of how I came up with this ranking, and why.

Keep in mind as we move along, I am using a formula based on 4 major elements on what makes a running back “great”. They are the team accomplishments, individual stats, individual awards and era adjustment. I believe these factors establish a good player from a great player, and a great player from the greatest player.

So, with that in mind, let’s continue the countdown…

#23 Ottis Anderson: 30 points

Yes, technically Ottis Anderson is tied with Shaun Alexander, but in the event of a tie, I looked at the team accomplishments, and Anderson was much better than Shaun. Whereas Shaun WENT to a Superbowl, Ottis WON two of them, and captured a MVP in one of those Superbowls. He was one of those “old school” running backs that got the job done, and helped the Cardinals get to the playoffs. He rushed for 1000 yards 5 of the first 6 years of his career, the exception being that strike year. I have no problem placing this guy on my all time greatest rushing list.

Why not higher? As time goes on, Anderson may slip because of the era adjustment. He lost one point because he retired in the 90s and you’ll see that some of the scores are pretty close. Keep in mind there are some current players that still have time to catch him. And what may also hurt his ranking later is that he is in the bottom 30 of the list of yards and rushing touchdowns…he didn’t get a whole lot of individual stat points to begin with.

Why on the list? A running back that wins a Superbowl has an excellent chance of getting on this list. After all, by my formula that is 10 points. So Ottis Anderson winning 2 Superbowls is 20 points right off the bat! Add on the fact that he got Superbowl MVP and his other points makes Anderson a very credible back, and worthy of being one of the greatest of all time as of September 2008.

#22 Steve Van Buren: 31 points

So you’re wondering, how in the world is this old cat on the all time greatest list?

Simple…because he is great.

I had to go back and do a little research on Steve Van Buren and using my formula, I saw that he is clearly worthy of this list. You will notice that he finished only one point above a couple of other guys, and it quite deserving of this ranking. Those who know anything about the Philadelphia Eagles will probably send some “amens” this way because this was a very good back. Most of his points came from the fact that he won a couple of NFL Championship games. Years before there was a Superbowl, this guy was out there winning championships, and even after 5 decades, is STILL on the top 30 list of touchdowns by a running back. A great talent.

Why not higher? The biggest strike against Steve Van Buren being higher is simply the era adjustment. Because he retired in 1951, he loses 5 points for era adjustment. Remember folks, I have to deduct points for time because we all know that athletes are better than the decade before them. An athlete that played in the 50s, even if he was great, can hardly compare to the athletes of today, who are in much better physical condition. Were it not for that, Steve Van Buren could easily be higher.

Why on the list? Champions should always make the list, and Steve Van Buren is a champion. He got 25 points in the team accomplishment element, but got only 4 points in the individual stats section. He got points for being a 7 time all-bowl (before there was a pro-bowl). A great running back that wins championships is almost assured of being on this list…but as time goes on, he may slip further down. Steve Van Buren is proof that there can be great players from “long ago”.

#21 John Riggins: 32 points

Take it from a guy what is not a Redskins fan, this one was difficult but I could not ignore what this man has done. This was one TOUGH cat, and for him to have done all he did, even with injuries throughout his career is quite amazing. If there are personal Washington Redskins shrines out there, I am quite sure John Riggins will have some place in it for his toughness and power. Even after being gone from the NFL for over 20 years, he still ranks near the top as most touchdowns by a running back. Awesome! And to think, he originally played for the Jets and racked up numbers with Emerson Boozer.

Why not higher? This one is odd because John Riggins scored decently across the board. He is a champion because he won a Superbowl, and also lost one too, but I still give points to Superbowl losers. He scored well in the individual stats because he is still on the top 20 list of yards, and is even higher on touchdowns. He scores well on the individual awards as well, but loses 2 points because of era adjustment, as well as the fact that with all his great accomplishments, he only went to one pro-bowl. In fact, he scored one point less than the number 20 running back on my list.

Why on the list? A guy that rushes for over 11.000 yards and has over 100 touchdowns is GOING to be on the list. Add on a Superbowl MVP and other credits and you have the makings of a GREAT running back. John Riggins seems to embody all that a great running back is about. He is a proven winner, he enhances the team to make them better and he stands the test of time. I might not have been a Redskins fan, but as a true fan of the sport, I cannot ignore the greatness of this guy. He was (and by my list, still IS) a great running back.

So there’s your next 3 of the greatest running backs ever, we start moving further up the list as we go on. Before I go let’s share another name that didn’t make the list, and why:

Robert Smith: 13 points

What could have been for this guy….

Robert Smith played only 8 years, but in that period of time actually did some good work. It’s kinda ironic or symbolic that he retired to prevent himself from getting more injuries, because he focus of study was medicine. He was one of those guys that was wise enough to walk away from the game before being carted out.

But Robert Smith’s score shows that he can’t be put on the all time greatest list because of several factors. His yards per carry is very high and he got 7 points for that, and the fact that he went to two Pro-Bowls gives him two more points. His other 4 points came from his team accomplishment points. I award 10 points for every Superbowl a back wins, 5 points for every Superbowl lost, and 2 points for every conference championship a back loses.

Robert Smith helped the Vikings to the NFC Championship twice, losing to the Atlanta Falcons in 1998 (30-27) and the New York Giants in 2000 (41-0). Who is to say how much greater he would have been if he played just a couple more years?

Anyway, that’s my list so far, keep it tuned here for more as we climb up to number one on the greatest running backs of ALL time..

(wow, that sounded soooo corny, like I’m doing a musical countdown…)

Greatest Running Backs EVER....PREPARE!

Best Running Backs EVER: PREPARE!

A few days back I wrote a blog promising the BEST running backs EVER in the NFL. Well, I now have my list and I am ready to reveal to the universe (or whomever cares to read my blogs) the best running back to ever play in the NFL.

I will count them down from 25 to number one…hey, it helps build the suspense!

I mentioned to you about my “formula”; I will explain that as we go along. When I first thought about doing this, I realized that I have my favorites but I didn’t want to try to favor them. So what I did was come up with some characteristics that establish a GREAT running back.

See, we all have our own ideas on what makes the greatest running back ever, so you know that what I share certainly won’t be the “end all” of debates. But what I am going to do is share with you HOW I got my ranking and why each of these legendary backs are where they are.

But to start, I had to justify a formula. I had to come up with 4 basic elements that make a great back. If you read my earlier blog, you already know, but I will go over them again:

The first major element is TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS. I mean, what good are you if your team never makes it to a championship or finds some level of success. Guys, football is a TEAM sport, and a great player makes his team great. This is very critical when you want to talk about the best running back ever.

So I broke this element into 3 particular values. I gave 10 points for every Superbowl the back ever won, 5 points for every Superbowl they lost, and 2 points for every Conference Championship they lost. I am rewarding the absolute best a team can achieve, but I also reward those that got there but lost, as well as those who were the elite of their conference.

“But that’s not fair to guys who played BEFORE the Superbowl!”

Don’t worry, I did something for that, I’ll tell you about it when we get there.

The second element is INDIVIDUAL STATS. It makes sense that the greatest have to put up some legendary numbers, right? Even though football is a team game, it is the individuals that make it great. We cannot ignore the greatness of a player, even on an average team.

I broke down this element into 3 sections: Yards gained, touchdowns scored and average yards per carry. Any player that finished #1 gets 10 points for each category, for a total of 30 points. Any player that finishes in the top 5 gets 7 points each. Any running back that finishes in the top 10 gets 5 points each, and any back that finishes in the top 20 gets 3 points each. I also award 1 point for any running back that finishes in the top 30 all time for each of those categories. So the max a running back can get is 30 points here, but only if they are #1 in Yards career, touchdowns career AND average yards per carry.

I also adjusted the average yards per carry to separate the competition a bit. Most guys average about 4 yards, so I decided to award 10 points for any back that averages 5 yards or more per carry, 7 points for any back that averages 4.8 yards per carry, 5 points for any back with 4.6 yards per carry and 3 points for any running back that averages 4.4 yards per carry. I also awarded 1 point for any back that averages 4.2 yard or better per carry.

Theoretically, the values for team accomplishments is still better than this element, but it can add quite a bit to any player’s numbers.

The third element in my formula is INDIVIDUAL AWARDS. I mean, if you are so GREAT, then there should be awards given to you, right? Now I know today they come up with all kinds of silly awards, and if I went purely on what was awarded today, then there would just be too many points given out. So I decided to break this element into 6 parts, banking it off the most prestigious awards given to an NFL player.

To me, the most important award a player can receive is the MVP, whether by the league or as the Superbowl MVP, so I am awarding 10 points for every MVP a running back gets. I also decided to award 5 points for every Offensive MVP, NFC Player of the Year and AFC Player of the Year a player gets. Yeah, I think they stopped doing the conference POY thing, but it still proves superiority, so I awarded that.

I also gave 2 points for Rookie of the Year, and that includes Offensive Rookie of the Year. So a player could get 4 points for being the Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the overall ROY.

In addition, I also awarded 1 point for every Pro-Bowl that running back was selected for. Note I did not say ALL PRO, just Pro-Bowl.

A great running back should be able to rack up here, picking up a ton of points…if they are GREAT.

Finally, I added in what I call, ERA ADJUSTMENT. Some people may not like this, but I think greatness has to be penalized based on the fact that the players that are out now are generally better in every way than players of old. That does not mean that every running back that is in the NFL now is BETTER than those of the 1970’s, but it does mean that the game has gotten much better. For that reason, I have to deduct points from the “old school”.

What I decided to do was subtract 1 point for every decade of that player from the time he retired. If a running back retired in 2000 or later, I take off NO points. If he retired anywhere between 1990 to 1999, he loses 1 point off his total. If he retired anywhere from 1980 to 1989, he loses 2 points…and so on.

Why is this necessary? Because there has to be a tempering to indicate that the running backs of the NFL have progressed, otherwise someone who played back in 1950 is equal in every way to an athlete who plays now…and we KNOW that isn’t true.

So everything is in place, and now I can begin right?

Special note; don’t get bent out of shape with the results folks, I’m not an MIT or Yale grad, just a sports fan.

Ok, in my research, I wrote down over 60 of some of the most well-known backs in NFL history. I ran my formula for each and tabulated the results. But before I begin, let me give you a couple of names that did not make my top 25 list, and my justification for it.

Christian Okoye: 8 points.

If I did a top 40, he would not be up there because the points are just too low. But why, might you say? I personally LIKED Christian Okoye, I remember how well he played for the Chiefs. I even have some of his football cards. But the formula shows some very obvious flaws as to why he cannot be the greatest of all time, or even on the list of best 25.

First off, there are NO points for team success. Okoye’s team never made the Superbowl or even AFC Championships. If you are great, there has to be some indication in the success of the teams. Second, there are NO individual stat points. He is not on the top 30 in yards, or touchdowns and he averages under 4.2 yards per carry. He actually got 9 points because he went to 2 Pro-bowls and got a couple of awards, but he lost a point because of era adjustment. It’s really a shame because as I understood it, he got out of the sport because he was not enjoying it, in fact, he didn’t like football at first. If he had played a little longer, maybe the Chiefs would have done some things. I still like him though.

Herschel Walker: 2 points

“WHAT??”

I know, I was kinda disappointed myself, Hershel Walker was one of my favorite running backs, but my formula says he is not anywhere near the best in the NFL. Why? Well, like Christian Okoye, he has no real post season experience. No Superbowl or conference championships. Second, he does not rank high on yards or touchdowns, but does average over 4.2 yards, so he gets one point for that. He does not get but 2 points on the Individual awards element, but then loses one point to era adjustment. So 2 points is all he gets.

What this kinda tells me is that sometimes we have ideas of what great is, because we have certain feelings for certain players, but sometimes you have to look at the whole scope of his work in the NFL. This does not mean these two guys are not good, it just means they are not in the realm of the GREATEST. It takes a player that makes his team great, has legendary stats, and wins awards and can survive the tests of time. Only can these guys make my list of the top 25 of ALL TIME.

So, roll out the carpet, it’s time to count them down…..

Best Running Back EVER!

The Greatest Running Back EVER!

Ok, let’s do something controversial…..

I actually got this idea from something I saw ESPN do last year. They did their “25 greatest college players” and watched in disappointment in how they seemed to come up with names picked out of a hat.

I am not saying those guys listed were not great…but the order they showed them left a LOT to be desired. So I decided to do something similar but with some adjustments.

In a future blog, I am going to count down the greatest running backs in NFL history…and I am doing it by myself…and a formula.

You see, on order to decide who is the best, there has to be a fluid guideline. Fluid in that what is today will not be tomorrow. The best of any sport today is fine, but what happens 10 years from now? Or 5 years from now? Time has a way of changing what we think is the best…

(kinda reminds me of the crappy job VH1 did of the best songs of the 80’s…Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album has at least 2 or 3 songs that should have been number one…but that is for another time…)

So if I am going to make an honest attempt at who the greatest running back in the NFL is, I have to create a formula to test the credibility of the list of greatest running backs. What I did was break up the essence of “greatness” into a few categories, and will award certain points based on each of those factors.

So what ARE those factors? They break down into 4 groups:

1. TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

This is something many people don’t really think about, but simply put, a great player MAKES great teams, or at least makes others great around him. Let’s not forget that in sports, the bottom line has been, and will always be, about winning. Did your favorite running back WIN a Superbowl…or Superbowls? That is part of greatness, the ability to prove that your efforts contributed to the greatest prize in football. THAT is what makes you great.

So what about those who played BEFORE there was a Superbowl? This is actually factored in too, because to me, the championships they had before there was a Superbowl still count as forms of greatness. I cannot penalize Jim Brown because he never had a chance to go to a Superbowl because there wasn’t a Superbowl then.

But we cannot ignore the fact that winning is part of greatness, and the Superbowl is the perfect example of winning. But we also know that some of the best running backs never made it there, so there are points awarded for the losers of Superbowls as well as backs who played in conference championships. I’ll get into more detail on those later once I start with the top running backs.

2. INDIVIDUAL STATS

Well this is pretty obvious too, I mean, to be the greatest running back, you gotta be on some list of the all time best in a few categories, right? Even if you are not #1, you gotta be somewhere on that list. I broke it down into points based on where a back is on the all time lists. If for example you are #1 in a category, you get more points than someone who was in the top 5...or top 10, top 20 or top 30. A running back who is number 4 all time will have more points awarded than one that is #19.

Since we are talking about the greatest running back, we have to place some emphasis on the individual career, not the team. Yes, team success is critical, but the individual stats of a running back separate him from others in that he clearly has stats that prove his ability.

3. INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

You can’t be great if you don’t have any awards, right? I mean, if you think up some of the greatest all time, you know they won some awards throughout their career. What I did was identify about 6 of the biggest awards a running back can win, and will award points for EACH time he has won that award. For example, if a running back won the MVP twice, he gets twice the points as just winning it once.

I also ranked the awards in levels of importance, and placed a set value on each. In my formula, I believe winning an MVP is more important than being selected to the Pro-Bowl. But these things can even out, if for example one running back may have won the MVP once, while another has gone to the Pro-Bowl 8 times. This allows me to have some flexibility in the points.

4. ERA ADJUSTMENT

Now THIS is where things get dicey.

Part of the entire basis of the argument is based on who is the greatest NOW. This is where I think ESPN missed it, because in their list of greatest college players, they named Red Grange as the best of all time.

UH…NOT HARDLY.

Think about what “greatest” means. That means that if you could assemble the greatest college players in one place, right now in 2008, and EACH of those players were at the prime of their career, then by ESPN’s standards, Red Grange, a guy who played DECADES ago, would be better than ANYBODY. I do not want to sound negative against a great player, because Red Grange was great, but nobody sane can tell me that he would be better than ANY other college football player.

That is silly because TIME was never factored. This is what I want to incorporate into my list.

Folks, I want to give you my list of the greatest running backs of all time…but I am limited to only 2008. I cannot tell you what will happen in 2009, or 2019 for that matter. So I can only use history up until now.

But what I am also factoring in is a simple fact…that today’s athletes are BETTER than those before. I am not saying that guys in the NFL right now are better than those who played 3 years ago… but I am saying that the game of football and progressed in every way in the last 70+ years.

Guys are stronger, faster, plays are much more complicated and numerous other factors. Nobody is going to tell me that a running back in 1950 is better than any running back in 1980. Thirty years of football has passed and guys got better, stronger, faster and smarter.

It’s like if you has the ability to go back in time, and get the fastest car in 1965 and bring it to a drag strip to race against the fastest care today…no contest. Even an average car of 1965 stands no chance against an average car of today.

My point here folks is that just as we award greatness, we also have to temper it with time. A great running back of 1976 compared to a great running back of 1996 has twenty years of disadvantage against him. Now, this does NOT mean he is inferior; that is what the other factors are for.

So a part of this formula is to actually SUBTRACT points from running backs depending on the decade they played in or finished their career. For example, there will be no subtraction of points from any athlete who played after 2000. But the further back your favorite running back is, the more points that will be taken away.

This is going to create a big controversy because some will wonder where Jim Brown will fit, or O.J. Simpson. But by my formula, they HAVE to lose points because today’s athlete is built off the former, and they are more knowledgeable to professional football. I am actually very interested in how they will fit as well.

So, there it is…now the real debate…who IS the greatest running back ever? Stay tuned….