Story of the Greatest RB ever.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/7517114

Great Article.

Agreed... people may say that he either lost a yard or took it to the house on every play, but i guarantee if he would have had the same line Emmitt had, he would have netted postive yardage nearly every play. The reason he had to juke it out so much is because his line was crap and he didn't have the opportunity to run through holes throughout his career.

Who would be your top 5 of all time?

I'd have to go with

1) Payton- Power, speed, quicks, vision, hands, heart, the guy had it all and played for some horrible teams to boot.

2) Brown- He would have succeeded in any era, he was truly ahead of his time when he played. A man among boys with his power.

3) Sanders- My personal favorite of the bunch, his moves were insane.

4) Smith- Gotta give him his props, he played at a high level for a very long time and in his prime was top notch. He needs to hang it up already though.

5) Dickerson- Doesn't get as much hype as he should. Smooth as hell.

Sanders is the greatest of all time, bar none. The guy could do it all without a line. In fact if he had a line im not sure he would be half as fun to watch, lol. Matty, why do you see Payton played for horrible teams, didnt he arguably play for some of the greatest teams of all time? Id have to say that he did, expecially the 86 year. I never really watched brown, I was to young, and I havent really see to many highlights of him. Im sure he was great but in my eyes no one compares to sanders. Id actually include Faulk in that list. Faulk was absolutly unstopable for a long time, and there arent many backs that have had better hands. He went four years in a row with over 80 receptions. Hes not one of the best runners of all time, but as someone to have in yoru backfield you cant deny his big play potential.

I wasn't around when he played, but people say that there's another Bear who doesn't get as much props as he should.

And speaking of Faulk, watch out for the "next" Marshall Faulk- his name is Reggie Bush, from THE University of Southern California.

In spite of playing for the '85 and '86 Bears, Payton did play for a lot of rather average Bears teams. I pretty much agree with Matty's list. I'm going to tweak it just a bit.

1. Payton: Just seemed so genuine. A better person than player, and considering his skills that's saying a lot. Still can't believe Fridge got the carry for the touchdown in SB XX instead of Walter.

2. Sanders: Michelangelo in cleats. Nothing compared to watching him

3. Jim Brown: I really can't put him higher since I never saw him play

4. OJ Simpson: Yes. There was a time when he was known for his slashing skills on the field.

5. Emmitt Smith: True he was on a very talented team, but like Matty says you've got to give him his props.

Also Receiving Votes: Tony Dorsett, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell

Just looking at the level of skill that a player brought to the game, I would have to say that Barry Sanders is the greatest I have ever seen. He could seriously make plays that most people could not even imagine. I still remember one time when he got tackled, but managed to plant his hand on the ground. His knees never touched the ground! He just picked up and kept running. He is the type of running back that redefines the position and I think that if you ask most any coach which running back they would take if they had the chance, they would say Barry Sanders.

Who would be your top 5 of all time?

I'd have to go with

1) Payton- Power, speed, quicks, vision, hands, heart, the guy had it all and played for some horrible teams to boot.

2) Brown- He would have succeeded in any era, he was truly ahead of his time when he played. A man among boys with his power.

3) Sanders- My personal favorite of the bunch, his moves were insane.

4) Smith- Gotta give him his props, he played at a high level for a very long time and in his prime was top notch. He needs to hang it up already though.

5) Dickerson- Doesn't get as much hype as he should. Smooth as hell.

Excellent job with that Matty! I agree with everyone exept #5, Dickerson fumbled to much for my liking, I have to go with Earl Cambell at the 5 spot, in fact I would bump Earl ahead of Emmitt, except he didn't have the longevity that Emmitt had.

I would also take Dorsett, as well as Sayer's, over Dickerson.

Offiss, it's interesting you talk about longevity. I had a hard time deciding where to rank Campbell, Sayers and to some extent even Bo Jackson because of their relative lack of longevity. Do you think the longer Emmitt stays in the game, and if he plays like last year, the more his legacy might diminish?

Also, where would you rank Bettis and Thurman Thomas?

One can only wonder what Bo's stats would have looked like if he committed 100% to football and he didn't get hurt. He probably would own a ton of rushing records right now.