NFL Top 10 Best Running Backs Ever – #2 Jim Brown
#2 – Jim Brown
Jim Brown is the definition of a traditional running back. Hell, he even played back in a time where he was classified as a fullback.
Many people regard Jim Brown as a football god and I don’t blame them. You can not only make an argument for him as the best running back in NFL history, but also the best player in NFL history. He was truly ahead of his time.
Jim Brown was as durable as they came, and dominated every single 14 game season over his 9 year career. He never missed a pro-bowl, and only failed to achieve the rushing leader title once. Over that time he also earned the MVP award 4 times.
He holds the record for average yards per game during a season with 133.1 and average yards per carry with 6.2 which makes the title of football God more believable.
He obviously did not play in the era when running backs were catching balls out of the backfield which hurts his numbers from yards from scrimmage, but you have to take it for what it’s worth. An off day for him was anything under 105 yards which 16 entire teams were not able to achieve over the 2019 season.
NFL Top 10 Best Running Backs Ever – #1 Barry Sanders
#1 – Barry Sanders
What makes this top 3 so interesting is that Jim Brown and Barry Sanders both retired in their prime while Walter Payton’s career was at a down turn. You talk about what ifs, and unlike injuries that ended players career, these two decided themselves to hang up their cleats.
I put 90% of the blame on the Detroit Lions organization for the early retirement of Barry Sanders. He was truly a unicorn when it came to the ability to make something out of nothing, and he had to do it all the time because they could never build a capable team around him.
He is truly one of the most unselfish players ever staying loyal to a Lions team that could never compete for a Super Bowl. In fact, the Lions only won a single playoff game with Sanders even though he was far and away the best Running Back in the NFL.
If we’re talking about the most elusive running back in NFL history, Barry Sanders is in a league of his own. He made a living off embarrassing defenders while turning seemingly negative yardage into touchdowns. Over his 10 year career, he averaged over 1500 yards and 10 touchdowns per season as well as 5 yards per carry.
His yards from scrimmage leave something to be desired, but I blame that more on the time and the system. Running Backs with his build are much more accepted and utilized in the passing game, but that was not the case over the 90s. I think if you stick Barry Sanders on an NFL roster today and give him a Christian McCaffrey like workload, he is destroying records. Barry Sanders is the best Running Back in NFL history.
