Best RB of All Time

Do statistics and records make you the best at what you do? If so, which statistics? To me the one position where stats speak loudest is the running back position. Total yards, yards per carry, yards per game, receiving yards and total receptions, as well as touchdowns are all very valid ways to measure a running back. Yet, they don’t always tell the whole story about the truly great running backs.

In my opinion, the greatest running back of all time is Barry Sanders. Though it’s not a surprising choice, many can and would argue Jim Brown, or maybe even Erick Dickerson, or Emmitt Smith is the greatest running back of all time. In my opinion, Barry Sanders would excel in any era of professional football. He could create his own running lanes just like the NBA’s greatest players can create their own shots. I am fortunate enough to have watched him play. Despite that fact, I’m still in awe of his moves, toughness, and creativity when I watch highlights of him. There are many times that he turned negative plays into jaw dropping runs. He’s left many fans, journalists, announcers, and defenders simply thinking “how did he do that?” He is no doubt one of the hardest players to tackle ever.

Today the sports media is very quick to label players and teams “the greatest ever” based on a season, hype, or whatever. It’s almost like a contest to be the first or loudest to declare it. I don’t know if they’re trying to establish their own fame by creating stories first, but that’s a topic for another article. Barry Sanders is a player that most can agree is among the best five at his position, but to me he’s number 1 without any doubt. He would be an incredible runner no matter which NFL era you put him in. Most of the teams before his time were no match for his speed and defenses of today are simply too busy looking for big hits that are almost impossible to land on a runner with his moves and agility. I’ll concede that today’s defenders may be able to match his speed, maybe, but it would still be hard to bring him down. Ask any defensive coordinator and his players who spent sleepless nights wondering how to stop him.

For those of you who love numbers, let’s look at some of his stats. He led the league in rushing 4 times. He’s 3rd all time in rushing yardage with 15,269 yards. He had 10 seasons where he rushed over 1000 yards per season. That’s his entire playing career! He averaged 5.0 yards per carry for his career, and 99.8 yards per game. He was voted to 10 consecutive pro bowls. He’s been a league MVP, and Offensive Player of the Year, and he made the All Decade team for the 1990’s. In his finest year he averaged 6.1 yards per carry, over 100 yards per game, and totaled 2053 rushing yards.

His numbers are great. By comparison some athletes play past their prime just to set a personal record. I can understand that it’s important to them, and respect their accomplishments. However, setting a record just because you played for a really long time is not as prestigious to me as doing it while you’re in your prime and your achievements are benefitting the team as well as yourself. For example, Bruce Smith set the all time sack record, and he is definitely a great player. But he played past his prime to set that record. And to this day when we talk of sack leaders, and the best at it, Reggie White is usually the first name mentioned.

Stats and records are great and they quantify a player’s achievements but don’t always tell the whole story. Barry Sanders is the greatest running back because of his impact on the game and his team. He habitually turned bad and broken plays into spectacular ones, and made his team worth watching. All the while he was gracious and humble. He silenced all those who doubted him due to his size. In the end he chose not to break a record that was very much in his sights, and also not to continue to play on a team that had a losing culture (which stands to this day). He chose to let it stay with another of the greatest running backs in history out of sheer respect for the game. That’s a rare quality these days.