Top 10 Ever: Running Backs

     In part two of my "Best Ever" series, I take a look at the running backs in NFL history.  Without further adieu:

10. Curtis Martin- Patriots, Jets
9. Gale Sayers- Bears
8. Earl Campbell- Oilers, Saints
7. LaDainian Tomlinson- Chargers, Jets
6. Marcus Allen- Raiders, Chiefs
5. Eric Dickerson- Rams, Colts, Raiders, Falcons
4. Marshall Faulk- Colts, Rams
3. Walter Payton- Bears
2. Jim Brown- Browns
1. Barry Sanders- Lions

     Really shouldn't be much surprise in this list.  Curtis Martin could carry his teams on his shoulders when need be.  Gale Sayers is only number nine because he didn't play that long in the NFL.  If he did, there would be no doubt he would be higher.

     Earl Campbell was a monster on the gridiron, literally.  He was the rare combination of size and speed, mostly size.  Defenders feared tackling him, as his enormous legs would probably shatter their shoulders, but he would still be able to sprint to the endzone with the best of them.

     LaDanian Tomlinson is probably the last great running back, even with what Adrian Peterson is doing right now.  LT was Mr. Everything in his prime.  He could run, he could cut and make defenders look like fools, he could catch and block for the quarterback.  You might never see that combination with another running back again.

     Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson were all about speed, and they used that speed to their advantage.  One play shows Marcus Allen's greatness, and that was Super Bowl XVIII against the Redskins, where he zig-zagged across the field and ended up running for 74 yards for the touchdown.  Eric Dickerson owns the rushing record that still stands to this day.  Although I said I won't put people on this list for records they earned, Eric Dickerson didn't get over 2,100 yards on short little runs.  Dickerson could outrun all 11 players on the opposing defenses and could sprint a mile.

     LT might have been Mr. Everything the last decade, but Marshall Faulk and Walter Payton were there first.  Yes, I will use a record for another argument, but Faulk did have the most total yards, rushing and receiving.  That just proves his versatility along with his elusiveness.  For as much as you recognize the Chicago Bears for their defense, but you remember them for the man named Payton.  It is pretty justifiable to say that if Walter Payton didn't play for the Bears, Chicago would have been one of the worst offenses back then.

     What Johnny Unitas and Otto Graham were to quarterbacks in the 1950's, Jim Brown was to running backs.  Brown has been voted by many peers and football experts as to being the greatest football player to play.  Brown was the face of toughness that people recognize today in the sport of football.

     And finally, Barry Sanders as number one.  Yes, I am a Lions fan, and it was hard to rank the list between Sanders, Brown and Payton, but I did not have bias in this.  Barry Sanders' running style can only be compared to trying to catch a chicken that was bathed in butter.  If there was a record of breaking ankles and tearing ACLs from juking out players, Sanders would definitely own it.  As I mentioned for Brett Favre in my last list, Sanders too only played the game just for the enjoyment of playing.  He never played for records or rewards, he played just because he had the ability to play and was out there for the enjoyment of the game.  That respect should go farther than any record could ever take him.

     Next up on Top 10 Ever: Wide Receivers