Newsflash: Adrian Peterson is good. He set the NFL single-game record with 296 rushing yards as a rookie in 2007 and was just 9 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record this season, finishing the year with 2,097 yards. He's one of 3 running backs to rush for 2,000 yards and average 6 yards-per-carry in a single-season. And he's one of 4 backs to score more than 10 touchdowns in each of his first 6 seasons. All of these overwhelming accolades produces a legitimate question - could Adrian Peterson be the greatest running back of all-time?
In a word, no. Jim Brown is and probably always will be the greatest. No other back can say they were statistically the best in the NFL for 8 out of 9 seasons. That's just ridiculous. But All-Day has a legitimate claim to the #2 spot.
Peterson is just one of 4 running backs (along with Brown, Joe Perry and Barry Sanders) to average over 5 yards-per-carry for his career (minimum 1,000 carries). Adrian's 99.4 yards-per-game ranks 3rd all-time, behind Brown (104.3) and Sanders (99.8). If you conservatively project his career, he's clearly the #2 or #3 back of all-time when you combine career production with peak value.
Considering era dominance, and to a lesser extent longevity, I've compiled my Top 10 list of the greatest running backs of all-time. The first 9 on my list are indisputable - other than Adrian Peterson, they are the only running backs in NFL history with over 10,000 yards rushing who were also named to 3 or more All-Pro Teams. You can argue the order, but debating their inclusion is a losing battle. Barring a catastrophic injury, Peterson will join that group sometime next season. My #10 back was just 593 yards away from the exclusive 10,000 yard / 3 All-Pro club and might have had the greatest 3-year peak ever. All of these guys were studs from the beginning - every one of them was a first round draft pick, with 9 taken among the first 7 overall selections.
Without further adieu:
1) Jim Brown
Vitals: 6-2 / 232 (40 time unknown)
Drafted: Round 1 (6th overall), 1957
Rushing Titles: 8
All-Pro Teams: 8
MVP Awards: 3
Championships: 1
Statistics: 118 Games, 2,359 Rushes, 12,312 Yards (5.2 Avg), 106 TD, 262 Receptions, 2,499 Yards (9.5 Avg), 20 TD, 2.17 Fumble%
Watching a Jim Brown video is like listening to great Jazz. Free-flowing, spellbinding, powerful, no play is the same and yet they all leave you speechless. Jim Brown retired at age 29 to star in movies after a 1965 season that might have been his greatest ever. He won the rushing title, his third MVP award, led Cleveland to the NFL Championship game and then called it quits. No one has ever left football at the top of his game like Brown. Even when John Elway retired after winning his second consecutive Super Bowl, he was no longer the athlete he was in his prime.
Jim Brown Highlight Video:
2) Adrian Peterson
Vitals: 6-2 / 217 (4.40 40 time)
Drafted: Round 1 (7th overall), 2007
Rushing Titles: 2
All-Pro Teams: 3
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 0
Statistics: 89 Games, 1,754 Rushes, 8,849 Yards (5.0 Avg), 76 TD, 177 Receptions, 1,526 Yards (8.6 Avg), 4 TD, 1.35 Fumble%
If Peterson simply stays healthy for 3 or 4 more seasons, he will find himself comfortably between Jim Brown and Barry Sanders as the second greatest back of all-time. I prefer Peterson to Sanders mainly on style points. When Barry broke one, it was like he stole something during the night when you weren't looking. When Adrian breaks one, it's like helplessly watching him beat up you and your three best friends in plain daylight. There is a small chance AD overtakes Brown. Right now, Adrian is 27 years old and modern medicine combined with once-in-a-generation genes is a potent combo. Who thought Kobe Bryant was going to lead the NBA in scoring at age 34? No one. If Peterson can stay healthy and remain supremely productive through his age 33 season (6 more years), he'll approach 17,000 yards and 150 touchdowns with a peak performance greater or equal to any back in history. If that happens, move over Jimmy Brown.
Adrian Peterson Highlight Video:
3) Barry Sanders
Vitals: 5-8 / 203 (4.39 40 time)
Drafted: Round 1 (3rd overall), 1989
Rushing Titles: 4
All-Pro Teams: 6
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 0
Statistics: 153 Games, 3,062 Rushes, 15,269 Yards (5.0 Avg), 99 TD, 352 Receptions, 2,921 Yards (8.3 Avg), 10 TD, 1.20 Fumble%
No one had better feet and stop/start ability than Barry. More so than any other back, Sanders did things on a regular basis that you didn't know were athletically possible. I've actually worked with Barry before and one thing that jumps out at you in person is how thick his lower half is in contrast to his lean upper body. He had the thighs and butt of a 250-pound man. That's what made him so suddenly explosive and impossible to bring down in tight quarters despite his small stature. No one lost more yardage than Barry Sanders, yet he finished with an average of 5.0 yards-per-carry. Like a prolific home-run hitter, you lived with the strikeouts.
Barry Sanders Highlight Video:
4) Walter Payton
Vitals: 5-10 / 200 (40 time unknown)
Drafted: Round 1 (4th overall), 1975
Rushing Titles: 1
All-Pro Teams: 5
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 1
Statistics: 190 Games, 3,838 Rushes, 16,726 Yards (4.4 Avg), 110 TD, 492 Receptions, 4,538 Yards (9.2 Avg), 15 TD, 1.99 Fumble%
Watching Walter Payton's highlight video, it's hard to believe he was only listed at 200 pounds. In reality, he probably played most of his career in the 190-195 pound range. Yet few backs dealt as much punishment as Payton. He ran with bad intentions and stiff-armed his way to an NFL career rushing record by the time he retired. The classic Payton image is of him jumping over the offensive line head-over-heals en route to another goal-line touchdown. Other than determination, pure athleticism defined Walter. He could run, jump, throw, block and catch. He could do it all.
Walter Payton Highlight Video:
5) Emmitt Smith
Vitals: 5-9 / 216 (4.55 40 time)
Drafted: Round 1 (17th overall), 1990
Rushing Titles: 4
All-Pro Teams: 4
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 3
Statistics: 226 Games, 4,409 Rushes, 18,355 Yards (4.2 Avg), 164 TD, 515 Receptions, 3,224 Yards (6.3 Avg), 11 TD, 1.24 Fumble%
It's easy to dismiss Emmitt's career rushing and touchdown records. He played on a great team with the best offensive line in football. He can't be the greatest because he was slow, short and kinda pudgy. But the reality is for five seasons, from 1991-1995, Emmitt Smith was the best back in the game. Yes, he played well past his prime and that affects how people view his career. But he was the best there was for a stretch. I can still close my eyes and picture Emmitt carrying the 11-4 Cowboys to the 1993 NFC East crown in a Week 17 win over the 11-4 Giants with a completely separated shoulder, touching the ball 42 times for 229 yards and a touchdown. His vision, balance, cutback skills and ability to withstand punishment is unmatched.
Emmitt Smith Highlight Video:
6) Eric Dickerson
Vitals: 6-3 / 220 (4.45 40 time)
Drafted: Round 1 (2nd overall), 1983
Rushing Titles: 4
All-Pro Teams: 4
MVP Awards: 0
Championships: 0
Statistics: 146 Games, 2,996 Rushes, 13,259 Yards (4.4 Avg), 90 TD, 281 Receptions, 2,137 Yards (7.6 Avg), 6 TD, 2.38 Fumble%
If you could play God and build the perfect back out of clay, he would look like Eric Dickerson. Tall, muscular and fast with vision and balance - ED had it all. Well, other than a passion for the game. After dominating the NFL in 1983 and 1984, Dickerson held out for the first of three occasions in 1985, eventually forcing a trade to Indianapolis in 1987. Despite winning 4 rushing titles in his first 6 seasons, he never seemed to really like playing football. Holy shit he was talented though. An upright, graceful runner, Dickerson would pick a hole and effortlessly run by or through defenders. If he had Walter Payton's heart, he'd probably rank 1st on this list.
Eric Dickerson Highlight Video:
7) Marshall Faulk
Vitals: 5-10 / 211 (4.28 40 time)
Drafted: Round 1 (2nd overall), 1994
Rushing Titles: 0
All-Pro Teams: 3
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 1
Statistics: 176 Games, 2,836 Rushes, 12,279 Yards (4.3 Avg), 100 TD, 767 Receptions, 6,875 Yards (9.0 Avg), 36 TD, 1.00 Fumble%
Longtime NFL Coach Al Saunders described Marshall Faulk better than anybody. "He's like the queen on the chessboard," said Saunders. "You can do damage with your knights and bishops, but nobody does more damage than the queen." Marshall could line up wide, in the I-formation, in the slot, wherever. You did anything that would get him the ball in space and Marshall was so talented that he could execute whatever play you or Mike Martz could dream up. The indelible image of Faulk is a devastating stutter step, followed by him exploding past defenders with sprinter speed and brilliant cutbacks. From 1998-2001, Marshall averaged 2,248 yards from scrimmage and scored 69 touchdowns in 60 games.
Marshall Faulk Highlight Video:
8) O.J. Simpson
Vitals: 6-1 / 212 (40 time unknown)
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 1969
Rushing Titles: 4
All-Pro Teams: 5
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 0
Statistics: 135 Games, 2,404 Rushes, 11,236 Yards (4.7 Avg), 61 TD, 203 Receptions, 2,142 Yards (10.6 Avg), 14 TD, 2.38 Fumble%
The Juice had world-class speed. In fact, he's probably one of the 2 or 3 most naturally talented backs in history, the missing link between Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson. A prototype of size, speed, and fluidity for the current Adrian Peterson model. O.J. and Marshall Faulk are the two fastest running backs on this list. Simpson combined that speed with balance and strength - he and Dickerson are very similar players. O.J. was drafted #1 overall by a horrible Bills squad in 1969 who misused him worse than the Saints misused Reggie Bush. When Lou Saban (Nick's father) was hired to coach the Bills in 1972, he centered the offense around O.J. who responded by dominating the NFL from 1972-1976, winning 4 rushing titles in 5 years. Yes, he ran for a record 2,003 yards in just 14 games in 1973, but that wasn't even his best season. In 1975, O.J. ran for 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns with 426 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns on 28 receptions.
O.J. Simpson Highlight Video:
9) LaDainian Tomlinson
Vitals: 5-10 / 221 (4.46 40 time)
Drafted: Round 1 (5th overall), 2001
Rushing Titles: 2
All-Pro Teams: 3
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 0
Statistics: 170 Games, 3,174 Rushes, 13,684 Yards (4.3 Avg), 145 TD, 624 Receptions, 4,772 Yards (7.6 Avg), 17 TD, 0.79 Fumble%
If your lasting image of Tomlinson is the slimmed-down 210-pound version playing 3rd down for the Jets, you forgot how dominant a player he once was. For 7 seasons, Tomlinson was a powerful load with speed to burn and dealt the most vicious stiff arm this side of Walter Payton. His 31 touchdowns in 2006 is the NFL record. That Chargers team had the most talented roster in football and lost a heart-breaking playoff game to New England on an interception return fumble of all things. Tomlinson ran for 123 yards and two scores that game, ending his best shot at being on a Super Bowl team. One thing I never knew about Tomlinson before compiling this list is the guy almost never fumbled. His miniscule 0.79 fumbles / 100 touches is by far the lowest rate of any back on this list.
LaDainian Tomlinson Highlight Video:
10) Earl Campbell
Vitals: 5-11 / 232 (40 time unknown)
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 1978
Rushing Titles: 3
All-Pro Teams: 3
MVP Awards: 1
Championships: 0
Statistics: 115 Games, 2,187 Rushes, 9,407 Yards (4.3 Avg), 74 TD, 121 Receptions, 806 Yards (6.7 Avg), 0 TD, 1.86 Fumble%
Earl didn't hit defenders as much as he speared them. Or decapitated them. In Campbell's first 3 seasons (1978-1980), he won Offensive Rookie of the Year, 3 rushing titles, 3 All-Pro selections and an MVP. He was as dominant as any back could possibly be. Unfortunately, all those big blows took a toll on Earl's body and he began to break down. He was no longer a big and fast back, just a big one. Campbell posted two more good seasons in 1981 and 1983 before being regulated to a complimentary role and retiring after 8 seasons. No one has a highlight reel that incites more "OHHHHH MAN, HOLY SHIT!!!" reactions.
Earl Campbell Highlight Video:
Honorable Mention:
Gale Sayers, Terrell Davis, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, Edgerrin James, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Thurman Thomas, Joe Perry, Steve Van Buren and Marion Motley.
Sayers and Davis had supreme peaks but didn't play long enough to make this list. Allen, Dorsett, Harris, James, Bettis, Thomas and Perry excelled for long periods of time but didn't dominate the way that backs on this list did. Van Buren and Motley had shorter NFL careers and limited carries (since they were two-way players) compared to more modern backs.
