What are your favorite runs of all time

[T Y Goodbye]

I was sitting here reading a post, when it brought back memories of some of the greatest runs in history. These two runs by Billy Sims, and Earl Campbell are my 2 all time favorites..even though they were not scores. What are some of your favorite all time great runs..

Billy Sims against Houston..(where Chris Berman gave him the nickname *Kung Fu Billy*)

and this run by Earl Campbell...if there ever was a definition for beast...this run proves it..

[FireJimCaldwell]

70 chip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Hrv5TNb2Y

[Nobody]

Beast mode!

[Jay]

I'd have to throw this one out there, of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKVEttPqvmE&feature=related

[BrentMc11]

I was sitting here reading a post, when it brought back memories of some of the greatest runs in history. These two runs by Billy Sims, and Earl Campbell are my 2 all time favorites..even though they were not scores. What are some of your favorite all time great runs..

Billy Sims against Houston..(where Chris Berman gave him the nickname *Kung Fu Billy*)

and this run by Earl Campbell...if there ever was a definition for beast...this run proves it..

I think I will sit back and enjoy the videos and opinions on this one. Nice topic for good memories of super runs!!!

[USAFHoosier]

All my favorite runs were by Barry Sanders. The way he could change direction and spin off people was almost un human

[Yehoodi]

One of my favorites is when Earl Campbell runs into Tatum and then into the endzone . . . you will fine it at about the 1:27 mark of the video below, which has some of Campbells best runs

I actually perfer video with the backdrop of the Autumn Wind poem written Steve Sabol and narrated by John Facenda . . .its at about the 38 second mark of the video . . .

[Flash7]

Any of these will do.

Barry Sanders was the most electrifying runner ever.

http://youtu.be/0DcHoF0Gjao

[RGIII]

All my favorite runs were by Barry Sanders. The way he could change direction and spin off people was almost un human

Any of these will do.

Barry Sanders was the most electrifying runner ever.

Barry Sanders had unreal quickness and a crazy knack for getting guys to freeze in their shoes, even when they were otherwise in position to make a play. However, he is also probably the most overrated of the all-time great backs.

The blocking in front of him was always underrated but if you look at any of his highlight reels it should jump out at you that the man always seemed to have space to work with on those big runs, which is awfully important given the way he liked to run. His style of running wasn't exactly all that great for his team in the grand scheme of things. There's no question he is the best home run hitter of all time but he was so heavily oriented towards that and relied so much on east-west running that he wasn't nearly as good at improving down and distance situations for his team as he ought to have been given his physical ability.

No doubt he was electrifying and fun to watch... but I wouldn't take him in a draft of greats.

[PrincetonTiger]

Anything by Barry Sanders or Gale Sayers

[T Y Goodbye]

Barry Sanders had unreal quickness and a crazy knack for getting guys to freeze in their shoes, even when they were otherwise in position to make a play. However, he is also probably the most overrated of the all-time great backs.

The blocking in front of him was always underrated but if you look at any of his highlight reels it should jump out at you that the man always seemed to have space to work with on those big runs, which is awfully important given the way he liked to run. His style of running wasn't exactly all that great for his team in the grand scheme of things. There's no question he is the best home run hitter of all time but he was so heavily oriented towards that and relied so much on east-west running that he wasn't nearly as good at improving down and distance situations for his team as he ought to have been given his physical ability.

No doubt he was electrifying and fun to watch... but I wouldn't take him in a draft of greats.

If I were in a fight I'd take Billy Sims...that flying karate kick was a thing of beauty..lol

Seriously, if I could have a draft of all-time greats..I still would take Earl Campbell.he could run around you, hard to tackle with 34 inch thighs..ran a 4.5, and as shown in the video I posted, hits defensive players harder than they hit him...But that is my preference because I love pure smash mouth football...and Campbell and Jim Brown are my type of backs.

I just wish Billy Sims didn't suffer that devastating knee injury..if that was in these times, it could have been repaired...I loved watching him run at OU and with the Lions..He could have easily been one of the best of all time...

[southwest1]

Barry Sanders had unreal quickness and a crazy knack for getting guys to freeze in their shoes, even when they were otherwise in position to make a play. However, he is also probably the most overrated of the all-time great backs.

The blocking in front of him was always underrated but if you look at any of his highlight reels it should jump out at you that the man always seemed to have space to work with on those big runs, which is awfully important given the way he liked to run. His style of running wasn't exactly all that great for his team in the grand scheme of things. There's no question he is the best home run hitter of all time but he was so heavily oriented towards that and relied so much on east-west running that he wasn't nearly as good at improving down and distance situations for his team as he ought to have been given his physical ability.

No doubt he was electrifying and fun to watch... but I wouldn't take him in a draft of greats.

RG3,

I liked your Barry Sanders post initially until I read your last sentence...Huh? What? Barry Sanders is not a great RB? Okay, I'm confused now. Overrated? Look RG3, I like your debating skills and you are a very sharp individual so I wanna give you the opportunity to elaborate and defend your position. Look at what I highlighted in blue please and address that. Thank you. Seriously RG3, Sanders had the best change of direction and speed in any RB I have every seen. He broke so many defender's ankles and knees it isn't funny.

Also, Sanders typically got crucial yards running east and west if he had no other choice. Sanders IMO is a GREAT RB and if he had not retired early there is no way Emitt Smith would have surpassed Sanders record to become the greatest RB of all time. NO WAY NO HOW.

[shakedownstreet]

RG3,

I liked your Barry Sanders post initially until I read your last sentence...Huh? What? Barry Sanders is not a great RB? Okay, I'm confused now. Overrated? Look RG3, I like your debating skills and you are a very sharp individual so I wanna give you the opportunity to elaborate and defend your position. Look at what I highlighted in blue please and address that. Thank you. Seriously RG3, Sanders had the best change of direction and speed in any RB I have every seen. He broke so many defender's ankles and knees it isn't funny.

Also, Sanders typically got crucial yards running east and west if he had no other choice. Sanders IMO is a GREAT RB and if he had not retired early there is no way Emitt Smith would have surpassed Sanders record to become the greatest RB of all time. NO WAY NO HOW.

he's right. he was a great player but he wasn't a back to get you into 2nd or 3rd and shorts. a lot of plays he ran 30 yards back & forth behind the line of scrimmage for a loss

[shakedownstreet]

a sentimental favorite. his burst through the hole was something else before he tore the knee up

[southwest1]

Barry Sanders had unreal quickness and a crazy knack for getting guys to freeze in their shoes, even when they were otherwise in position to make a play. However, he is also probably the most overrated of the all-time great backs.

The blocking in front of him was always underrated but if you look at any of his highlight reels it should jump out at you that the man always seemed to have space to work with on those big runs, which is awfully important given the way he liked to run. His style of running wasn't exactly all that great for his team in the grand scheme of things. There's no question he is the best home run hitter of all time but he was so heavily oriented towards that and relied so much on east-west running that he wasn't nearly as good at improving down and distance situations for his team as he ought to have been given his physical ability.

No doubt he was electrifying and fun to watch... but I wouldn't take him in a draft of greats.

I would counter RG3's argument, which is an intriguing viewpoint, with this: Barry Sanders was about 80% of that team's offense in his prime. Just like RB Walter Payton prior to the 1985 season or Matt Forte in Chicago prior to his knee injury. Barry Sanders was forced to put the weight of the Lions franchise on his shoulders because no one else on the squad stepped up to make a catch on offense.

I get the idea of making 1 cut, being decisive, hitting the hole, and running down hill. A valid point. But, when no one else steps up to secure a game victory Sanders had no choice, but to avoid tackles, scramble, and make something happen. Sanders had no other choice IMO.

In addition, you never expect your speed scat back to get your short yardage 3rd down conversions ever. That's why you have your bulldozer back for the tough, grind it out yards between the tackles and on the goal line not your speed guy.

[GrizzColt]

^{Wow, just wow. I cannot believe what I'm reading about Sanders. Anyone who lived in that era just automatically knew Sanders was the greatest. I loved EArl Campbell and Eric Dickerson and John Riggins, but NOBODY ever said any of them were better than Sanders.....The only one ever put ahead of him on a list is Jim Brown.}

[RGIII]

RG3,

I liked your Barry Sanders post initially until I read your last sentence...Huh? What? Barry Sanders is not a great RB? Okay, I'm confused now. Overrated? Look RG3, I like your debating skills and you are a very sharp individual so I wanna give you the opportunity to elaborate and defend your position. Look at what I highlighted in blue please and address that. Thank you. Seriously RG3, Sanders had the best change of direction and speed in any RB I have every seen. He broke so many defender's ankles and knees it isn't funny.

Also, Sanders typically got crucial yards running east and west if he had no other choice. Sanders IMO is a GREAT RB and if he had not retired early there is no way Emitt Smith would have surpassed Sanders record to become the greatest RB of all time. NO WAY NO HOW.

I think you misread my post. I repeatedly alluded to the fact that he is an all-time great but I did also say that he is the most overrated of the all-time greats. In other words, he absolutely deserves to be in the category but there are some people who exaggerate what he was and put him WAY ahead of others who were every bit as amazing in their own right.

The last sentence of that post was a hypothetical. If you ran, say, a 32-team draft with a pool of great players to choose from, there's no way Barry Sanders is a guy I'd end up picking. There are a good number of other backs and a ton of other players I like more than Barry, who would undoubtedly be scooped up long before I'd consider him a great value.

Shakedown covered the blue text pretty well.

^{Wow, just wow. I cannot believe what I'm reading about Sanders. Anyone who lived in that era just automatically knew Sanders was the greatest. I loved EArl Campbell and Eric Dickerson and John Riggins, but NOBODY ever said any of them were better than Sanders.....The only one ever put ahead of him on a list is Jim Brown.}

I think Riggins is a bit overrated, too (Redskin fan heresy right there ). He and Sanders are more or less opposite sides of the same coin. Riggins was a power back who was a demon in the playoffs but had an average career otherwise whereas Sanders was a scat back who had a tremendous overall career but accomplished very little in the playoffs (note: his team definitely didn't help him win but he also played some of his worst games when it mattered most). Both had questionable dedication to the game and to greatness, both could have been so much more.

Jim Brown is a guy whose ability is tough to put into context. He's in a pretty elite group of athletes who were SO far ahead of their time that it is almost unfair to compare them to other players of their own era (Wilt Chamberlain, Sammy Baugh, Bobby Orr, and Babe Ruth are the kinds of guys I'm talking about here). For that reason, I struggle to rank him with everyone else (which might be reason enough for some to put him atop the list). There are also a number of other guys who had short careers but incredible primes who I could understand there being an argument for, particularly if you want to talk about raw ability first and foremost (e.g., Sayers and Campbell).

For my money, though, I think Walter Payton is probably the best there ever was from an all-around perspective. Fantastic durability, tremendous physical skills, one of the most accomplished players of all time, truly loved the game, represented his city well, and the man ran with unbelievable effort and conviction. Talk about Barry Sanders not having a lot of help around him all you want, Payton had it much rougher in Chicago to start his career. They eventually built quite the defense to get that man a much-deserved ring but Payton was the offense for about a dozen years and his blocking was worse than Barry's.

In addition, you never expect your speed scat back to get your short yardage 3rd down conversions ever. That's why you have your bulldozer back for the tough, grind it out yards between the tackles and on the goal line not your speed guy.

In my mind if a guy wants to be called the greatest he has to be able to do it all.

[southwest1]

RG3,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I agree 100% with you that a great RB must do it all chip, pass block, be on the field all 4 downs, and move the chains consistently whenever called upon to do so. No argument there. I apologize for misinterpreting your well written post. My mistake not your's and to be fair; you did call him great.

"The last sentence of that post was a hypothetical. If you ran, say, a 32-team draft with a pool of great players to choose from, there's no way Barry Sanders is a guy I'd end up picking. There are a good number of other backs and a ton of other players I like more than Barry, who would undoubtedly be scooped up long before I'd consider him a great value."

I get what you're saying my friend I really do. But, therein lies the problem with hypothetical scenarios; They seldom take into account the NFL rules and regulations at that specific time period or the quality of conditioning that exist among players today. I do concur with you though that I like 1 cut backs that hit the hole and always run north and south. Another excellent point RG3. I respect your opinion and I do appreciate your vast football knowledge. Just be cautious when it comes to comparing HOF great to modern day RB's that all I'm saying.

P.S. I hope that RG3's concussion is a minor one and I am happy for your Redskins franchise. They will win a Championship within 4 years IMO just please don't do it against my beloved Colts.

Nice talking with you as always RG3.

[southwest1]

In my mind, if a guy wants to be called the greatest he has to be able to do it all.

One last point: Even the great Mike Shanahan understands the value of a multiple RB structure system. You need a scat back, a bulldozer back, and a change up back usually a mixture of the 1st two. Why? Injuries, weather conditions, and the long grueling duration of an NFL season.

Oh BTW, if you can demolish and destroy the Dallas Cowboys along the way on your future SB run, I would be forever in your debt and you will have my profound respect and eternal gratitude. Thanks Man!

[RGIII]

I get what you're saying my friend I really do. But, therein lies the problem with hypothetical scenarios; They seldom take into account the NFL rules and regulations at that specific time period or the quality of conditioning that exist among players today. I do concur with you though that I like 1 cut backs that hit the hole and always run north and south. Another excellent point RG3. I respect your opinion and I do appreciate your vast football knowledge. Just be cautious when it comes to comparing HOF great to modern day RB's that all I'm saying.

P.S. I hope that RG3's concussion is a minor one and I am happy for your Redskins franchise. They will win a Championship within 4 years IMO just please don't do it against my beloved Colts.

Nice talking with you as always RG3.

When it comes to judging more recent running backs, I don't think you gain much clarity on where a guy stands until some years after he's retired. Good backs tend to come and go awfully quickly and the guys with real staying power are a rare breed. In that draft scenario, I'd probably be most inclined to take one of the great 70s or 80s backs ahead of the more recent guys.

In other news, Griffin practiced today and is cleared to play on Sunday provided he doesn't experience any setbacks, so there doesn't seem to be too much to worry about. Hopefully he continues to be a quick learner and we don't have to go through this again. I'm eager to see how he looks against the Vikings, if I'm not mistaken it'll be Luck and Griffin's first common regular season opponent so it could make for some interesting analysis. I'm still pretty confident both of 'em will do great things.

Have a good one.

One last point: Even the great Mike Shanahan understands the value of a multiple RB structure system. You need a scat back, a bulldozer back, and a change up back usually a mixture of the 1st two. Why? Injuries, weather conditions, and the long grueling duration of an NFL season.

Oh BTW, if you can demolish and destroy the Dallas Cowboys along the way on your future SB run, I would be forever in your debt and you will have my profound respect and eternal gratitude. Thanks Man!

What a lot of people don't understand about Mike is that he seems to greatly prefer having a feature back who can be in there in any given situation. All those years where the RBBC reigned supreme in Denver he didn't really have confidence in the overall skillset of any one guy, so he used them all. Terrell Davis and Clinton Portis could each do it all and they each shouldered the load accordingly. We're actually seeing the same thing now with Alfred Morris.

Tomlinson didn't give up much of the workload to Michael Turner or Darren Sproles in San Diego, Toby Gerhart doesn't steal very many carries from a healthy AP, and, try as he might, Ben Tate doesn't tend to cut into Arian Foster's workload much at all. You don't need backs of different varieties for different situations, you just need quality players.

[southwest1]

When it comes to judging more recent running backs, I don't think you gain much clarity on where a guy stands until some years after he's retired. Good backs tend to come and go awfully quickly and the guys with real staying power are a rare breed. In that draft scenario, I'd probably be most inclined to take one of the great 70s or 80s backs ahead of the more recent guys.In other news, Griffin practiced today and is cleared to play on Sunday provided he doesn't experience any setbacks, so there doesn't seem to be too much to worry about. Hopefully he continues to be a quick learner and we don't have to go through this again. I'm eager to see how he looks against the Vikings, if I'm not mistaken it'll be Luck and Griffin's first common regular season opponent so it could make for some interesting analysis. I'm still pretty confident both of 'em will do great things.Have a good one.

Another fine point. Longevity among backs is extremely rare. Usually, injuries sideline backs and put them on the PUP list. Matthews out of San Diego comes to mind. But occasionally, coaches do strike lightning in a bottle i.e. Coach Shanahan with RB Terrell Davis, a short amazing NFL career with 2 SB victories. Davis was incredible!

QB Griffin is a smart cat. He will quickly realize that everyone on defense is fast and that can close the gap almost instantaniously. What's that expression in Driver's ED? "Objects may be closer than they appear. " hahaRG3 will be just fine. Shanahan must remember that his QB is a pocket passer. Yes, he can scramble and he is good at it, but the best way to protect a rookie QB is either a reliable running game or bubble screens to your RB. Bootlegs occasionally to the right or left are fine, but you can't rely on it. Otherwise, you open you QB up to more violent, unnecessary hits IMO. I like RG3 a lot and he will help your squad win NFC East Division titles very soon. Ironic really, my QB, Andrew Luck must scramble too as our o-line is not solid and we are attempting to figure this situation out.

My point is: Your guy and my guy scramble a lot to make plays downfield. Let's just hope neither 1 gets seriously hurt. Unlike Kansas City Chiefs fans, you and I don't cheer when a starting franchise QB goes down.

[USAFHoosier]

The Marshawn Lynch TD run against the Saints in the Playoffs is also one of the best runs I have seen also. Going back to Barry Sanders, he did have a ton of yards lost on plays by running east/west. But there were many years where he was the only weapon on offense and the D only focused on him. I can only remember a short couple years that they were fairly balanced with Herman Moore, Bret Perriman, Johnny Morton, and Scott Mitchell. I could be wrong but other than that he was the offense.

[Synthetic]

Anytime Earl Campbell had the ball...to say the least the one where they ripped his jersey off, or "he ran through his jersey"!

I miss those old Oilers teams to death.

[Dannyre]

Watching Earl in person was quite an experience. I watched him drag five defenders for 6 yards into the endzone, and that was my favorite run of all times.....

[Synthetic]

Watching Earl in person was quite an experience. I watched him drag five defenders for 6 yards into the endzone, and that was my favorite run of all times.....

I can't imagine trying to tackle him, they say he used to hurt people worse than they hurt him.

Forget all the obsession with QB's, a runner like Earl is why we watched football to begin with. Guy was a legend and he didn't last that long sadly.

[BOTT]

bo jackson had some nice runs. a lot of db's suddenly pulled hammies......

[Fx Stryker]

http://www.youtube.c...hT-1BUZk#t=294s

http://www.youtube.c..._n55ZqpM#t=252s

Best two runs.