Barry Sanders

I'd argue that a consistent 5 yards per carry is far better for offense efficiency than two negative plays followed by a 20 yard run.

 

That said, put sanders on emmitt smiths cowboy team and the dude runs for 25000 yards.

 

no doubt, but didnt' Detroit take him out in goal line situations? remember this is splitting hairs over who is the GOAT, not arguing barry wasn't spectacular.

 

Bo Jackson, and it's not even debatable, IMO.

I can't think of another back I'd take ahead of him, when he was healthy.

 

Oh, I know you are not saying he sucks. Dude was the best I ever saw play, bar none. Just different than say Smith or Payton.

I would watch that crap Detroit team just to watch sanders run.

 

Would have been interesting to see his career had he a) not played baseball and 2) not injured himself

 

What is funny is I never think of him. Partly because he played part time but mostly because he was a shooting star, and gone so fast.

But yes, when healthy his combination of size, strength and speed was unmatched.

Good call.

 

I beleive if he had not gotten hurt he could have been a dual hall of famer.

 

speed and strength off the charts. his vision was pretty overrated though. guy never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. and btw i probably watched every game he ever played with the raiders. hard to know how much of that problem was limited experience though.

 

It's a tough question because the criteria is too subjective.

If you're going to weight "durability" in the equation, Bo takes a sizable hit. If you're talking "longevity", then Brown, Sanders and Terrell Davis (if he's in the conversation) get serious hits, compared to the likes of Smith, Payton, etc.

 

if he had devoted 100 percent of his time to the craft of being a rb he could have been unstoppable.

 

Davis takes a hit, but sanders and brown walked away on their own volition, not because of injuries or poor performance.

 

"I totally agree." -Pete Carroll

 

pete didn't pick reggie bush either.

 

Not that I remember.

They did give Corey Schlesinger quite a few goal line carries, but he was a 260 lb fb that broke people's facemasks when he blocked them.

 

Barry Sanders missed seven games in a 10 year career.

 

according to this they took him out after 1992:

http://www.footballdiner.com/nflbarrysanders.html

Detroit Lions coaching staff from 1992 onwards preferred having a bigger, power-back in on these situations, and took Sanders out of the game

some good pro barry stuff in this article btw.

 

Just watching him make all world defenders break their ankles trying to grab him was worth the negative plays.

 

But Bush illegally pushed it in.

 

Sanders.