Tomlinson retires

Of course, many also forget that 30 years ago, fullbacks were actually expected to carry the ball and catch passes, unlike today.

 

That's one of Sanders' big negatives -- too many no gains and negative plays. He wasn't a guy you could count on to get a tough yard inside when you needed one. And he flat-out vanished in big games.

His spectacular ability puts him among the greats, but those issues leave him a step below Brown, Simpson, Payton and, yes, Smith.

 

Apparently some of you don't understand common English. Someone posted saying that if we only took a person's best season Campbell would be one of the best. Campbell's best season was really good but there are quite a few better before and after. Campbell is a top 10 RB career wise but his best season isn't even close to one of the top 10 best seasons.

Does Craig make my top 10 all time? No, and I'm a 49ers fan.

Oh and LongTimeListener, if you think Alexander's 2005 season wasn't great then you are mistaken. Yes he had a a lot of short touchdowns. He has had 13 come from five or more yards out, ran for nearly 1,900 yards and averaged 5.1 yards despite a ridiculous 370 that season.

 

And he still wasn't close to Campbell's best season. Nor were many of the guys you mentioned. Perhaps you should learn the primary role of a running back, especially the way it was defined in the 1970s, before you question the ability of others here to understand "common English."

What does that mean, anyway? Common English? As opposed to uncommon English? How would you define that? Using words that are rarely utilized? Using the language in an uncommon way? We've got a lot of fans of Aaron Sorkin around here. Would his work qualify as uncommon Engllish?

These are the patterns of thinking that kept me out of the really good schools, to borrow and bend a phrase from another person capable of using English in an uncommon way.

 

Part of the reason for him vanishing was the Lions pretty much sucked throughout his career and in big games were usually big underdogs. don't remember Detroit's entire o line but do remember debating Smith vs Sanders. even my buddy who said he'd rather have Smith admitted Lomas Brown was the only Lion o lineman who'd see the field for the Cowboys during those SB years.

 

Ten of them came either before or within five years of Campbell but please continue.

 

Campbell's best season came in 1980s as did most of his career. The role of a running back, and anyone on offense, is help produce points as much as possible. Running backs primarily due so through rushing but that doesn't mean their receiving is any less valuable. Go ask any coach if they care how a running back gets yards. I guarantee they don't give a shit as long as the yards are gained and the team scores. Same goes for a quarterback rushing.

As for Craig, he averaged 4.9 yards a rush and averaged 11 yards a reception. He was very efficient rushing and ridiculously efficient receiving. He had more yards, touchdowns and did it in a lot less touches. I've asked before and I'll ask again, if that is somehow less valuable than Campbell's best then explain how.

 

For one thing, supporting casts matter. He had one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Campbell had what was left of Kenny Stabler.

Craig had an offense designed to feed him one dump passes. He had Wendell Tyler averaging even more yards per carry. If you can't understand the difference between the two players and the two offenses they were in, that is your failure, not ours.

 

The thing that I find so interesting about running backs in the NFL is how quickly these guys can go from MVP-level to not being able to make a roster. The wall comes so quickly. Injuries are often a factor, but a lot of times it's just the wall.

Shaun Alexander, Priest Holmes, Terrell Davis, Eddie George, Ahman Green, Jamal Lewis, Larry Johnson...

They're all guys who, when in their prime, looked like locks for Canton, but I think it's a safe bet to say nobody on that list ever gets inducted.

 

This is where Smith's greatness is underestimated, because he lacked the wow factor of Sanders, Brown and even Payton.

 

I think Emmitt had the wow factor, just not on the level of Sanders, Brown and Payton and wasn't the pass-catcher that Faulk and Tomlinson were.

I remember during Alexander's MVP season a coach told me off the record that there were 10 backs in the league that could have done what Alexander was doing when he was running behind Hutchinson and Walter Jones. When Tomlinson had his MVP season, the same coach told me LT was one of the best he'd ever seen.

 

In the next decade, it will be interesting to see if another running back other than Bettis and LT make it to Canton.

I tend to think one more will get in during that stretch.