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Campbell though was much faster than Bettis however I feel that Jerome is a bit higher on the list than Campbell. Many people might not mention O.J. when considering best back mostly because of his legal situation while this is understandable he is still the first back to break 2,000 yards. for that reason alone I've decided to mention him though he certainly can't be called best ever.

If you happen to be familiar with Marcus Allens career then you know why hes on the list. If not for Al Davis's(Raiders owner) personal vandetta against allen then he may very well be the all time rushing leader, for those of you who dont know Marcus Allen was forced to sit the bench for several seasons with the Raiders. Exactly why im not sure but there were some kind of differences between Allen and Davis...Al Davis being the most worthless owner in the history of football. He's done nothing but destroy the Raiders once great legacy with his idiocy. (sorry that was a bit off topic but its the truth folks)

Now for the heavyweights Emmit Smith, Ladainlian Tomlinson and Barry Sanders. In this writers opinion it's between these three. Some might argue that L.T. is too young in his career to put him on the list, im going the other way though. At the young age of 27 this young back has already done the 1,000yd rushing and recieving thing, no other back in the history of the NFL has gained as many yards as Tomlinson has in as many seasons. Not to mention he has all but single handedly brought the Chargers back to championship contention. Most everybody is familiar with Emmit Smith and his football story. He is the statistical leader in rushing yards all time, won three super bowls, until two years ago he held the record for most rushing yards in a season.(until Shaun Alexander broke it, then Tomlinson the following year)

Lastly theres Barry Sanders, who's fluid running style unmatched balance and amazing quickness made him easily the most enetertaining running back to ever grace an NFL field. Sanders routinely made defenders look foolish with his sidesteps, jukes and insane spin moves. Having never played for a prennial winner some might overlook Sanders in favor of Smith. It comes down to these two as far as the debate goes. Who you consider to be the best up for debate. If youre a cowboys fan then obviously you say Emmit Smith. He was a phoenomenal back no doubt, but was surrounded by a team of superstars on both offense and defense. Sanders however was a one man offensive show...running behind a sub par offensive line each year he played in the league. Also he joined the elite club of backs to break 2,000 yards despite the lack of talent surrounding him. Another amazing bit of info is that despite routinely loosing yards on carries he still averaged close to five yards per carry for his career and what a great sport I dont think I ever saw the man spike a ball or do an endzone dance. Like Jim Brown Sanders walked away from the game while still capable of performing at his best. At this point im sure it's obvious that Barry Sanders should get the title of best running back ever. He just nudges out Emmit Smith despite his numerous titles and records.

Learn more about this author, Richard Butler.
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