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LaDainian Tomlinson is a great running back. Probably the best in the game today. To say he is the best of all time is not only too early to say but also foolish. To give a back those type of credentials, you have to have the convenience of an overview of his entire career. LT is not done yet. Before I say he is the best of all time, I want to compare him to the best of all time. Not just the numbers comparison, but over all ability as a football player. Was he a great receiver out of the backfield? Was he a great blocker? Was he a great football player?

Right now, I can name 3 running backs in the Hall of Fame who were better than LT. All backs are compared to the great Jim Brown. Brown was and is considered the best back of all time. He is also considered the best football player of all time. In only 9 seasons, Brown put up staggering numbers and broke all rushing records. The only reason why Walter Payton broke his rushing record was because "Sweetness" played four more years than Brown.
Since I mentioned Walter Payton, we might as well talk about "Sweetness". Walter Payton was the ultimate "all-purpose back". Not only did he break Brown's rushing record, when he retired, Walter held the record for most all purpose yards. Walter was a great receiver out of the backfield. To add to his legend, you didn't want to get blocked by number 34. A third back of history that was better than LT is Barry Sanders.
There are so many things I can say about Barry. He played on one of the worst teams with one of the worst offensive lines for most of his career! The Lions were terrible, but people would tune in to watch number 20 evade tacklers and cross that endzone, only to hand the ball to the ref in pure humility. What he lacked in charisma he made up in superior athletic ability. Barry was on his way to breaking Walter Payton's rushing record before retiring after only 10 years of football.
All three of the above running backs mentioned were unique in their own way and added something new to the game. While LT is a touchdown machine, I haven't seen him bounce off tacklers quite like Sweetness. I also haven't seen him show the proper humility after scoring 30 plus touchdowns in a season. And of course, LT's off the field pursuits don't touch Jim Brown.
I guess the bottom line is that it's too early to crown LT the Almighty of running backs past and present. I think he needs to continue to dominate for at least another seven or eight years. After his career is over, let's all convene and compare. Even LT wouldn't have a problem with that.

Learn more about this author, Chris Hulett.
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