Adrian Peterson omits this Hall of Famer among his top five NFL running backs of all time

It’s ironic that Adrian Peterson, a Texas native, omitted Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith from his list of the top five running backs in NFL history. 

Instead of including Smith (the NFL’s all-time rushing leader), Peterson made two somewhat surprising choices while going with three obvious ones. Peterson ultimately picked six running backs but said two of them would rotate off the bench. 

“I’ll put myself on there, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton,” Peterson said on the “Courtside Club” podcast. “I’ve gotta go with Jim Brown. Now, I’ve always said Bo Jackson, because he was just freakish. 

“So, I’m going Bo Jackson, and then, L.T. right there, LaDainian Tomlinson. Either one of them is coming off the bench.” 

Sanders, Brown and Payton are shoo-ins on any all-time running back list. Tomlinson, while not quite on the same level of those three, is also a regular in conversations regarding all-time backs. Tomlinson, after all, is arguably the greatest fantasy football back of all time is is a big reason for fantasy football’s popularity boom in the 2000s. 

Peterson including himself and Jackson are the surprises. Peterson was exceptional during his prime, but the back half of his career wasn’t terribly impressive. Instead of going the Sanders route and retiring in his prime (Peterson’s last great year was in 2015, when he was 30, which was how old Sanders was during his final season), Peterson continued to play well past his prime. While his production faded, Peterson’s durability during the final stretch of his career was impressive. 

Like Peterson, there is no denying how good Jackson was during his short run with the Raiders. The fact that Jackson’s career lasted just 38 games is the reason why the former NFL and MLB star isn’t usually included in all-time running back lists. 

Jackson made his short time in the NFL count, though. He had the NFL’s longest run during…

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Author : Bryan DeArdo

Publish date : 2024-04-05 16:39:48

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