Frank Gore
 

I doubt most people have even heard of him. He is now the #3 all time NFL rusher.

He's been very durable over the years, hardly missing a game. Given the beating RBs take it's always a surprise when someone plays 15 years, most of them as a bell cow back.

Gore also just passed Marshall Faulk into 4th All-Time for Yards from Scrimmage. Very durable, very under-rated. A tough, tough guy.

I still remember when he tore up his knee at Miami - I thought he was done.

however...

Barry Sanders is still the best I ever saw.


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Not to diminish Sanders, but I'd go with Bo.

Frank Gore is an outstanding, workman running back. Should be a Hall of Famer.

The 12,000 yard club. "+" = Hall of Fame. Gore and Peterson active. They should both make HoF. I think Edgerrin James will get there as well.


1 Emmitt Smith+ 18,355 1990-2004 2TM
2 Walter Payton+ 16,726 1975-1987 chi
3 Frank Gore 15,289 2005-2019 4TM
4 Barry Sanders+ 15,269 1989-1998 det
5 Curtis Martin+ 14,101 1995-2005 2TM
6 Adrian Peterson 13,861 2007-2019 4TM
7 LaDainian Tomlinson+ 13,684 2001-2011 2TM
8 Jerome Bettis+ 13,662 1993-2005 2TM
9 Eric Dickerson+ 13,259 1983-1993 4TM
10 Tony Dorsett+ 12,739 1977-1988 2TM
11 Jim Brown+ 12,312 1957-1965 cle
12 Marshall Faulk+ 12,279 1994-2005 2TM
13 Edgerrin James 12,246 1999-2009 3TM
14 Marcus Allen+ 12,243 1982-1997 2TM
15 Franco Harris+ 12,120 1972-1984 2TM
16 Thurman Thomas+ 12,074 1988-2000 2TM

I remember that happening to Willis McGahee (another Bills RB) at Miami, did that also happen with Gore?

Agree on Sanders.

Small sample size, but Bo was devastating for as long as he lasted. Like Gale Sayers but in a different way. The body was just not made to do the things he was doing for any length of time.

I've never seen a back that fast who could also just run right over or through people because he was so strong.

You may be right...I'm just guessing at this stage. :eek:

Bo Jackson was the greatest all around athlete I have ever seen. Played football as a hobby. Just look at the film of his throw from the warning track to home. Hit H’s with ease and ran over or around defenders. Plus he was the fastest man on the field. Bo knows.

I totally agree with you on Bo...definitely the best athlete a lot of us ever saw.

However, even with his short career skewing a true comparison, I'll stick with Barry Sanders as the best running back I ever saw.



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I always had the impression, and it may have been skewed from a couple of games I saw where he did nothing, that Sanders was considerably less special on grass than on turf.

Frank Gore is the Tony Perez of Football. He put up excellent numbers for a very long time but HOF numbers in a season maybe once or twice.

Peter with roughly an even split between grass and turf during Barry's career it shouldn't be hard to confirm or bust that bias.

Barry averaged 4.98 yards per carry at home and 4.99 yards per carry on the road.

Not a perfect turf vs. non-turf split, but as much as I'm willing to spend time researching. ;)

I think I am probably generalizing from a couple of miserable games I saw him play on grass.

Not to diminish Bo, but I'd go with Jim. I never saw him play live, but I've seen plenty of video. Brown did what Bo did for a full career, back when the NFL was really football.

...behind an equally miserable offensive line. He probably ran longer on many short runs where there was no hole offered...many times only getting back to the line of scrimmage, but saving losses.

I'm not saying he never lost yardage, just that he lost far less than he should have.

He evaded tackles like he was made of butter - I just made that up, but it was true.

As far as the turf/grass argument, he would have done just as well on the up escalator or a gravel road.

It's hard to make a serious argument against Jim Brown. In terms of pure power, a young Earl Campbell is right up there too. As I recall he also was quite fast, though his style was definitely to run over people.

Frank Gore, and has been for years, my favorite active player. He is a class act, a leader, a hard worker and one hell of a player. You would never think he is third, but he did it slow and steady, proving you can move mountains one shovel-full at a time. Gore is great!!

And PS - I have been a die hard broncos fan since the early 1980’s, so not a homer or 49ers fan

Anyone who can play that game at that level for 15 years is something special.

He's had a great leadership presence on my Bills. Go Buffalooooo!!!!!!!!!

Derrick Henry in last game against the Patriots best game I’ve ever seen from a rb great cuts overpowering and even decent speed- I remember bo and Barry and Marcus Allen having spectacular runs in games but not dominating a good defense like that to the extent Henry did— but maybe I have a bad memory :)