Top Five Running Backs in the NFL

Every serious football fan knows that, in order for any NFL team to be successful, they have to be at least somewhat proficient at running the football. Football fans in general have always had a love affair with the game's greatest running backs too.

From Jim Brown to Walter Payton, the NFL has always highlighted its sport's greatest rushers - and rightfully so.
Anyone who has ever seen Barry Sanders break one of his highlight reel runs knows that there is nothing like seeing one player make seven or eight other players miss him, or, in the case of a player like former Houston Oiler great, Earl Campbell, just get plain old overpowered.

At any rate, it's always interesting to debate who are the greatest running backs, both, of all-time and in the game today, and this column is dedicated to giving selecting the greatest runners in the game today, or should I say, my top five rushers.
In order, here they are.

LaDainian Tomlinson
This was actually a tough call - especially since I like New York Giants running back Tiki Barber so much. However, I had to give Tomlinson the call because of the amazing consistency he's shown since the day he entered the league in 2001. With over 8,100 yards in just six seasons, Tomlinson could just go down as the greatest running back in NFL history (although I'll always be partial to Payton).

Tiki Barber
For a guy that gained less than 1,00 yards in his first three seasons combined, Barber has consistently proven himself to be one of the game's best backs for the past six-plus seasons, which also makes me wonder how the Giants didn't see his greatness early in his career.

No matter, Barber, with nearly 5,800 yards in the last four and a half seasons alone, has proven he is a big-time rusher and has almost literally carried his New York Giants offense on his back during that time.

Brian Westbrook
Westbrook may never put up the eye-popping rushing statistics that some of the top runners in the league do, but I don't care what the numbers say, Westbrook is the most elusive and versatile back in the entire league.
With over 1,500 combined rushing and receiving yards in 2004 and over 1,200 last year, not to mention a career 4.6 yards per carry average, Westbrook has proven that he is the game's best dual threat. Now, if only his idiotic head coach would just hand him the damn ball more, maybe the Eagles would become a much better team and stop losing games they should be winning.

Warrick Dunn
I've got to hand it to Dunn; for a guy that weighs only 180 pounds, he is as tough as any "little" back I have ever seen. He is also almost as versatile as Westbrook and has been a rock of consistency throughout his career, except for one unproductive season (2001).

Say what you want about Dunn, all I know is that he routinely gets the job Dunn (good one). I don't care about fanfare or publicity and apparently neither does Dunn, one of the most respectable players in professional sports.
With almost 13,000 career, combined yards in his 10-year career, Dun should be remembered as one of the best ever. However, I suspect that he won't get the credit he fully deserves.

Larry Johnson
A lot of teams sure messed up by not selecting Johnson in the 2003 draft (27th overall) but hey, everyone else's loss was the Chiefs' gain. Johnson may not get the recognition for be able to catch the ball out of the backfield that others get, and I guess that can happen when you routinely bulldoze over defenders to the tune of over 1,700 yards last season, but Johnson did catch the ball for another 300-plus yards and had an incredible season of over 2,000 total yards last season, numbers it looks like he's going to approach again this season even after a slow start. Johnson's career 4.8 yards per carry average is stunning to say the least.

Here are the league's rushing leaders through nine games.

1 Tiki Barber NYG 830 172 4.8 1 29
2 LaDainian Tomlinson SD 828 168 4.9 12 58
3 Larry Johnson KC 816 199 4.1 9 45
4 Chester Taylor MIN 708 173 4.1 2 95
5 Steven Jackson STL 691 170 4.1 4 37
6 Julius Jones DAL 689 165 4.2 3 33
7 Warrick Dunn ATL 688 153 4.5 3 90
8 Frank Gore SF 672 143 4.7 3 53
9 Willie Parker PIT 634 162 3.9 6 39
10 Fred Taylor JAC 633 136 4.7 3 32
11 Rudi Johnson CIN 629 160 3.9 6 22
12 Ronnie Brown MIA 621 151 4.1 4 27
13 Tatum Bell DEN 612 137 4.5 2 39
14 Thomas Jones CHI 612 159 3.8 3 29
15 Kevin Jones DET 584 136 4.3 6 52
16 Willis McGahee BUF 579 154 3.8 1 32
17 Michael Vick ATL 576 70 8.2 2 34
18 Ahman Green GB 561 120 4.7 3 70
19 DeShaun Foster CAR 540 143 3.8 2 43
20 Jamal Lewis BAL 533 152 3.5 2 27
21 Edgerrin James ARI 516 185 2.8 3 14
22 Brian Westbrook PHI 500 97 5.2 4 71
23 Clinton Portis WAS 498 121 4.1 7 38
24 Joseph Addai IND 490 105 4.7 2 21
25 Deuce McAllister NO 487 111 4.4 5 57
26 Travis Henry TEN 479 115 4.2 3 23
27 Laurence Maroney NE 458 107 4.3 3 41
28 Cadillac Williams TB 453 124 3.7 1 38
29 Reuben Droughns CLE 418 132 3.2 2 22
30 Leon Washington NYJ 397 86 4.6 2 23