Riggins better than Earl?!?!

[Lidig8r]

They obviously forgot to look at all of these highlights.. especially at the 1:06 mark.
The Link

Earl was transcendent.

 

[runthebone]

Riggins's best season was 1,347 yards (1983). Earl had four better seasons (including 1450, 1697, and 1934) as well as a 1,301 yard season. Earl led the NFL in rushing three times, Riggins none. Earl went to five Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro, Riggins went to one Pro Bowl and was a two-time All-Pro. Earl is an f'ing football god, Riggins is not.

Jim Brown is probably the best RB ever, but Riggins is not even in the same league as Earl. He doesn't even belong in the same conversation. He was a good player who had one really good season playing behind a sick line.

 

[LongestHorn]

It must have been very difficult for them to choose Riggins over Earl. Both very powerful backs, to be sure.

 

[bck031]

Earl is the greatest power back to ever play. Brown may be the better overall back back, but no one was more powerful that Earl.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Riggins >>> Earl
If the topic is who is more likely to get ****-faced, crawl under a table and try to "loosen up" a Supreme Court Justice. If the topic is who is the better running back . . . Earl and it isn't even close.

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[Fritz]

I'm with bck031 on this one. The argument is between Brown and Campbell. Riggins isn't part of this. By any measure I can think of I'd put Campbell ahead of Riggins. Good grief.

 

[bierce]

Settle down, guys. People who make these lists always stir in a lot of factors like team's championships, the individual's playoff awards, longevity, etc.

I'm not planning on watching the show about it tonight, but it won't surprise me if they say lots of nice things about how Earl would have to be considered the toughest guy to tackle one on one, the guy you would want above all other to get you the first down no matter who was blocking for him, a guy whose career was probably cut short due to the incredible amount of punishment he took in such a short time, etc., complete with everyone on the Rams saying, yeah, he knocked me over on that play, too, and I still feel it.

 

[scottsp]

Isiah Robertson and Jack Tatum know who numero uno is, and they know it all too well.

 

[bck031]

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[PatronSaint]

For those of you who discount Alstott, I think you are forgetting how heady of a player he was, like a general on the field, high football IQ. He also ran good routes and had soft hands.

 

[NJlonghorn]

What made Earl so great was that he is one of the top two power backs of all times AND one of the top 20 or so backs in terms of speed, cutbacks, etc. I remember someone (Tatum?) saying in an interview that the problem with Earl was that if you got up on your toes, he'd run through you, and if you leaned back on your heels, he'd run around you.

If the point of the list is to rate how good backs were power-wise, completely discounting all other attributes, then I can see Riggins and Earl being pretty close. But as an overall back, it isn't close (and I don't think the makers of this list would argue to the contrary).