The Greatest Season by a Running Back in NFL History | NFL Vault Stories 

I'd say Ladainian Tomlinson's 2007 31 total touchdown season is better in my opinion

Its not. OJ SIMPSON

the video is up... AND IT'S GOOD!

Adrian Peterson's mvp season in 2012 and it isn't even close

@@tannernightingale2982 dont forget his 100 reception season

For sure, he was the very best. Wish he got a TD against us in SB. Instead he gave it to the Fridge

@@jw9366 I don't blame Ditka for that. When the Bears scored their 46th point, it was still the 3rd quarter. Adding to that, the Pats were keying on Walter the whole game. There was one play near the goal line where Walter went right and 5 players went with him. IIRC, either McMahon or Suhey walked into the end zone to the left. I agree, though, it is sad that he didn't score.

Love this quote

Love this quote

One of the greatest quotes, from the greatest to do what he did

More like bison behavior. Walter Payton wasn't a big dude, but he'd run your ass over in a heartbeat.

Exactly

My dad told me a story where against the Giants he got hit in the backfield but managed to fight his way back to the line of scrimmage for no gain. The side line mikes caught Lawrence Taylor screaming "you're suppossed to fall down!"

That was his secret : Never Die Easy

Agree always a stiff arm before going out of bounds

Some skinny sandwiches at your house 🤣🤣🤣

Same here. When he passed, I realized even superman can die

He will always be a legend in Chicago

@@bear1536 Be a legend. Period.*

God Bless Walter Payton. 🙏

😢

I agree with you completely Walter is 1 of my 3 favorite all-time athletes and what sucks is 2 of my top 3 favorite all-time athletes have passed away

All football players were like that before the NFL got ghetto.

Him and Barry Sanders were the best to ever live. I'm not gonna say yr opinion is wrong, but I think Barry was the best to ever live. He holds the record for most 1,000 or more rushing yard seasons. And also played for a bad team. I love the lions but I mean still cant say they were good

@@Kube_Dog*cough cough* tyreek hill, Antonio brown

@@judahdameron3355 Lady Vaugh Bell. Zeke. Cleveland's gonna be ripe with it next year.

реальная сталь real'naya stal'

Good eye, nothx. I love plays like that. It's how I evaluate a QBs heart 'cuz really it's the QB who has the best chance to make the tackle or at least slow the returner up. A loser will just pout and lay on the ground if he got hit or slow play it if he didn't. A winner will haul his tail after the ball carrier and make an honest attempt to make the tackle. 'Course Avalini was nowhere to be found in this clip.

Never saw Barry Sanders do that

What a guy

We were there when they had that picture up. Made the drive from Chicago worth it.

We also went there when that mural was on the wall. SWEETNESS THE GOAT!

He wasn't better the oj oj dominating the 70s

@@utahsilvey5930 You're not well. OJ over Sweetness?!? Utterly laughable.

Payton never ran for 2003 yards in a 14 game season plus oj had 4 titles to Payton 1 oj got hurt

Walter Payton is the best running back in my lifetime.

@@dannybranigan1984 Absolutely no question. He remains the best running back ever. Stunning stats considering how he had to carry an entire team so many times. The only person that could've competed for best back ever would be Bo Jackson, who was, without question, the greatest pure athlete ever.

He could throw the ball too.

He also threw 8 touchdowns the most by any non QB in the Super Bowl era he could even kick. Walter Payton is the GOAT of football because he could truly do it all.

If a rb ran like him today, they’d call a flag on him for being too exciting.

Your dad was right

With 8 passing touchdowns he has the most of any non QB in the Super Bowl era.

I love Walter Payton, and he was a legend, but Barry Sanders is the greatest RB of all time. I wasn't aware until this thread that it was even debatable. Sanders utterly dominated both NCAA and NFL. Payton is probably the greatest "Ironman" RB, a king of toughness and durability.

Forever

Sanders was the best.... Payton was the Greatest.

@ihategooglespooks what's that supposed to mean?

@@The-Dom If Barry Sanders was on a better team, maybe, but Walter is both.

"When your good at something you'll tell everyone, if your great at something they'll tell you". - Mr. Walter Payton

Absolutely true!

Yes these athletes to day need to use him as role model very good up standing guy

Gone to early. RIP Walter

was there anything he couldn't do?

"He was the most complete running back ever". Mike Ditka

@@dertylox45 Not really. He was always on the depth chart as a place kicker as well.

Most seasons he was the 3rd QB. 🤷

He wouldve hurt some people from the Safety position.

im a bears fan i agree with that and i get mad when the bears lose to the packers cause i hate it when people say rodgers owns justin or the bears what ever but at the end of the game i think its a game to have fun no one really owns anyone

We'll never know because Sayers got hurt.

Ask any football player and they say, without a doubt, Jim Brown.

Greatest football player period. He could run, catch, throw, black, and kick.

реальная сталь real'naya stal'

Catching touchdowns, throwing touchdowns, punting, kicking. Sweetness was a player made Madden character before there was Madden.

Still remember the 85 Bears team.

@@jonmurraymurray5512 The all-time best Super Bowl team!

I wish you could've seen it!

It was nice. On a highlight film, you know there are great plays coming. Watching it live, it's a surprise.

comiskey2005 hands Down the Best Ever 💯

The best running back .

Banyuaigo never...

Barry Sanders?

MisterCaptJack yes berry to but remember berry had a good line most of his career Sweetness didn’t 👍

That's a pretty strong claim.

@Sean S. Who's better than ?

@Marquis De Sade thats a good answer but I disagree on the bases that Barry Sanders retired too early

And the same goes for jim Brown

@Marquis De Sade i can understand that too and agree with your statement but we all know those cowboy teams had probably the oline in nfl history

Closet one like him was Barry Sanders.

Pat Wiggins he didn’t have Leveons agent.

Barry played for the lions for all ten of his seasons

He fumbled 11 times in 1977

@@ShaunhanM lol

He definitely fumbled. Everyone does

Payton fumbled 86 times in his career. One of many Bears records he holds. When you touch the ball as much as he did, you are going to fumble sometimes.

I remember one run where he bounced off the defense, side to side, back and forth, like he was in a pinball machine, but fumbled at the end. STILL one of the best runs ever.

He is. possibly the most complete football player you'll ever see in history of the sport

@@nihilist2434 True best runner, blocker, receiver, passer and kicker to play RB period. Don't forget Emmitt Smith and Jim Brown said he was the best RB of all time

Mcaffery is coming tho

@@stubbsy3413 emmitt is over rated. He had maybe the best o line ever.

@@stubbsy3413 and emmitt smith said payton was the goat

They had a tough time when they went 1 and 13 even when Sayers and Butkus were on the team

Bears cant pick good QBs for some strange reason

@@bagofrats3464 And sadly, they never will. Not because they won't, but because the environment in Chicago will never allow a QB to thrive there. If Patrick Maholmes would have been drafted by the Bears, he would be on the scrapheap just like Trubisky sadly will. Asking a QB to do well in Chicago is like asking a great white shark to kill in the Sahara desert. And as long as the specter of the McCaskey family looms, they will never put together a consistent offense.

They had a good one his name was Walter Payton. He leads the league in the Super Bowl era with 8 passing touchdowns the most by any non QB.

"Tough time", yes one could say that. Brutal, unbearable, stunningly bad, excruciatingly ugly are probably better descriptions having been a Bears fan since I was a child in the 60's.

Seal team 6, Packer, Vikings and Lion fans 😁

😭😂😂

That ticker is still going because I know he ran over more than 150 players

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@@howardcosell2022 IKR????!!!!

Amen to that

Payton, Sanders and Brown- all with different qualities, Payton the most versatile of the three.

The rest of the NFC must not of had a passing game either as the Bears' James Scott was only 2 catches away from leading the conference in pass receptions in '77...plus Greg Latta caught 2 game winning receptions...without that "passing game", the Bears don't go to the playoffs in '77.

Payton single handily dragged a bad team into the Playoffs. Adrian Peterson did similar in 2012 for the Vikings, but they had a better O-Line & D than the 77 Bears!

Brando Don’t forget about the best Jim Brown

The second greatest.....Jim Brown comes first.

@@cidiose False

@@Realdealrob Come on, even Barry Sanders dad puts Jim brown ahead of his son.

40 carries to run for 275. It took OJ 29 to get 273. OJ was a one man team

And he played behind a poor line in the 70's, yet still posted mind boggling numbers! 100% greatest to ever suit up!!

@@melvynsngltn27 oj actuality had a great line, Walter's was the leagues worst

@@melvynsngltn27 OJ had 'the electric company...' Walter had the nobodies...

Melvyn Singleton AP got 296 yards on 30 carries

Is the greatest... is the greatest.

I love sweetness. But Barry has got to have the best body balance out of anyone of any sport. And that is definately not taking anything away from Walter.

He also fucked around a lot on Connie.

@@josefnadolni4668 Barry couldn't truck people like Walter did. I would say Walter had the edge on balance. Even hitting him straight on Walter would keep his feet.

@@xaviervega468 I agree with the head on thing, cuz I think maybe 5 times in his career Barry got hit head on. Walter was great, and Barry was great. There will never be 2 like them. They were definately 2 of the best to put on a show

Best all around for sure. Receiving, blocking, running, passing, even punted once.....he was great at it all.

@@roscoepeterson1290 There was a game in the early '80s where the Bears QBs were all injured and Payton had to play QB. It's where the whole "wildcat" formation basically came from. What the Dolphins did wasn't new.

@@SPTO I remember that game! He had the plays on his wristband.

SPTO - agreed. letting Refrigerator Perry score instead of Payton was one of the most shameful moments in NFL history.

@@roscoepeterson1290 Also played quaterback for 1 series against Green Bay,simply the best.

I'm thinking Saquon Barkley

Fax man

Spoiler alert ! Stop with off the field stuff , not reported and widely known was that Walter was a serial womanizer . This guy doinked countless women , I worked at 34rs , and his home , he'd pick out women.....literally countless...... and have them escorted up to his " office " upstairs for his activities . And hate to break it to you , the guy was on roids during his playing days . Lots . Immediately after he retired he shrunk like flower , but hey , his acne finally went away . Hence the internal organ damage that led to his demise. He did a lot for the community , was a hard worker , said all the right things and stayed out of trouble .

@@allgood9102 - My ex-sister-in-law was one of the nurses that tended to him as he approached death - in an AIDS ward. When this officially comes out, and it will, it will ruin his legacy.

Fact there's not one position he couldn't play

@@rheem5794 Literally, "not one position he couldn't play". He could even long snap, and hold for kicks.

Jerry Rice is better. Deion Sanders. Tom Brady.

Walter Payton could do it all run, catch, throw, block, kick. The ultimate football player. The only one in your list that could have an iota of multiple threat is Deion he could run and catch.

​@@Biden_Bluhyeah cuz Jerry Rice could run, block, and pass too. And Tom Brady can run, block, and catch. Prime Time is the only player you mentioned that was an all around great but he doesn't touch Sweetness. Sorry.

suck up

Huge facts my guy

Imagine if he or barry sanders had emmitt smith's o line...

@@paytonaxtell 100% true. When I was a kid I read a book that had a chapter on Walter, and they said if his O lines was top notch he would be measured in miles not yards. I always remember that.

@WHATEVER'S CLEVER Barry had 16 games, Barry was amazing just like walter!!

Jim Brown is a fair point. Barry is not. You can't just cherry pick his 2 worst games and say "look at his pace for the other 14". You could make any season look better by removing a players worst games.

@WHATEVER'S CLEVER I think the 1998 NFC champion Falcons and the all time great Tampa Bay defense he played in the 1st 2 weeks would argue that they had a little something to do with his 2.1 ypc in those games.

And game 14 was the infamous "slush bowl" where he only got like 34 yards cuz nobody could keep their footing. Must have been nice for Barry and Peterson to play indoors.

Payton didn't have that many rushing yards. Had that many total offensive yards.

These young kids have no idea how truly special Sweetness Was! every time he ran the ball, it was so special to watch! There will NEVER EVER BE ANOTHER!!

@AlbinoSpottedFrog only those who were to young to ever watch Walter run that ball.

HELL YEAH!!

Sanders had more agility and speed, but Payton had more power and he fought for every yard. 1970's Bears and 1990's Lions were both bad teams overall, but my money is on the Bears being worse. Payton had to carry the team for 7 or 8 years before other talented players came along to help them win the Superbowl in '85.

@MAZE_ SHADY you're funny. Most fans love LT. I do. He was amazing. But no, he is no Payton.

Exactly

Thats the definition of balance

They only run hard to get paid, then get paid and then get soft and don't care about the game anymore.

Not to mention he could throw, catch, block, punt, kick.