Top 5 Running Backs of All Time: LaDainian Tomlinson!?

So went to the Kansas City Chiefs game today. Had a good time with good friends, Chiefs on the other hand did not. They played the San Diego Chargers and played solid defensively but their offense needs a lot of work. Their turnovers reached a number I am not comfortable counting to most times, six I believe.

Something interesting that stuck with me on the way home from Kansas City, one of my friends that I was attending the game with, Justin, leaned over to me and told me he believed LaDainian Tomlinson is one of the top 5 NFL running backs of all time. That to me is a pretty bold statement. I thought about it all the way home and even now, obviously as I am writing about it. So I dug a little into L.T.'s career stats. Here they are:

(Courtesy of NFL.com)

Rushing: 3,174 carries, 13,684 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, 145 touchdowns

Receiving: 624 catches, 4,772 yards, 7.6 yards per catch, 17 touchdowns

L.T. also set the single season touchdown record with 31 in 2006.

Now those are some very impressive stats, but I still am not sold on L.T. being one of the top 5 running backs of all time. Chalk it up to the fact that I and not a Charger fan, the fact that I am a Patriot fan, and L.T. was a bit of a cry baby a couple times when playing the Pats in important games if I remember correctly, whatever it may be I am not sold.

Now I did a little search of the interwebs, and found NFL.com's top 10 list of running backs. I figured NFL.com was as good a site to submit a list as any right? So here it is:

1. Jim Brown
2. Barry Sanders
3. Walter Payton
4. Gale Sayers
5. O.J. Simpson

     9. LaDainian Tomlinson

Now I am not saying, in any way, that L.T. was not a good running back. I was not even a fan of the Chargers, and I enjoyed watching him play throughout his career. This is just simply a ranking. So here it goes, my top 5 list of NFL running backs:

1. Barry Sanders Lions.   The man was simply electrifying to watch. 1,400 yards away from breaking the all-time rushing record and walked away from the game. 
2. Jim Brown Browns. Brown was like a bulldozer. Had the combination of strength and speed. Owns the record for yards per carry with 5.2
3. Walter Payton Bears.  Again Payton was electrifying. When he called it quits he was the all time leading rusher in NFL history.
4. O.J. Simpson Bills. Say what you want about Simpson now, but the man could play football. Simpson was the first running back to even record 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a single season.
5. Emmitt Smith. Some say that Smith stayed a little too long. But I believe that the current all time leading rushing in NFL history belongs in the top 5 list of running backs. 

There it is, my list. Those are my thoughts. Now tell me what you think. Did I miss somebody? Does somebody not belong on this list? Be sure to follow my blog and tell me your thoughts. I love lists like these. Be sure and tell me your top 5 as well!!

The State of Wever's Teams: St Louis Cardinals (MLB)

Standing: The Cardinals are currently 84-72 overall with six games left to go in the regular season. They also have a three game lead for the second Wild Card spot in the National League, this is a welcome new addition this year by Major League Baseball. Without the second Wild Card there would not be much excitement left this season as it comes to a close, and my Cards would be close to being eliminated from playoff contention already. 

Hot Streak: The Cardinals are peaking at the exact right time, just like last year. Thank worked well if we remember :). They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and like previously stated, have stretched their lead to 3 games in the Wild Card. Coming out of their last series with the Los Angles Dodgers I was admittedly worried about my Cards. They only had a one game lead over them and their line up is stacked. Fortunately we took the last game of that series and have not looked back. We have had the schedule smiling at us, with the Astros and the Cubs in the last 9 games. We finish up the season with a six game home stand, three games with Washington and three games with the hated Reds. 

Rotation: Their rotation is coming together nicely at exactly the right time. This makes me very excited. If they make it into the playoffs opposing teams will have to deal with this:

Lance Lynn: 17-7 3.69 ERA

Kyle Lohse: 16-3 2.77 ERA

Adam Wainwright: 13-13 4.02 ERA (First season back from Tommy John, Big game pitcher though!)

Jake Westbrook: 13-11 3.97 ERA

Chris Carpenter: Made first start of the season this week! Would have been the ace of this impressive staff!

Jason Motte: 40 saves 

My Thoughts: I believe that we are sitting pretty! If we do get into the playoffs it could be another magical year for the Cards. That pitching staff is going to be tough to deal with in a short playoff series. I did not even mention the Cards lineup that I think has what it takes to compete for another National League Title and perhaps more. Very exciting time for Cardinals fans! 

Check back soon for a look at the New England Patriots and Liverpool Football Club!

Oh, Hello!

Hey there! If you are reading this then you are either, a friend, and thanks for the support! or b. interested in my thoughts, which who wouldn't be, about some of the things I thoroughly enjoy doing. I hope to share my insight into the world of games, comics, movies/tv, electronics and sports.

A little about myself. My name is Chris Wever. I am a Social Studies teacher, I teach grades 7-11, so I teach just about everything Social Studies. In college I worked for GameStop, one of the best decisions I've ever made, because I learned a lot about video games, and I met some very dear friends.

Through my short amount of years on this planet I have developed at wide range of interests. First, I love sports, could not survive without them. Second, games get me through the week. To me there is no better stress release than playing video games. Third, comics have sparked an interest in me again and I could not be happier than discussing them with my brother, Matt and one of my best friends, Justin. Fourth, movies and TV. I cannot imagine living in a world without these two things. now its not like I sit in front of my TV and stare at it all day, I do not. But thanks to a DVR I am able to watch all of my wonderful shows. And finally, electronics. I very much enjoy most things about the electronic industry.

The main purpose of this blog is to provide you with my thoughts on the things that I love. I hope that you enjoy and it provides you with ideas and maybe sparks a debate or two. Thank you so much for taking the time to look over my little chunk of the interwebs. There will be more soon, so check back!

P.S. Dink was my family nickname as a child, because I was so small. Ahh the good ole days!