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!!