I think he was looking at the list of HOFers when he did this and was mainly couting Pro Bowls. I know GIl knows his stuff, but I'm surprised there are a few more RBs who should probably be on the list... maybe not high, but at least on the list... Eddie George... Jamaal Charles (especially if he comes back and turns it on this season in Denver)... maybe even Jones-Drew. 

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'02

Bo Jackson is perhaps the most overrated NFL football player of all time.
2782 yards rushing and 352 yards receiving

Bo Jackson is perhaps the msot overrated MLB player of all time
2398 at bats -  598 hits  841 strike outs  .250 batting average and a .309 ob base percentage.
141 HRs was a positive but c'mon man striking out 33% of the time is crazy bad.

I can't speak to Bo Jackson's baseball career, but remember that Jackson played half seasons in football due to his baseball career.  Also remember he split time with Marcus Allen.

When he played, he was productive and had many long runs.

He was a heck of a RB...and not overrated in the least.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Bo Jackson is perhaps the most overrated NFL football player of all time.
2782 yards rushing and 352 yards receiving

Bo Jackson is perhaps the msot overrated MLB player of all time
2398 at bats -  598 hits  841 strike outs  .250 batting average and a .309 ob base percentage.
141 HRs was a positive but c'mon man striking out 33% of the time is crazy bad.

If Bo Jackson makes the list based on what could have been, that's an even bigger argument for why Taylor should be on that list in the top 15 or so.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Bo Jackson is perhaps the most overrated NFL football player of all time.
2782 yards rushing and 352 yards receiving

Bo Jackson is perhaps the msot overrated MLB player of all time
2398 at bats -  598 hits  841 strike outs  .250 batting average and a .309 ob base percentage.
141 HRs was a positive but c'mon man striking out 33% of the time is crazy bad.

If Bo Jackson makes the list based on what could have been, that's an even bigger argument for why Taylor should be on that list in the top 15 or so.

Well said. Some forget, but when FT went down with the groin injury... at that point in time he was the most feared RB in football en route to an easy Pro Bowl appearance.

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'02

Let's go to the list and consider the ranking

Gil Brandt's top 27 RBs...

1. Jim Brown - totally agree
   
2. Walter Peyton - totally agree
   
3. OJ Simpson - ok, but not over Barry
   
4. Gale Sayers - great RB, but you have top play more than that for top five. Sayers is definitely top 10 tho.
   
5. LaDanian Tomlinson - shocking this high, and no way over Barry. Fred Taylor was always in LT's shadow. Granted LT consistently edged out Fred, but much of that was he added so much with his pass catching. But Fred wasn't that far behind LT. LT in the top 5 is just wrong.
   
6. Eric Dickerson - great spot for Dickerson, but still not better than Barry
   
7. Earl Campbell - ditto
   
8. Barry Sanders - an utter disgrace at #8... he should be #3 and EASILY top 5.
   
9. Tony Dorsett - I've heard it before that he's actually better than Emmitt, but do either truly belong in the top 10? I get that Emmit has the rushing title and 8 pro bowls, but that was sheer longevity. He was never a better runner than FT.
   
10. Emmitt Smith - His rushing title gives him the 10th spot, and that's hard to argue. I'd put him over Dorsett.
    
11. Marshall Faulk - not a bad spot, but I'd probably put him at #9 just ahead of Emmitt.
    
12. Curtis Martin - flat out Fred was a better RB than Martin. At this point, I think Gil is counting Pro Bowls. Fred would have had more than his one if he played in a different era, but this is where he's being edged out. Martin had 5 Pro Bowls, but that's it over FT.
    
13. Adrian Peterson - his yards per game stat makes for an argument that he should be top five... I'd have him top 10 somehow.
    
14. Bo Jackson - 1 Pro Bowl? Less than 3000 yards? I get that he was one of the best, but I got FT easy over Bo. Bo isn't even in the HOF.
    
15. John Riggins - 1 Pro Bowl... power runner, but that was it... Fred was straight up better and edges him out in rushing yards
    
16. John Henry Johnson - Who? Bounced around four teams. Less than 7000 yards. 4 Pro Bowls, but come on.
    
17. Thurmon Thomas - 5 Pro Bowls, and edges out Fred in yards, but Fred was straight up better.
    
18. Jerome Bettis - agreed that he's top 20, but not over Fred despite six Pro Bowls. We know Fred was better.
    
19. Terrell Davis - 3 Pro Bowls, but less than 8000 yards. Again... come on Gil.
    
20. Larry Csonka - great power runner, but again that was it. Just over 8000 yards, but 5 Pro Bowls.
    
21. Floyd Little - 3 Pro Bowls, but ran for just over 6000 yards.
    
22. Marcus Allen - Marcus was closing in on 13,000 yards... should easily be top 20.
    
23. Joe Perry - played 14 seasons but less than 9000 yards to show for it. 3 Pro Bowls and in the HOF like virtually all of these RBs (Adrian Peterson and Bo Jackson are the only two so far to miss the HOF)
    
24. Marion Motley - are you kidding me? no Pro Bowls... less than 5000 yards ... get outta here Gil.
    
25. Jim Taylor - 5 Pro Bowls, and fun to watch old game clips, but less than 9000 yards.
    
26. Ezekiel Elliott - Gil being a Cowboys homer here... why not just stop at 25?
    
27. Ollie Matson - 6 Pro Bowls, just under 13000 yards... why is he not top 20?
    

I can see how the Pro Bowls and HOF standings have a couple more players over Fred than I was thinking, but Fred Taylor by all rights should be top 15, and he most definitely should be in the HOF.

Yeah I am starting to no longer pay attention to Brandt's lists now. I could understand the Jimmy Smith snub. It was hard to contest the receivers he had on it. But this list belongs in a dumpster fire somewhere. 

The fact that he places Elliot on this list ALREADY is just absurd. Borderline lunacy. Especially in front of a guy that's already put up the numbers. Just a homer being a homer like you said. Didn't even have to go and look all the way down but I am sure he'll have Dorsett and Smith on it as well. THAT's understandable. But not Elliot. 

I'll tell you another runner that gets snubbed. It's Herschel Walker. He ended up finishing 11th overall in NFL history as far as All-Purpose yardage went. And just like Allen he was snubbed and bounced around on rosters and at positions because of politics. 

Bo Jackson shouldn't be on this list. I am sorry. He's one of those ultimate "What If" players. It would have been different had he ended up like Gale Sayers or better. But he didn't play long enough. But I agree with Fred. I see at least five or six guys on this list that he was better than during his career. Freddy is 50th all time right now in all purpose yards in the history of the NFL. With 55 games missed in his career. He would probably top 20 all time in that regard if he didn't miss those games. 

But that's what brings me back to Bo Jackon and Ezekiel Elliot.... I couldn't slight Freddy in favor of either of those two. Or, like you said. Why go top 27 instead of top 25? Or go up and make it a top 30?

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

I'll tell you another runner that gets snubbed. It's Herschel Walker. He ended up finishing 11th overall in NFL history as far as All-Purpose yardage went. And just like Allen he was snubbed and bounced around on rosters and at positions because of politics.

Oh yeah... why the heck is Herschel not on this list? He's at least top 20... borderline top 15.

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'02

I sensed a cowboys homer. Not including Walker or especially Ricky Watters is a disgrace. Not putting Barry top 3 is a mess and Taylor belongs right under Sanders so top 5.

I can name so many running backs better then Elliot. One year and top of all time? wow. And Bo does not belong in that list period. It was not the Nfl fault that Jackson chose to play both sports.

And Dorsett was better than smith. He just benefited from the same Elliot does. a great o line. And many could argue mojo belongs there too. (because carried the jags for many years)

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Bleeding Teal since 1995. The Icon Teal Time Radio aka ctjags

  #Gojags

I sensed a cowboys homer.  Not including Walker or especially Ricky Watters is a disgrace.  Not putting Barry top 3 is a mess and Taylor belongs right under Sanders so top 5.  

I can name so many running backs better then Elliot.  One year and top of all time?  wow.  And Bo does not belong in that list period.  It was not the Nfl fault that Jackson chose to play both sports.

And Dorsett was better than smith.  He just benefited from the same Elliot does. a great o line.   And many could argue mojo belongs there too. (because carried the jags for many years)

Turn the Watter on!

I remember Rickey. Even more than Ricky tho, I remember Roger Craig. Craig is serioulsy underrated as a RB in this league. He'd sort of duck when he ran with his knees kicking up high. Those knees of his would knock down would-be tacklers. Craig and Watters were both fun to watch with the 49ers.

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'02

I think you guys are playing up the 55 games missed number a bit. A big chunk of those games were during his last 2 years when he was in New England when he was 33 and 34 years old. Running backs don't tend to fare well in the league at that age. You could easily make the argument he should've retired when Jacksonville decided to not retain him after his contract ran out. It looks like he was holding on and hoping his body would not let him down so he could make a better case for HOF, but his body didn't cooperate.

You take those missed New England games away and he missed a total of 36 games while in Jax which is still considerable. Many of those missed games came in his first 4 years in the league which are prime years for running backs. What could have been, indeed. If you apply his per carry average and attempts per year average to those injury seasons conservatively he'd probably be somewhere near Bettis and Tomlinson in career rushing yards (currently ranked 6th and 5th respectively) and would have been a slam dunk first ballot hall of famer.

I wonder if those two years in New England hurt him more than helped him.

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Chalk it up however you want. But an all-time great in Fred Taylor missed 55 games. I'd take a healthy Fred Taylor at 33 and 34 years old over Ivory and Yeldon.

The greatest head coach ever wanted him at 33 and 34 years old, so the 55 games are 55 games.

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Missing 55 games is not a plus.  At best, it's a "let me explain".

Well considering this little tidbit, along with Barry Sanders and APs' rank, Fred Taylor is within his right to say that this list is fake news!

On a side note, it'd be interesting to see how many games were missed by the top27 if someone had the time to delve down that rabbit hole.

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Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.

The elephant in the room with Fred Taylor is the suspicion that he was a malingerer. The "Fragile Freddy" nickname is obviously a pejorative. I remember a lot of talk during his career when he was missing games about how hurt he was or was not. Taylor has made statments later about how injured he was that was not disclosed to him at that time.

There is no way to know if he was a malingerer or just plagued by a ton of injuries. The thing that seems suspicious to me was how he suddenly was rejuvenated and able to stay healthy after we drafted a stud MJD in round 2.

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The elephant in the room with Fred Taylor is the suspicion that he was a malingerer. The "Fragile Freddy" nickname is obviously a pejorative. I remember a lot of talk during his career when he was missing games about how hurt he was or was not. Taylor has made statments later about how injured he was that was not disclosed to him at that time.

There is no way to know if he was a malingerer or just plagued by a ton of injuries. The thing that seems suspicious to me was how he suddenly was rejuvenated and able to stay healthy after we drafted a stud MJD in round 2.

There may be good reason for that aside from MJD. After the groin injury while preparing to return, JDR had Fred spend time with a nutritionist to change his diet. He started eating much healthier and in turn become a much tougher RB.

Some forget that the "fragile" Fred nickname was something he picked up as a rookie. Even though he missed a mere four games, it seemed like he was injured every other week. Often he'd go down for the remainder of the game as a rookie,  but almost miracilously would be healed up for the next game. In later years he wasn't so quick to return. After his eating habits changed he finally stopped getting hurt for the most part. 

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Chalk it up however you want. But an all-time great in Fred Taylor missed 55 games. I'd take a healthy Fred Taylor at 33 and 34 years old over Ivory and Yeldon.

The greatest head coach ever wanted him at 33 and 34 years old, so the 55 games are 55 games.

If injury is such a killer, then what about Gale Sayers?

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'02

If Bo Jackson makes the list based on what could have been, that's an even bigger argument for why Taylor should be on that list in the top 15 or so.

Well said. Some forget, but when FT went down with the groin injury... at that point in time he was the most feared RB in football en route to an easy Pro Bowl appearance.

Without looking at google, I think he only had 116 yards rushing when he threw the ball to the grass and Stacy Mack came in as his backup. He was on his way to becoming the most feared but he was not on his way to a Pro Bowl appearence.

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Bo Jackson wasn't overrated. He would play an entire baseball season, not go through any football offseason preparation, and literally walk on to the football field in week 5 or 6 and perform like the best RB in the league. Obviously would have been interesting to see how his professional career would have gone had he chosen to focus on one sport.

And I agree with Fred, I think he should be top 20 at least.

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________________________________________________
Scouting well is all that matters.  Draft philosophy is all fluff.

Bo Jackson wasn't overrated.  He would play an entire baseball season, not go through any football offseason preparation, and literally walk on to the football field in week 5 or 6 and perform like the best RB in the league.  Obviously would have been interesting to see how his professional career would have gone had he chosen to focus on one sport.  

And I agree with Fred, I think he should be top 20 at least.

I don't think Bo ever played an entire anything.

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Had Taylor played for the Giants or Cowgirls, etc, he would be an instant lock for the HOF.

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What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.







 

The elephant in the room with Fred Taylor is the suspicion that he was a malingerer. The "Fragile Freddy" nickname is obviously a pejorative. I remember a lot of talk during his career when he was missing games about how hurt he was or was not. Taylor has made statments later about how injured he was that was not disclosed to him at that time.

There is no way to know if he was a malingerer or just plagued by a ton of injuries. The thing that seems suspicious to me was how he suddenly was rejuvenated and able to stay healthy after we drafted a stud MJD in round 2.

I've never known this to actually be a concern about Fred.  Clearly you think it is and maybe a few others do, but I've never known it to be anything approaching an "elephant in the room" or even a moderately popular opinion about Fred. 

Fred just wasn't one of those guys. He had some bad luck and some bad injuries. It happens to LOTS of football players. Not many of them rise above it to the level Fred did.  And it's now been established that he played through a broken collarbone and injuries to both shoulders that team doctors allegedly "overlooked."

"Malingerer" just doesn't fit here. 

He was able to stay fresh later in his career because he was:
A  -  splitting carries
B - Taking care of his body properly.  He's talked in numerous interviews about being naive to nutrition, sleep and conditioning as a young pro. I've actually heard him personally talk about the changes he made from going to McDonalds after practice in his early years to building a diet around his training and re-hab, keeping a sleep journal etc later in his career. 

There's nothing "suspicious" about that.

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Well said. Some forget, but when FT went down with the groin injury... at that point in time he was the most feared RB in football en route to an easy Pro Bowl appearance.

Without looking at google, I think he only had 116 yards rushing when he threw the ball to the grass and Stacy Mack came in as his backup. He was on his way to becoming the most feared but he was not on his way to a Pro Bowl appearence.

I disagree. Coming off his best season, there's no chance he would have missed the Pro Bowl that season.

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'02

If you add 24 games to his career in Jacksonville, with an average of 20 attempts per game at 4.6 yards per carry, FT would have an additional 2,208 yards, putting him at #5 all time.

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