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The best skins running back ever?


brandies

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Originally posted by TennesseeCarl

Earnest Byner now just rates as 'the guy who came over from Cleveland'?

Brandies...nobody remembers A.D. Whitfield, so that was a nice call. I recollect he led the team in rushing one year with about 350 yards.

I think it was 390 yards but I could be wrong, and nothing to quible about as, 40 yards over a full season is not a lot unless those 40 runs were 1 yd TD runs each. Thanks for the Byner lead. Woke up with this bad hangover which had me remembering every thing from the 60's and nothing from the 90's. I need to get this thing down so I remember only the 1980's and that one year in the 1990's.

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1) John Riggins. The man saddled his team to his back, led them up the mountain, then planted the flag. Seals it for me.

2) Larry Brown. Heart of a champion. On a better team, perhaps a legend like #44 above.

3) Cliff Battles. Didn't see him play myself, but I read. And the name lives on lo these many years later. That says something.

4) Everybody else.

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Riggo will always be "THE MAN" in my book. I am sure others can argue that we may have had a guy who was a better pure runner or a better blocker or a better pass catcher, but Riggo was the whole package. I have never seen a back move the pile like Riggo, he always fell forward for that extra yard. When he ran that 70 chip play off the left tackle for a td vs. Miami. He will forever be considered the greatest back we ever had in my mind. That single play won that game. That was our first Lomabardi and foreshadowed what was to come in the Gibbs era. In this modern era of football players where guys are prima donna's. I find it impossible to believe that we will ever have a blue-collar hero like the diesel. On 3rd and goal from the 1, everyone in the stadium knew who was going to get the ball, and they still couldn't stop him.:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

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But what about Larry Brown. Fourteen game season. Something like 1260 yards, projected out to a 16 game season 1440 yards, team MVP. And Battle he gained like 800 + yards in the 1930's. didn't they play like 6 game seasons back then? Hey and Davis has to rank right up there. Statistically, wasn't he the best? And what about A.D. Whitfeild. Held back by a pass oriented offense, but still managed to lead the skins in rushing with 300+ yards.

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Originally posted by brandies

A.D. Whitfield once caught a pass from Jurgenson and Ran 99 yards for a touchdown!!

The hairy-nosed wombat does not sweat or drink water, and it dehydrates its feces to conserve moisture.....:rolleyes:

I'm split on Riggins and Brown.

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Originally posted by brandies

A.D. Whitfield once caught a pass from Jurgenson and Ran 99 yards for a touchdown!!

Actually, it was Whitfield's teammate Gerry Allen who the Bears completely forgot to cover in the 1968 season opener in Soldier Field. Allen was all alone in the middle of the field at the Redskin 30 and easily rolled in after catching Jurgensen's strike.

Allen led the team in rushing that year with 399. It was Whitfield in '67 with 367 and AD also the year before with 472.

If you're going to get into useless trivia, you might as well go all the way!

:D

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I think because of what he did for us (so well stated by Om) Riggins has to be the guy. But on a personal note, it was because of Sonny Jurgensen and Larry Brown that I became a Redskin 'til death. So Larry will always be my sentimental #1.

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I don't think anyone came close to Riggins. He could carry guys for yards. I don't think there has been any other back like that. One back that I think is often overlooked is Gerald Riggs. Anytime the Redskins were around the goal line the put in the three tight end package, with Joe Jacoby as the third tight end I think, and punch the ball in. Riggs definiately could punch the ball in every time.

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But the Skins paid a pretty heavy price for Riggs, a first and a second I believe, to pry him from the Falcons. That's pretty steep for a goal-line, short-yardage guy.

Of course that wasn't the plan. In about this third game he set the Redskins record for rushing yards in a game but also made a critical late fumble that cost the Skins the game. Gibbs never quite entrusted him with the starting role and they got that guy from Cleveland in 1990, relegating Riggs to the specialty role.

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Originally posted by Om

1) John Riggins. The man saddled his team to his back, led them up the mountain, then planted the flag. Seals it for me.

2) Larry Brown. Heart of a champion. On a better team, perhaps a legend like #44 above.

3) Cliff Battles. Didn't see him play myself, but I read. And the name lives on lo these many years later. That says something.

4) Everybody else.

Agree 100%

Good Ol' Larry Brown, he was my favorite Redskin when I was a kid. He and Charlie Harraway made a great tandem.

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Originally posted by rtandler

Actually, it was Whitfield's teammate Gerry Allen who the Bears completely forgot to cover in the 1968 season opener in Soldier Field. Allen was all alone in the middle of the field at the Redskin 30 and easily rolled in after catching Jurgensen's strike.

Allen led the team in rushing that year with 399. It was Whitfield in '67 with 367 and AD also the year before with 472.

If you're going to get into useless trivia, you might as well go all the way!

:D

Did you know Gerry Allen once caught a 99 yard touchdown pass from Sonny Jurgenson.

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Originally posted by scottb

John Riggins easy. He was a money player that came through in the playoffs....and his protection of the ball (except for that big fumble vs Dallas that kept us out of the playoffs) was amazing.

I don't want to be the resident nitpicker in this thread (OK, I really do ;) ) but if you're referring to the 1979 season finale in Dallas, the worst day of my life, it was Clarence Harmon who fumbled late in the fourth quarter, setting up a Dallas TD to pull them withing six with 2:20 to go.

If there's another situation and Riggins did make a fumble that handed a key game to Dallas, I'll gladly stand corrected.

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Originally posted by scottb

rtlandler, based upon your response in the Redsskin quiz thread, I bow to your knowledge and consider myself corrected and nitpicked clean.:)

Thanks scottb. I did have to look that one up (in my own book, of course :D )

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Originally posted by scottb

Hey rtandler, correct me again, but on the same day didn't the bears have to beat Arizona by some ungodly amount (30-40 points) to knock the Skins out of the playoffs?

Well, I just have to correct you on a technicality. The Cardinals were still in St. Louis in 1979 but, yes, they did lay down like dogs and mail in their season finale in an early game on that Sunday. The Bears hadn't scored more than 30 points in a game all year, but beat the Cards by about 35. That meant that the Skins, playing at 4:00, were in a win and you're in, lose and you're out situation.

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oooooh the bad memories are flooding back. I believe the Cards didn't even use their starting QB for the Bears game...those Bas%^&%^%*d. Oh well, the Skins still have many good moments for counterbalance...just not many in the recent years.

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