NFL Films’ Sabol Ranks Three Chicago Bears as Greatest Ever

Greatest Running Back: Walter Payton

"Jim Brown was the greatest ball carrier, but no one ever played the position of running back as completely as Payton. He was a crushing blocker. I saw him lift blitzers off their feet. When it was required, he was an effective decoy who followed through convincingly on all his fakes. He once led the Bears in kickoff returns. He’s Chicago’s all-time leading receiver. When he threw passes, he completed most for touchdowns. The Bears threw enough interceptions for Payton’s skill as a tackler to be noticed and, in addition to all of that, he missed only one game in his entire career. And when he retired in 1987, he had carried the ball more times for more yards than any player in history."

The clip that Sabol linked wasn’t enough, so you’ve got to see these clips:

I still get sad when thinking about the passing of Walter, who was one of my first childhood heroes.   He left us way too soon.