Without looking at any stats, I think some of those guys were really good backs for a short period of time, but over the long haul Lynch was probably the only one that was remarkable. If he had stayed retired we probably would view him in a much better light.
Some of them were probably good at the right time, then faded after those successful seasons.
True. Lynch is the only one on that list who has a prayer at making the Hall, although someone can still be great for a short time and still not be a HOFer (Ray Rice was great for a 2-3 year stretch, for example).
Pierre Thomas was extremely underrated. He was overshadowed by Reggie Bush then Darren Sproles while being every bit as significant of a play maker as either, if not more, for the entirety of the time he was with the Saints. In situations like this, I sometimes do research to prove my point with stats but I'm not sure whether that would convey what I'm trying to express anyway.
Basically, his amazing ability to work in space led to numerous TDs of 20+ yards that would've maxed out at a 10 yard gain for just about any other RB in the league. He literally may have been the finest screen executor in NFL history.
I totally agree. I was a big fan of Pierre Thomas. He wasn't an every down back, but was always really good at being part of a committee, and could both run and catch it. Sean Payton is the master at getting RBs like that and getting the most out of them.
I think the point is that the big names, such as Peterson, Bell & McCoy aren't on the list.
Correct. If you look at the best RBs of the 21st century (meaning backs who did not come into the league until the 2000s), the only top one who has won a ring so far is Lynch. Tomlinson, Peterson, Bell, Portis, Gore, McCoy, Forte, MJD, D Murray, S Alexander, etc - nada rings.