His only open field move was to lower his head. It was the only move the big SOB needed. Combined that brutal style with a fair bit of speed and a good deal of flair. If I needed four yards, this is one of five backs that I'd want taking the handoff.

A man of honor and integrity...simply because he took care of his mother.

Earl was an excellent back, but I'll tell you right now he was not in the top 5.How can you put anybody ahead of Barry Sanders?

Unless you were a Houston Oiler fan, or you hated the team they were playing, this guy was NO FUN to watch. Probably the 2nd best RB of all time (J Brown is #1) OK, I was going to give him a 3 here, but if you like seeing a player that's: Faster than a speeding bullet, More powerful than a locomotive, and able to crash through a defensive line in a single bound, then maybe you'd have fun watching him play.

The guy ran for close to 9,500 yards in basically only 6 real full seasons before succumbing to numerous injuries. During those seasons he was getting the ball close to 30 times a game, in 1981 touching the ball close to 400 times in the season. 6 time all pro, MVP and rushing leader. The stats speak for themselves. The thing that you can't measure is the reckless abandon he played with- the impact he had on the game. It took 3 to 4 guys to bring him down, sometimes 10 or 11 on some plays. The tapes of him rumbling down field getting his shirt ripped off shoulder pads are priceless. The quintessential play was when Jack Tatum, with a full head of steam crushed Earl while he was receiving a wayward pitch at the 4 yrd line off balance crushing Earl's collarbone. Earl kept his balance turned after taking the hit and scored falling into the endzone. The guy left everything he had on the field and more. Just an absolute legend.