Never saw him play, but from all accounts, he was a GREAT runner. 2000 yards in 14 games for a pitiful team is pretty dang impressive.

I LOVE Thurman and he was absolutely great, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel he greatly benefited from a top OL, a HOF QB, a should-be HOF WR and a system where he was able to really put up some good numbers, one that fit his skills quite well. I just think OJ would have put up monster numbers in Thurman’s position.

I wonder if Gilchrist will even get a single vote?!?

I just can’t overlook the fact that Thurman could take over a game by running or catching the ball. I also factored in his ability and willingness to pick up blitzes amazingly well for a guy that wasn’t all that big.
No doubt he benefitted from those exceptional teams, but in my mind he’s the stick that stirred that drink !!

Having watched both OJ and Thurman play, and I must give the nod to OJ as the best Bills running back. I had the good fortune of seeing OJ at Rich Stadium against the Pats in 1973 in the first of his two back to back 200+ games that catapulted him over the 2000 yard barrier. That game was one of many that illustrated just how wide the gap was between OJ and the rest of the running backs in the NFL at the time. Back then, he was indisputably the best back in the entire NFL.

I could not make the same statement about Thurman, unless you qualify it with terms like “all-around” back. As a pure back, Thomas was certainly one of the elite at is time. I certainly wouldn’t say he was better than Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, but he was in the conversation. In particular, I loved the way he would twist and turn after initial contact and squirt for another yard or three.

OJ was completely different. No one could even get close to him in space. The old saying was that OJ wasn’t concerned with the first would be tackler, he was concentrating on the second and third defender. This was because he already had faked out of the guy in front of him…sometimes before he has he had even made his move! His average of nearly 5 yards per carry is clear evidence of this ability. Unfortunately for society in general, his elusiveness also transcended the gridiron.

I didn’t see Cookie Gilchrist play back in the day, but I know he also separated himself from the others in his all too brief AFL career. If he played longer and in the then established NFL, perhaps he could of even challenged the legendary Jim Brown for the title of greatest runner ever. But alas we’ll never know.

In order: OJ, Thurman (my favorite), Cookie

I’m pretty surprised by the margin that Thurman is currently ahead by (54 to 37)

OJ was a much better runner of the football. I know Thurman had a knack for getting open and had great hands, but his skill fit the offense perfectly and his numbers were definitely influenced by that system as well as the great O-Line he played behind and most importantly the hall of fame QB he played with.

OJ ran for 2,000 yards in 14 games. That alone should make him a clear winner in my mind.

Thurman was also very good at picking up the blitz. I don’t think O.J. was as good at pass blocking.

Cookie will probably never get the props he deserves because of his short career, but here was a guy that could pretty much do it all – run, block, receive.

Personally, I HATED having to choose from among these three. They’re all HOF-caliber guys in my book. I only went with Thurman because he was so good for so long and was so well rounded in what he brought to the field, not just in measurables. I wouldn’t mind having all three in the Bills’ backfield – they each had their own strengths.

I really liked the way Thurman cut the feet out of a blitzing linebacker or DB. He seemed to do it so often. But remember, when OJ played, the Bills threw the ball so infrequently that there was not much of a pass rush to speak of. Also, teams didn’t blitz like they do today, so we don’t know how OJ would have faired in that area. He was also an excellent receiver, but when your QB pass attempts statistic is in the low teens on a prolific day, you simply don’t have much of an opportunity to catch the ball. Again, it all depends upon your definition: if we’re talking about an “overall back”, I’d lean toward Thurman; if we’re concerned about carrying the rock, it’s OJ. Thats what happens when you compare apples to OJ.

When you’re averaging 4.8 yards per carry, who needs to pass? Yeah, I get your point, it was a different era. But didn’t the Bills have the #1 rushing attack in the NFL a couple of years with Thurman pounding the rock? Like I said, these 3 guys are all HOF-caliber choices in my book, and they each brought their own strengths to the gridiron.

It’s difficult for me to vote for/against players that I’ve never seen play. Even highlights can be deceiving.

On a separate note, just FYI, the Bills will be featured on NFL Network tonight. Caution: I think Marshall Faulk will be providing his “expert” analysis. I wonder if he’ll mention the All-Pro left tackle that he doesn’t know about is holding out. Maybe Faulk will say something like “the Bills were practically injury-free in 2007”, or “they need a deep threat at wide receiver”, “the Bills need to catch up to the Colts in the AFC East”, or “they need to sign his buddy Trent Green to play quarterback”. Hopefully Rich Eisen and Rod Woodson can keep Faulk in check and call him out on all of his errors. LOL!

I would much prefer Brian Baldinger or Soloman Wilcots in place of Faulk.

... the Bills had a multidimensional offense, which was tops in the league in 1991. They were in the top 10 from ‘89-94, spending most of the time in the top 6. Simpson’s Bills were so one dimensional that they only broke the top 10 three times. However, in 1975, OJ’s 2,200+ yards (in 14 games) from scrimmage powered the Bills #1 offense. Joe Ferguson had his best year to-date with a Peyton-esque 2,400+ yard season! Again, The Juice WAS the offense and every opponent knew it.

Thurman was an integral part of a great offense…arguably the key piece. However, remember how admirably Kenneth Davis spelled Thurman over the years and in critical games. He didn’t get many opportunities, but there was little drop off when he was in the game. Davis wasn’t at the same level as Thurman Thomas, but he had a great offense around him. So did Thomas. For the Bills of the Simpson era, it was all OJ.

With that said, comparing 3 HOF caliber backs is a difficult and probably pointless exercise. If I lived in Makebelieveland , owned the Buffalo Bills and could take any one of the three in their prime, I honestly wouldn’t know who I would choose. Your point is well taken.

Juice did more with a HELL of a lot less than Thruman did, could you imagine what he would have rolled up if he had played with Kelly in the K-gun? We would be talking as long as the NFL exsists #1 RB.

As much as I dislike OJ on a personal level, the man could flat out play, and he did it on teams that would not have even won games without him. Thurman was a great player, don’t get me wrong, but he had alot more talent to lean on around him to get his stats.

If Cookie had played a few more years for the Bills he would be getting a lot more votes. He should probably have a few more as it is.

so I voted for another player that made me a Bills fan, Thurman(even though that rat bastard became a traitor and played for the Phins).

But in the old days in comic books you could send away for a pair of official (cough cough) Juicemobiles? These were OJ’s own branded version of plastic cleats. Does anyone else remeber those adds where a couple of kids sit around complaining they can’t win football games because they can’t run and cut fast enough and Juice shows up with some cleats and then kids become great?

Or am I the only under 30 guy here who read his brothers old comics that had these adds in them?