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Posted by Josh Alper on August 3, 2012, 4:14 PM EDT

Jim Brown grabbed some attention this offseason when he called Browns first-round pick Trent Richardson an “ordinary” running back.

One of Brown’s fellow Hall of Famers doesn’t think Richardson is the only back out there deserving of the label. Earl Campbell told NFL.com that he doesn’t see any dominant backs in today’s game, largely because of the way the game is played.

“I think it’s because the way the game has changed, to where all of them just look like they’re average backs because they pass the ball so much,” Campbell said. “I don’t think there’s a runner in pro football you could say was like a Jim Brown.”

This sounds a bit like a cranky old man saying things were better in the old days, but Campbell’s not really knocking the backs of today as much as the style of football. You don’t have many backs in the NFL right now who carry a workload remotely like the ones that Brown and Campbell carried back in the day and the shift to pass-happier offenses has also changed line play to focus on pass blocking at the expense of three yards and a cloud of dust. That means teams have a harder time holding onto leads by running out the clock on the ground than they did in the past and, as a result, the league moves more toward passing.

Could some of today’s backs have thrived in the style that Brown and Campbell rode to Canton? Probably, but there doesn’t seem to be a high likelihood that they’ll get the chance in today’s NFL.

Source: ProFootballTalk

[Vin]

How you're used should have no bearing on what type of player you are.

[SteVo]

At least Campbell acknowledges that the game has changed and avoids looking as condescending as Jim Brown did, but he's still missing something. It's not a pass-first league because running backs suck these days; the game's physicality has advanced to the point that running backs take such a beating, they can't be used as much. Also, as players have gotten faster, there is a premium of super fast and/or shifty running backs, players who tend to be less bulky and therefore less durable.

Are there less dominant running backs these days? Of course. But it's not because the quality of running backs is down. I submit that guys like Adrian Peterson would have been as good as Jim Brown back in the days of Jim Brown football.

[dutchff7]

Adrian Peterson would dominate back in Jim Brown's day.

[seanbrock]

dutchff7, on 03 August 2012 - 07:48 PM, said:

Adrian Peterson would dominate back in Jim Brown's day.

idk, the game was pretty physical back then. Peterson might have gone the way of Gayle Sayers too.

[FartWaffles]

Adrian Peterson
Brandon Jacobs
Marion Barber
Michael Turner
Maurice Jones-Drew
Peyton Hillis
Willis McGahee
Marshawn Lynch
Frank Gore
Steven Jackson
Tim Tebow (Yeah I went there)

These guys (and I'm sure there are some that I missed) I believe could have more than held their own in the power-back days of Brown and Campbell. As a matter of fact, Jones-Drew actually reminds me of a shorter version of Earl Campbell. I love me some Earl, but he's just being an old grump IMO.

[Ngata_Chance]

Dude these old school cats need to shut their mouths and enjoy the sunset. AP would make Jim Brown look like a scrub back in his day. So would many of these backs.

[dutchff7]

seanbrock, on 03 August 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

idk, the game was pretty physical back then. Peterson might have gone the way of Gayle Sayers too.

I doubt it. The game was more physical back then but the league is WAY faster now then it was back in the day. Adrian Peterson is the perfect RB. I never saw a RB that has the Speed, Strength, and physicality all at once like Adrian Peterson does.

[RazorStar]

Look, Jim Brown redefined greatness from the runningback position, no one did what he did, and he had more 1000 yard seasons in his career than there were before he started playing. There's no way in hell any back who played today would ever make Jim Brown look like a scrub. Maybe second best, and that's a stretch, but never a scrub.

I do think Campbell is missing the picture and it's all about the way backs are being utilized these days. I think all around, guys like MJD and Ray Rice are more impressive than Earl Campbell and other old school backs, but purely running the ball, there are very few like Campbell and Brown.