EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The plaudits for St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley keep rolling in but many times, it's the respect of opposing players, coaches and personnel types that really speak to how much impact a player is making.
Which is why ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando's Thursday column ranking the league's best running backs with the help of coaches and evaluators was particularly timely.
As Sando clarifies at the beginning of the piece, the goal was to balance established track records with career trajectories. In other words, find the line between what a player has already done and what he could do in the future.