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The retirement of Emmitt Smith, coupled with the impending long off-season, has generated one of the most enjoyable, fruitless and pointless debates of spring - exactly who can be considered the greatest running back ever? Is it Emmitt with most of the career records? Walter Payton who held them for many years? Barry Sanders and his ability to tear the ACL of a linebacker with his quick cuts? Or is it Jim Brown who played a long time ago but by most accounts was ridiculously in a class by himself at the time?

The only objective measurement are statistics, but even within them there will always be the question of how they were accumulated and against whom at which NFL era. As the years roll by, defensive players are getting bigger and faster as are offensive blockers. The style of offenses are important as well since some ran the ball more than others. Some players had a good passing game to balance them while others had to provide almost all the production. It's all impossible really to equate 1:1 for the top four running backs over the last 40 years.

But it is the offseason and without free agency to talk about yet, let's break down the statistics of the top four runners and award some "Best of" titles. Maybe by the end we can better determine who is worthy of "The Greatest". First off, let's look at career marks:

Career Best:

1. Emmitt Smith - Hands down for all categories other than receiving yards and scores. His 15 seasons were astounding and his durability coupled with talent and situation has buried most career records for at least the foreseeable future.

2. Walter Payton - No other top runner can claim to have been a more effective pass catcher than Payton over the course of their career. His 4,538 yards far outstrips what any other runner was able to do. In most other categories, he comes in second thanks to his 13 seasons.

3. Barry Sanders - His marks across the board were commensurate or better than the others but he only played ten seasons. He doesn't rank tops in any area shown and he falls a bit short on receiving but overall, the numbers dictate that Sanders was not only #3, but that his earlier departure from the league is probably the only reason why.

4. Jim Brown - No matter that he had a much shorter career, Brown was easily the best scorer as a pass receiver with 20 touchdowns over the span of 9 years. His total numbers are the lowest for carries and catches but he still ranks #2 with total touchdowns in spite of playing so much less than the others.

But let's make this at least a little more comparable by considering only the first nine seasons played for each player (since Jim Brown only played nine years). And let's consider their production "per game" since Brown never played in a 16 game season. We'll consider longevity later, but for now, the closest 1:1 we can get is comparing the first nine seasons with "per game" averages. No - not perfect, but at least the closest thing to an objective measurement.

It depends on the argument you want to make here. In the first nine seasons, Emmitt Smith had the most rushing yards in the games he could play while Jim Brown had the best yards per game, yards per carry and tied with Emmitt for how often he scored a touchdown. Barry Sanders actually had the most yardage in the first nine seasons played.

Emmitt again comes out on top overall in number of games and receptions, but Payton covered the most yardage and still Brown was the best at actually scoring on a pass. Looking at per game averages, Brown was the best at gaining yards and scoring while Payton had the slightly better yardage per game.

Once again, Emmitt shows up as the heavy use back and the most durable. Sanders rushing yards made him as the best in the first nine seasons at running down the field while defenders chased him and likely looked silly trying to keep up. Per game, Jim Brown was the best at yards, scores and yards per touch. Pretty important.

So considering these numbers, with the career marks, allow me to make some awards. Quite simply, there is no answer to the question "Who is the greatest running back ever" because that quality relies on what you are measuring. All four running backs here were the best at something, so it is only fair to give them all equal props on their accomplishments. Let's be serious - an offensive coordinator would say a prayer of thanks each day if he had any of these four players. After four decades, these are the best runners by any measure.

Most Prolific and Durable Running Back - No question here. Emmitt Smith's durability and heavy use allowed him to rack up marks that will take years and maybe decades to ever challenge again. There's a lot to be said for being the most reliable workhorse in any backfield ever. For 13 years, there were never any questions in the Dallas backfield. Over the 15 seasons, he gained every possible accolade that he could as a runner and an NFL player.

Most Effective Running Back - There is no doubt - Jim Brown. He had more yards and scores, and gained more per touch than any other runner considered. Maybe he could be as good now and maybe not, but for his period there is no denying that he was the most effective runner to ever play the game - while he played. He was the most effective runner by his numbers and we'll never know what he might have done had he not left the game early by most opinion. He could have been injured in the first game of his tenth year or maybe he would have gone for years and buried records for good. All we can know is that while he played, if only in the time he played, there has been no more effective a running back.

Best Runner - Barry Sanders had the most rushing yardage in nine years of playing and could have exceeded all career totals had he not played three seasons less than Payton and five years less than Smith. His rushing yardage was the highest in his first nine seasons and his yards per carry were as good as Brown. Surprisingly, he was not as used as a pass catcher as the others and that depressed his numbers some from what could have been. Sanders left the game early on his own terms and while he may have slightly trailed in some categories, he has to be given a secondary award here and in some ways, perhaps the most important - Most Fun To Watch. Simply put, he was in a class all his own from a unique running style.

Best All Around Running Back - This is not to merely award something to Walter Payton. He deserves it. Payton delivered the durability to rival Smith, a comparable per game rushing ability of any of the three and adds in being the best pass catcher of them all. Quite simply, no matter the down or the distance, Payton was a threat rushing or receiving and did it for longer than all but Emmitt. He is the tops in most receiving categories and rivals on any of the rushing aspects. What more could an offense want than someone who can deliver the goods for a long time in several ways?

Apologies to those who feel Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett or O.J. Simpson was slighted by not being considered, but these players reviewed all richly deserve a seat at the head table that only sits four. And each deserves to be there for a different reason. Who was the best? Depends on what you are looking at and what you consider the criteria to be. They represent the four horsemen of the apocalypse to opposing defenses in the history of the NFL. They are the finest the game has ever produced.

Below are the statistics for each year these players were in the NFL if you are interested in how they broke down. Now that all four of these runners are gone from the game, we're left with only arguments that can never satisfy everyone and more importantly, the chance to figure out who the next great running back is. Hope you draft him next summer...