The running backs in today’s N.F.L., Eric Dickerson said, are fine. But none — not Jonathan Taylor, not Ezekiel Elliott, not Derrick Henry — remind him of himself.
“I’m not saying that to be boastful,” Dickerson said. “No one ran like I ran.”
With a distinctive upright running style — and wearing Rec Specs and a neck roll — Dickerson rushed for 13,259 yards, mostly for the Rams and Colts. When he retired, in 1993, that total ranked second in N.F.L. history. It’s now good for ninth, but even three decades later, Dickerson, 61, still holds three significant records: No one has rushed for more yards as a rookie (1,808), in a playoff game (248) or in a single season (2,105).