Thurman Thomas

Often compared to other great running backs of his era, such as Emmitt Smith or Barry Sanders, Thomas felt unappreciated throughout much of his career, and he wasn't afraid to make those feelings known. His teammates knew he was volatile, but respected him nonetheless. "The thing about Thurman," Jim Kelly told the Los Angeles Times, "[is that] you never know what is going to come out of his mouth."

Thomas found himself irritated by the things the media focused on, such as his misplacing his helmet minutes before the start of Super Bowl XXVI and missing the first two plays of the game. "God, that stuff hurt," Thomas told Sports Illustrated. "To be remembered for losing my helmet in the Super Bowl? I've accomplished too much for that. People always remember the worst times."

Known as much for his mouth as for his abilities on the field, Thomas often spouted off in front of the press, however, giving them "the worst" to focus on. Combine that with a team that just couldn't win the Super Bowl, and in spite of his superior play, Thomas seemed destined to have bad raps placed upon him.

Despite the bad raps and the Super Bowl disappointments, Thurman Thomas is recognized as one of the greatest players of all time.