gost8 said:
Ask any player that played during Barry's tenure and they will tell you Barry Sanders was by far the greatest running back, runner or whatever else you wanna call it. Barry was a finesse (E-W) runner with the Lions because he had to be. He didn't have 5 pro-bowl lineman and a pro-bowl FB every year to open holes big enough to drive a mack truck through. Barry never really even had a FB to run behind.Watch his highlights while he was at OSU. (not tOSU) There was not near as much dancing around and making defensive guys look like fools. If Barry would have had the same quality line and supporting cast as Emmitt did... the rushing record would be far out of anyone's reach. Look at it this way, you couldn't set your defense up to stop Emmitt because Aikman had too many weapons and talent. Defenses were set up to stop Barry because no one was afraid of Rodney Pete, Andre Ware, Scott Mitchell etc... Yet he still tore it up. Every yard he gained, he gained on his own. I would have to think long and hard about putting Emmitt in the top 4 ever. I know my top 3 would be #1 Barry Sanders #2 Jim Brown #3 Walter Payton (another guy that played on some pretty crappy offenses) After that theres O.J., Gayle Sayers, Emmitt Smith.
Saying Emmitt is the best ever is kind of like saying Phil Jackson is the best basketball coach ever. He has had the best players around him which is why he has the numbers he has.
That is just a complete fabrication. YOU believe that ALL players think he is the greatest... it just isn't true.
The funny thing is the only way you can give props to Barry is by tearing down Emmitt! lmao. That right there tells you who is the greatest. I don't need to even bring one bit of evidence against Barry to prove to you Emmitt is the greatest ever. You can look in the record books for that.
Funnier still is you thinking long and hard about putting Emmitt in the top 4. WOW. Funny thing is - I wouldn't put Barry in the top 4 either. He's definitely top 10 but not anywhere near top 5.
Again, faulting a guy like Phil Jackson for having good players around is a cop out. Is it his fault? Heck no.
I'll leave you with this article I found from 2002. There are many more like it.
The greatest runner ever?
<SMALL>Smith has enjoyed a fierce rivalry with the Redskins</SMALL>
<!--SOLTagRenderer-->BBC Sport Online's American reporter Kevin Asseo profiles Dallas Cowboys' running back Emmitt Smith, on his way to yet another NFL record.
If Emmitt Smith's next game was his last - and after 12 seasons in pro football no one would fault him if it was - he would be finishing one of the great careers in NFL history.
But, remarkably, it will not be his last game.
In an era when the average career of an NFL running back lasts less than five years, Smith has pledged to be back for at least another season with the Dallas Cowboys.
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<SMALL>Durable Smith has soldiered on through pain</SMALL>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Whenever the end does come for Smith, he will most likely be remembered as the greatest running back ever to play football.
Make a list of the ideal characteristics you would want a running back to have, and you will find Smith has them all.
He is durable, consistent, sure-handed, and capable of breaking a big play at any moment.
"Some backs don't excite you. He does," said Tony Dorsett, himself a former Cowboys' running back and Hall of Fame player.
"You look at Emmitt and think something special might happen at any time. He keeps you on edge."
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width=150 align=right bgColor=#003399 border=0 HSPACE="2" VSPACE="2"><!-- inlineSOLQuote--><TBODY><TR><TD class=quoteboxbody bgColor=#ffffff>
Emmitt is the greatest runner the world has ever known<!-- inlineSOLQuote-->
</TD></TR><!-- inlineSOLName--><TR><TD class=quoteboxhead bgColor=#003399>Warren Sapp <!-- inlineSOLName-->
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Something special certainly did happen when the Cowboys played the San Francisco 49ers on 29 December.
Smith ran for 126 yards in that game, reaching the career milestone of 16,000 rushing yards.
Only the late Chicago Bears' running back Walter Payton has more yards than Smith, and Smith can pass Payton with even a mediocre performance in the 2002 season.
And if Smith can rush for just 56 yards in the season's final game, he will post his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season, another of his many NFL records.
When he entered the league, selected by the Cowboys with the 17th pick of the 1990 draft, he was considered a risky NFL prospect.
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<SMALL>Payton holds the career NFL rushing record</SMALL>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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At just 5'9" tall and not blessed with the blazing speed of most NFL running backs, sceptics thought Smith was too small and too slow to prosper in the league.
But he quickly and convincingly proved his doubters wrong, winning the rushing title in three of his first four years, as well as NFL Most Valuable Player honours in 1993.
In addition to his individual accomplishments, Smith helped the Cowboys become the NFL's dominant team of the 1990's, winning three Super Bowls in the decade.
He is the quintessential "downhill runner," meaning that he always appears to have extra momentum, carrying tacklers forward as if he were moving downhill.
"Emmitt is the greatest runner the world has ever known," said Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width=150 align=right bgColor=#003399 border=0 HSPACE="2" VSPACE="2"><TBODY><TR><TD class=factheader bgColor=#ffff66>
Top NFL rushers (yards) </TD></TR><TR><TD class=factboxbody bgColor=#ffffff>1. Walter Payton - 16,726
2. Emmitt Smith - 16,011
3. Barry Sanders - 15,269
4. Eric Dickerson - 13,259
5. Tony Dorsett - 12,739
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
"For consistent, downhill, coming-at-you running, it's Emmitt all day long."
There are no records for toughness in the NFL, but if there were it is safe to say Smith would hold plenty of those marks as well.
He has never missed more than two games in a season, durability that few of his peers can match. They may not be the same team that dominated opponents in the 1990's, but there is still one big reason to watch the Cowboys - to see possibly the greatest running back ever run his way even further into the record books.
Buckeyeskickbuttocks said:
Barry was the greatest back of his era. I don't even see how this is a debate. Smith was a damn good back too, but I'd take Barry in his prime over Emmit in his EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Barry essentially did it all on his own, Emmit had more than a little help.
If Barry played a few more years, he'd be your alltime rushing leader. Jim Brown may have been better, but Barry is a close second, if he's not first.
There is that word again that ALWAYS seems to come up in discussion.
I'd take Emmitt every single time. It proves nothing. Opinions are of some value, but the #'s don't lie. Barry just isn't on the same field when you compare the 2.
Great runner, simply not the greatest.
AKAKBUCK said:
If Dickerson had kep his Yap Shut, and stayed in LA... or just kep his Yap shut and actually played in Indy... talk about a guy who got yards in a shit ass offense... then maybe Barry still doesn't have the record... or Emmit...
He was awesome.
