Barry Sanders

[BD231]

I wonder what a young Jim Brown would do in current times. My guess is that he wouldn't be anywhere near as prolific. He didn't do anything but plow against guys that were no match for bringing down a guy the size of a defensive end. His current likeness is Chris Brown and Steve Jackson IMO.

Jim was a "first of his kind" kinna guy. I can't help but feel guys like sayers and sanders are far more vercitle and on a completely different level than Brown.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: oboeguy

Originally posted by: Syringer

Originally posted by: Midnight Rambler
No way, Gayle Sayers was the best of all time. Jim Brown a close second because he did not have near as good "change of direction".

Sayers' stats aren't anywhere near any of the greats of all time. At best he's put up above average numbers in his career.

Stats aren't everything. Consdier Barry Sanders, in fact -- had he had a good team (e.g. some semblance of a QB), can you imagine what his stats would have been like? OMG!

Yeah...but just remember. A good team usually has a balanced passing and running game. Therefore, they wouldn't necessarily depend on their running backs so much. Everyone knows you can pass down the field faster than you can run. The trick to Barry Sanders' success was that his team was just good enough to fake them with the pass and allow Barry to surprise them from time to time. I'm not sure if he would have done too much better if he had been with the Red Skins, 49ers, etc...

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: route66
It's depressing that he quit early, instead of Barry holding all the records that loser Emmit does... Argh!

Don;t worry, there are 2 guys playing right now that will eventually break them

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: route66
It's depressing that he quit early, instead of Barry holding all the records that loser Emmit does... Argh!

I would have loved to see him keep playing, but I think he realized that playing RB in the NFL is so much wear and tear on your body and I think considering that he has a whole life to lead beyond football and didn't want to have recurring knee, shoulder, back, etc problems, this may have been the best move for him in the long run.

 

[oboeguy]

Originally posted by: BD231
I wonder what a young Jim Brown would do in current times. My guess is that he wouldn't be anywhere near as prolific. He didn't do anything but plow against guys that were no match for bringing down a guy the size of a defensive end. His current likeness is Chris Brown and Steve Jackson IMO.

Jim was a "first of his kind" kinna guy. I can't help but feel guys like sayers and sanders are far more vercitle and on a completely different level than Brown.

I totally agree with your post, though I admit I haven't seen JB run. However, though I don't normally like to call out bad spelling online (there's too much to do so all the time), please, it's versatile. How did you come up with "vercitle"???

 

[PsharkJF]

Barry Sanders' pads must have been buttered every game, man was he slippery.

 

[Leper Messiah]

Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

 

[Qwest]

funny how there's a new "LT".

 

[ATLien247]

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah
Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

I'm wonderin' the same thing.

Despite how great all those other backs were, none of them did what Emmitt did.

I'm not saying they couldn't, just that they didn't... two VERY different things.

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah
Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

Most people hate him because of the fact he played for the Cowboys.

If he was on another team, there would be different tones about him...

If #22 broke the NFL's rushing record, per se.. running for the Green Bay Packers, then the general concensous would be that he would be the greatest running back to ever play the game....

 

[CtK]

If i had to pick one RB too start a team with it would be Barry Sanders he was unbelievable!!!!!!

 

[CtK]

Originally posted by: ATLien247

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah
Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

I'm wonderin' the same thing.

Despite how great all those other backs were, none of them did what Emmitt did.

I'm not saying they couldn't, just that they didn't... two VERY different things.

cause i think he played on a good team with a good O-line and passing game
thats how he got the record not cause he was a good RB just a lucky one

 

[GrantMeThePower]

Anyone else watch this and think, "Damn. Reggie Bush is going to be REALLY good!" ? They are similar but Reggie had a larger arsenal of moves. Barry really had the high step, tho, that RB doesn't have yet. If you go back and watch Gale Sayers film you'll see one amazing running back, and I think he looks more like RB than BS did.

 

[oboeguy]

Originally posted by: CtK

Originally posted by: ATLien247

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah
Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

I'm wonderin' the same thing.

Despite how great all those other backs were, none of them did what Emmitt did.

I'm not saying they couldn't, just that they didn't... two VERY different things.

cause i think he played on a good team with a good O-line and passing game
thats how he got the record not cause he was a good RB just a lucky one

That's nonsense, Emmit was a great running back. However, on a lesser team, yeah, I doubt he would have piled-up the yards like he did.

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah
Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

He wasn't a loser, he just had a very good offensive line, the best at the time IMO.
So would he have broken those records without them, probably not. I think Emmitt was an average RB, not a great one.

 

[spacelord]

Barry was great. Too bad he wasn't on a team to get him to a Superbowl.

Back when he was still playing FB.. I ran into him at a bar. (in Rochester, MI) We were some sloppy pool players.. and I had to ask him to excuse me while I got a ball from under their pool table. haha.

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: spacelord
Barry was great. Too bad he wasn't on a team to get him to a Superbowl.

Back when he was still playing FB.. I ran into him at a bar. (in Rochester, MI) We were some sloppy pool players.. and I had to ask him to excuse me while I got a ball from under their pool table. haha.

Barry played FB?

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah
Someone explain to me again why emmit smith is a loser?

He wasn't a loser, he just had a very good offensive line, the best at the time IMO.
So would he have broken those records without them, probably not. I think Emmitt was an average RB, not a great one.

He was definitely above average but he is still not in the same tier as the other guys in this thread

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: nycxandy
#1

 

[Howard]

As opposed to the best unskilled running back in NFL history?

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: Howard
As opposed to the best unskilled running back in NFL history?

i have a vote for that category...

THE FRIDGE

lol... maybe Christian Akoye (sp?)

trying to think of one of those "head-down-and-giver" type RBs

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I think if he'd been on a decent team and played a full career, he would have broken most rushing records. I think he was the most electrifying player of his era, and it always annoyed me that Emmitt Smith was setting records at the same time, simply because he was on a great team.

 

[Reckoner]

Originally posted by: BD231
I wonder what a young Jim Brown would do in current times. My guess is that he wouldn't be anywhere near as prolific. He didn't do anything but plow against guys that were no match for bringing down a guy the size of a defensive end. His current likeness is Chris Brown and Steve Jackson IMO.

Jim was a "first of his kind" kinna guy. I can't help but feel guys like sayers and sanders are far more vercitle and on a completely different level than Brown.

Comparing 2 different time periods in a sport is never a fair comparison. That's like saying Bill Russell would get dominated by Shaq if he were to play today.

 

[Accipiter22]

define best skills....

I'd take emmitt smith any day over sanders. Rings for Smith: 3. Rings for Sanders: 0. heck barry was HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIBLE in the post season, he was wretched. As far as I'm concerned that voids any regular season accomplishment he made

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
define best skills....

I'd take emmitt smith any day over sanders. Rings for Smith: 3. Rings for Sanders: 0. heck barry was HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIBLE in the post season, he was wretched. As far as I'm concerned that voids any regular season accomplishment he made

are you kidding me, Emmitt didn't win those super bowls alone, it took an entire team to do it. Barry was essentially a one man team, he couldn't do it all on his own.