Of all the current running backs in the NFL...

[wyvrn]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
I think we're talking about different viewpoints here, more than anything else.

My contention is, that perhaps players like Bo Jackson, etc, might have had longer careers running behind that Cowboy line.

And I disagree about the TD part. ANY good NFL back could have scored just as much in short yardage as Emmitt did in the same circumstances. He didn't do anything special to score. Just line up behind those 350 pounders and run it in.

Now if he got most of his scores from 20 yards out, that's a different story.

BTW, Bo had 4 good seasons, not 2. Most games he played in a season was 11.

I would never say that Emmitt isn't a great back, not at all. I just say that he was lucky to have defied the odds and not sustained a serious injury. That isn't a mark of greatness at all, it's just pure, blind luck.
That luck, combined with a bit better than average talent and the best line in football, allowed him to last a lot longer than many far more talented backs.

If I knew going in that I could either have an elite RB whose career would be ended after only a few seasons, or a slow-and-steady guy like Emmitt who would last a long time, then sure, I might pick Emmitt.

But I am looking from a standpoint of this: In their prime, who was the best? 4 seasons is proof enough of that. Nobody in football history would take Emmitt over Bo, or many others, given that criteria. Bo could probably outrun Emmitt right now, with an artificial hip, was a stronger runner, and averaged more yards per carry. With Bo in the backfield, Emmitt's Cowboys would probably have won 4 straight Super Bowls, and have been practically unbeatable. THAT'S how much better he was. He was a threat to take it to the endzone every time he touched the ball.
THAT is who I'd want on my team.

Again, that doesn't mean Emmitt wasn't a great back, but I think we all need to remember that he was more a product of the system he was in than a supreme talent.

BTW, if anyone doesn't think Emmitt was a product of a great line, just look at how his rushing stats dropped off when he switched teams. He had just under 1000 yds on his last Cowboy team, and dropped to 256 his first year in Arizona. His YPC dropped by a yard, which is a lot in this category.
Is he over the hill, or was he just having an easier time running behind that Cowboy line?

You are an idiot if you think the Cowboys line was great for all of those years. It was dominant for approximately 4 years, and good for about a year before and after that. Then, injuries and retirement took their toll on the Cowboys talent, including the offensive line. Towards the end of Emmitt's Cowboy's career, and his first 2 years there, the line was really medicore. And look at Arizona's line (and offense) now, Emmitt in his 15th year is averaging 4ypc and is top ten runner. Thats phenomenal.

The offensive line argument with Emmitt Smith is perhaps one of the most overblown sports arguments of all time. Emmitt is a great player, and trying to lessen that with very weakly extrapolated arguments just shows how badly Cowboys haters like to diminish their accomplishments. It doesn't matter if Emmitt wasn't the most spectacular runner. He was the best at being really good for a really long time, and that is something that will not likely be matched for a long time.

 

[xboxist]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: xboxist

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: Falloutboy
emmit wasn't a bad back but he ran behind one of the best O-Lines for years, and any back coulda put up big numbers with that.

Now look at sanders he played on a crap team yet was able to put up quite a few 2000 yard+ seasons, this guy was awsome he would often run 20+ lateral yards just to find away to get back to the line of scrimage.

Barry was incapable of running up the middle and plowing through people like Emmitt. Thats why he had to run laterally 20 yards just to pick up 2. He had the jukes like you've never seen, but thats ALL he had. He wasn't a powerful pound it up the middle back, he wasn't versatile like Priest Holmes or LT. He had quickness and it was spectacular to watch. Kinda like Michael Vick, he's thrilling to watch, but when you think about it, he's not really that great overall.

Yeah, not that great. :roll:

Did you ever actually watch the Lions play? How many times a game did Barry put them in a 2nd and 15 cause he lost 5 yards trying to out juke the whole team. Ya, he did it a lot, but he also put his team in a hole a lot.

Yes, thanks... every Sunday I watched him play. To stand by your conclusion that he's "not really that great overall" is pathetic of you. All future opinions from you will be dismissed. Not out of my love for Sanders, but because your comment is just in no way respectable. The man was a titan amongst running backs. You might be the only one on the planet who thinks what you do about him.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: xboxist

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: xboxist

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Originally posted by: Falloutboy
emmit wasn't a bad back but he ran behind one of the best O-Lines for years, and any back coulda put up big numbers with that.

Now look at sanders he played on a crap team yet was able to put up quite a few 2000 yard+ seasons, this guy was awsome he would often run 20+ lateral yards just to find away to get back to the line of scrimage.

Barry was incapable of running up the middle and plowing through people like Emmitt. Thats why he had to run laterally 20 yards just to pick up 2. He had the jukes like you've never seen, but thats ALL he had. He wasn't a powerful pound it up the middle back, he wasn't versatile like Priest Holmes or LT. He had quickness and it was spectacular to watch. Kinda like Michael Vick, he's thrilling to watch, but when you think about it, he's not really that great overall.

Yeah, not that great. :roll:

Did you ever actually watch the Lions play? How many times a game did Barry put them in a 2nd and 15 cause he lost 5 yards trying to out juke the whole team. Ya, he did it a lot, but he also put his team in a hole a lot.

Yes, thanks... every Sunday I watched him play. To stand by your conclusion that he's "not really that great overall" is pathetic of you. All future opinions from you will be dismissed. Not out of my love for Sanders, but because your comment is just in no way respectable. The man was a titan amongst running backs. You might be the only one on the planet who thinks what you do about him.

he's not the only one. barry sanders is a quitter and a loser. if payton had never won a superbowl, he still would have been a winner and he would never have quit.