A football life: Barry Sanders

[erod]

If I'm buying a ticket to watch a game, I want Barry Sanders.

If I want my team to win that game, I want Emmitt Smith.

[bbailey423]

he MAY have been the best "runner" (although I am a Dickerson fan)....but he was not the best Running Back. Being a RB at this level requires MORE than just being the best "runner". When you consider what Emmit accomplished....with his so-called physical "limitations"...there is no doubt who the best RB is. Emmit. When you consider how durable, determined, passionate, smart, tough, commited on/off the field....fim study, diet, weight training, massages, hot tubs, cold tubs, 15+ years of training camps.....to gain that many yards running the football....at 5'8" 215lbs.....truthfully......no one comes close.

I mean we have guys that cannot even play 5 straight games.....without missing the next 5!!!!! And we were a run first team. And everybody was gunning for Emmit. And the NFC East was good!

[erod]

Originally Posted by bbailey423

he MAY have been the best "runner" (although I am a Dickerson fan)....but he was not the best Running Back. Being a RB at this level requires MORE than just being the best "runner". When you consider what Emmit accomplished....with his so-called physical "limitations"...there is no doubt who the best RB is. Emmit. When you consider how durable, determined, passionate, smart, tough, commited on/off the field....fim study, diet, weight training, massages, hot tubs, cold tubs, 15+ years of training camps.....to gain that many yards running the football....at 5'8" 215lbs.....truthfully......no one comes close.

I mean we have guys that cannot even play 5 straight games.....without missing the next 5!!!!! And we were a run first team. And everybody was gunning for Emmit. And the NFC East was good!

Oh, I will argue with you there all day long. Emmitt was better than Barry overall as a back, but not the greatest of all time.

Jim Brown and Walter Payton are the best ever, period. O.J. Simpson would be in the discussion after them, and if today's knee surgery existed, Gayle Sayers might have been better than them all.

[Zaxor]

Originally Posted by CashMan

Maybe in your world. That is a biased question. If I were a Jim Brown fan, the question would be, Who has the best Y/A? Jim Brown.

I would say, Walter>Brown>Sanders>Smith

can you tell me if Brown could have avg that for another 5-6 years...no you can't once again subjective...

so again the only measuring stick is yards gained otherwise you have to add in variables for each and every runner and they are all subjective..would Bo Jackson have shattered Emmitts yardage had he stayed healthy..would Emmitt had as many yards behind Sanders oline...all fantasy land and what if.

in reality Emmitt rushed for the most yardage case closed

[Jaxonsdaddd]

These discussions are never ending..

I am a Cowboys fan and a Emmitt Fan but Barry Sanders is the best running back I have ever seen.

Eric Dickerson is rarely mentioned in the top 3 or 4 all time but there was a 3 year window where he looked as special as any running back ever. Then you get into whether longevity should have anything to do with it and those that knock Barry certainly go to it often.

[muck4doo]

Originally Posted by Zaxor

can you tell me if Brown could have avg that for another 5-6 years...no you can't once again subjective...

so again the only measuring stick is yards gained otherwise you have to add in variables for each and every runner and they are all subjective..would Bo Jackson have shattered Emmitts yardage had he stayed healthy..would Emmitt had as many yards behind Sanders oline...all fantasy land and what if.

in reality Emmitt rushed for the most yardage case closed

Amen on that

[bbailey423]

Originally Posted by erod

Oh, I will argue with you there all day long. Emmitt was better than Barry overall as a back, but not the greatest of all time.

Jim Brown and Walter Payton are the best ever, period. O.J. Simpson would be in the discussion after them, and if today's knee surgery existed, Gayle Sayers might have been better than them all.

Here is what I will say about Jim Brown....he was bigger than everyone blocking for him...and everyone trying to tackle him. Notice how those "big" backs fare in today's NFL? Ask Brandon Jacobs. Emmit would have been a lot to handle in any era. I truly wonder if Jim Brown would have been able to run through, drag, run over NFL players in today's era. Not saying he was not great. But was he elusive? What about vision. Emmit had ELITE vision. ELITE anticipation. I saw Emmit 2 years ago....does not have any of the things you would expect from guys that carried the football that much. Eyes were bright, speech was clear...moved pain free. Probably looks like he might weigh 190 pounds. This is not a coincidence. The ability to absorb hits correctly...the ability to see things before they happen...so you can turn a certain way to avoid a kill shot. Emmit got VERY little kill shots on him. And it won't because he ran on the edges. He ran between the tackles...for YEARS. We are not talking about which RBs would win at the NFL combine. I am talking about putting on the helmet and pads and getting up and down. Play after play. Quarter after Quarter. Game after Game. Year after Year. And he did more succesfully than ANYBODY else. There is no way to know if these other guys bodies could endure everythign it would take to amass the amount of yards Emmit did. So we cannot assume they would reach these goals had they kept going. Couple of years ago EVERYONE thought Tomlison was on his way...then the wheels fell off. It takes a specal RB to do what Emmit did. Which is WHY he is the only one to have ever done it.

[erod]

Originally Posted by bbailey423

Here is what I will say about Jim Brown....he was bigger than everyone blocking for him...and everyone trying to tackle him. Notice how those "big" backs fare in today's NFL? Ask Brandon Jacobs. Emmit would have been a lot to handle in any era. I truly wonder if Jim Brown would have been able to run through, drag, run over NFL players in today's era. Not saying he was not great. But was he elusive? What about vision. Emmit had ELITE vision. ELITE anticipation. I saw Emmit 2 years ago....does not have any of the things you would expect from guys that carried the football that much. Eyes were bright, speech was clear...moved pain free. Probably looks like he might weigh 190 pounds. This is not a coincidence. The ability to absorb hits correctly...the ability to see things before they happen...so you can turn a certain way to avoid a kill shot. Emmit got VERY little kill shots on him. And it won't because he ran on the edges. He ran between the tackles...for YEARS. We are not [View Full Quote]talking about which RBs would win at the NFL combine. I am talking about putting on the helmet and pads and getting up and down. Play after play. Quarter after Quarter. Game after Game. Year after Year. And he did more succesfully than ANYBODY else. There is no way to know if these other guys bodies could endure everythign it would take to amass the amount of yards Emmit did. So we cannot assume they would reach these goals had they kept going. Couple of years ago EVERYONE thought Tomlison was on his way...then the wheels fell off. It takes a specal RB to do what Emmit did. Which is WHY he is the only one to have ever done it.

Look, Emmitt is my all-time favorite Cowboy. Wear his jersey to every game. Greatest Cowboy of all time in my opinion.

But if he was drafted by the Seahawks, he'd barely be mentioned. He had the perfect quarterback, coordinator, and offensive line, and he took advantage of it. Incredibly durable and consistent.

Sanders had ZERO help. Terrible coaches, awful quarterbacks, no defense, and no notable offensive line. He was the most unique running back of all time.

Brown, Payton, and Simpson still set the example that others follow. And if he hadn't gotten hurt, Bo Jackson might have trumped them all.

[muck4doo]

Originally Posted by erod

Look, Emmitt is my all-time favorite Cowboy. Wear his jersey to every game. Greatest Cowboy of all time in my opinion.

But if he was drafted by the Seahawks, he'd barely be mentioned. He had the perfect quarterback, coordinator, and offensive line, and he took advantage of it. Incredibly durable and consistent.

Sanders had ZERO help. Terrible coaches, awful quarterbacks, no defense, and no notable offensive line. He was the most unique running back of all time.

That is a ton of crap. Brown and Glover were pro-bowlers. You sound just like a Lions fan.

[erod]

Originally Posted by muck4doo

That is a ton of crap. Brown and Glover were pro-bowlers. You sound just like a Lions fan.

OK, a couple of guys. Whoop-te-do.

The guy had to win games by himself, which is darn hard to do as a running back.

[Hostile]

Can't stand him. For my money the most over rated player who has ever stepped on a football field.

Glad he was never a Cowboy. Would not even make my top list of RBs because I don't respect that he would not run between the Tackles. Exciting as hell, but contributed too much to his team being losers because he handicapped them.

[muck4doo]

Originally Posted by erod

OK, a couple of guys. Whoop-te-do.

The guy had to win games by himself, which is darn hard to do as a running back.

So he had pro-bowl offensive linemen, but was still winning it by himself? Well, he didn't win much. He also didn't set the record. Emmit has 3 rings, and the all time rushing leader record. Enough said. He is the best. He also would play through injuries, and didn't give up. Barry is a known quitter. I don't ever want to see the two compared. It's a joke. Barry is very good, but i would take Emmit, or Bo Jackson over him any day.

/Back then anyways

[NickZepp]

The guy that gets lost on the best ever discussions is Earl Campbell. The guy from about 78-81 put out sick numbers. Today we may have on that will be an all time great in Adrian Peterson. Now he really does have a line that's not any good and right now has no QB or receivers and just came off a brutal knee injury and has put up sick numbers the last 6 weeks.

Sanders, Brown, Payton, Dickerson, Smith, Campbell, Motley, Simpson, Dorsett, and Faulk would be my top 10 in no real order right now.

[muck4doo]

Originally Posted by NickZepp

The guy that gets lost on the best ever discussions is Earl Campbell. The guy from about 78-81 put out sick numbers. Today we may have on that will be an all time great in Adrian Peterson. Now he really does have a line that's not any good and right now has no QB or receivers and just came off a brutal knee injury and has put up sick numbers the last 6 weeks.

Sanders, Brown, Payton, Dickerson, Smith, Campbell, Motley, Simpson, Dorsett, and Faulk would be my top 10 in no real order right now.

Billy Sims was also electric, but had a short career.

[Bizwah]

Originally Posted by erod

OK, a couple of guys. Whoop-te-do.

The guy had to win games by himself, which is darn hard to do as a running back.

Uhhh...Herman Moore and Brett Perriman would probably disagree that Barry didn't have any help.