Emmitt Smith/Jerry Rice Double Standard (BTB)

[Thomas82]

I just finished reading a BTB article that talks about this, and I saw in the comments that even Cowboys fans sell Emmitt short in this discussion. Without trying to sound biased, here are my thoughts on it:

Jerry Rice is the equivalent of Emmitt Smith at the wide receiver position. Just like Emmitt does for running back, he holds the majority of the major NFL records for receivers.

They also have a couple of career parallels: They both slid in the draft because of concerns over their measurables at the NFL Combine. Neither was the first player selected at their position in their drafts. They both won 3 Super Bowls. They even retired the same year.

But......Jerry actually played on more stacked teams than Emmitt. His supporting cast had a combined 69 Pro Bowls and 18 All-Pro (1st Team) selections between them. If you include his offensive lines, that makes 126 Pro Bowls and 33 All-Pro selections. By comparison, Emmitt's supporting cast had 48 Pro Bowls and 14 All-Pro selections.

If Jerry Rice is widely considered the GOAT wide receiver and gets a pass for the teammates he played with, why does Emmitt Smith get penalized for his teammates when his name is mentioned as an all-time great?

Emmitt's supporting cast was top-notch, but HE was the most important and indispensable out of the group. Even with all the talent that Emmitt had surrounding him, teams still feared him the most when they played the Cowboys. He routinely faced defenses stacked with 8 and 9 men in the box. They wanted to take their chances with the passing game and not let Emmitt get going.

I have a little bit more to add, but for right now I'll leave off here and give you a link to the article below:

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...itt-smith-is-also-the-greatest-rb-of-all-time

 

[iamliko22]

Yeah been saying this for years when debating goat RB.. very similar careers.

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

Rice played with more pro bowlers in 21 seasons than Emmitt did in 15 seasons?(i'd love to see the sources on this one)

Wow. Ground breaking stuff.

Also comparing a WRs supporting cast to a RBs supporting class to make the claim the RB is the better others at his position? ....uh what?

 

[Thomas82]

Yeah been saying this for years when debating goat RB.. very similar careers.

And let's not forget that the 49ers won the Super Bowl the year before Jerry Rice got there.

 

[Aviano90]

Who is the best is a fruitless conversation. There is no right or wrong answer although many people believe their opinion should be the same opinion others should have, too. There is also no prize that goes to the winner, even if a winner could be agreed upon.

 

[Nav22]

Yep.

Michael Jordan is the GOAT NBA player because of his career accomplishments.

Jerry Rice is the GOAT WR because of his career accomplishments.

Tom Brady is the GOAT QB because of his career accomplishments.

Running back is the only position where they try to switch it up. Nope, not on my watch. Emmitt’s the GOAT RB. Period.

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

Yep.

Michael Jordan is the GOAT NBA player because of his career accomplishments.

Jerry Rice is the GOAT WR because of his career accomplishments.

Tom Brady is the GOAT QB because of his career accomplishments.

Running back is the only position where they try to switch it up. Nope, not on my watch. Emmitt’s the GOAT RB. Period.

So Kareem is the GOAT NBA player and not Jordan then?

 

[cern]

Imo, rb is the toughest position to play in the nfl. 25-30 touches a game with almost all ending in being tackled. What emmitt accomplished was unbelievable. His game against the giants playing with a dislocated shoulder was one for the ages.

 

[Flamma]

If Jerry Rice is widely considered the GOAT wide receiver and gets a pass for the teammates he played with, why does Emmitt Smith get penalized for his teammates when his name is mentioned as an all-time great?

To me the answer to this is easy. And it's because you're comparing two different positions.

When asked who is the best WR most people say Rice because he is the clear winner. How many WRs could you bring up in comparison? 2, maybe 3? Most would still say Rice. It's not a hard choice.

On the other hand how many great running backs have we seen? Emmitt has a lot more competition at his position, and that's why supporting cast comes into play. But I still think Emmitt is the best.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

It’s a nice try but Rice was on a different level and it wasn’t just because of longevity. Rice was a 10 Time first team All-Pro. Emmitt... was not. Rice was a pace car, setting the records while at his peak, and then extending them with a graceful decline. Emmitt broke the record as a bad back on a bad team and got even worse at the end with the mess in Arizona. Simply carrying the ball hundreds of times more than anyone else was never going to be enough to dethrone Payton or Brown.

 

[Thomas82]

To me the answer to this is easy. And it's because you're comparing two different positions.

When asked who is the best WR most people say Rice because he is the clear winner. How many WRs could you bring up in comparison? 2, maybe 3? Most would still say Rice. It's not a hard choice.

On the other hand how many great running backs have we seen? Emmitt has a lot more competition at his position, and that's why supporting cast comes into play. But I still think Emmitt is the best.

But even with great running backs, there have been some that have had great lines and got a pass, while Emmitt got penalized for his. Check this out:

As for a couple of other all-time great running backs, Jim Brown had a Pro Bowl lineman every year he was in the league, and 8 out of those 9 seasons he had multiple Pro Bowlers. He never had less than 3 linemen blocking for him that had Pro Bowl experience. In 1958 and 1959, he had FIVE Pro Bowl-caliber linemen blocking for him....FIVE! Yes, all 5 of them had established themselves as Pro Bowlers by then. Three of those linemen (Lou Groza, Gene Hickerson, Mike McCormack) are in the Hall Of Fame, and 2 other ones still have a slight possibility of making it. Eric Dickerson had multiple Pro Bowlers blocking for him in all 4 of the seasons that he won the rushing title. He was another one who, at least in his time with the Rams, had 3 Pro Bowl-caliber linemen on a regular basis. In 1985, the year after he set the single season rushing record of 2,105 yards, all of his linemen made the Pro Bowl except for his left tackle. It's no stretch to say that Eric Dickerson might have put the all-time rushing record out of reach if he would have stayed with the Rams, because that offense was built around him. It's funny how nobody ever holds against them the offensive lines they had. Oh, and what do Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson have in common? Their back-ups stepped in and led the NFL in rushing after they left their teams. Even 2 of Jim Brown's back-ups (Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly) are in the Hall Of Fame.

 

[RS12]

Love Emmitt I'd say top 50 for sure All time. Rice is one of the top 5 players I ever saw step on a field. Is what it is.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

I just finished reading a BTB article that talks about this, and I saw in the comments that even Cowboys fans sell Emmitt short in this discussion. Without trying to sound biased, here are my thoughts on it:

Jerry Rice is the equivalent of Emmitt Smith at the wide receiver position. Just like Emmitt does for running back, he holds the majority of the major NFL records for receivers.

They also have a couple of career parallels: They both slid in the draft because of concerns over their measurables at the NFL Combine. Neither was the first player selected at their position in their drafts. They both won 3 Super Bowls. They even retired the same year.

But......Jerry actually played on more stacked teams than Emmitt. His supporting cast had a combined 69 Pro Bowls and 18 All-Pro (1st Team) selections between them. If you include his offensive lines, that makes 126 Pro Bowls and 33 All-Pro selections. By comparison, Emmitt's supporting cast had 48 Pro Bowls and 14 All-Pro selections.

If Jerry Rice is widely considered the GOAT wide receiver and gets a pass for the teammates he played with, why does Emmitt Smith get penalized for his teammates when his name is mentioned as an all-time great?

Emmitt's supporting cast was top-notch, but HE was the most important and indispensable out of the group. Even with all the talent that Emmitt had surrounding him, teams still feared him the most when they played the Cowboys. He routinely faced defenses stacked with 8 and 9 men in the box. They wanted to take their chances with the passing game and not let Emmitt get going.

I have a little bit more to add, but for right now I'll leave off here and give you a link to the article below:

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...itt-smith-is-also-the-greatest-rb-of-all-time

Moose was a superb FB lead blocker for Emmitt too.

 

[Flamma]

But even with great running backs, there have been some that have had great lines and got a pass, while Emmitt got penalized for his. Check this out:

As for a couple of other all-time great running backs, Jim Brown had a Pro Bowl lineman every year he was in the league, and 8 out of those 9 seasons he had multiple Pro Bowlers. He never had less than 3 linemen blocking for him that had Pro Bowl experience. In 1958 and 1959, he had FIVE Pro Bowl-caliber linemen blocking for him....FIVE! Yes, all 5 of them had established themselves as Pro Bowlers by then. Three of those linemen (Lou Groza, Gene Hickerson, Mike McCormack) are in the Hall Of Fame, and 2 other ones still have a slight possibility of making it. Eric Dickerson had multiple Pro Bowlers blocking for him in all 4 of the seasons that he won the rushing title. He was another one who, at least in his time with the Rams, had 3 Pro Bowl-caliber linemen on a regular basis. In 1985, the year after he set the single season rushing record of 2,105 yards, all of his linemen made the Pro Bowl except for his left tackle. It's no stretch to say that Eric Dickerson might have put the all-time rushing record out of reach if he would have stayed with the Rams, because that offense was built around him. It's funny how nobody ever holds against them the offensive lines they had. Oh, and what do Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson have in common? Their back-ups stepped in and led the NFL in rushing after they left their teams. Even 2 of Jim Brown's back-ups (Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly) are in the Hall Of Fame.

Yeah I understand what you're saying, and I never penalized him for it because I can see his talent and what he accomplished was amazing. I still think a lot of it has to do with his competition. The amount of great running backs put his status into question. A lot of WRs had really good quarterbacks and supporting casts yet no one approaches Rice. A scant few can be compared to him. Not the case with Emmitt. As far as pro bowl offensive lineman, they're not that noticeable. I never heard on a consistent basis how great Eric Dickerson's offensive line was. But if you remember, it was non stop during that Cowboys run.

One thing about Jerry Rice that I keep hearing and it bothers me because he was a pain in my *** for years. They say that Jerry Rice wasn't that fast. No one would compare him to the fastest they say. Yet I don't recall ever seeing him get run down. The dude was wire to wire when he had nothing in between him and the endzone. Although I'm sure you can find a tape of Darrell Green catching him. It's the perfect example of 40 speed not always coinciding with game speed. Adrenalin isn't always present with 40 times.

 

[Hoofbite]

When it comes to Jerry Rice, he wasn’t an athletic specimen by any means. You won’t find a highlight reel of phenomenal “how did he come up with it” catches.

BTB. Never one to disappoint.

 

[buybuydandavis]

I just finished reading a BTB article that talks about this, and I saw in the comments that even Cowboys fans sell Emmitt short in this discussion. Without trying to sound biased, here are my thoughts on it:

Jerry Rice is the equivalent of Emmitt Smith at the wide receiver position. Just like Emmitt does for running back, he holds the majority of the major NFL records for receivers.

They also have a couple of career parallels: They both slid in the draft because of concerns over their measurables at the NFL Combine. Neither was the first player selected at their position in their drafts. They both won 3 Super Bowls. They even retired the same year.

But......Jerry actually played on more stacked teams than Emmitt. His supporting cast had a combined 69 Pro Bowls and 18 All-Pro (1st Team) selections between them. If you include his offensive lines, that makes 126 Pro Bowls and 33 All-Pro selections. By comparison, Emmitt's supporting cast had 48 Pro Bowls and 14 All-Pro selections.

If Jerry Rice is widely considered the GOAT wide receiver and gets a pass for the teammates he played with, why does Emmitt Smith get penalized for his teammates when his name is mentioned as an all-time great?

Emmitt's supporting cast was top-notch, but HE was the most important and indispensable out of the group. Even with all the talent that Emmitt had surrounding him, teams still feared him the most when they played the Cowboys. He routinely faced defenses stacked with 8 and 9 men in the box. They wanted to take their chances with the passing game and not let Emmitt get going.

I have a little bit more to add, but for right now I'll leave off here and give you a link to the article below:

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...itt-smith-is-also-the-greatest-rb-of-all-time

Jim Brown was the GOAT RB, and it's not even close. All Pro, league leader in rushing yards in 8 years of his 8 year career, 100 yards+ per game in 7 years. Probably few RB records he didn't hold when he retired, and probably could have played years more if he had wanted to, retiring after 3 straight All Pro seasons. League MVP 3 times.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrowJi00.htm

Emmitt had a 5 year stint of dominance plus a 9 year stint as a quality RB, giving him the career records. MVP once.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitEm00.htm

Jerry had a 10 out of 11 year All Pro tear *plus* a 8 year stint as a quality WR to give him the career receiving numbers. He's got the combination of Jim Brown's achievements and Emmitt's achievements. GOAT.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RiceJe00.htm

I'm not that impressed with career accumulation of yardage. I'm against Frank Gore making it in. HOF to me is about being near the top for a chunk of time. That's not Frank Gore.

For GOAT, I lean toward Jim Brown's dominance over Jerry, but Emmitt isn't in the ballpark of either.

Pro Football Reference has a HOF Monitor metric for all positions. No metric is perfect, but it does sort them pretty sensibly.

Emitt is in a pack of Payton, Brown, and Sanders.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/hof/hofm_RB.htm

Jerry has twice the score of any other WR. GOAT.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/hof/hofm_WR.htm

 

[Bigdog]

And to think that Jerry Rice could have been a Cowboy if Bill Walsh did not see a sports highlight clip of him on the local news in his hotel room room while his team was playing the Saints the next day. He even traded up to the 16th pick from the last pick right before the Cowboys 17th pick that draft year to snag him before the Cowboys could. The Cowboys were in shock when the Niners picked him.

 

[Nav22]

So Kareem is the GOAT NBA player and not Jordan then?

No. MJ won 6 rings with 11 total MVPs (regular season/Finals).

Kareem won 6 rings but was only the Finals MVP for 2 of those (8 MVPs total).

Kareem’s resume is insane and that’s why he’s considered one of the greatest. Not better than MJ though.

 

[Thomas82]

And to think that Jerry Rice could have been a Cowboy if Bill Walsh did not see a sports highlight clip of him on the local news in his hotel room room while his team was playing the Saints the next day. He even traded up to the 16th pick from the last pick right before the Cowboys 17th pick that draft year to snag him before the Cowboys could. The Cowboys were in shock when the Niners picked him.

And to think, we could have also had Joe Montana at QB as well.

 

[bandfan]

Won't ever deny Emmitt's credentials, but man when you go watch some video of Jim Brown......