Barry Talks About Similarities/Differences To Emmitt

[Haimerej]

Yeah also when Jim Brown went into the NFL they were playing with 190 pound linebackers and 200 pound linemen. Jim was great but a lot of his competition was on par with modern day junior college ball. All things must be considered in context.

Just like baseball before Jackie Robinson. You can't tell me some of the guys in the other leagues wouldn't have affected the numbers put up by Ruth, Cobb, etc.

 

[CyberB0b]

Emmitt Smith is my favorite player of all time. Love him.

But Barry was a better runner, no question. He just didn't have the situation Emmitt had.

Emmitt was more complete, but he couldn't do what Barry could athletically.

Yup, anyone who is looking at them objectively sees that. Emmitt had more drive and grit. Jerry Rice wasn't the most gifted person we've ever seen, nor is Tom Brady. These guys have a mindset that is unmatched.

 

[Thomas82]

The article you linked is basically a fan giving his opinion. And from reading his prose clearly a Cowboy-hater. I will respectfully disagree with the bolded point for the simple reason that getting tackled at the 5 yard line after a 40 yard run just meant Emmitt might need another carry or two to get it into the end zone. However Emmitt was still getting the ball in those situations. He might have had another 20-30 LONG TDs.. but I doubt he has many more actual TDs. The characterization of Emmitt as "slow" is simply inaccurate. I'd bet my mortgage you couldn't catch him from behind.. There is a difference between ultra fast and being "slow." Emmitt was not ultra fast.. but slow? Nah.. Emmitt was as fast as anybody for a short distance (25-30 yards) but his poor running form robbed him of top end speed. That's why he had so many runs where he ran right by guys at the point of attack but that same guy might catch him 40 yards later. Dropped in the draft? All the way to 17? What a piker. Citing the "experts" who diminished him coming into the draft is foolhardy. How many of those so-called experts who said he was too slow spent the next 15 years eating crow? I remember Mel Kiper being adamant that Emmitt would be lucky to make an NFL roster at his size and perceived lack of speed. Kiper obviously never toted the rock or he would have known that Emmitt's vision, balance, leg drive and acceleration were more than sufficient to be successful at the NFL level. I'm no pro scout and I knew it.. But then I had been watching him since high school and had actually been hearing about him since Pop Warner.. So I had an unfair advantage.

Yeah, Emmitt was projected to be a 15-carry at most, change of pace back coming into the NFL.

 

[Blackrain]

I wish I could have seem OJ play, but unfortunately, his last year in the NFL was the year I was born.

I will tell you it was truly a treat back when football was really football . Other than Jim Brown and maybe Earl Campbell no RB garnered that much attention from the defense there was absolutely no fear of the Bills passing game what so ever . OJ was basically on an Island and put the whole offense on his back every game with little or no help .

Also listening to Howard Cosell talking about when OJ was going to break one was Classic commentary

 

[Thomas82]

I will tell you it was truly a treat back when football was really football . Other than Jim Brown and maybe Earl Campbell no RB garnered that much attention from the defense there was absolutely no fear of the Bills passing game what so ever . OJ was basically on an Island and put the whole offense on his back every game with little or no help .

Also listening to Howard Cosell talking about when OJ was going to break one was Classic commentary

It must have been amazing to watch OJ on TV or in person. The first great RB in his prime that I remember is Eric Dickerson.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

“Barry will always be better than I was.” — Emmitt Smith

 

[mldardy]

https://www.quora.com/Even-though-h...-best-running-back-in-NFL-history-Why-is-that

Emmitt was never the most physically gifted runner. Nor was he the fastest guy you've ever seen. By NFL standards, he was extremely "slow." Especially for a RB.

Although Smith had rushed for 12,732 yards and scored 142 touchdowns the previous seven seasons, NFL scouts 8weren't sold. ... He was too slow, having run 40 yards in 4.55 seconds during his Pro Day at Florida.

He was slow, every scout in the NFL that draft knew it and said it. Proof enough or do you know better than every NFL scout that year? He was productive which is why he was great and he even had some big runs. But he was slowwwwww which is why he dropped in the draft. Add two tenths of a second to his acceleration and top end speed and he has another 20-30 TDs. If you saw any games in the 90s instead of just highlights, you’d know that. Done with this, it’s obvious to the entire world but you. Go argue that the sky isn’t blue, you’d have better chances.

You're pointing out things that I already know. You said that he got caught from behind a lot which we all know (except for you) is not true. I'm waiting for you tell me how many times he got caught from behind in his career. Those are the facts I'm looking for. I don't care what he ran and that you think he was slow. Until proven otherwise you are spewing a bunch of nonsense and nonfactual info about how he get caught from behind a lot.

 

[jnday]

“Barry will always be better than I was.” — Emmitt Smith

Emmitt is a modest guy. Emmitt was a much better all-around RB when you add blocking and receiving. Sanders was known for making more negative plays as well.

 

[HotDog37]

Emmitt had the heart of a lion would do anything for his teammates and would make something out of nothing. He was quick, knew how to use his blockers, knew how to delay the punch after hut into the fray as to pick his lanes. He was very strong as well he could run over people if needed.

 

[Thomas82]

Emmitt had the heart of a lion would do anything for his teammates and would make something out of nothing. He was quick, knew how to use his blockers, knew how to delay the punch after hut into the fray as to pick his lanes. He was very strong as well he could run over people if needed.

I believe it was Warren Sapp years ago who said: "Emmitt has the heart of a lion. Barry just has a lion on his helmet." Sapp even said that as an opponent, he feared Emmitt more than he did Barry, which speaks volumes given the fact that Tampa Bay and Detroit were division rivals back then.

 

[Blackrain]

It must have been amazing to watch OJ on TV or in person. The first great RB in his prime that I remember is Eric Dickerson.

IMO OJ and Dickerson had similar running styles, he was also great to watch

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Emmitt is a modest guy. Emmitt was a much better all-around RB when you add blocking and receiving. Sanders was known for making more negative plays as well.

“No, seriously, Barry is better than me.” — Emmitt Smith

 

[Zekeats]

Emmitt was the smarter of the two. He knew when and how to cut losses. He got the hard yard. He was never taken off the field in a goalline situation for fear of losing yardage. I Take nothing from Barry who was spectacular in his own right but I'd take 22 over him everytime.

Barry didn't like getting hit, end of story.

 

[Zekeats]

Jim Brown was the GOAT.

Barry over Brown in any era!

 

[Thomas82]

Barry didn't like getting hit, end of story.

Not to mention the fact that Emmitt got hit every play, whether he was getting the ball or not.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Barry over Brown in any era!

Go compare numbers. Go to Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors o their pages.
Brown
Career YPG 1st all time
Higher YPC best season, Higher YPC career
1st Team All Pro 8/9 seasons, League leader YPG 8 times

Brown was just better on the most basic career stats for a RB, and more dominant in his time period.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrowJi00.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SandBa00.htm

 

[DUO_CORE]

Emmitt was better at not making excuses.

 

[RonnieT24]

Go compare numbers. Go to Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors o their pages.
Brown
Career YPG 1st all time
Higher YPC best season, Higher YPC career
1st Team All Pro 8/9 seasons, League leader YPG 8 times

Brown was just better on the most basic career stats for a RB, and more dominant in his time period.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrowJi00.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SandBa00.htm

Jim Brown was an absolute beast. Mind you like most here I never got to see him play live or if I did I was too young to remember.. But having been an avid consumer of highlight footage and a connoisseur of the RB position my entire life, I studied him heavily as a ute. In terms of dominance in his era there is no back in his class. He was one of the first "super" athlete physical freaks in the NFL. There were probably games when he was the biggest AND the fastest AND the strongest guy on the field. He was the equivalent of a 6'5" 290 pound running back with 4.4 speed today.. It's difficult to say what he might have done had he played today's era. I think with the state of defenses now he would be a slightly shiftier version of Derrick Henry and would put up 1500 yards and 15 TDs every year.

Obviously there have been periods in the NFL when actual defense was being played.. But there has definitely been an ebb and flow to it. I think the Bears, 49ers, Giants and Commander teams of the 80's played serious defense. I think the 49ers, Cowboys, Steelers, Eagles and Bills of the early 90's also played real defense. The Packers had a moment in the late 90's when they were a stout defense. The early 2000s Ravens and Bucs too. For a guy like Brown, playing with so many soft defenses as there are in the league now would be a dream come true. But the downside is that players are SO much bigger and stronger than in his era he would take more of a beating and he would not stand out as much size and speed wise.. His body would also take more pounding with so many more games on turf nowadays. But never let it be said that he would not be dominant in any era.. Because he would. Period.

I've never been one who falls into the "so and so was the best ever" trap. I think all the guys at the very top of NFL history were great and in the right situation any of them probably could have achieved as much as any other. OJ and Dickerson could have won championships had they landed on better teams. Barry as well. AP too. Earl Campbell should have won one in 1979 when the refs robbed the Oilers of that game against Pittsburgh. Sometimes circumstances conspire against guys.. As a Cowboys fan I am happy we had Emmitt.. he was in the right place at the right time. But I don't subscribe to the notion that "nobody else could have done what Emmitt did.." But what I do know is that none of them did.. We can speculate till the cows come home about coulda woulda shoulda.. When someone else gains more yards and scores more TDs than Emmitt did I will concede that guy is better than Emmitt.. Until then.. the most I am willing to give anybody is a tie.

 

[ghst187]

The article you linked is basically a fan giving his opinion. And from reading his prose clearly a Cowboy-hater. I will respectfully disagree with the bolded point for the simple reason that getting tackled at the 5 yard line after a 40 yard run just meant Emmitt might need another carry or two to get it into the end zone. However Emmitt was still getting the ball in those situations. He might have had another 20-30 LONG TDs.. but I doubt he has many more actual TDs. The characterization of Emmitt as "slow" is simply inaccurate. I'd bet my mortgage you couldn't catch him from behind.. There is a difference between ultra fast and being "slow." Emmitt was not ultra fast.. but slow? Nah.. Emmitt was as fast as anybody for a short distance (25-30 yards) but his poor running form robbed him of top end speed. That's why he had so many runs where he ran right by guys at the point of attack but that same guy might catch him 40 yards later. Dropped in the draft? All the way to 17? What a piker. Citing the "experts" who diminished him coming into the draft is foolhardy. How many of those so-called experts who said he was too slow spent the next 15 years eating crow? I remember Mel Kiper being adamant that Emmitt would be lucky to make an NFL roster at his size and perceived lack of speed. Kiper obviously never toted the rock or he would have known that Emmitt's vision, balance, leg drive and acceleration were more than sufficient to be successful at the NFL level. I'm no pro scout and I knew it.. But then I had been watching him since high school and had actually been hearing about him since Pop Warner.. So I had an unfair advantage.

he wasn’t fast. Barry was ultra fast, Chris Johnson the was ultra fast. Most backs run faster than Emmitt timed. This was no secret. It was a fact every scout in the NFL pointed out. So by RBs standards Emmitt wasn’t fast. He was truly great for all the reasons you mention but fast he was not. If he had Barry’s speed or even average RB speed in the 4.4 range (feel free to google that one, Emmitt was 4.55), Emmitt would’ve had more TDs. He also did a great job protecting the ball and that slowed him down too. There’s a reason he had to run it in the end zone from the 1-2 yard lines a lot. fact: average RB combine speeds are considerably faster than Emmitt’s.

Here’s SIs take on RB 40 times. The backs they list as “slow” have faster 40s than Emmitt.
Ergo, by NFL standards, Emmitt was slow. As hominem that he could outrun me is ridiculously irrelevant.
Not sure what the problem is here, he can still be your hero and not be perfect.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/05/29/n...0-times-tom-brady-leveon-bell-deandre-hopkins

 

[FiveSuperBowls]

Barry Sanders was on the K&C Masterpiece show this past Tuesday and talked about some similarities and differences with Emmitt Smith. They even introduced Barry as the "greatest running back of all-time". Here are the quotes from Barry that stood out to me:

"“We were different in that I probably could have used a few more Nate Newtons in front of me, or [Mark Stepnoski]. You know, or Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. But, no — I think we’re both kind of shifty in our own way."

"Emmitt was probably a little more patient as a runner. It’s funny because I was hearing about Emmitt Smith when I was in high school. He was highly touted, one of the nation’s top players. So, it was just cool for me to end up being his nemesis, or adversary, or thought of as the top running back in the league along with him. But I think there are a lot of (similarities between us), being that kind of slippery, elusive guy, that can hit a home run from anywhere on the field.”


Here's a link to the article(s) these quotes came from:
https://insidethestar.com/barry-san...es-differences-in-comparison-to-emmitt-smith/
https://www.radio.com/1053thefan/sp...areer-compares-and-differs-with-emmitt-smiths

Here's the YouTube video of the segment:

Differences = Emmitt played longer, injured, and with 3 rings.

Oh, Boys faltered (with same OL) when he held out.