Barry Talks About Similarities/Differences To Emmitt

[darthseinfeld]

Not hardly. Try harder.

I always thought the Lions biggest problem in that time was Mitchell. I thought a run and shoot was the best system for Sanders because it really stretched a defense. They had solid OL talent and very good WR talent. After 1 big year in Detroit, Mitchell became very erratic. Considering he had Moore, Perriman and Morton to throw too, his 1995 should have been the norm.

 

[RonnieT24]

can’t believe someone can even defend that Emmitt was as fast as Barry. Barry was sub 4.38 while Emmitt was 4.52 at his fastest and never had the acceleration of Barry. The only players that ever did were Bo Jackson and Deion. Pure silliness and denying of facts to say otherwise.
You are the first person to ever say Emmitt was fast. He wasn’t. Great RB absolutely. Fast...no. Welcome to look it up or read every other NFL player or fans opinion and how it differs from yours. I’ll wait.

First of all you are getting carried away. 4.5 is VERY fast .. If you don't believe me watch the combine every year and watch how few players come in under that. And these are guys who train for months to run fast at the combine. Emmitt never did train for speed he just showed up and performed because he was never concerned about his 40 time. He was a football player first and foremost. You are also wrong about acceleration. I guarantee you that if both guys were timed at 20 yards it would be a virtual dead heat. Maybe what you're referring to was change of direction. I would certainly give Barry the edge there.. but he needed it.. He had to make guys whiff to make them miss. Emmitt could accomplish the same thing with far less torque and movement. He didn't need to make a guy whiff completely. He could let a defender ALMOST have a hand on him and then be gone or slap the hand down. That efficiency of movement and of course his durability are what allowed him to play 15 years and the most physically demanding position in the game. Also his leg power enabled him to run through tackles better than Barry. It's what made him the best goal line runner the game has ever seen.. that and his vision and anticipation made him a TD scoring machine down close. And yes his ridiculous acceleration to the edge when it was all jammed up inside led to a lot of high stepping into the end zone untouched around the end.

Lastly.. if you think Bo and Deion are the only players who ever had the speed and acceleration of Barry you need to YouTube guys like Bob Hayes, Cliff Branch, Willie Gault, Ron Brown, Lance Alworth, Wes Chandler, Johnny (Lam) Jones, Dante Hall, Joey Galloway, Darrel Green ... there is a long list of guys who played in the NFL who could run alongside Barry while talking to him about his running form.. Hell have you not been paying attention to Tyreke Hill the last few years? Do you think Barry was anywhere NEAR as fast and quick as that dude?

 

[RonnieT24]

I always thought the Lions biggest problem in that time was Mitchell. I thought a run and shoot was the best system for Sanders because it really stretched a defense. They had solid OL talent and very good WR talent. After 1 big year in Detroit, Mitchell became very erratic. Considering he had Moore, Perriman and Morton to throw too, his 1995 should have been the norm.

These are valid points.. A lot of teams came into games against the Run-n-shoot planning to play nickel or dime defense all day. Can you imagine the number Emmitt would have wrung up if teams had tried to pay 3 down linemen, 2 backers and 6 DBs against him?

 

[Thomas82]

Even if Barry had "more Nate Newtons" in front him, it would have mattered. He never followed his blocks. Detroits offense was basically give the ball to Barry and see what happens.

The thing the average observer never seemed to understand, was exactly how much harder it was to block for Barry Sanders than for just about anybody else. The Lions' linemen themselves used to point this out all the time. In 2004 around the time of the HOF inductions, Sports Center had a few of the Lions offensive linemen that blocked for Barry on the show, and they all said to a man that they hated blocking for Barry because he never went where the play was supposed to go. It's too bad there's no clip of it to pull up. One other thing I wish I could find was that NFL Films clip that was on YouTube years ago where the analyst broke down film of Barry actually passing on a hole to cut outside and look for the big play.

Bottom line, Barry didn't take the yards that were there and make the most out of the situation, he was in constant pursuit of the big play, which he was better than any running back has ever been, but he often left his team in a hole on the next down. That's not the most conducive way to win football games. That fact alone is why I've never bought into the argument that "if Barry had, had Emmitt's line he would have rushed for 2,000 yards every season", because no matter how good the line is if the RB doesn't go where it's designed to go, the play will look like crap and that makes the offensive line look bad. Another thing: If you are blocking in one direction, and the runner changes directions and goes the other way, how is it your fault when he gets stuffed?

 

[RonnieT24]

The thing the average observer never seemed to understand, was exactly how much harder it was to block for Barry Sanders than for just about anybody else. The Lions' linemen themselves used to point this out all the time. In 2004 around the time of the HOF inductions, Sports Center had a few of the Lions offensive linemen that blocked for Barry on the show, and they all said to a man that they hated blocking for Barry because he never went where the play was supposed to go. It's too bad there's no clip of it to pull up. One other thing I wish I could find was that NFL Films clip that was on YouTube years ago where the analyst broke down film of Barry actually passing on a hole to cut outside and look for the big play.

Bottom line, Barry didn't take the yards that were there and make the most out of the situation, he was in constant pursuit of the big play, which he was better than any running back has ever been, but he often left his team in a hole on the next down. That's not the most conducive way to win football games. That fact alone is why I've never bought into the argument that "if Barry had, had Emmitt's line he would have rushed for 2,000 yards every season", because no matter how good the line is if the RB doesn't go where it's designed to go, the play will look like crap and that makes the offensive line look bad. Another thing: If you are blocking in one direction, and the runner changes directions and goes the other way, how is it your fault when he gets stuffed?

Barry passed up a short gain in search of the big play a LOT in his career.. To the tuning of losing something like 3000 yards over his 10 year career. Uneducated fans always blamed the line for that.. but as you pointed out, when Barry went into the Hall NFL films broke down a number of plays where he could have gotten a nice 3-4 yard gain if he ran the hole but he chose to bounce it and swing for the fences. Great if he got to the edge and hit a home run.. but what happened more often was TFL followed by 2nd and 15. The same instincts that made him such an electric runner could not be turned off so he was completely unreliable in short yardage and goal line. Just as Emmitt line should not get all the credit for his greatness, Barry's line should not get all the credit for his negative runs. But reasonable and nuanced analysis have no place in the HSO world we live in.

 

[Point-of-the-Star]

Really good article on some of the arguments about Smith's "great OL" .

 

[Thomas82]

Really good article on some of the arguments about Smith's "great OL" .

Yes, that man really knows his stuff.

 

[OmerV]

Not to mention the fact that Emmitt was a ferocious blocker. With all the blocking he did, Emmitt got hit on every play, whether he was getting the ball or not.

At the end of the day, Emmitt was the better all around player (running, receiving, blocking, grinding out tough yards), and Barry was the more talented pure runner, but along with the great plays, he sometimes would have negative plays while trying to do too much.

 

[Thomas82]

At the end of the day, Emmitt was the better all around player (running, receiving, blocking, grinding out tough yards), and Barry was the more talented pure runner, but along with the great plays, he sometimes would have negative plays while trying to do too much.

Facts!!

 

[atlantacowboy]

The thing the average observer never seemed to understand, was exactly how much harder it was to block for Barry Sanders than for just about anybody else. The Lions' linemen themselves used to point this out all the time. In 2004 around the time of the HOF inductions, Sports Center had a few of the Lions offensive linemen that blocked for Barry on the show, and they all said to a man that they hated blocking for Barry because he never went where the play was supposed to go. It's too bad there's no clip of it to pull up. One other thing I wish I could find was that NFL Films clip that was on YouTube years ago where the analyst broke down film of Barry actually passing on a hole to cut outside and look for the big play.

Bottom line, Barry didn't take the yards that were there and make the most out of the situation, he was in constant pursuit of the big play, which he was better than any running back has ever been, but he often left his team in a hole on the next down. That's not the most conducive way to win football games. That fact alone is why I've never bought into the argument that "if Barry had, had Emmitt's line he would have rushed for 2,000 yards every season", because no matter how good the line is if the RB doesn't go where it's designed to go, the play will look like crap and that makes the offensive line look bad. Another thing: If you are blocking in one direction, and the runner changes directions and goes the other way, how is it your fault when he gets stuffed?

You are basically making my point which was that it didn't matter who was blocking for Barry. Its hilarious now that Sanders is actually blaming his OL for his lack of hardware and early retirement. The dude had more talent than Emmitt but not half the heart and desire to win.

 

[Kwyn]

Well, he’s a total homer and

Yes, that man really knows his stuff.

Hmm. It’s a blog post written by a lifelong cowboy fan. Not to knock the guys hustle but the article has a definite homer slant

 

[RonnieT24]

At the end of the day, Emmitt was the better all around player (running, receiving, blocking, grinding out tough yards), and Barry was the more talented pure runner, but along with the great plays, he sometimes would have negative plays while trying to do too much.

Yeah I suppose if I was starting an expansion team and needed to put butts in the seats I'd go with Barry.. But if I fancied myself building a contending team that needed to win. I'd go with Emmitt. Emmitt's running style was not nearly as sexy and exciting. It was just consistently more effective. Plain and simple.

 

[mldardy]

can’t believe someone can even defend that Emmitt was as fast as Barry. Barry was sub 4.38 while Emmitt was 4.52 at his fastest and never had the acceleration of Barry. The only players that ever did were Bo Jackson and Deion. Pure silliness and denying of facts to say otherwise.
You are the first person to ever say Emmitt was fast. He wasn’t. Great RB absolutely. Fast...no. Welcome to look it up or read every other NFL player or fans opinion and how it differs from yours. I’ll wait.

I can believe someone like you makes up stuff because NOWHERE did I say Emmitt was as fast as Barry. As for the rest of the the stuff you posted I didn't read because I don't care about the rest of it.

 

[mldardy]

you’re just wrong no matter your passion. Emmitt had no where near the speed and acceleration that Barry did. Watch a tape, any tape, pretty obvious as gravity.

I love this where you can just say stuff like 'it's 100% true' and 'you're just wrong no matter your passion'. Add to that by saying he got caught from behind A LOT which is also false. I saw Emmitt play and sure he got caught from behind just like every other football player but he definitely didn't get caught A LOT. You say a lot of things that are 100% not true. That's what I know for sure.

 

[Beaker42]

I'll say one thing for Sanders, he was by far the most exciting RB in NFL history. He also had more defenders on his side of the los than any back I ever saw. Most DC's feared his ability to hit that crease and go that they just shot the gaps to get him to lose ground until more troops could arrive. And he cooperated but every now and then, wowsers, how'd he do that??

I tell ya one thing, if you played fantasy ball back then, before the yardage and everything else was factored in, Sanders was the worst RB to have. He'd make a 90 yard run, go out on the 2 yard line and here comes Touchdown Tommy Vardell. I rode the E Man to back to back SB's and had him the year he set the record with 25 TD's.

In the complete back arena, no contest, Emmitt was the 2nd best I ever saw play, behind Payton. I think it was that reason that Booger was drawn to Elliott, he was the 2nd coming of Emmitt as far as a complete back was concerned.

The Ewok can’t carry 22’s jock strap. Never even come close. Know why? No guts. He doesn’t care about winning or losing - just pesos. The Cabo Kid.

 

[Thomas82]

If you look directly at the Lions stats from Barry's last year (1998) and the 2 years that followed, you'll notice that they actually won more games despite less talent with Barry's absence you will see one very telling stat. Look at the 3rd down conversion %. It backs up my point. They converted better, sustained more drives, and scored a little bit more. The big difference was that the Lions' defense wasn't so tired from all the 3 and outs, and they allowed fewer points. That translates to more wins. All of the units of a football team integrate and fit together like a puzzle, and they all affect each other in some way.

 

[BHendri5]

Sanders had so many splash plays that show up on the highlights with 26 rushing tds over 30 yards while Emmitt had 12 of those. Meanwhile Emmitt grinded out so many more of those tough inside the 10 red zone tds. They were different types of players, Sanders was more flash, while Emmitt was the dependable workhorse that gets you the tough yards between the tackles.

Many people like flashy things so watching 14 more long rushing tds on a highlight film probably sways the casual fans mind. That doesn't mean they're the better all around football player though.

Sounds just like what we have at RB1 now

 

[ghst187]

I love this where you can just say stuff like 'it's 100% true' and 'you're just wrong no matter your passion'. Add to that by saying he got caught from behind A LOT which is also false. I saw Emmitt play and sure he got caught from behind just like every other football player but he definitely didn't get caught A LOT. You say a lot of things that are 100% not true. That's what I know for sure.

facts are hard for you eh?

 

[crashintonickdm]

It’s not glamorous to say a cowboy is best at something

 

[RonnieT24]

The thing that always worked against Emmitt and always will was that his running style was so smooth and efficient. Emmitt could make a defender miss in a phone booth. His moves were subtle and often at first glance not even visible to the naked eye. He would patiently wait for his blocks to develop rather than panicking and bouncing outside all the time the way Barry did.. One of my favorite stories about Emmitt was told by Moose on a radio show .. He was asked when he first knew Emmitt was something special.. He said it was in a game in preseason when they had run a lead draw and Moose's man had shot upfield before he could get to him.. Moose said he was like "Damnit my man just blew up the play" but then he noticed that the guy was coming back to him.. The guy was still looking at Emmitt so Moose was able to earhole the guy and Emmitt waltzed into the end zone. Moose said when he went back to the sidelines everybody was patting him on the back about de-cleating his man and clearing the way for Emmitt.. Only Moose knew that he had completely whiffed on the block initially but Emmitt was smart enough and patient enough to set the guy up by dipping back inside then quick enough to cut in behind Moose's block and scoot into the end zone before the pursuit could get there. He said that was when he knew this kid was special. He said when they watched it on film it really stood out.. To the idiot fan it looked like "Emmitt scored untouched thanks to Moose's great block" but people who knew what was up realized that the only reason that block happened was because Emmitt made it happen.

So many of his great runs were of that variety. The first time I got to see him live was in 2002 at Texas Stadium. Emmitt had a 30 yard TD run against the Giants which thanks to some good luck came right at me as I was sitting in the lower corner end zone seats. Hambrick was the fullback on a toss sweep.. Those of us old enough to remember Hambrick remember that he was pretty much useless as a blocker. He stumbled coming out of his stance and Emmitt had to jump over him then outrun the linebacker who Hambrick was supposed to block just to get to the edge where the safety had come up to make the tackle. Emmitt put his helmet in the safety's chest and literally trampled him without breaking stride on the way to the end zone.

Emmitt will always be under appreciated by NFL fans. Except by people like me. And by NFL coaches and GMs.. When he was about to break Payton's record ESPN did a poll of fans, players, coaches and GMs about "who would you rather have? Emmitt or Barry?" Fans favored Barry like 60/40.. Players favored Barry like 55/45... Coaches and GMs favored Emmitt 55/45. Don't quote me on the numbers but I think that was the breakdown. Bottom line .. people whose livelihood depended on winning football games wanted Emmitt.. Nuff said..