Emmitt Smith

[jobberone]

This is my perspective on Emmitt. I actually put this in another thread but it got buried by the game. I was hoping some would want to see another way to look at the Emmitt vs the other greats.

I want to post here on an anecdotal basis. I've seen Jim Brown play and the rest since. It's difficult to compare RBs because many just have different styles. There is a huge difference between Jim Brown or Earl Campbell and a Tony Dorsett. I can't say for certain one is 'better' than the other because they are such different runners.

What I can say based purely on the eyeball test having looked at most of the great runners over the years which one I'd pick first to be on my team were they all the same age in their prime and I had the number one pick in the draft.

I'd pick Jim Brown. There are only two other players in NFL history with his combination of speed, power and ability to run the ball. Those two players just don't quite measure up to him. Earl Campbell is a close second followed by Bo Jackson. I have to place Jackson last due to longevity and number of games played. I think he is the closest player to emulate Jim Brown in my estimation. If I knew he would remain healthy then I'd probably pick Jackson based on talent and running style.

Emmitt didn't have Brown's speed or power. He had better missem though. In fact although you couldn't be awed by Emmitt's abilities on a moment to moment basis, you could after a while state some things.

I never saw Emmitt take a big shot. That aided his longevity and added to his yardage totals. He almost always got a few extra yards before going down. Those added up over the years.

I can't say I remember a back with better balance than Emmitt. Not one in the top ten. Maybe Sayers but Sayers had a different style than Emmitt. I'm going to mention OJ and I'm purely talking football here and divorcing the off field stuff. Simpson comes closest to Emmitt when it came to balance but Emmitt is clearly the winner here.

Emmitt had good missem. He's not in the same league as Sanders was. Sanders is the best at quicks and missem. He's not even in the same conversation when it comes to balance and power. Sanders didn't run thru tackles. In fact Emmitt is nearly in the same realm as Brown when it comes to running thru tackles. No where near the same power as Brown but in the end if they don't tackle you then that's considered a win for the RB.

If you watch Emmitt he isn't flying by people. They aren't missing because of bad angles. They are missing because they were set up by Emmitt. It's not impressive or should I say awe inspiring to watch Emmitt run. But slowly but surely people just either missed completely or more likely missed enough for Emmitt to run thru the tackle. And even when tackled it wasn't a solid shot. You look at the guy and say he's too slow and not quick enough. But then you notice that people are still missing the guy enough that he's running thru tackles and creating big runs.

I haven't talked about vision because that's hard for a fan to access. You can certainly say a runner has it but I don't know how to compare that asset between runners. Let's just say Emmitt was top ten with his vision and ability to set up blockers and tacklers.

In the end what you have is a runner who is less impressive than a Brown or a Sayers. But if you just go with that you have a guy who was fast enough to make some long runs. Had enough missem to get extra yardage. Had enough power and more to run thru tackles. Had the best balance of any back I've ever seen. In the end the turtle beat the hare.

Emmitt doesn't have the wow factor of a Brown or Sayers or Dorsett or a Sanders. Perhaps the best way to talk about Emmitt is he was a workman.

And as a sidelight, I'd like to hope that no one would ever say anything about Emmitt's oration after the speech he gave. It was magnificent.

 

[RafaelG]

Briefly...you mentioned Jim Brown. Brown played in an era where he was oftentimes the BIGGEST player on the field(as least as big as the many of the DL he went up against) much less the biggest RB.

He,nor anyone else, can come close to Emmitt. As for Barry Sanders,he had rare speed. If Emmitt had been nearly as fast as he was he would have probably had about 200 rushing TD's....how many times de we see him get caught from behind-countless times. Finally, Barry had a very good OL but nobody mentions that(Lomas Brown,Glover;etc). And don't forget...Barry just plain QUIT! Emmitt and his vision and sheer will to win made him the BEST period!!

*****************************************

This is my perspective on Emmitt. I actually put this in another thread but it got buried by the game. I was hoping some would want to see another way to look at the Emmitt vs the other greats.

I want to post here on an anecdotal basis. I've seen Jim Brown play and the rest since. It's difficult to compare RBs because many just have different styles. There is a huge difference between Jim Brown or Earl Campbell and a Tony Dorsett. I can't say for certain one is 'better' than the other because they are such different runners.

What I can say based purely on the eyeball test having looked at most of the great runners over the years which one I'd pick first to be on my team were they all the same age in their prime and I had the number one pick in the draft.

I'd pick Jim Brown. There are only two other players in NFL history with his combination of speed, power and ability to run the ball. Those two players just don't quite measure up to him. Earl Campbell is a close second followed by Bo Jackson. I have to place Jackson last due to longevity and number of games played. I think he is the closest player to emulate Jim Brown in my estimation. If I knew he would remain healthy then I'd probably pick Jackson based on talent and running style.

Emmitt didn't have Brown's speed or power. He had better missem though. In fact although you couldn't be awed by Emmitt's abilities on a moment to moment basis, you could after a while state some things.

I never saw Emmitt take a big shot. That aided his longevity and added to his yardage totals. He almost always got a few extra yards before going down. Those added up over the years.

I can't say I remember a back with better balance than Emmitt. Not one in the top ten. Maybe Sayers but Sayers had a different style than Emmitt. I'm going to mention OJ and I'm purely talking football here and divorcing the off field stuff. Simpson comes closest to Emmitt when it came to balance but Emmitt is clearly the winner here.

Emmitt had good missem. He's not in the same league as Sanders was. Sanders is the best at quicks and missem. He's not even in the same conversation when it comes to balance and power. Sanders didn't run thru tackles. In fact Emmitt is nearly in the same realm as Brown when it comes to running thru tackles. No where near the same power as Brown but in the end if they don't tackle you then that's considered a win for the RB.

If you watch Emmitt he isn't flying by people. They aren't missing because of bad angles. They are missing because they were set up by Emmitt. It's not impressive or should I say awe inspiring to watch Emmitt run. But slowly but surely people just either missed completely or more likely missed enough for Emmitt to run thru the tackle. And even when tackled it wasn't a solid shot. You look at the guy and say he's too slow and not quick enough. But then you notice that people are still missing the guy enough that he's running thru tackles and creating big runs.

I haven't talked about vision because that's hard for a fan to access. You can certainly say a runner has it but I don't know how to compare that asset between runners. Let's just say Emmitt was top ten with his vision and ability to set up blockers and tacklers.

In the end what you have is a runner who is less impressive than a Brown or a Sayers. But if you just go with that you have a guy who was fast enough to make some long runs. Had enough missem to get extra yardage. Had enough power and more to run thru tackles. Had the best balance of any back I've ever seen. In the end the turtle beat the hare.

Emmitt doesn't have the wow factor of a Brown or Sayers or Dorsett or a Sanders. Perhaps the best way to talk about Emmitt is he was a workman.

And as a sidelight, I'd like to hope that no one would ever say anything about Emmitt's oration after the speech he gave. It was magnificent.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

I think Emmitt was the best all around running back in NFL history...

 

[bigE79]

I think Emmitt was the best all around running back in NFL history...

:fact:

 

[The Quest for Six]

:fact:

whether he's the best all around back in the history of the NFL is up for debate, but Bill Oreilly on the Factor named Emmitt Smith a "PATRIOT" tonight for his speech Staurday night, particularly giving a heartfelt thank you to his fullback, Daryl Johnston for his sacrifices...

 

[Chief]

This is my perspective on Emmitt. I actually put this in another thread but it got buried by the game. I was hoping some would want to see another way to look at the Emmitt vs the other greats.

I want to post here on an anecdotal basis. I've seen Jim Brown play and the rest since. It's difficult to compare RBs because many just have different styles. There is a huge difference between Jim Brown or Earl Campbell and a Tony Dorsett. I can't say for certain one is 'better' than the other because they are such different runners.

What I can say based purely on the eyeball test having looked at most of the great runners over the years which one I'd pick first to be on my team were they all the same age in their prime and I had the number one pick in the draft.

I'd pick Jim Brown. There are only two other players in NFL history with his combination of speed, power and ability to run the ball. Those two players just don't quite measure up to him. Earl Campbell is a close second followed by Bo Jackson. I have to place Jackson last due to longevity and number of games played. I think he is the closest player to emulate Jim Brown in my estimation. If I knew he would remain healthy then I'd probably pick Jackson based on talent and running style.

Emmitt didn't have Brown's speed or power. He had better missem though. In fact although you couldn't be awed by Emmitt's abilities on a moment to moment basis, you could after a while state some things.

I never saw Emmitt take a big shot. That aided his longevity and added to his yardage totals. He almost always got a few extra yards before going down. Those added up over the years.

I can't say I remember a back with better balance than Emmitt. Not one in the top ten. Maybe Sayers but Sayers had a different style than Emmitt. I'm going to mention OJ and I'm purely talking football here and divorcing the off field stuff. Simpson comes closest to Emmitt when it came to balance but Emmitt is clearly the winner here.

Emmitt had good missem. He's not in the same league as Sanders was. Sanders is the best at quicks and missem. He's not even in the same conversation when it comes to balance and power. Sanders didn't run thru tackles. In fact Emmitt is nearly in the same realm as Brown when it comes to running thru tackles. No where near the same power as Brown but in the end if they don't tackle you then that's considered a win for the RB.

If you watch Emmitt he isn't flying by people. They aren't missing because of bad angles. They are missing because they were set up by Emmitt. It's not impressive or should I say awe inspiring to watch Emmitt run. But slowly but surely people just either missed completely or more likely missed enough for Emmitt to run thru the tackle. And even when tackled it wasn't a solid shot. You look at the guy and say he's too slow and not quick enough. But then you notice that people are still missing the guy enough that he's running thru tackles and creating big runs.

I haven't talked about vision because that's hard for a fan to access. You can certainly say a runner has it but I don't know how to compare that asset between runners. Let's just say Emmitt was top ten with his vision and ability to set up blockers and tacklers.

In the end what you have is a runner who is less impressive than a Brown or a Sayers. But if you just go with that you have a guy who was fast enough to make some long runs. Had enough missem to get extra yardage. Had enough power and more to run thru tackles. Had the best balance of any back I've ever seen. In the end the turtle beat the hare.

Emmitt doesn't have the wow factor of a Brown or Sayers or Dorsett or a Sanders. Perhaps the best way to talk about Emmitt is he was a workman.

And as a sidelight, I'd like to hope that no one would ever say anything about Emmitt's oration after the speech he gave. It was magnificent.

Very nice, thoughtful analysis, Jobber.

I love watching highlights of Emmitt because his skills were so subtle. He didn't have the mind-blowing moves or speed of some of the other greats. Tony Dorsett once said, "I'm the type of runner your grandmother or mother would enjoy watching." In other words, pretty.

Emmitt .... you have to really watch closely to see how he did it. He had underrated power and amazing balance. He had a way of leaning his body when the would-be tackler arrived that would make him slide off.

 

[Nightshade]

I love Emmitt. But his O-lines were some of the best in history. That's just the facts. Walter Payton had CRAP O-lines for most of his career and he still grinded out the great numbers that Emmitt surpassed just at the end of his illustrious career. That's why if you just go by the numbers and quality of blocking... Payton beats out Emmitt hands down as the better work man back.

Sayers, Sanders and Dorsett blow him up when it comes to the gorgeous moves department.

Jim Brown and Earl Campbell both had a ton more power.

So overall Emmitt is definetely amongst the greatest backs ever. He's not the greatest at anything in particular but he was great at everything and most importantly he was great at being the reliable heart and soul of a dynasty team. A Hall of Fame Running Back.

 

[Doomsday101]

I think Emmitt was the best all around running back in NFL history...

I agree. There were some who had better speed some with more power but Emmitt was the total package. To me Emmitt was the perfect RB and could handle any aspect of the game you would demand from your RB.

 

[Stautner]

Briefly...you mentioned Jim Brown. Brown played in an era where he was oftentimes the BIGGEST player on the field(as least as big as the many of the DL he went up against) much less the biggest RB.

He,nor anyone else, can come close to Emmitt. As for Barry Sanders,he had rare speed. If Emmitt had been nearly as fast as he was he would have probably had about 200 rushing TD's....how many times de we see him get caught from behind-countless times. Finally, Barry had a very good OL but nobody mentions that(Lomas Brown,Glover;etc). And don't forget...Barry just plain QUIT! Emmitt and his vision and sheer will to win made him the BEST period!!

*****************************************

This is a very homer perspective. How is it that the fact that Jim Brown was as big as a lot of linemen supposed to take away from his acheivments? That makes him even more amazing. Faster than DB's and as strong or stronger than linemen. Neitehr Emmitt or anyone else can match that.

 

[zrinkill]

I love Emmitt. But his O-lines were some of the best in history. That's just the facts.

How many of Emmitt's O-linmen are in the HOF?

How many for Barry Sanders?

How many for Walter Payton?

I will wait.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

I agree. There were some who had better speed some with more power but Emmitt was the total package. To me Emmitt was the perfect RB and could handle any aspect of the game you would demand from your RB.

People talk about the speed but I rarely saw him caught from behind... Just sayin'. The moves he used to put on was highlight material to me.

 

[Doomsday101]

People talk about the speed but I rarely saw him caught from behind... Just sayin'. The moves he used to put on was highlight material to me.

Very true, once Emmitt got into the secondary he had enough speed to take it to the house. Another back may have gotten to the endzone sooner but none got there more often.

 

[THUMPER]

Briefly...you mentioned Jim Brown. Brown played in an era where he was oftentimes the BIGGEST player on the field(as least as big as the many of the DL he went up against) much less the biggest RB.

You don't have a clue what you are talking about. Stick to things you know about and don't spout what you heard others, who also don't know what they are talking about, say.

Brown played at @228 lbs, most DLs at that time (1957-1965) were 245-255 lbs.

In another thread, I posted a list of the other FBs in 1961 that were as big as Brown. Go look for it if you care to be enlightened. His size was not the determining factor in his success.

Sheesh! Where do these people come from anyway? :bang2: :bang2: :bang2:

 

[Hook'em#11]

I think Emmitt was the best all around running back in NFL history...

Exactly.

End of thread.

 

[THUMPER]

Exactly.

End of thread.

I agree. :starspin

 

[Trendnet]

How many of Emmitt's O-linmen are in the HOF?

How many for Barry Sanders?

How many for Walter Payton?

I will wait.

Haven't you heard?

Running behind an offensive line that had Clay Shiver, Everett McIver, Kelvin Garmon and Solomon Page can make any RB a HOF.

Oh... if only Barry Sanders had that line.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I love Emmitt. But his O-lines were some of the best in history. That's just the facts. Walter Payton had CRAP O-lines for most of his career and he still grinded out the great numbers that Emmitt surpassed just at the end of his illustrious career. That's why if you just go by the numbers and quality of blocking... Payton beats out Emmitt hands down as the better work man back.

Sayers, Sanders and Dorsett blow him up when it comes to the gorgeous moves department.

Jim Brown and Earl Campbell both had a ton more power.

So overall Emmitt is definetely amongst the greatest backs ever. He's not the greatest at anything in particular but he was great at everything and most importantly he was great at being the reliable heart and soul of a dynasty team. A Hall of Fame Running Back.

the argument of he had one of the best lines in HISTORY is way way way over rated and over used. Yes Larry Allen was on that line, but Tuenei? Nate Newton? donaldson? stepnoski?

you must be joking. and if Larry Allen is enough to push any RB to a HOF, then all teams should just focus on drafting and developing that one Guard that makes the entire OL.

and most people are enamoured by georgeous moves and they don't understand the subtle things in football. the guy who scouted emmitt said he has the best vision of any RB he h as ever seen. how do you measure vision? why is that important? because a guy who was so slow, undersized managed to become an all time rusher.

he had the best feet (balance) of any RB I have ever seen. that's why he never suffered any significant injuries, because he would move so fluidly and make slight lateral moves that no one ever got a straight hit on them.

Walter payton was great. there is no denying that. but he did play on some teams with great offenses and great OLs at the end of his career. emmitt had the good teams in the begining of his career but from 1997 on, dallas sucked. and sucked bad. so the argument of Peyton having played behind bad OLs all his career doesn't hold water. didn't they win a superbowl on the way to a 18-1 record.

sanders is one of the most over rated RBs in NFL history. although he made electrifying moves. he never could run through tackles. he was often removed close to the end zone since he couldn't get the tough yards. he couldn't catch a lick. he was an awful blocker, which is an important and forgotten skill for RBs, which mo one measures.

all of the RBs you mentioned had some flaws in their games and styles. so did emmitt. so what gives?

 

[Stautner]

You don't have a clue what you are talking about. Stick to things you know about and don't spout what you heard others, who also don't know what they are talking about, say.

Brown played at @228 lbs, most DLs at that time (1957-1965) were 245-255 lbs.

In another thread, I posted a list of the other FBs in 1961 that were as big as Brown. Go look for it if you care to be enlightened. His size was not the determining factor in his success.

Sheesh! Where do these people come from anyway? :bang2: :bang2: :bang2:

Good points. Even so, what if his size was a factor in his success? The discussion is about the greatest RB in history, not the greatest small RB in history. Having the kind of physical attributes where he could overpower tacklers as well as run around or past them should be a plus for Brown in this discussion, not a negative.

 

[coach316]

To help disspell the idea that Emmitt Smith had the best Offensive Line and that was the reason for his success, I looked at the Yards/Attempt ranking for the team during the years that Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith were active with their respective teams (discluded the AZ years for Emmitt).

The average team y/a league ranking was as follows:

Barry Sanders 1989-1998 - 3
Walter Payton 1975-1987 - 11
Emmitt Smith 1990-2002 - 13

So you can see, Barry Sanders played on a team with the 3rd best running attack on average during his years in the league.

 

[joseephuss]

People talk about the speed but I rarely saw him caught from behind... Just sayin'. The moves he used to put on was highlight material to me.

He got caught from behind against the Giants when he injured his shoulder. If he had Dorsett speed he would have scored on that play. Emmitt had adequate speed. That is all you need when you have all the other things Emmitt brought to the table. There have been faster running backs, but since they could no do everything Emmitt could do that speed did not make a great difference. Great speed would have just been a bonus for Emmitt.