Ex-Lions coach: B. Sanders didn't love the game, wasn't a leader

[Clove]

When I was a kid, I'm 38 now, but when I was a kid, I lived for football. Football burned through-out my system. Watching the Cowboys in the 70s for me as a kid was a religion.

When I was a teen, I would go out and play by myself. As hard as that is to believe, I would toss the ball high in the sky and run under it. When I was in my 20s and played a ton of flag football, I would show up to games 2 hours early, no one on the field but me. Football was my heart, soul, and mind, it was my life.

Emmitt had that in him, Barry didn't.

 

[Big Country]

Emmitt could be counted on in clutch time. Maybe Barry had better highlights, but he had minus yardage in a playoff game against Green Bay once. Emmitt would NEVER have a negative yardage game in the playoffs. NEVER. I hear all the Barry was the greatest "pure runner" (whatever that means) arguments, but greatness means doing it all. Running, breaking tackles, catching, blocking, and yes, scoring (from near and far). Emmitt was elite at all of the above. He was a crunch time running back. That's more important than any highlight reel.

I don't get into the Barry was better than Emmitt conversations. Talking to a Sanders supporter is like talking to a brick wall, so what's the use? All I know is if you need a running back in a crunch-time situation, you'd be a fool to pick Barry over Emmitt. And that's the truth.

remember back in the early 90's Madden and Summerall were always gushing about Emmitt. Madden always made the comment that he'd take Emmitt over Barry any day on his football team.

 

[jimmy40]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/SPORTS01/80619013/1048/sports

Former Lions coach Bobby Ross told petoskeynews.com he didn’t think Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders loved the game of football or wanted to be a leader.

Ross, 71, speaking at Beyond the Scoreboard Champions of Character Awards Dinner Tuesday at the Emmet County Fairgrounds Community Building, praised Sanders’ ability and work ethic on the field, however, "I don’t know if Barry really loved the game, but he worked hard at it," Ross said. "He did what he was supposed to do. I always wanted him to be a leader, but he didn’t really want that role.

--------------------------------

Emmitt > Barry :starspin

So if Barry loved the game he would have had 25,000 yards rushing? Thank goodness he didn't love the game.

 

[I LOVE ME SOME ME!]

I think I take Barry Sanders over Emmitt Smith any day. Base on what barry Sanders did on the field without elite QB, WR and way better o-line. I would love to see what he can do with a elite QB and better o-line

Can you explain the -1 yard rushing game against the packers? I mean was the o-line that bad?

 

[EMMITTnROY]

Emmitt is better than Barry, always has been.. and for all the reasons that people have listed in this thread.. good stuff guys..

:starspin

 

[JakeCamp12]

Emmitt has 3 Championships, Barry has ZERO...

No further questions, your honor.

 

[Randy White]

both men in 1995 ( 1994 season ) before the Superbowl down here in Miami during the NFL " experience " fair.

Barry is great guy. A down to earth person who takes the time to talk you, doesn't matter where or when.

Emmitt ? Not so much. His parents are wonderful people, particularly his mom, but he's a little too arrogant for his own good. His mom had a pendant attached to a gold chain around her neck that was the replica of the Superbowl XXVIII ring. I mentioned to her that it was one of the most beautiful pendants I've ever seen and we immediately struck up a conversation about Emmitt and his days at Escambia high and UF. His dad couldn't have been more prouder, his face beaming every time he mentioned the 200 yards games his son had at both places. On the other hand, Emmitt, who I saw the following day, was aloof and had this " I have to be here, but I really don't want to be " attitude that, even though he was Emmitt Smith, kept alot of fans at arms length.

Barry, on the other hand, was hamming it up. Taking pictures, shaking hands, signing autographs, laughing.. the works. To this day I regret not buying a football and getting it autographed by him. I did buy one and got it autographed by Emmitt, charging $100 for it too, but the fondest memories I had of that week was with Barry and Emmitt's parents.

I never saw Emmitt quite in the same light again.

:starspin

 

[stealth]

difficult to judge a man when I haven't walked in his shoes

 

[Randy White]

we really don't know this guys on a personal level. I can only judge by my experiences when I meet them.

:starspin

 

[Sarge]

Is Barry Sanders in any way related to our Roy Williams?

 

[Sarge]

I live in Barry Sanders hometown. All I have ever heard is Barry is better than Emmitt and the line Nav22 just used. After a while I just learned to shake my head and move on.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

He sure did hide it awfully well.

 

[Sarge]

He sure did hide it awfully well.

He did? I don't think so........... I think he exuded a leaderless quality the entire time he played.......this article comes as ABSOLUTELY no surprise to me whatsoever..............IMO/FWIW...

 

[ologan]

Some have said Emmitt was a 'football player',and Barry was a 'runner'. What's the difference? Simple.... Would Barry have stayed in the Giants game with a separated shoulder and one good arm?

 

[joseephuss]

Was Emmitt a leader? He was a great player, but I didn't think he was a great leader. It does sound as if he was a better leader than Barry Sanders.

To me, Irvin and Aikman were the leaders. Emmitt kind of provided that quiet leadership, which is a good thing. I am not knocking Emmitt at all because he had his role and he did it well. I am just saying that Emmitt probably doesn't meet Bobby Ross's definition of leadership that he wanted Barry Sanders to have.

All I need to know about Bobby Ross are his comments from the 1997 season, his first season in Detroit. Barry had 25 carries total in the first two games. He then started to have big games, but it still took until the 5th game of the season before he eclipsed the 20 carry mark. Barry ended up topping the 2000 yard mark that season. Ross said he didn't know he should have been giving more carries to Sanders and if he did Barry would have gotten more carries in those first four games. Sanders had only been playing since 1989 and winning 3 rushing titles before Ross joined the team.

Barry Sanders could play for my team. He would just have to realize that he would be behind Emmitt and Walter Payton. Jim Brown's career was long over before I started watching football, so I can't include him.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Please keep posting, the stupidity is amusing.

This one actually made me laugh out loud cause someone at least isn't anti-Sanders simply because he didn't eat, sleep, breath, and live for the game and play until he was broken down and had to be carried off the field.

And the idea that he was afraid of the hard work in the goal line? How can you even remotely back something of that nature up Hos? You have no clue what he was, or wasn't, willing to do down there cause the coaches never seemed to leave him in there.

I loved Emmitt as much as anyone, and definately think he was the better all around player than Barry, but Sanders was clearly the better pure runner. He was just gifted in ways that Emmitt simply wasnt but then by the same token Emmitt had gifts that Barry didn't.

I would never have balked once if those two were switched during our run because we'd have still won 3 out of 4 rather it was Sanders or Emmitt on those teams. They were both great.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Some have said Emmitt was a 'football player',and Barry was a 'runner'. What's the difference? Simple.... Would Barry have stayed in the Giants game with a separated shoulder and one good arm?

No, probably not, but then again his arm wouldnt have been hurt like that cause he wouldn't have been caught from behind like Emmitt was.

 

[ologan]

No, probably not, but then again his arm wouldnt have been hurt like that cause he wouldn't have been caught from behind like Emmitt was.

Your probably right as rain on that one,but the point is,Double-Deuce stayed in the game....I don't think Barry would have. One's a warrior,one's not!

 

[big dog cowboy]

BTW an interesting side note on Barry: He didn't until his senior season in high school just like college at OSU because the coaches felt he was to small. That is why he wasn't heavily recruited to a big time college.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Was Emmitt a leader? He was a great player, but I didn't think he was a great leader. It does sound as if he was a better leader than Barry Sanders.

To me, Irvin and Aikman were the leaders.

We won games without Irvin and Aikman, but not without Emmitt. I saw Emmitt pumping up the rest of the guys during pregame on many occassions, so he was a vocal leader as well as a leader by example. On the field, when Emmitt got on a roll, the Cowboys were UNSTOPPABLE. His very presence made the team better. That is the definition of a leader.