Seth Joyner: Zeke better than Emmitt Smith

[LittleBoyBlue]

More stupid talk....... heard Julius Jones was the second coming of something too...how'd that work out!

Yup!.... Your speaking permission should be revoked one full year for saying a RB by game 7 is better than ALL TIME RUSHING LEADER, 3 time sb champion. Sb MVP, etc.

No speech for you - ONE YEAR!

 

[Nightman]

But Joyner is saying he's better than Emmitt. No, he isn't. Not yet.

He is so far.......Emmitt didn't even break 1000 yds his rookie year

 

[dragon_mikal]

Jeez...

 

[mrmojo]

It is one of the subjects that actually gets me upset.

Emmitt is judged differently than any other great player in this league ever.

As good as our team was Emmitt Smith was an absolute warrior and there was a noticeable difference when he wasn't playing vs when any other player on the team wasn't playing including Troy Aikman.


Because we all watched Emmitt get old, slow, and play on bad teams that is what people seem to remember and they just want to credit his OL.

His OL was amazing but Emmitt was every bit as amazing as any of those guys if not more amazing.

Also, Emmitt was great at every level and he was a first round pick for a reason. It's not like he didn't have a high pedigree.

Agree. Emmitt was also great before those olines were considered great. Nate was considered a punch line and Tui was a converted DE before Emmitt came. He had 2 rings before Allen was a Cowboy. He did it with whoever was at QB or WR at the time. Just a great football player.

 

[tyke1doe]

I would say Elliott is more talented than Emmitt, but not better.

As for the offensive line argument, I think it's been already covered. But it's funny how when the Cowboys trotted out Derrick Lassic, Sherman Williams and Blair Thomas, they couldn't hold Emmitt's jock strap running behind the Great Wall of Dallas.

Emmitt had intangibles you just couldn't measure and was a football warrior. It's way too early to start these silly comparisons. Maybe when Zeke gets six years under his belt and has the same or more yards than Emmitt did at the same juncture in his career we can talk about him being greater than Emmitt. But it's too soon to entertain such foolishness.

 

[tyke1doe]

He is so far.......Emmitt didn't even break 1000 yds his rookie year

Elliott hasn't broken 1,000 yards yet. And are we to conclude that any back who goes over 1,000 yards in his rookie year is better than Emmitt?

 

[Cowboys22]

Well, Emmitt's got to be in his 40's so I hope Zeke is better. Better than Emmitt in his prime? No way, not yet! They are different runners just as Emmitt and Sanders were. The one that is better is the one with the records, championships, and awards not the one with the excuses and the what ifs. Accomplishments >>>>>>>>>>>>Attributes in all sports!

 

[Nightman]

Elliott hasn't broken 1,000 yards yet. And are we to conclude that any back who goes over 1,000 yards in his rookie year is better than Emmitt?

You said he isn't better yet....put up their first 7 games and Elloitt is way better

And if a rookie goes over 1000 yds then YES they had a better start than Emmitt

 

[bayeslife]

I love how people are still trying to punish Emmitt for his offensive line and take away every dominant performance he had.

 

[lqmac1]

I'm 29 years old so I couldn't really watch ES when I was that young. Funny thing is, a lot of people who watched him told me the same thing. Supposedly, he was a product of a dominating o-line and was nowhere near as talented as Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson and all the greats. I heard he would've been average if he didn't play for the Cowboys

 

[erod]

I have no problem with what he said, and Emmitt Smith is my favorite player of all time.

Zeke is a lot more gifted than Emmitt. Bigger, faster, more powerful, better hands, better pass protector as a rookie. If you're talking one game, I'd pick Zeke every time.

But Emmitt was great for a different reason. Emmitt moved the chains. Emmitt never got hurt. He barely ever came off the field. He played year after year. Emmitt turned himself into a complete player quickly. He understood what he was and where he was. His vision was exceptional.

Here's the best example of a typical game for Emmitt and Barry Sanders:

Emmitt: 2, 6, 3, 4, 14, 1, 4, 3, 7, 12, 8, 4, 29, 3, etc..............Total = 135 yards
Barry: 1, 0, -3, 12, 0, 1, 3, -4, 2, 4, 0, 79, 0, -2, -1, 22...........Total = 135 yards

Which would you take?

 

[EGTuna]

A poster above said the Cowboys won w/o Troy, they won w/o Irvin, but they didn't win without Emmitt. Here, here.

0-2 to start the season in 1993 during Emmitt's hold out is just one example.

Another poster cited the 1993 NYG season finale (at NY no less) where Emmitt carried the team to a division title. Emmitt's line from that game with a separated shoulder: 32 runs for 168 yards, 10 (10!) catches for 61 yards and a TD, and probably double-digit blitz pickups.

Emmitt has the record for PLAYOFF rushing yards (1586). No RB will touch that anytime soon (except hopefully Zeke). No current RB is even in the top 20 (Frank Gore is 24th with 646 yards).

Like a lot of you, I watched every snap Emmitt took as a Cowboy, and he was amazing. Go to youtube and watch his highlights. They're not just Tim Duncan-esque fundamental greatness; there's plenty of The Spectacular as well.

Zeke may be a better physical athlete, but he's got A LONG way to go before anyone can say he's better than Emmitt. Emmitt is the GOAT RB. I hope one day Zeke gets close to being Emmitt Smith; he's certainly got the physical ability, but man, there's a lot more to it than that.

 

[dfense]

Well, if Emmitt met a real LB in the hole there Seth, he may not have had as many yards as he did. Ever think of that?

 

[tyke1doe]

You said he isn't better yet....put up their first 7 games and Elloitt is way better

And if a rookie goes over 1000 yds then YES they had a better start than Emmitt

Saying they had a "better start" is different than saying they are "better."

I guess we have a difference in how we determine "better." I think it's a long-term evaluation, not a short term. You can have people do better things at the beginning of their lives but shipwreck their lives later. Conversely, you can have people who are average in their younger years and then go on to do great things.
I wouldn't call the former person "better" than the latter. I would say the latter is better than the former based on proof over a longer period of time.

That's why I can't say Elliott is better than Emmitt. It would be like saying Billy Sims was better than Barry Sanders. He may have been more dynamic, more powerful and faster, but he wasn't better because Billy didn't last as long and didn't have as great a career as Barry.

That's the same way I view Elliott when compared to Emmitt.

 

[Nightman]

A poster above said the Cowboys won w/o Troy, they won w/o Irvin, but they didn't win without Emmitt. Here, here.

0-2 to start the season in 1993 during Emmitt's hold out is just one example.

Another poster cited the 1993 NYG season finale (at NY no less) where Emmitt carried the team to a division title. Emmitt's line from that game with a separated shoulder: 32 runs for 168 yards, 10 (10!) catches for 61 yards and a TD, and probably double-digit blitz pickups.

Emmitt has the record for PLAYOFF rushing yards (1586). No RB will touch that anytime soon (except hopefully Zeke). No current RB is even in the top 20 (Frank Gore is 24th with 646 yards).

Like a lot of you, I watched every snap Emmitt took as a Cowboy, and he was amazing. Go to youtube and watch his highlights. They're not just Tim Duncan-esque fundamental greatness; there's plenty of The Spectacular as well.

Zeke may be a better physical athlete, but he's got A LONG way to go before anyone can say he's better than Emmitt. Emmitt is the GOAT RB. I hope one day Zeke gets close to being Emmitt Smith; he's certainly got the physical ability, but man, there's a lot more to it than that.

Emmitt's greatness was subtle.....he wasn't fast but never got caught from behind... he wasn't huge but could run right thru you...but his greatest strength was avoiding contact with the wave of his right hand.....it was almost like he was a Jedi.......wave....'you will not tackle me' head on

 

[dfense]

"He's better than 22," said Joyner. "I've always said, if you took back Barry Sanders and you put him behind that line that Emmitt played, he'd double the amount of yards that Emmitt had. It's not a slight to Emmitt. Emmitt was a good running back, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he was a great running back because he had the best offensive line. I mean, some of those holes were just -- you could drive a mack truck through it. If I was one-on-one in the hole against Barry Sanders, I'd probably almost crap my pants. I'm just being honest. When you're talking about running backs, he's the guy that I least liked playing against. But if I was ever in the hole against Emmitt one-on-one, no problem. No worries. I'm not worried about that at all. And when I see Zeke Elliott, the way he runs -- oh my gosh. He runs with an attitude. He is what I call a generational running back. You only see a guy like that once every few generations."

http://dal.247sports.com/Bolt/Is-Ezekiel-Elliott-better-than-Emmitt-Smith-was-48681200

Maybe the real question here is, did that Eagles team suck worse than this Eagles team.

 

[Nightman]

Saying they had a "better start" is different than saying they are "better."

I guess we have a difference in how we determine "better." I think it's a long-term evaluation, not a short term. You can have people do better things at the beginning of their lives but shipwreck their lives later. Conversely, you can have people who are average in their younger years and then go on to do great things.
I wouldn't call the former person "better" than the latter. I would say the latter is better than the former based on proof over a longer period of time.

That's why I can't say Elliott is better than Emmitt. It would be like saying Billy Sims was better than Barry Sanders. He may have been more dynamic, more powerful and faster, but he wasn't better because Billy didn't last as long and didn't have as great a career as Barry.

That's the same way I view Elliott when compared to Emmitt.

you have the benefit of knowing how the story ends.....Emmitt is leading NFL rusher but 95% of NFL fans won't say he is the best RB ever.......records were made to be broken but some people still think Walter Payton was the best, some think Jim Brown, some Sanders....durability isn't the only benchmark...I think Adrian Peterso is great but he had a couple prime years taken from him.....comparisons are what makes sports great....being dismissive is annoying and no fun.....'get off my grass'

 

[YosemiteSam]

....but, Zeke has a bounty on him!

 

[slick325]

Who would be the first?

I think Dallas is number 1 but the Titans could make an argument.

 

[Aven8]

I think Zeke is the MOST dynamic player in the NFL today. Better than all the backs, and better than all the weapons.

But, Emmitt....that's my boy. Best balance, vision, and the hop skip in and out of a hole I've seen. But what sets him apart from everyone, his toughness!