The next time someone tries to down grade Emmitt's rushing accomplishments

[gbrittain]

To be honest, I hear very few people (except maybe fans of other teams) ever discredit Emmitt. I think virtually every analyst I have heard on TV say he is one of the top 5 backs of all-time. While I feel there is no way to judge this because there has been so many great NFL backs over the years, I always here people giving Emmitt his just due. I would say I hear more negative stuff about Aikman - that he was just a system quarterback - then I ever hear about Emmitt. If you are talking about Commanders fans, then sure, they are going to find a way to downgrade his accomplishments but all the NFL people I've seen or talked to all love Emmitt and respect what he accomplished, so I don't see this being much of an argument.

When it comes to media types you are probably right. I generally see Emmitt talked about in glowing terms. When it comes to fans though I often see Emmitt belittled and it does not matter what team they are a fan of.

Joe "Any Body But The Cowboys" Fan: "Emmitt was good not great, he just had a great OL and Troy Aikman and Irvin to take the heat off him".

Same person 6 months later: "Troy was average at best. He was lucky to have a WR like Irvin and a runner like Emmitt to take the heat off him".

Same person 1 year later: "Michael that drug addict Irvin was lucky he played with a RB like Emmitt that defenses would key on and a QB like Troy to take the heat off him".

 

[Cowchips]

by saying he had a Great Offensive line ...

ask the arguer of that position whether he supports Gesek, Gogan, Stepnoski, Williams (yes, we know Allen should go) as Hall of Fame candidates.

If not, then tell them to SHADDUP!

Actually, I put ES in the same class at Drew Bledsoe. Solid overall stats vs. per carry, etc that deserve entry to the HOF but bashers and naysayers that forget how good those stats are.

 

[gbrittain]

Actually, I put ES in the same class at Drew Bledsoe. Solid overall stats vs. per carry, etc that deserve entry to the HOF but bashers and naysayers that forget how good those stats are.

I am not quite sure what you are saying here. Emmitt Smith is sure fire first ballot HOFer all time great at his position or any other position for that matter. In other words he is one of the top football players of all time regardless of position.

No way no how Drew Bledsoe belongs in that category. Of course maybe you were not saying that, but that is certainly the way I interpreted it.

 

[mschmidt64]

Those four probowlers went 0-3 the year that Emmitt held out for a new contract.

Emmitt made them probowlers - not the other way around!

That's impossible. The RB can't make them probowlers. The play flows downhill from the lines.

Look... you could have the best OL in the world, but when the guys who make plays go down, you aren't gonna win, clear as that. A crappy RB can't run behind any line, good or bad, because he's a crappy RB.

But the RB has no affect on the OL's ability to block. If the OL is able to push the guy out of the way, the RB takes advantage of that hole, he doesn't actually help the OT push Bruce Smith out of the way. The OT has to do that all by himself.

If he doesn't, Emmitt gets tackled. If he does, then Emmitt Smith can exploit that hole the the best of his abilities.

Emmitt Smith had the great vision to exploit the holes he was given to their maximum yardage potentials.

But at the same time there was no OL in the league better at opening those holes than Dallas's. The hole is made before Emmitt even gets the handoff. He's not doing anything to Nate Newton before he gets the ball that has allowed Newton to drive his man three yards downfield by the time Emmitt even gets the ball.

The performance of the OL is totally on the OL. The OL and the DL are the two positions that are easiest to evaluate in that regard, because as units they are dependant on NOTHING else.

Dallas would BLOW people off the ball. We definitely had the best OL in the league in the early 90's, case closed.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Dallas would BLOW people off the ball. We definitely had the best OL in the league in the early 90's, case closed.

I don't exactly get your point, are you trying to say that Emmitt was a produce of our great Olines? Emmitt came into the league in '90, he had a great line to run behind up until '96, so out of 12 years with the Cowboys, he ran behind a great line for only 5 of those years

 

[Bob Sacamano]

btw guys, my #1 back of all-time isn't Emmitt, isn't Barry, isn't Walter, it's Jim Brown

 

[mschmidt64]

I don't exactly get your point, are you trying to say that Emmitt was a produce of our great Olines? Emmitt came into the league in '90, he had a great line to run behind up until '96, so out of 12 years with the Cowboys, he ran behind a great line for only 5 of those years

No, I'm not saying that at all.

Plenty of teams have had good lines and crappy runners behind them. You still need a good RB. And yes, Emmitt ran behind a line that WASN'T so good after about 1996.

But the "Emmitt made the OL," argument works both ways. If Emmitt made them, how come he didn't continue to make them after 1996? He was still one of the better backs in the league, so how come our OL was no longer among the better OLs in the league?

The back can't make the OL. The OL has to open the holes on its own.

And our OL was definitely the best in football from 1991 or 1992 till 1995.

Emmitt would have been a great back anywhere, but lets not slight our OL. It got PLENTY of credit back in the day and people seem to have forgotten how great it was.

I'm not going to get into predicting whether Emmitt would have been as good as Barry, etc, if they had switched teams, I can't know that.

What I can and DO know is that OUR OL was the best and I know that the people who are claiming it isn't are just scared that that fact somehow takes something away from their hero.

But you can't deny the facts. Our OL was greatness and as a unit just as praiseworthy as the three of the Triplets. They excelled at their jobs just as much.