Vintage older Emmitt

[WarDaddy]

My favorite Cowboy of all time by a million miles.

Amen. It’s Emmitt then there’s everyone else, to me. He’s the #1 reason I’m a Cowboys fan.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds058]

I am a TD fan and reason a boys fan along with Roger and Tom but ES was special. Let’s just say the boys have had some great RB’s.

 

[mldardy]

Let’s stop the Hero worship.

Which would you rather have? 6 All-Pro talent linemen, or 1 HOF talent RB?

Case closed.

Let's reopen it.

Those 6 All Pro lineman weren't even close to that level until that 1 HOF talent RB showed up.

Did they play like All Pro lineman before Emmitt or when Emmitt held out and didn't play? I'll answer for you NO!

Now you can close it.

Case closed.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

Emmitt is the goats goat

 

[RonnieT24]

People always seem to forget how great of an OL that Emmitt had.

Without studs like Mark Tuinei, Mark Stepnoski, Nate Newton, Erik Williams, Kevin Gogan, and Larry Allen……Emmitt would have likely had a very average career.

A great O-line is much more important for winning than a great RB.

Nobody forgets any such thing. However of that list of "great" linemen.. two of them were drafted AFTER Emmitt. The rest were on the roster when Paul Palmer was leading the Cowboys in rushing with 500 yards. Yes I believe having a good line helped Emmitt.. however it could certainly be argued that without Emmitt, all those linemen have pretty undistinguished careers as well. If you cannot accept that Emmitt was the engine that powered that team then I don't know what to tell you. Emmitt was still churning out 1400 yard seasons when Tuinei, Newton, Gogan, Stepnoski and Williams were all either washed up, on other teams or out of the league. Go pull up the starting lines for the '98 and '99 squads. Let me hear your Hall of Fame pitch for Clay Shiver and Everett McIver. Or how about post-car accident Erik Williams? Or rookie Flozell? At guard no less? The fact of the matter is no matter who lined up in front of him Emmitt was always able to produce .. Father Time did eventually get him.... but it took longer than pretty much any other back in history. Dude just knew how to tote the rock. We will probably never see another one like him.

 

[T-RO]

Can anyone guess what is this?

23rd
30th
31st
32nd
26th

This is the team offensive ranking of Emmitt's teams his last five years in the league. What a difference maker, with his <4 yards per carry in that span.

And trust me, you really don't want to see the win-loss records of the teams Emmitt "carried" the last half of his career.

 

[RonnieT24]

Can anyone guess what is this?

23rd
30th
31st
32nd
26th

This is the team offensive ranking of Emmitt's teams his last five years in the league. What a difference maker, with his <4 yards per carry in that span.

And trust me, you really don't want to see the win-loss records of the teams Emmitt "carried" the last half of his career.

No one is arguing that Emmitt "carried" anybody over the final 5-6 years of his career. By '98 or '99 Emmitt could not longer put the team on his back for more than maybe a game or two each year. He needed more help at that stage of his career and sadly most of the time he didn't get it. Father Time is undefeated.

But it's also disingenuous to call those last 5 seasons "the last half of his career." Emmitt played 15 years.. The Cowboys had winning records in 7 of his first 10 seasons and were in the playoffs 8 times. What happened to his teams over those last 5 years was a damn greek tragedy. Between Jerry botching trades, the scouting staff whiffing left and right it's a miracle the Cowboys won any games at all. And those two years in Phoenix? Behind that horrid line? With Shaun King and one of the McCown brothers at QB? Even Larry Fitgerald and Anquan Boldin couldn't rescue that pass offense.

But you're right.. he was no longer dominant those final years .... but he was still a good football player.. There isn't really any argument about that.

 

[Big D]

You know it's bad when you got people hating on #22.

 

[T-RO]

You know it's bad when you got people hating on #22.

#22 was my favorite RB for the first half of his career, and being good (sometimes elite) for eight or nine years is a massive accomplishment.

What makes me crazy is how Jerry kept treating him...and paying him as a difference-maker long after he lost his juice. Centering an offense around a guy barely getting 4 ypc...and then not even that...was insanity.

What also makes me crazy is the Dino fans who still somehow think running backs can really push an NFL team to the top.

 

[T-RO]

But you're right.. he was no longer dominant those final years .... but he was still a good football player.. There isn't really any argument about that.

In the last 1/3 of his career Emmitt sucked compared to his own teammate running backs, running behind the same line. He no longer was even a good football player.

Yards Per Carry vs. Teammates
2000: Chris Warren, 4.3, Emmitt: 4.1
2001: Troy Hambrick 5.1, Emmitt: 3.9
2002: Troy Hambrick 4.0, Emmitt: 3.8
2003: Marcel Shipp, 3.6, Emmitt: 2.8
2004: Troy Hambrick* 4.5, Emmitt: 3.5

*Yes Hambrick played w/Smith in Dallas and Arizona.

 

[JayFord]

People always seem to forget how great of an OL that Emmitt had.

Without studs like Mark Tuinei, Mark Stepnoski, Nate Newton, Erik Williams, Kevin Gogan, and Larry Allen……Emmitt would have likely had a very average career.

A great O-line is much more important for winning than a great RB.

no ones forgotten how great of an oline we had

but watching Emmitt was still amazing

 

[EGTuna]

January 2nd, 1994. End of every debate.

 

[RonnieT24]

January 2nd, 1994. End of every debate.

No what ends any debate for me is the list of guys with more rushing yards and rushing touchdowns than Emmitt Smith. That list contains all the guys I consider to be better than Emmitt.

People can argue whether this back or that back was better at this part of the game or that part of the game than Emmitt and I would not fight them on it. Some guys were faster, some were stronger, some were bigger, some were quicker, some were better receivers, some were even better blockers... Well maybe that last one not so much. But the only running back in NFL history on Emmitt's level as a complete football player was Sweetness. Throw in his extremely high football IQ and his intense desire to not only be great but to do whatever it took to win.. and I'm not taking anybody over Emmitt. People are all free to choose their own favorite.. That dude is mine..

 

[RonnieT24]

In the last 1/3 of his career Emmitt sucked compared to his own teammate running backs, running behind the same line. He no longer was even a good football player.

Yards Per Carry vs. Teammates
2000: Chris Warren, 4.3, Emmitt: 4.1
2001: Troy Hambrick 5.1, Emmitt: 3.9
2002: Troy Hambrick 4.0, Emmitt: 3.8
2003: Marcel Shipp, 3.6, Emmitt: 2.8
2004: Troy Hambrick* 4.5, Emmitt: 3.5

*Yes Hambrick played w/Smith in Dallas and Arizona.

If you think yards per carry is the only measure of a good football running back then there is really nothing more that need be said here. You and I view the game differently and will never agree. I could cite you a hundred instances where the backup RB had a higher ypc than the starter and then delineate all the reasons why that happens.. and I don't think it would alter your thinking one iota. You can educate ignorance... but you can't fix _____.

 

[dfense]

Emmitt 18,355.

Closest active RBs Henry 8,335 and Zeke 8,262. Not even half way there.

 

[Momanpr100]

#1 on my alltime Cowboys list. If he's not let me ask you this, who has most contributed to the most rings in our history?

My favorite Cowboy as well

 

[G2]

My favorite Cowboy of all time by a million miles.

Great human too.

 

[Big_D]

In the last 1/3 of his career Emmitt sucked compared to his own teammate running backs, running behind the same line. He no longer was even a good football player.

Yards Per Carry vs. Teammates
2000: Chris Warren, 4.3, Emmitt: 4.1
2001: Troy Hambrick 5.1, Emmitt: 3.9
2002: Troy Hambrick 4.0, Emmitt: 3.8
2003: Marcel Shipp, 3.6, Emmitt: 2.8
2004: Troy Hambrick* 4.5, Emmitt: 3.5

*Yes Hambrick played w/Smith in Dallas and Arizona.

All before 2000...

Regular season
153 games, 3243 carries,13963 yards, 4.3 ypc,136 TDs

Playoffs
17 games, 349 carries, 1586 yards, 4.5 ypc, 19 TDs

not counting receptions or receiving TDs.


He played an additional season in the playoffs and you have the nerve to post this garbage after a hall of fame career. Pretty sad stuff. His first 10 more than made up for his last 5.

 

[Vanilla2]

GOAT

 

[mldardy]

Can anyone guess what is this?

23rd
30th
31st
32nd
26th

This is the team offensive ranking of Emmitt's teams his last five years in the league. What a difference maker, with his <4 yards per carry in that span.

And trust me, you really don't want to see the win-loss records of the teams Emmitt "carried" the last half of his career.

Who the hell cares man.

Emmitt is a running back not a QB. He played on very mediocre teams in those years.

You are a supreme hater.