So since we are seeing all this about Emmitt Smith.... is he the greatest?

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I honestly would put Barry Sanders and Walter Peyton above him. He is a great player and a great person but the guy played with one of the best offensive lines ever and a great fullback. Peyton and Sanders both played for some really really really bad teams.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I honestly would put Barry Sanders and Walter Peyton above him. He is a great player and a great person but the guy played with one of the best offensive lines ever and a great fullback. Peyton and Sanders both played for some really really really bad teams.

 

[Todd4State]

I'll say this for Barry Sanders- he put up big numbers with Croom as his OC. That has to be worth something!

I would take all three- Payton, Sanders, Emmitt and run the wishbone.

Emmitt was a big reason for the Cowboys success. He was their guy even though they had Aikman and Irvin, and that is definately the mark of greatness, when you are better than your other HOF team mates.

But Walter Payton was the best of the three all around. Payton could do all of the little things like block, catch passes, he could run inside and outside, he could stiff arm you, and he could outrun you.

I think Jim Brown has to be mentioned as well.

Also, I think Marcus Allen is greatly underrated, but he was a freak.

 

[JimC1097]

My Picks Walter for obvious reasons..... Emmett, Jim Brown... However, if Barry Sanders had kept playing, he would have been the best ever. He did so much with less, just left too soon.

 

[PettysDumpster]

Plus his beard is weird. But he spoke very well during his enshrinement speech, waaaaay better than the bumbling mess he's been while with ESPN.

The greatest RBs? Jim Brown. Walter Payton. Emmitt Smith. That's it, all for unique reasons but I'd say that Brown was the most outstanding, Walter the most gifted, and Emmitt the most sustainable.

 

[57stratdawg]

I could have rushed for 1,000 yards behind that Cowboys OL. If Barry would have played for those Cowboy teams he would have rushed for 2,500 yards. I honestly believe that.

 

[61Sundog]

I found it quite interesting that Emmit never once mentioned Florida. Wonder what that's about.

 

[spaceghost.sixpack]

most yards
most carries
most TD's
only RB to win NFL MVP, rushing title, and Super Bowl MVP in same season

 

[hatfieldms]

.....

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

says that Emmett Smith got his yards because he had the best line in the NFL in the 1990's.Tuinei, Stepnoski, Newton, etc. was the best line in Cowboys history, with Troy Aikman passing to Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek to take the load off. He thinksBarry Sanders would've routinely ran for 2000 yards per season in that offense.

What make Smith so great during his prime, was that nobody got a decent shot on him. He wasn't hit hard until his legs started to give way. Even then, he could still put up 1000 yards per season.

 

[biguglyjoe]

****

 

[Coach34]

Payton and Brown are the best RB's in NFL history, but Emmitt is without a doubt a top back. I put Sanders in the same category as Gale Sayers- great players that had their careers end before it should have and falling short of being called the best

I have a hard time putting Emmitt ahead of Erick Dickerson...I was shocked to hear that Curtis Martin is 4th all-time in yards and Bettis 5th- I dont know anybody that would rank those 2 in the top 5 of top NFL backs

 

[FlabLoser]

says that Emmett Smith got his yards because he had the best line in the NFL in the 1990's.Tuinei, Stepnoski, Newton, etc. was the best line in Cowboys history, with Troy Aikman passing to Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek to take the load off. He thinksBarry Sanders would've routinely ran for 2000 yards per season in that offense.

What make Smith so great during his prime, was that nobody got a decent shot on him. He wasn't hit hard until his legs started to give way. Even then, he could still put up 1000 yards per season.

I watched nearly every Cowboy game in the 90s and I agree with this completely. Emmitt Smith was a very very durable back that timed his cuts well and didn't fumble. He also was good at staying healthy - primarily by making a "business decision" as Madden would put it. He'd get is yards and get down or out of bounds. He was an extremely consistent short and medium yardage back that played on a phenomenally talented team.

Their bread and butter play was a simple lead draw. Moose runs between guard and center, and #22 follows the Moose trough the giant hole in the line of scrimmage. They put a hat on everybody and Smith picks up 8-20 yards. Half the time he didn't even have to juke the safety who was mightily concerned with Michael Irvin.

Its not like they'd simply and it to #22 and watch him dazzle. He was no Barry Sanders who played on a a ****-tastic team and put up similar numbers for as long as he chose to stay active.

 

[Indndawg]

Erik Dickerson is tied w/Barry, and Sweetness for the greatest.

 

[Seinfeld]

I am in no way saying that Emmitt Smith was not an outstanding running back, but I think that his stats and legacy make him one of the more overrated running backs in recent history. At first glance of his numbers, the obvious conclusion is that he was one of the best of all time, but I truly think that Anthony Dixon could have approached 2,000 yard seasons several times with the Cowboys' line.

Between the line itself, Moose, Novacek, and the passing game that included Aikman, Irvin, and Harper, the offense was absolutely loaded. In fact, if there's a hugely underrated part of that team, it has to be the offensive line. When you talk to fans of the game, it's almost always mentioned as one of the best of all time but it seems like it rarely gets mentioned by sportscasters and NFL history buffs. Nate Newton, Mark Tuinei, Erik Williams, and Larry Allen? Those guys were unbelievable, and they seemed to all hit their prime at the same time. There were some games where it seemed like no one would even touch Emmitt until he was 5-6 yards upfield. This not only helped his numbers, but it helped him to maintain his health over the years while other running backs were breaking down.

Emmitt Smith was a very good running back, but if he's going to be considered one of the best of all time, he needs to send his former linemen a lifetime supply of steak dinners.

 

[hotdigitydog]

sorry *** Detroit teams......Sanders would've easily run for 2000 + every year behind those Dallas O'lines..........

 

[beachbumdawg]

nfm

 

[DancingRabbit]

I'm a Cowboys fan and generally think of Payton, Sanders and Brown as being "greater" than Emmitt.

You could probably say that Emmitt had the Most Productive career of any NFL running back. Yards, TD's, Championships.

 

[dawgman42]

Having loved Dorsett in his day, and equally Smith during his days, I still think that Barry Sanders is the greatest RB to ever play the game, better than Brown and better than Payton. Barry had ONE player worth anything on his line--that being OT Lomas Brown--and QBs that were inconsistent and that would make Jevan Snead look like Peyton Manning. I still remember one game against the Falcons where it looked like 7 or 8 players had him squashed, only to see Sanders squirm out of the pile and scamper into the endzone. What he did with his body and the punishment he took on such a sorry team was phenomenal. Everyone knew he would get the ball, but they couldn't stop him.

 

[TBonewannabe]

It wasn't even fair to have him and Marcus Allen on the same team.

 

[ARebel21]

Good line or not.

The game that decided the NFC east title against the Giants, he separates his shoulder and still comes back to rush for 170 yards and 75 yards or so receiving, will always be one of the most memorable performances I've ever seen.

 

[patdog]

he probably would have been the greatest RB of all time.

 

[HumpDawgy]

I wouldn't even put Emmitt in the top 5. Jim Brown is the best.....hands down.