Barry or Emmitt

H

horn4jc

1,000+ Posts
I'm throwing this out there to hold us over till the season starts. I also heard this debate on 104.9 today. I'm neither a Cowboys fan or a Lions fan so I have no ax to grind in this. I could argue either way.

Barry Sanders is he rushed for all of those yards despite playing in Detroit, having no O-line and also playing in the Run and Shoot which is not very friendly to running backs. I wonder how he would do if Aikman was handing off to him and running behind All Pros like Erik Williams and Nate Newton. How would Emmitt had fared if he was in Detroit?

Emmitt Smith though has 3 SB rings. He carried the team when Aikman wasn't on his game and with a bad shoulder willed his team to victory. He ran more north and south so it minimized his losses whereas Barry Sanders had highlight reel worthy 1 yard losses. He had the "it" factor. BTW, he broke Walter Payton's record.

If I was asked who to pick, it'd be tough but I lean toward Emmitt because if I'm in a tight game in the 4th Q and its 3 and 2 with less than 5 minutes to go, I'd trust him more to get those yards than Barry.
 
Emmitt's team did help him out a lot, but good teammates can hurt a guy's stats too because sometimes your good teammates get their number called instead.

If Barry got to play with Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper and Jay Novacek and Troy Aikmen, defenses would key on him a lot less, but he'd probably get his number called less often too.
 
Did you ever consider Barry had those highlight 1 yard loss runs and Emmitt ran more north-south was because of the 0-lines they played behind? Personally, I'd go with Barry - it's scary to me what he might have done on a good team
 
Don't forget future Hall of Famer, Larry Allen, All-Pro Mark Tuniea(sp), Pro Bowler Mark Stepnoski and Pro Bowler Mark Gogan.

I also want to point out the infamous Texas Stadium arch. When you stood on one sideline of Texas Stadium you could not see the lower legs of people standing on the other sideline. That crown was what 5-6 feet from one sideline to the other? Emmitt was allowed to get to full speed by the time he hit the line of scrimmage(essential for all successful running backs) and then he was running down hill at that point.

The greatest all around RB of all time is without a peer, Walter Payton.
 
I think people forget how good Emmitt was in his prime, because he had such a long career and had many average seasons in the second half of his career.

Barry and Emmit had different styles. Barry was usually looking for the home run, and most of the time would prefer to try to juke and evade to pop a log run. Emmit was a chain mover and a goal line hawk more than a home run hitter. This is why I would take Emmitt, because moving the chains and scoring TDs is what wins in football.

In his prime Emmit was such a freaking hoss. He was almost impossible to tackle 1 on 1. If he had the ball on the 5 yard line and you hadn't hit him yet...forget it, it's gonna be a TD. He wasn;t gonna have all the 80 yard runs Barry had, but you can;t count on 80 yard runs to win week in and week out and especially in the playoffs against good defenses.

Barry had a negative rushing game in the playoffs against the Packers one year. I'm sorry, but if you're the best ever, you don't get held to negative rushing in the playoffs. The Lions had Perriman and Herman Moore both go over 1000 yards that year, so it's not like they were 1 dimensional. Barry's own coaches also took him out of the game in goal line situations in several seasons. I also think this is significant. If you're the best ever, your coach won't take you out for critical offensive plays. Barry just wasn't as good at running in traffic to gain tough yards.

I would take Emmitt because I think his style was more conducive to winning football games. Barry was awesome, and so exciting to watch, but not the best IMO.
 
It really should not be all that much of a debate, B. Sanders. It took E. Smith how many extra years and carries to eclipse what B. did? Had Sanders kept playing, which he easily could have, the numbers would be outlandish while still playing for a **** team.

Smith is a fantastic back and one of the best, just not one of the elite. The line between the two categories is micro thin.
 
Growing up a huge Barry Sanders fan it always made me sick to see Smith hitting a huge hole and not seeing contact until 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. Their styles were very different and both very effective. Now I only have the utmost respect for both of these guys. But I will say that Sanders was better....and it isn't even close.

Other question then might be Jim Brown or Barry Sanders?
 
I give the slight edge to Sanders, and I think he could have owned the rushing record had he stayed in the league a few more years. The great thing about these kinds of debates is there is no right answer. Even growing up rooting for the Redskins, I was always a fan of Emmitt.

While we're speaking in hypotheticals, let's imagine what kind of numbers Jim Brown could have put up had he not retired at 29 years old. Also, his yards were earned over seasons with only 12 games (his first four years in the league) and 14 games (his last five years), instead of the 16-game seasons in which Emmitt and Barry played.
 
Emmitt was a terrific, all around football player. He had some great runs, but the picture that always shows up in my mind is the 205 pound Emmitt knocking blitzing 250 pound linebackers on their *** while Troy completed a long pass. He was a great receiver out of the backfield. Barry is the best runner I ever saw. Emmitt was the best football player I ever saw.
 
go to youtube and watch Emmitt highlights. I think we forget the great moves, contact balance and vision that Emmitt had. As weird as it sounds, he may be the most underrated great running back of all-time.
 
Emmit Smith ran behind what could arguably be the best line in NFL history.

Barry Sanders is the best running back period. Eric Dickerson or Walter Payton are better running backs to compare to Barry.
 
Emmitt Smith easily. People get enamored by Barry's big play ability, but Emmitt was the tougher runner and the more complete back. And it wasn't all about the Cowboys line either. Emmitt finished high school as the 2nd leading rusher in high school football history in the nation. At Florida he set 55 school records and was 1st team All-American. I'm pretty sure he didn't have the Cowboys O line in high school or college. He made Nate Newton, Kevin Gogan, Mark Tuninei, and the rest look a heck of a lot better than vice versa.

Barry was great, but Emmitt was more complete and his style was more conducive to winning.
 
I'm really partial to Emmitt and all he accomplished and not just because he was a Cowboy and my late son's favorite player. He was also tough as nails and a true gentleman off the field.

Having said that, Barry Sanders is the best running back I have ever seen play. Were it not for injuries that shortened his career, Gale Sayers would be right up there with him.
 
I think in debates such as this one you have to go with the hard evidence. If you played TECMO Bowl you know nobody could stop the Raiders with Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson. So obviously both of them over these chumps.
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