Who Is The Best RB Of All-Time.... Barry Or Emmit?

[KingLouieLouie]

With Week 1 vastly approaching, I hope many from the various
Detroit Lions sites come onto here and I know the this one question has been discussed/debated many times before and inevitably will be brought up again... But who is the best RB of All-Time, Barry Sanders or Emmit Smith? I know some might say
"Sweetness" and others would agree with what even Barry Sander's own father claimed, Jim Brown.....

I know it's difficult to compare the 2.....They have such contrasting styles and Emmit had the benefit of Aikman throughout most of his career in Dallas with that stellar Offensive Line and other weapons that took some pressure off of him....

I just imagine how Barry would have thrived with the Lions if
Joey Harrington was the starting QB throughout his career, especially since he suffered with the likes of Rodney Peete,
Scott Mitchell, and Andre Ware and also an Offensive Line that still hasnt recovered from the career-ending injury of Mike Utley and the death of Erik Andolsek (both back in '91).....

Personally for me, I was elated when the Cardinals acquired
Emmit, however, at the same time it's awkward to support him since I always felt Barry was better (similar to those on here who are anti-Cowboys that were forced to hate him, but now hope that he helps the Cardinals cause)....

To add more.... Barry would have been the All-Time leading rusher, however, he was never into accolades or awards.... Case in point.... During the final drive of Barry's rookie season (1990), he had a chance to pass Christian Okoye for the leading NFL rusher, however, he demanded to sit out that drive needing less than 10-yrs to accomplish that feat and later remarked that he would have plenty of chances left to do so.... He more than likely retired to pay tribute to "Sweetness" and I thought once Emmit eclipsed that record, that would prompt Barry to return... But the Lions still holds his rights and they still havent reconciled their differences and probably never will... Thanks to former head-coach Bobby Ross, but that's an entirely different subject all together....

 

[SECTION 11]

Walter Payton

 

[Dback Jon]

I voted other.

Walter Payton. Best. Ever.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I voted Emmitt. He achieved the rushing record faster than Payton and he won more Super Bowls, so he has a leg up in my book.

But I seriously have to consider Jim Brown. He was a man among boys, and he quit when he was still arguably the best player in the game.

 

[maddogkf]

Originally posted by Krangthebrain
I voted Emmitt. He achieved the rushing record faster than Payton and he won more Super Bowls, so he has a leg up in my book.

But I seriously have to consider Jim Brown. He was a man among boys, and he quit when he was still arguably the best player in the game.

I'd say Payton. Emmitt had a supporting cast around & arguably the best line in the NFL.

Paytom was a lone wolf & had a good cast for 2-3 years.

However, I think if Bo Jackson would've stayed healthy, he would've been the greatest.

Bo Knows Football

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[Stout]

Sweetness, though I really think it would have been Sanders, hands-down, if he had kept playing. I mean, he did it all behind those horrid lines! Many of those runs were actually twice as long...a 10 yard run was actually 20...10 yards of juking and running for his life behind the line, and 10 yards after.

 

[Shane]

Barry Sanders is by far the best RB to ever play NFL football IMO!

The guy played behind the worst lines in football for his entire career. That includes the year he rushed for well over 2000 yards.

I really wish he would not have retired at such a young age and in his prime. The guy would have over 20,000 yards already. Look at the career rushing average of 5.1 yards. That is phenominal to say the least especially counting how many negative rushes this guy had being nailed in the backfield in his career!

I am a firm believer that if Barry had the luxury of running behind the best o-line in football for the better part of a decade like Emmitt he would have rushed for 2000 way more than once and the current record would be 25,000+ yards!

But know way to truely ever know!

 

[CardLogic]

This question is immpossible to answer. There is no objective way to compare RB's on different quality teams from different eras, etc. So it all comes down to opinion!

Just to throw my hat in the ring.... Jim Brown

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by CardLogic
This question is immpossible to answer. There is no objective way to compare RB's on different quality teams from different eras, etc. So it all comes down to opinion!

Just to throw my hat in the ring.... Jim Brown

I agree. It really is subjective. From a numbers standpoint, it isn't really debateable. Barry or Emmitt.

But from an individual skills standpoint, I'd have to say Jim Brown.

Gale Sayers is also in the mix IMO. His career was short, which is why he isn't generally thrown into the mix of all the great runners.

 

[AZCB34]

1. Payton
1a. Sanders
2. Smith

Payton and Sanders did more on horrible teams than Emmitt ever really had to. Emmitt would still be chasing Barry if he hadn't "retired".

Bo may have ultimately been the best ever but we'll never know.

 

[KingLouieLouie]

I'm going to try to stir the pot here.... What about O.J.? I'm not claiming he's the best..... But am just wondering if people overlook him due to the obvious or was he just over-rated all along?

 

[CardLogic]

OJ was among the best no doubt. It's my opinion that he was actually more exciting (better) as a college RB than as a pro. Keep in mind that OJ, like Barry and also Sweetness, also toiled on some crappy teams.

I wonder if he has gotten any leads to Nicole's killer while on the golf course....

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by AZCB34
1. Payton
1a. Sanders
2. Smith

Payton and Sanders did more on horrible teams than Emmitt ever really had to. Emmitt would still be chasing Barry if he hadn't "retired".

Bo may have ultimately been the best ever but we'll never know.

But a key element that the pro-Barry side is missing, is that Barry lost a lot of yardage juking in the backfield. Consistent gains are better than inconsistent gains mixed with long runs.

Emmitt consistently gained yardage, while Barry danced around looked for the big run.

 

[AZCB34]

Originally posted by Krangthebrain
But a key element that the pro-Barry side is missing, is that Barry lost a lot of yardage juking in the backfield. Consistent gains are better than inconsistent gains mixed with long runs.

Emmitt consistently gained yardage, while Barry danced around looked for the big run.

Or was Barry juking because he was running behind a poor to average Oline?

You make a good point though. Payton mostly got positive yardage like Emmitt.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by AZCB34
Or was Barry juking because he was running behind a poor to average Oline?

You make a good point though. Payton mostly got positive yardage like Emmitt.

To be honest, I think people make a mountain out of a mole hill in the comparison of offensive lines. Sure Emmitt did undoubtably have a better offensive line than Barry, but Barry's line was not that bad.

He had two Pro Bowlers in front of him (Glover and Brown) but he also generally had a better passing attack (Moore, Morton, and for awhile Perriman) than Emmitt. Emmitt WAS the Dallas offense for a long time, and they were unstoppable.

 

[whatchamacallit]

Originally posted by CardLogic
This question is immpossible to answer. There is no objective way to compare RB's on different quality teams from different eras, etc. So it all comes down to opinion!

Just to throw my hat in the ring.... Jim Brown

There really isn't even a question about who is the best of all time. It is clearly Jim Brown. When Jim Brown played the NFL had a 12 game season. Brown played fewer seasons and even fewer games.

This is from his page on the Football Hall of Fame web site:

Jim Brown was a superb craftsman whose primary job was to run with the football for the Cleveland Browns. For nine seasons, he did it better than any player before him. When he retired at the age of 30 at the peak of his career, he left behind a record book clogged with Jim Brown notations.

Brown was more than just a one-of-a-kind running back. He caught passes, returned kickoffs, and even threw three touchdown passes. His 12,312 rushing yards and 15,459 combined net yards put him in a then-class by himself. Jim was a unanimous first-team All-NFL pick eight times, 1957 through 1961, 1963-1965. He played in nine Pro Bowls in nine years and was the game’s outstanding back three times. He closed out his career with a three-touchdown outburst in the 1966 Pro Bowl.

Brown was unanimously named the Rookie of the Year in 1957. He was recognized that season as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by many media organizations. In all, he earned league MVP honors four times (1957, 1958, 1963, and 1965). At Syracuse University, Brown was All-America in both football and lacrosse and a letterman in basketball. Jim selected football as his career sport, however, and thus became the Cleveland Browns' number 1 draft pick in 1957. Even though coach Paul Brown was traditionally reluctant to use rookies as regulars, Jim Brown was a regular and a star from day one.

In the summer of 1966, Jim stunned the sports world with his announcement that he was retiring. Fans still ponder what heights he might have reached had he stayed on the firing line a few more seasons. As exceptional as Brown's statistics were, his durability may have been even more amazing. Despite a constant pounding from defenses always stacked against him personally, he never missed a game in nine years.

 

[Krangodnzr]

That's not even mentioning the fact that the 4-3 defense was specifically designed by Tom Landry of the Giants to stop Jim Brown, he was that dominate.

 

[jf-08]

Originally posted by maddogkf
I'd say Payton. Emmitt had a supporting cast around & arguably the best line in the NFL.

Paytom was a lone wolf & had a good cast for 2-3 years.

However, I think if Bo Jackson would've stayed healthy, he would've been the greatest.

Bo Knows Football

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Earl Campbell - no other such force has ever been in the NFL

 

[Arvos]

Two Cents

I'll put my two cents in. I can't really speak for Jim Brown he played in a different era and I never got to see him play. My vote goes for Emmit. Its a not true that Barry played for substandard lines. He played behind some pro bowlers. Glover at center and a left tackle(his names escapes me at this time). You may think that because he got caught behind the line so many times. That was just his running style. He danced and juked behind the line of scrimmage looking for his running lane, instead of pounding the ball into the hole like Emmit did.

What makes Emmit a better RB was the fact he was a true team player. His team came first, Barry was always a me first kinda guy. He never came to voluntary camps, often held out seeking more money, and never cared about gaining more yards. It may not of meant much to him but it meant alot to the team, especially his lineman. In the last game of the season one time he was only a few yards away from the rushing title, held at the time by Christian Okoya. He refused to go back into the game in the fourth quarter, costing his lineman $$$ for the bonus they would of received if they had blocked for the NFL rushing leader that year. Barry quit on his team on the eve of the NFL season costing the team a horrible year because they haven't even looked for a replacement RB. When he quit he still expected the Lions to keep paying him, and sued the team when they failed to do so. He lost and still harbors bad feelings toward the organization. Fans in Michigan have a love/hate relationship with Barry and frankly I don't care if he falls of the face of the earth.

Emmit has my vote and hope he pads his stats so it takes a very long time until anyone is able to catch up to him.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Re: Two Cents

Originally posted by Arvos
I'll put my two cents in. I can't really speak for Jim Brown he played in a different era and I never got to see him play. My vote goes for Emmit. Its a not true that Barry played for substandard lines. He played behind some pro bowlers. Glover at center and a left tackle(his names escapes me at this time). You may think that because he got caught behind the line so many times. That was just his running style. He danced and juked behind the line of scrimmage looking for his running lane, instead of pounding the ball into the hole like Emmit did.

What makes Emmit a better RB was the fact he was a true team player. His team came first, Barry was always a me first kinda guy. He never came to voluntary camps, often held out seeking more money, and never cared about gaining more yards. It may not of meant much to him but it meant alot to the team, especially his lineman. In the last game of the season one time he was only a few yards away from the rushing title, held at the time by Christian Okoya. He refused to go back into the game in the fourth quarter, costing his lineman $$$ for the bonus they would of received if they had blocked for the NFL rushing leader that year. Barry quit on his team on the eve of the NFL season costing the team a horrible year because they haven't even looked for a replacement RB. When he quit he still expected the Lions to keep paying him, and sued the team when they failed to do so. He lost and still harbors bad feelings toward the organization. Fans in Michigan have a love/hate relationship with Barry and frankly I don't care if he falls of the face of the earth.

Emmit has my vote and hope he pads his stats so it takes a very long time until anyone is able to catch up to him.

Exactly! The Lions were actually very critical of Barry's running style. His last season, he led the league in getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage due to his backfield dance routine. The Lions asked him to change that in the offseason, but of course he didn't because it was his last.

Barry was always looking for the big gain while Emmitt was looking for the consistent gain. Barry was looking for the big gain, and more often than not, that leads to stalled drives.

 

[WisconsinCard]

My two would have been Gale Sayers, or Jim Brown. If I got to go with just one I pick Gale Sayers.

 

[FischerKing]

I'm voting for Barry Sanders - if you let him run behind the Cowboys line that Emmitt had the luxury of being behind, he would have some rather untouchable yardage marks.

Now that Emmitt's on an average team - we'll see what he does behind this O-Line. I bet he doesn't get 1,000 yards rushing this season.

Shawn

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by FischerKing
I'm voting for Barry Sanders - if you let him run behind the Cowboys line that Emmitt had the luxury of being behind, he would have some rather untouchable yardage marks.

Now that Emmitt's on an average team - we'll see what he does behind this O-Line. I bet he doesn't get 1,000 yards rushing this season.

Shawn

Yeah but give Emmitt 3 (or 2) receivers that Barry had to stretch the field, and Emmitt would have had more room to run.

And that's flat out assinine that you say "Now that Emmitt's on an average team..." because the Cowboys have been worse than us the past couple of years.

 

[FischerKing]

Originally posted by Krangthebrain
And that's flat out assinine that you say "Now that Emmitt's on an average team..." because the Cowboys have been worse than us the past couple of years.

Assinine, Assiten, whatever...point is Emmitt still won't hit the 1k mark this season.

There are several backs that I'd take over Emmitt. I think he's soft, he's a better actor than a RB and he's here only to tell tickets.

Shawn

 

[Alan]

I can only compare Sanders and Emmitt (haven't seen Payton or Brown play), but I would have to say Emmitt. Sanders would lose yardage too often and put the offense in a predictable situation. Emmitt always seemed to move forward and somehow manage to get first downs. Plus, he didn't quit on his team.