Emmitt vs. Barry - The Ultimate Debate
I have seen, heard, and been a part of countless debates on the subject of Emmitt Smith vs. Barry Sanders for years. After being dragged into another one of these debates and trying to make my case a couple of weeks ago to no avail, I just decided to put my opinion into writing and make my ultimate case once and for all.
At 29 years old, I am old enough to remember Emmitt and Barry in their primes, and have watched their whole careers from beginning to end. I will also acknowledge that I'm a diehard Cowboys fan, and have been a fan since I was 5 years old. With that being said, I will do my best to be as fair and objective as I possibly can
without sounding biased. I have also watched a lot of film and highlights on Emmitt and Barry over the years, as well as doing hours and hours of extensive research. This writing is based mainly on my research and
what I saw from both running backs with my own eyes. My opinion on this topic is
NEVER popular.
First of all, here are the career resumes (not including numerous NFL and team records) for both running backs:
Emmitt Smith
-NFL All-Time Leading Rusher
-NFL All-Time Leading Postseason Rusher
-Monday Night Football All-Time Leading Rusher
-Dallas Cowboys Ring Of Honor
-NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
-8x Pro Bowl Selection (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999)
-4x First Team All-Pro (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995)
-Second Team All-Pro (1991)
-3x Super Bowl Champion (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)
-Super Bowl XXVIII MVP
-1990 NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year
-1993 NFL MVP
-1993 PFWA NFL MVP
-1993 TSN NFL MVP
-1993 Miller Lite Player Of The Year
-1994 TSN Sportsman Of The Year
-2x NEA NFL MVP (1991, 1992)
-1993 Bert Bell Award
-5x Galloping Gobbler Award
-3X First Team All-SEC (1987, 1988, 1989)
-1989 SEC Player Of The Year
-1989 First Team All-American
-1987 SEC Freshman Of The Year
-1987 National Freshman Of The Year
-Gator Football Ring Of Honor
-College Football Hall Of Fame (2006)
-Florida High School All-Century Team
-Florida High School Athletic Association Player Of The Century
-1986 USA Today High School Player Of The Year
-1986 Parade Magazine High School Player Of The Year
Barry Sanders
-Pro Football Hall Of Fame (2004)
-10x Pro Bowl Selection (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
-6x First Team All-Pro Selection (1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997)
-4X Second Team All-Pro Selection (1992, 1993, 1996, 1998)
-1989 NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year
-1997 Co-NFL MVP-1997 PFWA NFL MVP
-1997 TSN NFL MVP
-1997 NEA NFL MVP
-1997 Miller Lite Player Of The Year
-2x NFL Offensive Player Of The Year (1994, 1997)
-2X Bert Bell Award (1991, 1997)
-1991 Galloping Gobbler Award
-1988 Heisman Trophy
-1988 Walter Camp Award
-1988 Maxwell Award
-College Football Hall Of Fame (2003)
-In 2008, was ranked #2 in ESPN's list of the Top 25 Greatest College Football Players Ever
I want to start by saying that Emmitt Smith was (is) so underrated, that
it's criminal. Before I address that, I want to say that as good as Emmitt was, I personally don't believe that Emmitt was as good as he could have been. The reason I feel that way is because early in his career, I remember Joe Brodsky (RB coach) saying over and over that Emmitt had an average work ethic for a great player. He said that mainly because early in Emmitt's career he wasn't big on conditioning in the offseason. Even Barry Switzer called him out, saying that Emmitt needed to hit the weight room if he wanted to catch Walter Payton. I also think Emmitt could have dominated late in his career if he had a better offensive line and supporting cast.
As for Emmitt being underrated, I feel like Emmitt never did/still doesn't get the respect or credit that he deserves for the career he had. I think it's sad that a lot of people, especially most of the media don't even put Emmitt in their top 5. Some have him in the bottom half of their top 10. In my honest opinion, I firmly believe that Emmitt is
a top 3 all-time running back, behind Jim Brown and Walter Payton. As far as the best running back of all-time goes, I think Jim Brown and Walter Payton are interchangable as 1a and 1b, I have Emmitt at #3, Barry Sanders at #4, and after that it gets tough for me.
The main reasons why I think Emmitt is underrated are his skill set, intangibles, impact, and the fact that he gets penalized for the teammates that he had.
As far as his skill set goes, Emmitt was
a complete running back who could do it all, the total package. He could run, catch out of the backfield, and he was a superb blocker. It has been said often that the two running backs that are the best all-time at blocking in pass protection are Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith. When it comes to his running style, Barry Sanders was described as "poetry-in-motion". If Barry was poetry in motion, then Emmitt was hard-hitting prose with a few moves of his own. Even though Emmitt wasn't as flashy as Barry, more workman-like, he was much more shifty and made more tacklers miss than people realize. One Emmitt run that immediately comes to my mind was in either 1990 or 1991, against the Cardinals, where he changed direction 4 times on an 11-yard touchdown run......
4 times in 11 yards. His speed was also underestimated, even though he wasn't the fastest running back. If Emmitt was so slow, why did he have so many long runs? He even had a 96-yard touchdown run in college, which is still a Florida school record.
If I had to describe Emmitt's style in a nutshell, it would be:
Emmitt was a very durable back with deceptive speed, a quick burst and acceleration, superior vision, tremendous leg strength, and great balance, a low center of gravity, one of the best second-effort runners ever, and the best goal line back of all-time. Emmitt darted, slithered and followed his blockers, and squeezed yard after yard out of plays that didn't have any yards in them. He didn't look especially fast or powerful or shifty, but he couldn't be stopped. He had a consistent straight-ahead running style that took full advantage of the skills of his offensive line, and was excellent at reading his blocks. He was patient, and when he saw the hole he had the acceleration to get through it quick enough to make things happen. Once he gos to the second level, he could definately make people miss. Emmitt also had a nose for the end zone and was a dependable receiver. He might not go 80 yards on one run, but he could go 40 yards twice if you let him. Emmitt would just wear teams down 4, 6, 3, 8 yards at a time.
Here are a few quotes describing Emmitt's style around the time he was drafted:
"He has the same vision and awareness that Tony Dorsett had." -Nate Newton
"Frantic hopscotching, barefoot, on a blistering sidewalk." -Blackie Sherrod, Dallas Morning News
"He darts, feints, shifts back and forth like a typewriter carriage. He stops in the hole -- comes to a complete stop -- looks unhurriedly for a seam and skates across the field like a hot dog wrapper." -Jere Longman, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Slow motion, waiting to see what develops, constantly moving, low to the ground, trying to stay north and south." -Emmitt Smith
"You had to be an idiot not to recognize the talent there. What I did find out, though, was the kind of person he was: played in pain, never missed a workout, not a nick-and-bump guy who'd miss a lot of practice time, an extra-good worker and not a complainer. He'll take your breath away, and you won't get it back until he scores." -Joe Brodsky
If I had to give a description of Barry Sanders and his style in my own words, I would say:
Poetry in motion; made more tacklers miss than any other running back, and made them look bad doing it. He is clearly the most exciting and entertaining running back that ever played. He was pretty strong for his size, and his cat-like quickness allowed him to stop and start on a dime, and most of the time looked to bounce the play to the outside instead of hitting the hole. He wasn't much of a receiver or blocker.
Here are a few quotes that described Barry:
"He is in a class by himself. He is so quick." -Emmitt Smith
"To this day I tell any cat on that football field, you don't want to see Barry Sanders. He would tear your kneecaps off. He is one of the most creative, innovative runners who's ever played the game." -Emmitt Smith
"I remember bracing myself to hit him. I knew I had him. But he just stopped and turned, and he was gone. He's like a little sports car, he can stop on a dime and go zero to 60 in seconds." -Trace Armstrong
"Usually, a runner may make one or two real good moves during a 20-yard run. Not Barry. He could do it five times." -O.J. Simpson
"Can stop and go...cut on a dime and give you change." -Dick Butkus
"His legs go in 14 different directions at one time. Then he stops, but usually you dont." -Tim Goad
I have always believed that while Barry Sanders might have been the
better pure runner, Emmitt Smith was the
better running back. Like I said earlier, Emmitt was a complete running back, who could do it all. He was an incredible blocker, while Barry wasn't much of a blocker.
Again, Emmitt was also a very productive receiver, having 4 years with 50 or more receptions, and 7 with over 40. He caught a career high, 62 passes in 1995 along with his 377 carries.
Barry only had 3 years where he caught 40 or more passes, with a high of 48. The 2 games that stand out the most to me about Emmitt's versatility are the 1990 game against the Rams where he had 100+ yards receiving, and the 1994 come-from-behind win over the Packers on Thanksgiving day where he had 133 yards rushing and 95 receiving. Here is an interesting Emmitt fact:
He is the only player since the merger to lead the league in rushing yards, rushing TDs, yards from scrimmage and total TDs in a single season (he also led all RBs in carries that year too). That 1995 season was a solid all around year, which I thought Emmitt deserved to be MVP.
These quotes pretty much say it all:
"He don't catch like Emmitt. He don't block like Emmitt. He don't score touchdowns like Emmitt. We'll take Emmitt." -Nate Newton
"I'd buy a ticket to watch Barry Sanders first, but if I want to win a game, I pick Emmitt Smith." -Dale Hansen
"Barry Sanders is a very exciting runner, with all the things he can do. He's very fun to watch. So, if I'm a fan and I want to watch someone run the ball, I'd want to watch Barry Sanders. But if I'm a coach and I want to win championships, then I'd want Emmitt Smith." -Jimmy Johnson
"What makes Emmitt special... is that he’s got just such tremendous pride. He wants to be the very, very best... and that’s what drives him during a game, that determination. He’s a great player... and the greatest running back I’ve ever seen in my life." -Jimmy Johnson
Judging from the impact that he had on his team, I don't know if there has ever been another running back in the history of the NFL that made as big a difference to his team's success as Emmitt.
In his 15 seasons he made an impact that few players can match at any position or any era. His impact was obvious even in high school. Before Emmitt got to Escambia High, the Gators had one winning season in the previous 18 years. Head coach Dwight Thomas, whot got there the same year Emmitt did (1983), called the program "the most negative, apathetic, losing enivorment I've ever been in, ever." As soon as Emmitt got there, all of that changed.
The Escambia Gators went 42-7 during Emmitt's 4 years at the school, winning the state championship in 1984 and 1985. Emmitt ran for over 100 yards in 45 out of his 49 games (still a national record), and ended up with 8,804 yards and 106 touchdowns, the the third highest career rushing and scoring totals in national high school history. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry and only fumbled 6 times.
Coach Dwight Thomas described his game plan that he had for Emmitt back then,
"For four years we did three things, and won two state championships doing them. Hand the ball to Emmitt, pitch the ball to Emmitt, throw the ball to Emmitt". Also, if the offensive line was the reason for his success (which I'll discuss in more detail), how do they explain the fact that Emmitt had 45 100-yard games in high school? He was named the High School Player Of The Century in the state of Florida, ahead of several players who are already in the Pro Hall of Fame. Not to sound ignorant or disrespectful, how many HOFers did Emmitt have on his high school line? Unless I just wasn't paying attention, I never once heard anything about any of Emmitt's high school linemen even making it to the NFL, let alone the HOF.
After high school, Emmitt went on to conquer college football at the University Of Florida the same way he did in high school. In his very first game as a Florida freshman, Emmitt ran for 224 yards on 39 carries, a single-game rushing record for Florida which stood for 40 years. Florida beat favored Alabama convincingly in that game, and the national "Emmitt Watch" began. He finished the season with 1,341 yards and 13 touchdowns. As the 1987 college season progressed, Emmitt became the first freshman in history to get as many as 100 yards per game in 7 games. He was voted SEC Freshman Of The Year and National Freshman Of The Year, and would finish 9th in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy that year, which is almost unheard of for a freshman. It was only the 2nd time that a freshman had made the top 10.
Emmitt started the 1988 season strong until his knee injury against Memphis State. The Gators started the season 5-0 with Emmitt in the backfield, lost the game he got injured in, as well as the next 3 while he wasn't able to play. Emmitt still came close to 1,000 yards, finishing with 988 along with 9 touchdowns. Emmitt managed to stay healthy for his junior year, finishing with 1,599 yards and 14 touchdowns. He even shattered his own previous single-game rushing record he set during his freshman year with a 316-yard game against New Mexico. Emmitt finished the year in 7th place in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Emmitt rushed for over 100 yards in 25 out of his 24 games at Florida. He would finish his college career with 3,928 yards and 36 touchdowns, along with 58 school records in just 3 seasons. He was named All-America and All-SEC 3 times. Emmitt skipped his senior year to enter the 1990 NFL Draft, mainly because of concern about his role in new Florida coach Steve Spurrier's reportedly pass-first offense. He was inducted into both the Gator Football Ring Of Honor and the College Football Hall Of Fame in 2006. As for Emmitt's offensive line in college, only
one of his linemen made it to the NFL, and that was David Williams. He played 9 years in the NFL with the Oilers and Jets.
Barry Sanders played his college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1986 to 1988. During his first 2 years, he backed up Thurman Thomas. As a back-up, Barry excelled on special teams, leading the nation in kickoff and punt returns in 1987. After Thurman Thomas moved on to the NFL, Barry became the starter for his junior year. In 1988, in what has been called the greatest season in college football history, Barry led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per carry and over 200 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in 4 games. He set college football season records with 2,628 yards rushing, 3,249 total yards, 234 points, 39 touchdowns, of which 37 were rushing (also a record), 5 consecutive 200 yard games (7 total), scored at least 2 touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, and 9 times he scored at least 3 touchdowns. Barry also ran for 222 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in just three quarters of action in the Holiday Bowl - a game that was not included with his season statistics.
That year, Barry would set 34 NCAA records on the way to winning the Heisman Trophy, becoming only the 8th junior to ever win the award. He also won the Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards as the nation's top player. After the 1988 season, the NCAA put Oklahoma State on probation. In part due to that as well as pressure from his father and a desire to help his family financially, Barry decided to skip his senior year and enter the 1989 NFL Draft. Barry was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 2003, and in 2008 was was ranked #2 in ESPN's list of the Top 25 Greatest College Football Players Ever.
As far as who made the biggest impact in the NFL, this is not even a contest. There is more to the story than what stats alone can possibly tell, especially since they don't always reflect the contribution or value of a player to his team. But at the same time, numbers don't lie. In my opinion, Emmitt Smith is the most productive and most important running back in NFL history. No back has ever contributed to the success of their team like Emmitt did.
No franchise rode a back harder, longer or to as many championships as the Cowboys did with Emmitt. No running back has accomplished more. That's why an excellent case can be made for Emmitt as the best running back of all-time.
For all the differences they had, Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders did have a few similarities. They both had the strong, thick legs which defied logic when they moved up and down and sideways all at the same time. Their legs changed the thinking of NFL personnel directors about running backs with short, stumpy bodies. Emmitt and Barry proved that it is not a bad thing to be short, it just might be preferred.
After leaving Florida as their leading rusher at the time, Emmitt was drafted in 1990 by the Cowboys after sliding down to #17 in the first round after scouts and critics deemed him
"too small" and
"too slow". Emmitt was a vital part of the Cowboys’ turnaround. The year before he got there, the Cowboys were 1-15. He helped improve them to 7-9 in his rookie year, and winning Offensive Rookie Of The Year in the process. Within 4 years of Emmitt's arrival, the Cowboys were back-to-back Super Bowl Champions. Emmitt's presence and consistency in the backfield fueled the Cowboys’ success.
Beginning in 1991, his second year in the league, Emmitt set an NFL record by putting together a streak of 11 straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons. He also tied Jim Brown’s record by starting his career with 7 straight 10-touchdown seasons. It was Emmitt’s ability to find the end zone and his post-season play that defined him and solidified his legacy in NFL history. While Barry racked up rushing yards at a robotic pace, his ability to score lagged well behind Emmitt’s. Within the 1992-95 seasons, Barry had 30 rushing touchdowns, and Emmitt had 74. Within that same period, Emmitt also led the Cowboys to 3 Super Bowl wins, while the Lions lost 3 consecutive playoff games. Emmitt ended his career with 175 total touchdowns (164 rushing) compared to Barry's 109 (99 rushing). Emmitt is second in career touchdowns only to Jerry Rice.
Emmitt's impact became clearly evident during the 1993 season. He won MVP that year, and deservedly so. In the beginning of the season he was involved in a contract dispute, holding out the first 2 games. It just seemed to me that the Cowboys' season was coming apart by the seams after those first 2 games. The Cowboys lost a 35-16 Monday Night game to the Redskins to open the season, then lost their home opener the following Sunday against Buffalo 13-10 on a Matt Darby interception at the end of the game. After 2 weeks of agony and frustration, from the fans (myself especially) as well as the team, Jerry Jones finally broke down and signed Emmitt to a 4-year, $13.6 million dollar contract which made him the highest paid running back in the league at that time. It made my day when I found out that Emmitt had signed the contract. I remember telling a few of my 8th grade classmates at school the next day, "It's on now, the Cowboys are going back to the Super Bowl!" I also remember Mike Ditka being Emmitt's biggest supporter from the media, and I still remember this quote from him,
"If the Cowboys don't want to go back to the Super Bowl, don't pay Emmitt Smith."
That 1993 season was Emmitt's best season, even though his stats weren't his best. Again, this was when his impact became obvious. After the Cowboys lost the first 2 games without him, they won 15 out of their last 17 games (including the playoffs), on their way to their 2nd straight Super Bowl, becoming the first team to win a Super Bowl after losing its first 2 games.
Emmitt became the only running back in NFL history to lead the league in rushing, win MVP, and Super Bowl MVP all in the same season. He won his 3rd straight rushing title that year, becoming the first running back in NFL history to pull that off after missing 2 games.
Oh, and who could forget Emmitt carrying the Cowboys on his back to a win over the Giants, getting 168 yards on 32 carries along with 10 catches for 62 yards, with a seperated shoulder to win the division on the road in the last game of the regular season, with home-field advantage and a first round bye on the line? He put the team on his back again in Super Bowl XXVIII in our opening offensive series of the second half of superbowl, after the Cowboys were losing 13-6 at halftime. He finished with 30 carries for 132 yards and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVII.
I don't even want to imagine how that season would have turned out if Emmitt would have sat out the whole thing like he threatened to. Him being out proved that he was the most important player on that team, and probably in the league.
As much as Emmitt is penalized for the supporting cast that he had, he was the key to the offense and to the team. He was the most indespensible out of The Triplets. The Cowboys won games without Troy Aikman, they even won without Michael Irvin, but they didn't win without Emmitt. In a twist of irony, the Cowboys did manage to win 1 game without Emmitt. It was the 1999 game against Green Bay, the week after Emmitt broke his hand in Minnesota. The irony of this game was that all 3 of The Triplets missed that game and the Cowboys
STILL won.
While Emmitt Smith was the key to the Cowboys’ success over the years, the Lions may very likely have been just as mediocre without Barry Sanders. Barry was probably the most electrifying runner to ever play the game. He spent his entire 10-year career with the Lions. Barry has the NFL record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (10) to start a career. He was the first running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 10 straight seasons. He also made the Pro Bowl every season he was in the NFL, as well as the All-Pro Team. Barry's best year came in 1997 when he rushed for 2,053 yards. He became only the 3rd running back to reach that mark in a single season, and only he and O.J. Simpson have rushed for 2,000 yards in 14 games. Barry started that season out with 53 yards in the first 2 games, and set another NFL record (14 straight 100-yard games), to finish the season with 2,053 yards. It was amazing that he started the season so slowly and ran for an even 2,000 yards in the last 14 games. He was the NFL co-MVP that year, along with Brett Favre, an honor he shouldn't have had to share.
Barry is one of 2 running backs with a career average of 5 yards per carry (Jim Brown is the other), and the only running back with over 3,000 carries that has a 5 YPC average, and that's impressive no matter how you look at it.
For all his flash and dazzle, Barry Sanders’ post-season career was A-Rodesque at best. In 6 career playoff games, his Lions were 1-5. Barry rushed for 386 yards and scored only one postseason touchdown in those 6 games. Conversely, Emmitt Smith played in 17 post-season games, going 12-5, while scoring 21 touchdowns. Emmitt has scored more Super Bowl touchdowns (5) than any other player in history. Barry also only had one 100-yard rushing game in his postseason career, while Emmitt had seven. Consider that between 1991 and 1996, Emmitt essentially played a whole extra season, by playing in 15 postseason games, and accumulated nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards. Within that time frame, he only missed 3 games, 2 of them because of the holdout. He was a model of consistency and the driving force behind the 1990s Cowboys dynasty.
While Barry Sanders is unquestionably one of the best running backs of all-time, his numbers simply do not live up to those of Emmitt Smith. Barry was famous for racking up huge chunks of yardage, but his scoring numbers were clearly pale in comparison. While many argue that Emmitt had better players surrounding him, some also have the misconception that Barry's career rushing numbers are inflated because the Lions had no other offensive weapons. What cannot be debated, however, is the difference between these two running backs when it mattered most. Year after year, Emmitt rose to the occasion after the regular season, while Barry's postseason career fluttered.
Any comparison between these two Hall Of Fame backs must take those numbers into perspective when determining the better overall back.
Here are a few numbers to put in perspective for determining the better overall running back:
Team's Records During Emmitt/Barry's Tenure
Emmitt: 126-114 (12-5 in postseason)
Barry: 78-82 (1-5 in postseason)
Importance To Team Success
-The Cowboys/Cardinals were 65-18 in the regular season when Emmitt Smith rushed for over 100 yards, and 101-26 when he had at least 20 carries. The Cowboys were 5-0 in the postseason when he rushed for over 100 yards, and 8-2 when he had at least 20 carries.
-The Lions were 44-32 in the regular season when Barry Sanders rushed for over 100 yards, and 50-31 when he had at least 20 carries. The Lions were 0-1 in the postseason when he rushed for over 100 yards, and 0-1 when he had at least 20 carries.
-The Bears were 55-22 in the regular season when Walter Payton rushed for over 100 yards, and 70-31 when he had at least 20 carries. The Bears were 1-0 in the postseason when he rushed for over 100 yards, and 3-1 when he had at least 20 carries.
-The Browns were 48-8-2 in the regular season when Jim Brown rushed for over 100 yards.
I think it is a myth that any running back can run behind a good offensive line. I can't tell you how many times I have heard that before.
It takes a special talent to consistently hit the hole at the right time and exploit every crack no matter the size to maximum gain. With that being said, I believe the Cowboys offensive line of the '90s got way too much credit for the career Emmitt had, and it seems to me that he made that line look better than what it was.
This quote right here speaks volumes:
"Before Emmitt got here, I was just a big, fat lineman. Now I'm in the Pro-Bowl every year." -Nate Newton
Here is a list of all of the Cowboys' top offensive linemen during Emmitt's 13 years with the team:
Larry Allen– 2nd round pick in 1994
Nate Newton- undrafted FA, USFL player; was cut by the Redskins and signed as a street free agent by the Cowboys
Erik Williams- 3rd round pick in 1991
Mark Stepnoski- 3rd round pick in 1989, converted from guard to center
Mark Tuinei- undrafted free agent in 1983, went to camp as a DT and was converted to OT
Ray Donaldson- 2nd round pick in 1980; was a 15-year veteran when the Cowboys signed him to replace Stepnoski; made the Pro Bowl for the Cowboys in his 15th and 16th seasons
Kevin Gogan- 8th round pick in 1987
John Gesek– 10th round pick in 1987 by the Raiders, was acquired by trade
Larry Allen was the only well-known, blue-chip prospect on this unit.
For all the (well-deserved) credit that Jimmy Johnson gets for building that team, he only drafted 2 first day offensive lineman that made the team, Mark Stepnoski and Erik Williams. Both were drafted in the 3rd round. In 1991, Erik Williams was Jimmy's second 3rd round pick. His first one was used to draft James Richards, a guard/center from Cal. So out of all the offensive linemen that he had blocking for him during his years with the Cowboys, Emmitt never had a 1st rounder to block for him.
For proof that his line got too much credit for his success, consider the fact that the first 2 years he made the Pro-Bowl, NONE of his linemen made it, or when he won his first rushing title NONE of his linemen made it. As a matter of fact, in his rookie year, Emmitt was the
ONLY Cowboy to make the Pro Bowl.
To put it in perspective, when he won his first rushing title in 1991, Emmitt had 2 undrafted free agents, a 10th round pick, an 8th round pick, and a 3rd round pick blocking for him. Jimmy Johnson and Nate Newton both admitted that there were several times when the line wasn't blocking well that Emmitt bailed them out.
I will say that those linemen do deserve credit for stepping their games up, but Emmitt was a major factor in the way they were perceived, along with the coaches, and Moose.
The biggest misconceptions about that Cowboys offensive line, were that the line had 5 garunteed Hall Of Famers, ANYBODY could run behind that line and get 1000 yards, Barry Sanders would get 2000 yards every year. There are a lot of people who think the line from that era is the best in NFL history. The thing about it is 3/5 of that line was there years before Emmitt got there, a combined 14 years between them. Jim Erkenbeck couldn't do much with them, and they were considered mediocre linemen. Yes, I'm talking about Nate Newton, Mark Tuinei, and Kevin Gogan. All 3 were there when Tony Dorsett was still on the team. Tuinei was there when TD was still
IN HIS PRIME!!! He came to the team in 1983 as a DT, then got converted. Newton came in 1986, and Gogan the year after. It's not a stretch to say that those linemen received a lot of accolades they possibly wouldn't have if a guy other than Emmitt Smith had been their running back.
It's amazing how people can just make stuff up and twist history. It's obvious that most of these people who use the offensive line and supporting cast cop-outs are Emmitt haters and have their blinders on.
During 1991-1993, the years of Emmitt's first 3 rushing titles, it could not be said that he had an "All-Pro offensive line." No member of that line made the AP All-Pro team in 1991, only one player made it in 1992 (Mark Stepnoski made the 2nd team) and one in 1993 (Erik Williams). That's 2 selections in 3 years--some teams had as many as 6 selections over that same time period. The Cowboys were one of 8 teams that had 2 or more OL on that All-Pro team from 1991-93. If 2 All-Pro OL selections in 3 of Emmitt's best seasons means Dallas had an "All-Pro line", that would mean that 1/4 of the teams in the league had an All-Pro line. In my opinion, that line was only the best in the NFL for 3 years at the most. Oh, and some of the Emmitt haters credit Larry Allen for some of Emmitt's success when he wasn't even on the team at that time, and on top of that, they exaggerate about the guys who were with the team. That combination of ignorance and bias about Emmitt's accomplishments is not unique to people who claim to know football.
I just have one question:
If that line was as good as everybody made them out to be, why couldn't Emmitt's back-ups come in and put up the same production whenever he wasn't in the game? They had to run behind that same line, and they got their chances to produce when Emmitt was either getting a breather, or when he was hurt and couldn't get it done. For anybody that has an eagerness to prove that Emmitt was just the beneficiary of running behind that offensive line, do like I did and go research his yards-per-carry compared to the YPC of his back-ups in the same season from 1991-1995, the stretch when the Cowboys were at their best. People who truly know football know that it's not uncommon for the back-up to play just as well or sometimes better than the star back. The reason for that is because teams don't usually gameplan for back-ups. Anyway, logic would dictate that if Emmitt was taking all the glory while the line did all the work, just about any decent back could do just as well.
When you do the research, you'll see that in 4 out of those 5 seasons, Emmitt was at least a full yard per carry better than the next best running back on the team.
One other interesting fact, that offensive line had 3 linemen (Donaldson, Stepnoski, Gogan) that made the Pro Bowl for other teams. The thing is, those linemen had other Pro Bowl-caliber running backs that they blocked for. When Ray Donaldson was with the Colts he had Eric Dickerson, Mark Stepnoski had Eddie George with the Oilers, and with the 49ers Kevin Gogan had Garrison Hearst (before he broke his ankle). As for a couple of other all-time great running backs, Jim Brown had a Pro Bowl lineman every year he was in the league, and 8 out of those 9 seasons he had multiple Pro Bowlers.
He never had less than 3 linemen blocking for him that had Pro Bowl experience. In 1958 and 1959, he had FIVE Pro Bowl-caliber blocking for him....FIVE! Yes, all 5 of them had established themselves as Pro Bowlers by then. Three of those linemen (Lou Groza, Gene Hickerson, Mike McCormack) are in the Hall Of Fame, and 2 other ones still have a slight possibility of making it. Eric Dickerson had multiple Pro Bowlers blocking for him in all 4 of the seasons that he won the rushing title. He was another one who, at least in his time with the Rams, had 3 Pro Bowl-caliber linemen on a regular basis.
In 1985, the year after he set the single season rushing record of 2,105 yards, all of his linemen made the Pro Bowl except for his left tackle. It's no stretch to say that Eric Dickerson might have put the all-time rushing record out of reach if he would have stayed with the Rams, because that offense was built around him. It's funny how nobody ever holds against them the offensive lines they had.
Oh, and what do Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson have in common? Their back-ups stepped in and led the NFL in rushing after they left their teams.
I think the things that are said about Emmitt and that offensive line are better suited for Terrell Davis.
How else could you explain the stretch from 1995-2006 where the Broncos had a 1,000-yard rusher in 11 out of those 12 seasons? In that span they had 6 DIFFERENT backs go over 1,000 yards (Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, Tatum Bell). Whenever Terrell Davis didn't play, the Broncos running game actually didn't miss a beat. That makes you wonder whether it was the offensive line or the system. I believe it was both. How else could Mike Anderson come in from the Marines and rush for almost 1,500 as a rookie?
Anybody who has ever paid close attention knows that the Cowboys offensive line was not as "great" as Emmitt haters made them out to be, and the Lions offensive line was not nearly as pitiful as Barry apologists would have you believe. That Lions offensive line was criminally underrated. Overall, the Cowboys had the better offensive line, but the margin was much closer than their respective myths would make you think. The Lions line never got nearly enough credit for what Barry Sanders accomplished.
Last time I checked, football was still a team sport. Barry didn't do all of that on his own, that line had to do SOMETHING right for him to get all those yards. People act like the offensive line wasn't there at all, like the offense was in skeleton and the defense had their full 11 players.
Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover were two of the best in the game at tackle and center, respectively. Bill Fralic, Mike Compton, Ray Roberts, and Jeff Hartings, weren't exactly scrubs, either. Clearly they weren't the Cowboys, but the notion that Emmitt wouldn't have Hall of Fame stats running behind them is ridiculous.
While Emmitt never had a 1st rounder on his line during his career with the Cowboys, Barry had FOUR (Brown, Fralic, Roberts, Hartings), and all were top 10 picks except Hartings. In 1985 Bill Fralic went #2 overall to the Falcons, Lomas Brown at #6 to the Lions, Ray Roberts at #10 to the Seahawks, and Jeff Hartings at #23 to the Lions in 1996. Hartings seemed to raise his game a little after he left the Lions and went to the Steelers, because in his 5 years there he made a couple of Pro Bowls and an All-Pro selection.
Before I go on about Barry Sanders and his offensive line, here is a link to a video that describes the point I'm trying to make:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvNdTSWob84
The thing the average observer never seemed to understand, was exactly how much harder it was to block for Barry Sanders than for just about anybody else. The Lions' linemen themselves used to point this out all the time. In 2004 around the time of the HOF inductions, Sports Center had a few of the Lions offensive linemen that blocked for Barry on the show, and they all said to a man that they hated blocking for Barry because he never went where the play was supposed to go.
Barry didn't take the yards that were there and make the most out of the situation, he was in constant pursuit of the big play, which he was better than any running back has ever been, but he often left his team in a hole on the next down. That's not the most conducive way to win football games. That fact alone is why I've never bought into the argument that
"if Barry had, had Emmitt's line he would have rushed for 2,000 yards every season", because no matter how good the line is if the player doesn't go where it's designed to go, the play will look like crap and that makes the offensive line look bad. Another thing:
If you are blocking in one direction, and the runner changes directions and goes the other way, how is it your fault when he gets stuffed?
Over the years, the myths about the Cowboys and Lions offensive lines have grown disproportionate in each direction, with the reputation of those Cowboys lines swelling and the memory of Lions lines has gotten worse over time. Again, the gap between the 2 lines is much smaller than most people seem to think. Nobody puts up the numbers Barry Sanders did
"without having an offensive line". The lack of respect for Emmitts' ability is ridiculous. I don't see how so many people can question his greatness because he made an instant impact and put up big numbers at every level.
It's true that Emmitt had a great line, but once you get the ball in your hands, you still have to run. You don't get a free pass to the end zone just because your line is good. Let the Barry apologists tell it, Barry got every yard with no blocking whatsoever while Emmitt just strolled behind his "All-World" offensive line. ALL running backs look the same with no offensive line, even the best ones would look average. I don't care whether the RB is Jim Brown, Walter Payton, or whoever, if you don't have a line to block for you, you are going nowhere,
PERIOD.
A major reason why the offensive line cop-out never made much sense to me, is because again, Barry Sanders didn't run like a normal back, he was always trying to break the big run. He was not a "hit the hole" type back.
As good as Barry was at improvising, it was also difficult for an offensive line to block for, and you never knew where he was going. Barry would turn down a running lane worth 4-7 yards and he would instead try to bust a big run by shaking everyone out of their shoes. His first step was always a stutter step. Barry was not a drive sustaining back. He might have 10 yards going into the 3rd quarter and then break off a 60 yarder. I'll take a consistent 4 yards over that every time.
Emmitt's vision and athleticism were a major reason those Cowboys lines looked so good. He could see where the holes were, and accelerated through them with a burst almost unparalleled in NFL history. Emmitt wasn't as "nifty" as Barry. No one ever has been. But make no mistake, he was a supreme athlete with unbelievable agility, vision, instincts, acceleration, balance and power in the thighs and hips that Barry never possessed. That's not to take anything away from what Barry could do. But because it's not as flashy, as eye-popping, people often overlook the tremendous runner Emmitt was and how extraordinarily difficult it was to tackle. He could run over you, around you, juke you, spin away from you, stiff-arm you, flatten you and/or accelerate right by you. And not only you, but often 2, 3 or 4 of your biggest, strongest teammates at the same time.
Emmitt might not have had all the moves of Barry, but Emmitt also had gifts that Barry didn't. Barry had unnatural awareness, but not the vision on where to hit the holes in the line like Emmitt had. And again, it's not to take anything away from the phenom that Barry was. It's just to give Emmitt his deserved, but often overlooked, due. No, his style wasn't as flashy or electrifying, but the man dominated the league for almost his entire career. He had talent, a lot more talent than people give him credit for. Just like Barry had a more talent supporting cast than his apologists want to acknowledge.
Emmitt was the perfect running back for the Cowboys system. He had a great line that he ran behind, but the Dallas line of that era didn't fit Barry's style of running. Emmitt did most of his damage between the tackles. The Cowboys line back then was a physical drive-blocking line, which fit Emmitt's running style like a glove. They also didn't do a lot of pulling, which was what Barry liked.
Emmitt waited for holes to develop, hit the holes, followed his blocks, and got into the end zone. He didn't have the negative carries that Barry had, which were not all offensive line related.
Barry would not have benefited from the Cowboys any more than he did with the Lions. In fact, he might have ruined the Cowboys line.
Those guys were roadgraders, and they would have been worn out by the middle of the 3rd quarter from chasing Barry around looking for someone to block. That's exactly what happened in Detroit on a regular basis. If he had played for the Cowboys, it wouldn't have made much of a difference, because he would have continued to bounce outside because he was too impatient. The Cowboys line would have never gotten the credit it deserved because Barry wouldn't have been running in between the tackles and it would have looked like even that line was bad. Because Barry did not run between the tackles, he left his team in awkward circumstances far too often to truly be successful, which also lead to a lot of breakdowns of the offensive line. They had to give Barry the football because he was just too explosive not to, but it hurt them too many times for them to ever truly be successful. With that being said, a case can be made that Barry Sanders made his offensive line look worse than what it was.
The next case I want to make, is for the supporting casts of Emmitt and Barry. Before I do that, I want to point out the
double standard used against Emmitt for the supporting cast that he had.
Jerry Rice is widely considered as the best wide receiver of all-time, and NOBODY had a supporting cast like the one he had to work with for his whole career, not even Emmitt. I never heard of Jerry Rice catching flack for the abundance of quality players surrounding him. The same with Jim Brown, he played with 3 other HOFers besides the ones from his offensive line that I mentioned earlier. He also never played on a losing team. Did I mention that his back-up is also in the Hall Of Fame?
This is not meant to take anything away from the players surrounding Emmitt, especially since I'm a lifelong diehard Cowboys fan, but let's just keep it real.
In Jerry Rice's career, his supporting cast had a combined 69 Pro Bowls and 18 All-Pro (1st Team) selections between them. If you include his offensive lines, that makes 126 Pro Bowls and 33 All-Pro selections. He was a 13-time Pro Bowl, 10-time All-Pro selection himself. Again, what other player has been blessed with a supporting cast like that, especially for
HIS ENTIRE CAREER? With that being said, my question is:
If Jerry Rice is considered the best of all-time at his position and doesn't get singled out for riding the coattails of his supporting cast, then why does Emmitt get accused for it when his name is mentioned as an all-time great? That's a double standard any way you look at it.
Jerry Rice had
THREE MVP quarterbacks Joe Montana, Steve Young, Rich Gannon) throwing him the ball. Montana and Young were 2-time MVPs and both are in the Hall Of Fame. What other receiver can say that he has
NEVER been without a Pro Bowl quarterback? Yes, Jerry had a Pro Bowl QB for every team he played for. He had Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jeff Garcia in San Francisco, Rich Gannon in Oakland, and Matt Hasselbeck in Seattle. He also had some good running backs to work with like Roger Craig, Ricky Watters, Garrison Hearst, and Shaun Alexander. Who can forget the receivers on the other side of Jerry like Dwight Clark, John Taylor, Terrell Owens, and Tim Brown? And, he also had Russ Francis and then Brent Jones at tight end, and Tom Rathman at fullback.
One last thing about Jerry Rice's supporting cast, he certainly never had to worry about his quarterback being protected long enough to get him the ball. Not with these linemen blocking:
49ers- Bubba Parris, Guy McIntyre, Steve Wallace, Jesse Sapolu, Randy Cross, Harris Barton, Bart Oates, Kevin Gogan, Jeremy Newberry
Raiders- Steve Wisniewski, Lincoln Kennedy, Barret Robbins
Seahawks- Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck
When you look at all of these great players that Jerry Rice had to work with and not discredit his accomplishments for it, then how could you do that with Emmitt? That just shows ignorance and obvious bias against Emmitt, as well as the Cowboys.
As big of an impact and as important as Jerry Rice was to his team, the 49ers were 15-2 in the games that he missed. He never missed a game for his other teams.
In the time that Joe Montana was the starting QB for the 49ers, the team was 21-9-1 when he didn't play, and they were 12-14 without Steve Young. If you take away that 1999 season where Steve Young only played in 3 games (the team was already on their way down), that boosts their record to 10-3 without him. Again, those 3 were all vital to their team, but somehow the team was able to have success without them.
Now let's look at the Cowboys situation: They were 13-15 in the games that Troy Aikman missed, 13-26 without Michael Irvin, and 1-6 without Emmitt Smith. Keep in mind that during Michael Irvin's first 3 years and Troy Aikman's first 2 years, the Cowboys had losing records anyway. Even with that being said, the Cowboys have won games without Troy and Michael. They did not win without Emmitt, PERIOD. That's why I still find it ironic that the Cowboys still won that game in 1999 against the Packers without all 3 of them. Again, Emmitt was the glue that held that team together.
His supporting cast was top-notch, but he was the most important and indespensable out of the group. This is why you can't accuse Emmitt of riding the coattails of his teammates.
For further proof of that, how about the fact that Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin's careers didn't really take off until Emmitt got there. Yeah, they both had to battle some injuries in the beginning of their careers, but even if they stayed healthy, do you really think they would have had the same success with Paul Palmer (team's leading rusher in 1989) instead of Emmitt Smith? Troy and Michael both made ther first Pro Bowls in 1991, which happened to be the year Emmitt won his first rushing title. That's further proof that a quarterback's best friend really is a solid running game. Also the Cowboys defense benefited from Emmitt's presence, enjoying the honor of being the top unit in the league a couple of times, 1992 and 1994 if I'm not mistaken.
Had anybody ever heard of Jay Novacek before he became a Cowboy? I sure didn't. He was a 6th round pick by the Cardinals in 1985 and came to the Cowboys as a free agent in 1990. He made 2nd team All-Pro in his first season with the team, and from 1991 until his last season in 1995, he made the Pro Bowl every year. What about Daryl Johnston? As critical as Moose was to the running game for the Cowboys, and as good of a fullback as he was, he only made the Pro Bowl twice.
Again, this is not to discredit Emmitt's supporting cast, I just wanted to point out that they really do get too much credit for his success. I personally believe that all of the talent that Emmitt had around him made his success that much more impressive, because it was centered around the team's success. They had to get that kind of output from Emmitt to give them the best chance of winning. With as much talent as the Cowboys had, some sacrifices have to be made, and some egos have to be kept in check.
I also feel like the assumption that Emmitt wouldn't be good if he played for the Lions is ridiculous. You can't say that, just like you can't say that Barry would be even better if he played for the Cowboys.
Even with all the talent that Emmitt had surrounding him, teams still feared him the most when they played the Cowboys. He routinely faced defenses stacked with 8 and 9 men in the box. They wanted to take their chances with the passing game and not let Emmitt get going. Everybody in the stadium knew who was getting the ball, but it really didn't matter. Barry played in the Run 'N' Shoot for a good chunk of his career, and against that offense you can't put 8 in the box because you have 4 receivers you have to cover. You also can't fault Emmitt for his coaches and front office wanting to win and putting him in the position to do that, just like Barry in his situation, with his team being mismanaged for so long. That is neither player's fault.
With that being said most of these arguments against Emmitt are biased at best, and stupid at worst.
With greatness comes backlash, and every great player in every sport has his share of detractors and naysayers. In my opinion, Emmitt Smith has it worse than most. It seems to me like the majority of football fans and media believe Emmitt was nothing special. Again, “You put him on any other team and he would’ve been good but not great,” is a common sentiment. Look at the period from 1998 to 2000. During that time, the Cowboys were one game under .500, were coached by Chan Gailey and Dave Campo, and won
ZERO playoff games. I’m a big Troy Aikman fan, but he was pretty much finished, especially with all those concussions. So was Michael Irvin. Some of the great names were still on the offensive line, but their best years were way behind them at that point. During those seasons, Emmitt's age was 29, 30, and 31. He had taken a ridiculous amount of punishment in his first 28 years, at all levels of football. What you have there is a situation where a running back who was just above average would probably struggle.
Emmitt rushed for 3932 yards and 33 TDs during those 3 years. And they weren’t Eddie George yards, either. He was at 4.2 yards per carry in 1998 and 1999, and at 4.1 in 2000. He was in the top five in the NFL in rushing yards two of those three years. We don’t need to speculate on what Emmitt would have done if he had played for a mediocre team. He
did play for a mediocre team from 1998-2000, and what he did was run for more yards from age 29-31 than any player in NFL history aside from Walter Payton and Curtis Martin (yes, I know, Barry Sanders and Jim Brown retired before their age 31 seasons). Most good-but-not-great running backs are struggling to hold a job at age 30. Emmitt was a top five rusher on a bad team.
Anybody who would accuse me of selecting that particular 3-year stretch to try to make Emmitt look good would be walking right into a trap.
The fact is, that you can pick any 3-year stretch out of Emmitt’s career and he will be among the leading rushers in NFL history in that age group. And the point is that his supporting cast wasn’t great in all of those stretches and was downright bad in others. In my opinion, late in his career with the Cowboys, much of Emmitt's decline had more to do the team's incompetence than Emmitt's declining skills. That was especially true for the 2002 season, the year Emmitt broke the record because he had no passing attack to open up some running room for him.
He still managed to average 4.2 YPC despite playing with the 3rd worst pass offense that year. Apparently Dave McGinnis and running backs coach Johnny Roland felt the same way I did when they studied film of Emmitt from 2002 before the Cardinals signed him. They saw the same thing I saw, a running back that was repeatedly stuck in traffic.
Here is a quote from Johnny Roland:
"When Dave asked me if we should sign Emmitt, I told him, 'He gained 975 yards behind a terrible line, with no quarterback, and with defenses playing eight-man fronts all the time. Of course we should.'"
In all honesty, I don't think Emmitt did too bad of a job playing for the Cardinals either, especially given that situation and what he had to work with. Out of the top 15 all-time rushers at that time, 5 of them ended up with new teams, and every ending was ugly. O.J. Simpson spent two injury-riddled seasons with the 49ers in 1978 and 1979. Franco Harris had 68 forgettable carries for the Seahawks in 1984. Tony Dorsett, who, like Emmitt, was 34 when he left the Cowboys, had the best season out of the 5 running backs when he went to the Broncos in 1988 and had a 703-yard season. Eric Dickerson, playing for the Raiders in 1992 and the Falcons in 1993, rushed for only 820 yards over those two years. Thurman Thomas had 28 carries for the Dolphins in 2000 before blowing out a knee and retiring. In 2003, it looked like Emmitt was headed down that same path. He was having a so-so year until he got injured against the Cowboys and had to miss 6 games before coming back as a back-up. In 2004, Emmitt's last season in the NFL, Dennis Green took over as head coach and put Emmitt back in the starting lineup. He responded with 937 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns, easily the most successful out of those star running backs who switched teams at the end of their career.
Not bad for a 35-year old running back, and being part of an offense that was ranked 26th in the NFL.
Emmitt played on good teams early in his career and bad teams late in his career. Walter Payton did the opposite. Barry Sanders played on bad teams in September and October every year and good ones in November and December. Jim Brown, of course, only played on good teams. During his career, Emmitt’s Smith’s teams were a total of 12 games over .500. Jim Brown’s were 45 games over .500. Walter Payton’s were 28 games over .500. (Sanders’ were four under). Why does Emmitt get singled out for being a coattail-rider? Nobody knows how Emmitt’s prime would have looked without The Triplets and the rest of his supporting cast. I won't argue that he would still be the all-time rushing leader if he switched places with Barry or Sweetness. I also won't argue that he didn’t benefit from some good fortune, all record holders did, but he was and is one of the very best running backs in history.
What people who constantly (and ignorantly) argue the idea that Barry had no offensive talent around him ignore, is that he had multiple offensive Pro Bowlers around him from 1994-1997, and that the Lions actually had the NFL's #1 offense in 1995, and one of the top rated offenses in the league from 1994-1997. Actually, the Lions offense was a top 10 offense in 5 out of Barry's 10 seasons.
Those teams had an abundance of offensive talent, including (in 1995) a pair of receivers, Herman Moore and Brett Perriman, who became the first duo in NFL history to record 100-catch seasons on the same team, in the same season. Moore finishing with a then-NFL record 123 grabs, and Perriman ending the season with 108. Even their 3rd receiver, Johnnie Morton caught 44 passes. Scott Mitchell threw for over 4,000 yards and 30+ touchdowns, and Barry Sanders had his 1,500 yards. You can't tell me that Lions offense wasn't stacked.
Here is a comparison by position between the Cowboys and Lions offenses from 1995:
Emmitt Smith-
377 carries,
1,773 yards,
25 touchdowns
Barry Sanders-
314 carries,
1,500 yards,
11 touchdowns
Emmitt won his 4th rushing title that year, and also scored a then-NFL record 25 touchdowns, all from the ground.
He became the only player in NFL history (at least since the merger) to lead the league in carries, rushing yards, all-purpose yards, rushing and touchdowns in the same season. Even with all the production from the Lions' passing game, it's amazing that Barry still got his 1,500 yards.
Troy Aikman threw for
3,304 yards and
16 touchdowns.
Scott Mitchell threw for
4,338 yards and
32 touchdowns.
Okay, so, the Lions' QB threw for over one-thousand more yards than the Cowboys QB, and
twice as many touchdowns. And people still say the Cowboys had the better passing attack that season? On what can you base this idea, that they had a very marginally better yards-per-completion average?
Let's check out the numbers for the receivers for each team.
Primary Receivers
Michael Irvin-
111 catches,
1,603 yards,
10 touchdowns
Herman Moore-
123 catches,
1,686 yards,
14 touchdowns
Secondary Receivers
Kevin Williams-
38 catches,
613 yards,
2 touchdowns
Brett Perriman-
108 catches,
1,488 yards,
9 touchdowns
While Herman Moore's totals were only marginally higher than Michael Irvin's, Brett Perriman's numbers just flat out
DWARF Kevin Williams' production at the #2 receiver. Oh, and let's not forget Johnnie Morton, who in his 2nd season in the NFL, as the #3 receiver caught
44 passes for
590 yards, and
8 touchdowns.
The Lions got better production from their 3rd receiver than the Cowboys got from their 2nd receiver.
There is one area that the Cowboys had a clear edge on the Lions of 1995, the tight end production. Jay Novacek clearly outperformed David Sloan by a very wide margin. However, Brett Perriman's numbers alone are greater than Jay Novacek's and Kevin Williams'
combined. Which, of course, is why the Lions passed for over a thousand yards more and twice as many touchdowns as the Cowboys did that year. The Lions had the more prolific "passing" attack in 1995, but the Cowboys had the stronger running game.
My point of this comparison was simply to illustrate the fallacy of the idea that Barry "not having any talent around him" stopped him from outpacing Emmitt (and the history books) to unbelievable degrees. 1995 definitively proves that's not the case. Barry was surrounded by an abundance of offensive talent, talent which broke NFL records for receptions and production from a receiving duo on the same team. Herman Moore was a perennial All-Pro at his position. Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton were very productive complimentary weapons.
I would say that Emmitt clearly has the edge over Barry in the intangibles department, the things that don't show up on the stat sheets. He was a locker room leader and the engine that fueled 3 Super Bowl titles. One last thing on the offensive line topic: I remember hearing John Madden talk about whether he believes a great running back makes a great offensive line or visa versa. He said that most of the time he believes a great running back makes a great offensive line not the other way around. I tend to agree with him because to me, they didn't block the same way without Emmitt, especially in the games that they knew they wouldn't have him. I believe that's another part of his impact that gets underrated.
I don't think I even need to get into Emmitt's heart and desire, because that game he had against the Giants with the separated shoulder said it all. That game is arguably the greatest performance by any running back in history. Understand what I mean by "greatest".
Other running backs have had better days, but very few have had better days with that sort of significance. The Cowboys went on to the Super Bowl in large measure because of the first round bye Emmitt secured. When the Cowboys were losing to the Bills in the Super Bowl, they handed off to him seven straight times on one drive for 64 yards and a touchdown, that was the game right there.
Emmitt made his teams better because he could take over a game. He had the ability to control the clock and wear defenses down. As far as what Barry would be like on a good team? We saw that in 1991 when the Lions got to the NFC Championship game. The Lions even had a top-notch offense then, with good receivers, but Barry was a non-factor when it mattered. I saw that game and all of his playoff games.
If Barry was a great as people are making him out to be, why didn't that greatness carry over into the playoffs? The fact is Emmitt was everything Barry couldn't be. I keep hearing that Barry is the better runner well that's all good, but that's not all a running back is.
If you really know the workings of football, if you know the job of the running back and understand the importance of moving the chains, picking up a blitzer, getting tough yardage even when it is not there, then you see and understand that there really is no comparison between the two.
Emmitt was the epitomy of what a running back should be, the prototype for what championship caliber teams want their running backs to do, extend the drive ... extend the drive ... extend the drive ... then score. He was an outstanding pass blocker, something Barry either wasn't capable of or willing to do. When the Cowboys needed yardage, Emmitt almost always got it for them. He might not break off one for 80 yards, but he would just beat teams down 4, 6, 3, 2, 8 yards at a time. Then when the defense got tired, he might break off a long run.
Barry broke ankles the way most of us walk down the street, but Emmitt elevated his team, and he did it when it counted.
If not for a couple of bad hamstrings in 1994, Emmitt probably would have led the Cowboys to 4 straight championships. In that sense, in terms of impact, Emmitt might have even exceeded Walter Payton. I can't think of a single positive Sanders performance that even comes close to the significance of that separated shoulder game vs. the Giants. The Cowboys won big games without Troy Aikman, and even a few without Michael Irvin. They won big games without assorted lineman, without defenders. But they never won big games without Emmitt Smith. Again, Emmitt was the only irreplaceable element of the team in the '90s, and arguably the greatest big-game running back in NFL history.
Emmitt was also the best goal-line back in league history, while Barry watched from the sideline when the Lions needed the toughest yards. The red zone is where running backs earn their paychecks. Emmitt was as good as there ever was at sealing the deal for his football team.
Speaking of that, Emmitt has the NFL record for touchdowns under 10 yards with 138, and 85 of them were from 3 yards or less. Barry apologists are quick to point out that Emmitt's career 4.2 YPC pales in comparison to Barry's 5.0 YPC, this is the reason why. When you score so many of your touchdowns from a short distance like that or have so many 3rd and short conversions, that cuts into a running back's YPC. I'm sure Emmitt was perfectly fine with that, because more often than not, the Cowboys came away with the win. There were countless times during his career Barry wasn't even in the game when it was time to score. Imagine that, the most important time of the game and a coach doesn't think his best football player can help him. It's pretty bad when Tommy Vardell, the two years he was there with Barry, had more rushing TDs.
No matter what Emmitt did, he could never do enough, especially in the eyes of Emmitt-haters. Emmitt was the Cowboys' best runner, best 3rd down back, best goal-line back, best receiver out of the backfield, and best pass protector. He did everything, and he never came off the field.
Emmitt got hit on every single play at least once, including the ones that he didn't get the ball. If your best player has to come off the field in short-yardage situations, that's not a positive statement. That's not a complete running back, regardless of the threat Barry was between the 20s.
I can't think of a player considered to be one of the all-time greats that was less of a leader than Barry. I always thought he almost got to much credit for being unassuming and proper. He needed to be a presence for that football team, and he definitely wasn't. I remember hearing about several Lions players publicly questioning his heart and commitment, including true tough guy Chris Spielman, who did it on more than one occassion.
When it comes to comparing Emmitt and Barry, it's one thing to have an opinion based on the stats at hand, but to base an opinion on a hypothetical that can NEVER be proven is idiotic. To say that Emmitt would have struggled in Detroit is bogus, and to say that Sanders would have been as prolific in Dallas as Emmitt was is equally bogus.
Barry might have actually been part of the problem that the Lions had because his running style is not one that would lead to a lot of wins for teams.
He might have 10 carries for 3 yards at halftime, then break off an 80-yard run and make his stats look good. That's how he had such a high YPC. Keep in mind that during his first 10 carries, his team had to punt 4 times because he put them in 2nd and 3rd and long instead of sticking his nose in there and getting 2-3 yards. That's why the offensive line argument is a cop-out.
The Cowboys line always power blocked on runs for Emmitt, knowing he would always be running downhill, straight for the end zone. That's why in the 4th quarter they were just as fresh as they were in the 1st. Again, if they had to block for Barry they would have been burned out trying to find Barry and block for him the way he always bounced it around. By the middle of the 3rd qtr they would have been exhausted.
If you watch NFL Films, you'll find a coach (can't remember who) who broke down several game films and talked about how awful his running back vision was, he missed holes all the time. Barry is the NFL's all-time leading negative rusher with 1,114 yards, with an average of 111.4 yards lost per season. Those negative yards are drive killers, exactly what your running game is supposed to avoid. Most people don't see that, they only see the long runs and highlights instead.
What I remember most of Barry Sanders is, some really great runs that ultimately signified entertainment, but not winning. Oh, and this: setting an NFL record by rushing for negative one yard on 13 carries--in the playoffs. I remember Warren Sapp saying that he feared Emmitt more than Barry, and that saying a lot, because Barry used to tear up the Buccaneers. Warren Sapp chose Emmitt because he said that Emmitt never stopped coming at you and never let up.
On a side note, I read one time that Marcus Allen
never had a negative run in his entire career. He was dropped for no gain many times, but never dropped for a negative gain. I have no idea if it is true or not, but if it is that is the most impressive stat I believe I have ever heard. Walter Payton is #2 all-time behind Barry for yards lost. The majority of his lost yardage came on sweeps and what not, and he didn't dance behind the line a whole lot. He did most of his damage between the tackles, and was one of the most physical running backs ever. Anybody who has ever coached football tells the running back that there are 2 simple rules to prevent his benching. 1) Do not fumble. 2) Do not run sideways, let alone backwards. Barry was so revered he was allowed to play in that style. Then when a coach did decide he was gonna bring in a bigger, straight-ahead guy for short yardage, he didn't take too well to it.
Go back and look at the punting stats for the Lions when Barry was there. They punted an awful lot, far too often for a team with a running back that good. If you can find the game stats from those years you will also see that if you look at the play by play that if you took away Barry's longest run of the game he often barely averaged 2.5 yards per carry. But he'd mix in a 60+ yard run and it would look like 4.5 yards per carry.
If you look directly at the Lions stats from Barry's last year (1998) and the 2 years that followed, you'll notice that they actually won more games despite less talent with Barry's absence you will see one very telling stat. Look at the 3rd down conversion %. It backs up my point. They converted better, sustained more drives, and scored a little bit more. The big difference was that the Lions' defense wasn't so tired from all the 3 and outs, and they allowed fewer points. That translates to more wins. All of the units of a football team integrate and fit together like a puzzle, and they all affect each other in some way.
Since I'm talking about the Lions' records after Barry retired, why not take it further? In 1998, Barry's last year, the Lions were 5-11. The following season, the Lions improved to 8-8, and in 2000 impoved by one more game to 9-7. They went from 9-7 in 2000 to 2-14 in 2001, and 3-13 in 2002. How did they go from 9-7 to 2-14?
Two words: Matt Millen. He was hired in 2000, and when he got settled in, decided to shake the team up. During his time in Detroit, Matt Millen was never able to dig the Lions out of the hole he dug for them.
During his tenure, the Lions had an apalling record of 8-50. Ouch!!!
Out of all the intangibles that Emmitt possessed, the one that stood out and amazed me the most was his durability.
In his 13 years with the Cowboys, Emmitt only missed 4 games due to injury. That kind of durabilty has only been matched by Walter Payton (missed 1 game in 13 years) and Jim Brown (never missed a game). You could even give Emmitt a slight edge over them if you take into account all the playoff games he played in. When you think about it, he played a little over 16 seasons in his 15 years in the NFL.
On top of all that, one thing that speaks to his longevity is his NFL record for rushing yards after turning 30, with 5,789 yards. Only 2 other running backs ever managed 5,000 yards after turning 30, and they were John Riggins with 5,683 yards, and Walter Payton with 5,101 yards.
What those people who only look at statistics won't realize is that before a set of substantial injuries slowed Emmitt's pace for a few years (in his prime), he was on pace to
SHATTER the all-time rushing record long before he actually did, along with every other major rushing record. Barry Sanders wasn't the only running back with a legitimate chance at 20,000 yards. He also was on pace for a 2,000-yard season through the first 5 games of the 1995 season and had a decent shot at it until around Thanksgiving. There were a few games where he could have easily added to his totals if not for leaving early due to injury or the team putting the game out of reach.
The 1996 season seemed like it was doomed from the start. In the preseason game against the Broncos, Emmitt sprained his left knee and ankle after Erik Williams fell on him. That happened to be Emmitt's first action of the preseason that year. He said that it felt like "the worst injury of my career". I remember being nervous as all hell after seeing that happen, and you could hear a pin drop at Texas Stadium after that happened. Even Michael Johnson, who was a guest commentator that night, was worried about Emmitt's health. Things went from bad to worse after Michael Irvin was suspended for the first 5 games and learning that Jay Novacek wouldn't be able to play because of his bad back.
In the first game of the 1996 regular season in Chicago, it went from bad to worse for Emmitt, who was already playing with a bad knee and ankle. The Cowboys fake a hand-off and Emmitt, trying to "sell" the fake, he jumps over the pile and lands awkwardly on his head. He laid motionless on the field for several minutes until finally being carted off. It was revealed that he had sustained a contusion to his spinal cord, an injury which would limit his explosion, agility, and power... basically, much of what made him "Emmitt"... for the whole season. I didn't get much sleep that night because I was worried that Emmitt was paralyzed and would never play again. I remember hearing and reading about Emmitt waking up one night during that season, putting his feet on the floor to stand up and crumpling to the ground as he did, because his legs were completely numb. He finished that season, just one season following his record-setting production in 1995, with 1,204 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 3.7 YPC average.
The injury bug didn't stop there. During that season, because of a change in "step" to overcompensate for the spinal injury, Emmitt developed bone-spurs in both ankles. But he didn't know it, nobody did. Over the next 2 seasons, the NFL world watched Emmitt's production dwindle (on poor Cowboys teams) to 1,074-yards in 1997. The sports world said he looked like a back in decline. A few of the great running backs in NFL history thought Emmitt's workload had caught up with him. I even remember reading a Football Digest column in 1998 that talked about Emmitt and Barry being equals up until around 1996, and that Barry's career soared to new heights as he blew by Emmitt.
They even said that Emmitt probably wouldn't even be in the NFL by the time Barry broke Walter Payton's record. Everybody said it looked like he was hitting a wall, and pretty much pronounced his career "over", saying that Emmitt was washed up.
After back to back subpar seasons full of injuries and having the bone spurs removed from his ankles, Emmitt bounced back in 1998 with 1,332 yards and 13 touchdowns under new coach Chan Gailey, and being healthy for the first time in 3 seasons. The next year would be the year that proved Emmitt still "had it". In 1999, Emmitt came out of the gate firing on all cylinders! Emmitt was the leading rusher in the NFL and was once again, on his usual record-setting pace-
AT 30 YEARS OLD and supposedly washed up. Who can forget that Monday Night game against Minnesota right after Walter Payton's death? Emmitt came out in memory of Sweetness and had 13 carries for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns
IN A QUARTER AND A HALF, and the Cowboys were dominating the Vikings.
To me, in what is the most unfortunate moment in Emmitt's career, just before halftime as Emmitt was breaking off a 63-yard touchdown run, he stiff-armed a Vikings cornerback as he raced into the endzone, got his fingers tangled in his facemask and broke a bone in the back of his hand. At the half, on record-setting pace, Emmitt was done for the game, and the next game. And was significantly limited in the game after that. Troy Aikman even suffered a concussion early in the 3rd quarter that knocked him out of the game. I had
A SICK FEELING after hearing that Emmitt was done for the game. I really wanted to see him go after Walter Payton's then-NFL single game rushing record. I remember him saying that he was in a serious groove that night, and wasn't even tired yet.
Emmitt still ended the season with a very respectable 1,397 yards, 11 touchdowns and a healthy 4.2 YPC average. It was a very good season, but one that was robbed by a broken hand of all it could have been. With the pace he was on pre-injury, he almost certainly would have led the league in rushing for a nearly unprecedented 5th time, and would have very likely compiled 1,600-1,700+ yards and 15 touchdowns (or more) while doing so.
Keep in mind, he did all of this with a beat-up Troy Aikman, Rocket Ismail and Ernie Mills at receiver, and David LaFleur at tight end as his supporting cast. Emmitt ended up missing 9 quarters of football that season due to the hand and groin injuries.
The following years began the perpetual 5-11 Dave Campo era, where Emmitt was surrounded by astoundingly little talent (particularly on offense), and then, as is inevitable for ALL athletes, Emmitt finally
did start to slow down. However, as the 1999 season demonstrates, if Emmitt's talent and production had not been slowed considerably by injuries following the 1995 season, he would have smashed Walter Payton's record (much like Barry had the opportunity to do) far earlier than he actually did and likely could have eclipsed the 20,000 career rushing-yards mark, which was his goal.
I wouldn't call Barry Sanders overrated, but I do think people tend to put him on a pedestal. Not trying to discredit Barry's impressive resume, but I would like to bring some things to the attention of Barry apologists that should make them think twice about putting him up on that pedestal.
First of all, Barry scored one touchdown for every 35 touches in his 153 regular-season games, but just one touchdown in 112 postseason touches in 6 playoff games. His only career playoff touchdown was a 47-yard run against the Cowboys in a 1991 divisional-round playoff game in the Silverdome. The Lions won that game 38-6. The touchdown came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach, with the Lions leading 31-6. The following week, the Lions went on the road to play the Redskins at RFK Stadium. Barry was not a factor, and the Lions took a 41-10 beatdown. In his 6 playoff games, Barry rushed for 386 yards, with 169 coming in one game (aginst the Packers in 1993).
If you take away that one game, he has 217 yards in the other 5, for a pitiful average of 43.4 YPG.
Barry also wasn't the same player away from home. His playoff performance says that he was a product of the comfortable, climate-controlled Silverdome. Nice carpet for easy, stop-on-a-dime maneuvering. In 4 career outdoor playoff games, Barry averaged an awful 2.8 yards per carry. He never scored a touchdown, and he never ran for more than 65 yards in a single game. Look at the wild-card playoff game at Lambeau Field in 1994. That season, Barry averaged 5.7 yards per carry, the second-highest total of his career. In the first round of the playoffs against the Packers, Barry set an NFL postseason record for rushing futility. He had 13 carries for minus-1 yard. He had 4 catches that day, for 4 yards. Which means he had 16 touches for a total of three yards, 2.7 yards less than he averaged per rush in the regular season. With Barry, the Lions went 0-4 in outdoor playoff games, losing by an average of 17 points.
The rationalization of putting Barry in the Hall Of Fame on the first ballot always includes the theory that he was all the Lions had going for them in The Barry Sanders Era. That's exactly what it is -- a theory, and a bad one at that. Don't forget about Herman Moore and Brett Perriman. The Lions stretched the field for Barry, especially at home. This helped him be wildly successful in the regular season. In the years when the Lions went to the playoffs, their defense was not awful. It was middle of the pack -- ranked 11th in 1991, 15th in 1993, 19th in 1994, 14th in 1995 and 10th in 1997.
My case for Emmitt Smith being the better running back is based on straight up consistency. Emmitt was less exciting than Barry, but constantly, constantly great. People love to point out that Barry played for the marginal Wayne Fontes. But Emmitt--after a relatively short stint with Jimmy Johnson--played for the likes of Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, and Dave Campo. Then you have the infamous offensive line cop-out from the Emmitt-haters.
Most people don't realize that Emmitt actually racked up most of his yards post-1995, after the Cowboys began to decline and after Jimmy Johnson was gone. In that period, Emmitt racked up 8 straight 1,000-yard seasons, along with his record for rushing yards after turning 30.
Once again, this was not meant to prop Emmitt up by knocking Barry, it was meant to go beneath the surface of the most common misconceptions of the two backs and to point out what I saw. I wanted to cover every aspect of this ongoing debate that I possibly could, because this my final argument. From now on, if anybody wants to know my opinion on this topic, all I have to do is refer them to this write-up. I also wanted to show that Emmitt was a much better running back than he gets credit for, and that he really wasn't a product of the system that was in place for the Cowboys. As a matter of fact, that system was built around Emmitt. It wouldn't have worked the same way with anybody else in the Cowboys backfield because Emmitt was the one that made the whole thing go.
