October 18, 201114 yr Off the top of my head the best RB's that I can think of are: Gale Sayers Emmit Smith Walter Payton Bo Jackson (I know, but dang he was good) Barry Sanders
October 18, 201114 yr IMO, Emmit did more with his ability (or lack thereof) than any other back I have ever seen....I vividly remember the game against the Giants in 1993 where his shoulder was separated and he ran for 160 something and caught about 50-60 yards.......legendary performance.
October 18, 201114 yr Author I think it is very difficult to differentiate and rank the NFL's greatest RB's. I don't know if I'd put Emmitt at the top of the list (I'd probably go with Barry Sanders), but I certainly won't argue anyone that does. Emmitt was one of those guys that just had that feel for the game. He was a football player, a guy who was better than the sum of his measurables. I remember hearing people say Jerry Rice wasn't the fastest WR, but on the field he ran away from people. The same could be said of Emmitt, IMO. He didn't possess blazing speed, yet he was more than capable of breaking off a long run. He had great vision, always seemed to go forward, was durable, elusive and tough. I think you can make a case for a handful of guys as the best: Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Jim Brown. I remember that game RP. I also remember a run on MNF (I believe) where Emmitt ran into a group of players and looked for all the world to be tackled, then suddenly bounced back out of the group and ended up scoring a TD. It was Barry Sanders-esque.
October 18, 201114 yr Not sure I would put him at the top but how anyone can say over-rated is beyond me.
October 18, 201114 yr While Emmitt isn't in my top 5 I do think that had he left the game as a Cowboy instead of hanging on for the record then he may be more appreciated. His last few years were awful and painful to watch and could have possibly tarnished his legacy.
October 18, 201114 yr Over-rated... clap... clap... clap, clap, clapYou just took a major credibility hit......
October 18, 201114 yr Not sure I would put him at the top but how anyone can say over-rated is beyond me. Because he ran behind the best OL in that decade. I would rate that OL unit one of the best ever. Sanders would have had stupid numbers behind that line.
October 18, 201114 yr I think I could easy find 20 RB's who would have OUT PROFORMED Emmitt, if they were to run behind that OL.
October 18, 201114 yr Because he ran behind the best OL in that decade. I would rate that OL unit one of the best ever. Sanders would have had stupid numbers behind that line. I think I could easy find 20 RB's who would have OUT PROFORMED Emmitt, if they were to run behind that OL. How do you know any back, including Sanders, would out perform Smith behind that line? You have nothing to back that up. That's like saying I can name 20 QB's that would have done what Montana did if they Jerry Rice to throw too. Or saying any receiver could do what Rice did if they had Montana throwing to them. Maybe the OL looked that good because they had Emmitt running the ball.
October 18, 201114 yr Off the top of my head the best RB's that I can think of are: Gale Sayers Emmit Smith Walter Payton Bo Jackson (I know, but dang he was good) Barry Sanders Anyone who doesn't have Jim Brown in their top tier shouldn't be allowed an opinion on this. :lol:
October 18, 201114 yr 1 - Jim Brown 2 - Barry Sanders 3 - Walter Payton 4 - OJ Simpson 5 - Gale Sayers 6 - LaDanian Tomlinson 7 - Eric Dickerson 8 - Emmit Smith
October 18, 201114 yr How do you know any back, including Sanders, would out perform Smith behind that line? You have nothing to back that up. That's like saying I can name 20 QB's that would have done what Montana did if they Jerry Rice to throw too. Or saying any receiver could do what Rice did if they had Montana throwing to them. Maybe the OL looked that good because they had Emmitt running the ball. That's a great point.
October 18, 201114 yr Author I tend to include Emmitt in a top 4 of Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Walter Payton. I wouldn't argue any order. One back that hasn't been mentioned in this thread, that I would rate ahead of some who have been mentioned is Marshall Faulk.
October 18, 201114 yr I tend to include Emmitt in a top 4 of Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Walter Payton. I wouldn't argue any order. One back that hasn't been mentioned in this thread, that I would rate ahead of some who have been mentioned is Marshall Faulk. I would probably take Faulk before Emmitt to be honest.
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