Barry Sanders: I’d never say I was better than Emmitt Smith

[Cr122]

Barry Sanders: I’d never say I was better than Emmitt Smith


Barry Sanders: I’d never say I was better than Emmitt Smith
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 12, 2011, 9:16 AM EDT


In the 1990s, one of the best barstool debates for NFL fans was whether Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith was the best running back in the league. But while that may have been (and may still be) a fun argument for fans and members of the media, it’s not an argument that Sanders will participate in.

Asked in a radio interview if he was better than Smith, Sanders answered, “I would never say that. He was too great of a player, and I loved competing against him.”

Sanders might not want to get into it, but the rest of us can. The arguments for Sanders are that he was more of a big-play threat than Smith, that he averaged 5.0 yards a carry to Smith’s 4.2, and that he was doing it behind a much weaker offensive line, and without a great passing game to keep defenses honest. The arguments for Smith are that he lasted longer, racked up 3,000 more career yards, was better in short yardage and did much more in the postseason.

At least, those are the bare-bones arguments. I’m sure PFT Planet will go into more detail below. I’ll get things started by saying that my vote, admittedly biased as someone who was a Detroit-area 12-year-old when the Lions drafted Sanders, goes to Barry.



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Of course Barry would say that. He was a class act.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

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Of course Barry would say that. He was a class act.

Class act indeed. After signing the largest contract for an RB at the time, he then retires and keeps the money, hides out in Spain to avoid paying the money back to the Lions, to where an arbitrator forced him to pay the money back.

 

[Midswat]

This used to get debated ad naseum here that the DCU back around 1996.

 

[Cr122]

Class act indeed. After signing the largest contract for an RB at the time, he then retires and keeps the money, hides out in Spain to avoid paying the money back to the Lions, to where an arbitrator forced him to pay the money back.

 

[Plymkr]

Barry Sanders: I’d never say I was better than Emmitt Smith

That's good, because you weren't, and never were. Never will be.

FUCKING QUITTER

 

[Sheik]

This was a great debate 15 years ago. Emmitt was my favorite player then.

Now? I don't give a shit. They were both great running backs. Emmitt stayed around too long. Those last 3 years were, IMO, selfish. I was happy that Emmitt got the record, good for him/ticket sales for Jerry.

One thing that really turned me off of Emmitt was that he showed he could still run the ball that day against Seattle, if there was something in it for him. Leading up to that game and after, he was back to his sluggish self. I don' know, maybe I think he wasn't doing everything he could to help his team. In the later years, I always felt as though it was Emmitt Smith and then the rest of the team. Not the Dallas Cowboys. Just him along for the ride worrying about his rushing yards and not much else.

 

[dbair1967]

I've always said physically Sanders was the more gifted, and he was an exciting player.

But in terms of overall ability as a football player, Emmitt was better in my opinion because he excelled at just about everything. Sanders was not a good short yardage runner, he wasnt a good goal line runner, he wasnt that good a receiver or blocker, and he definitely had a questionable ticker.

 

[Jon88]

I'll never forget I was watching a Cowboys game around 1993. It was a passing play. Emmitt dives and takes out a linebacker running right for Aikman. Then he gets up, waves his hand that he's open, and catches a pass for a first down. Emmitt was the complete package as a running back.

 

[sbk92]

I've always said physically Sanders was the more gifted, and he was an exciting player.

But in terms of overall ability as a football player, Emmitt was better in my opinion because he excelled at just about everything. Sanders was not a good short yardage runner, he wasnt a good goal line runner, he wasnt that good a receiver or blocker, and he definitely had a questionable ticker.

Wait. So you're saying the Cowboys player was better?

 

[sbk92]

I'll never forget I was watching a Cowboys game around 1993. It was a passing play. Emmitt dives and takes out a linebacker running right for Aikman. Then he gets up, waves his hand that he's open, and catches a pass for a first down. Emmitt was the complete package as a running back.

I got chills reading that.

 

[Jon88]

I got chills reading that.

That was the first good play I saw Emmitt make and Madden was very impressed as well. Showed a few replays of it.

 

[sbk92]

That was the first good play I saw Emmitt make and Madden was very impressed as well. Showed a few replays of it.

~grabbing a blanket~

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

I've always said physically Sanders was the more gifted, and he was an exciting player.

But in terms of overall ability as a football player, Emmitt was better in my opinion because he excelled at just about everything. Sanders was not a good short yardage runner, he wasnt a good goal line runner, he wasnt that good a receiver or blocker, and he definitely had a questionable ticker.

+1.