Granted he was very very good, he did play with the best o-line in history, hands down. I think hes in my top 15, maybe no. 11, but nowhere near walter payton. Don't be offended if your in dallas, you still have Dirk lol.
2007-06-08 03:54:47 · 19 answers · asked by c g 2 in Sports ➔ Football (American)
earl campbell, gale sayers, or dare I say Curtis Martin (consistent on an inconsistent team). Id like to point out that Kareem abdul jabbar holds the record for most points primarily b/c he played for so long, as did emmitt. But how many guys would you put ahead of him that have 10000 less points in the league? And emmitt knows in his heart that if Barry hadn't been drafted by detroit, and destroyed by a dismal program unwilling to win, he would have played pippen to barrys jordan his entire career.
2007-06-08 04:47:56 · update #1
LT does not have a HOF Tight end, QB, WR, Several Olineman, and numerous defensive players. Emmitt smith milked his healthy body, and lucked out by being drafted by one of the best teams in history. what else did he do? Throw in Thurman Thomas ahead of him now that im really stirred up.
2007-06-08 05:32:32 · update #2
no emmitt smith was at best an average running back in the nfl the only thing that made him so good was the o line he had they all benched upwards of 600lbs an were the only reason he holds the record becuz he was able to run behind them for so long cuz as u see wen he lost that o line he didnt do anything more than average in the nfl. Earl Campbell is the greatest running back eva becuz he wuz all his team had as Bum Phillips once said wen asked about his game plan, " were gonna run Earl right, Earl left, Earl up the middle and punt. not to mention he had one of the worst o lines ever an he wuz jus the absolute perfect blend of power and speed.
2007-06-09 14:35:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I definately don't think Emmitt Smith is overrated (and it's not because I'm a Cowboys fan). When Emmitt arrived in the league, everyone thought he wouldn't be nearly as good as he was (too small, not fast enough, etc.). But all Emmitt did was play the game the way it was meant to be played....with heart. He was a warrior that would give his all for his team.
On a side note, I'm not 100% sure that Barry Sanders would've had the same success had he played for the Cowboys with that O-line. If you remember, Sanders didn't have an O-line at Oklahoma St. either. It's hard to get someone used to running to the hole when they haven't had a hole to run through their entire career (just as it's hard to turn a scrambling QB into a pocket passer). Not impossible, but not as easy as some would think.
2007-06-09 07:51:01 · answer #2 · answered by peace_walker_8 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To have Emmitt Smith anywhere outside the top 5 greatest of all time is an insult. I'm very well aware that he played behind a spectacular line...but to let that discount the fact that he is the all-time leading rusher is a joke.
Nobody gave that line much credit when he was running behind it, just like LT right now. Years from now, will people discount the fact that LT is such a great back by saying he had a great line? Who knows.
Was he the most talented back of all time? No. But he was the most consistent, stand-up guy in the NFL during his tenure. He played with a seperated shoulder to get the Cowboys to the playoffs one year. He was a true warrior, leader, teammate, workhorse...everything you want in a back and a football player.
No, he isn't overrated. He's right where he should be. Among the talk of the best ever, but not decidedly crowned that.
2007-06-08 04:59:30 · answer #3 · answered by Richard F 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't know how you could possibly put 10 guys ahead of Emmitt on your all-time RB list. How can you discredit someone that much just for having a good offensive line? He did manage to get 937 yards in his last season with Arizona when he was 35 years old and playing behind a consistenly bad O-line. The guy had 18,355 yards and 174 touchdowns. How can he not be in your top 5?
Here is my top 10:
1. Walter Payton
2. Jim Brown
3. Emmitt Smith
4. Barry Sanders
5. Eric Dickerson
6. Tony Dorsett
7. Marcus Allen
8. OJ Simpson
9. Franco Harris
10. Marshall Faulk (not sure about this one)
I would have put Earl Campbell and Gale Sayers on this list, too, if they had stayed healthy longer. I also think LaDainian Tomlinson will be in my top 5 if he can stay healthy for another 4 or 5 years.
2007-06-08 04:29:11 · answer #4 · answered by DanTheMan34_78 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
As a lifelong Giants fan obviously I have seen way too much of Emmitt Smith. He did run behind one of the best O-Lines in history, and I wouldn't say he's the greatest ever, but he's up there. The fact remains he is the all-time leading rusher, was consitant, tough, and a class act, rare these days. Although I hated him for torching the G-Men, I still have to give him some respect.
2007-06-08 04:00:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
emmitt did play behind a very good o-line many of his years but putting him out of the top ten all time is just stupid. He's the all time rushing leader, yes he wasn't the best pure runner, but he had all the intangibles you could ask for, ie always faught for the extra yard instead of going out of bounds, was a great blocker, tough at the goal line, etc. He was very good, but i would put him behind b. sanders, w. payton, j. brown, and maybe oj. Guys like gale and bo had all world talent but simply didn't play long enough, and that has to be a consideration. So i guess i would put him at 5th all time.
2007-06-08 04:04:19 · answer #6 · answered by Matty B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I totally agree with you. He's good, but not awesome. He had the benefit of a great line for years. If he played his whole career on the Cardinals nobody would know who he is. He's completely over rated and not even in Walter Payton's class.
2007-06-08 05:11:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
He's not overrated. He was the prototype running back that alot of teams are still trying to find. I'm not a Dallas fan. He played virtually every game, even when he was hurt. He wasn't the fastest, or biggest guy, but he was quickest to hit the hole when it opened, and he was always in the defense's secondary. He was always good for at least 100 yards per game, and that's what wins championships.
2007-06-08 04:32:35 · answer #8 · answered by cnjard 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes. If Barry Saunders had the offensive line that Emmit had and had not retired his stats would have been off the charts. Emmit was a good back but Saunders was great without a line. It was unfortunate that he had to retire.
2007-06-08 06:14:34 · answer #9 · answered by Dan 74 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No he was not overrated. He hold the record for most rushing yards ever. Yes, he did play behind a great o-line. He was great at making guys miss. He would run right through guys. He didn't have L.T. speed. He is one if not the most greatest running backs ever in the game.
2007-06-08 04:03:18 · answer #10 · answered by badass 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋