See here is the thing. Sanders had an average line. Probably slightly above average. He had a couple pro bowlers blocking for him. Wasn't nearly as good as Dallas, but hardly a " crap" line Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Had [MENTION=555]Omen[/MENTION] asked the question "Who is the greatest RB of all time that ran between the tackles", no argument from me here. Holes and open lanes were not synonymous with the Detroit Lions. Walnuts eluded in an earlier post to the fact that there are so many different criteria and depending on which one(s) we're talking about brings certain players into the conversation and excludes others.
I didn't realize running between the tackles was a criteria for greatness. The dude would have shattered the rushing record had he kept going, doesn't matter where he ran it.
when you compare it to what dallas had at the time,it was complete crap. that detroit team had barry sanders and herman moore,revolving qbs and coaches.sanders evolved from running between the tackles to getting yards anyway he could,that is why he was one of the greatest rbs ever.emmitt followed his line and never had to ad lib like sanders did.
And that my other problem with Barry, he had no heart and is quitter. IMO you can't be one of the greats when you don't heart.
Dallas in reality had a great line for two years. 92/93. It was a very steep decline once E got hurt and Step and Gogan left. Was still a very good line. But 94/95/96's lines werent as dominant as there rep Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
In no way,shape or form was Dorsett a better or more consistent rb than emmitt smith was.i saw dorsett from his 1st game to his last game with the broncos and i saw him take a lot of plays off,and i never saw him play hurt.i never saw smith do that and he put on the guttiest performance i have ever seen against the giants and LT,banks,and carson in 1992 with a dislocated shoulder through 3 quarters.If anything,Dorsett was a better rb out of the backfield catching passes than emmitt was,but that is it.I Hate the cowboys,but i certainly give credit where it is due.
I was a huge Davis fan when I was younger. I verged my parents for his jersey and finally got it for Christmas. But I have no delusions that he's the best ever. Nowhere near the longevity of the greats.
It's funny how everyone bashes on Emmit for him having these "worldly lines" in front of him. But I can't recall ANY other RB that did remotely what he did behind that same line(s). I seem to recall when he held out for a new contract and the Cowboys went 0-2.. I am most certain that we had a RB replace Emmit, but I don't recall them putting up any good numbers. Then, I guess by the grace of God when he did get signed the Cowboys went on to win the SB. And if memory serves me correctly, didn't Emmit win the rushing title that year? Hmm.. Coincidence? I think not. That being said. I don't think Emmit is the GOAT. I would personally put Payton there. Payton is all heart, motivation, skill, love of the game and dedication. /thread EDIT: For the record.. I will say this. If Bo Jackson wouldn't of gotten hurt and dedicated his career to football I think this thread would've been totally different. Woulda coulda shoulda right? lulz
I don't think anyone is trying to say that Emmitt's success was solely due to the play of the line by any means. If he had been replaced by another all-pro back for those 2 games, and said theoretical all-pro back had crap the bed in those games, then you might have a point here...but I don't think Derek Lassic at his very best was anywhere near good enough to make a valid comparison.
If this has already been posted, my bad, but this is all you need to know about Emmitt Smith. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVHLRpg1WSE]Emmitt Smith Plays With A Dislocated Sholder - YouTube[/ame]
I Watched that whole game and he played like he would have played uninjured,but would wince every play. he caught a blitz three or 4 times by the various giants lbs.toughest performance by a rb i have ever seen!