My Response to Wanli Tan
Barry Sanders was both shifty and popular. Neither of those statements is inaccurate. I never said that’s all he was. I enjoyed watching Barry Sanders play and I have never criticized him. But this article was not about Barry Sanders, nor was it about comparing Barry and Emmitt. The only fans who roll their eyes at someone's accomplishments are those who enjoy trying to diminish what someone else has achieved. I have had people tell me that they still consider Walter Payton the all-time leading rusher and that they didn’t want to see Emmitt Smith break his record. That’s not putting words into other people’s mouths.
I have not heard anyone rank Randy Moss above Jerry Rice. On almost every list I’ve seen of top receivers Jerry Rice is ranked first. While I don’t think you can compare players who played in different eras under different rules, I do think Jerry Rice is the best receiver of the Super Bowl era. I don’t think he should have his accomplishments diminished because he had Hall of Fame QB’s throwing to him, just as I don’t think Emmitt Smith should have his achievements diminished because he ran behind a great line.
I probably should have said “some” instead of “many” of those very same ‘extremely talented teammates’ played for the Cowboys the year beforeSmith joined the team. But the point is, those players that were already there started to play better when Emmitt Smith arrived. I did make it clear that Smith did not do it alone, only that he was a big part of the team winning three Super Bowls.
Jack Lambert is almost always mentioned as one of the top five MLB’s of all-time. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be. But I rarely if ever hear anyone say he succeeded because he had a great line in front of him. But I hear it said of Emmitt Smith constantly. Again I ask, why do fans feel the need to diminish his accomplishments?
Most football fans would not call Larry Csonka and Franco Harris inferior. I didn’t address the fact that Walter Payton and Barry Sanders didn’t have great lines because it’s already been addressed a million times. The real problem is that while Emmitt ran behind great lines, so did many other running backs. They don’t get discredited, and they shouldn’t, nor should Emmitt.
Perhaps I did overrate the Cleveland Browns offensive line but they were still a top-quality line. I also mentioned several other great lines that don’t get recognized nearly as much as the Dallas line.
Erik Williams was a three-time All-Pro and a four-time pro bowler. He was a dominant player for a few years but he was never the same after his car accident. Stepnowski was also a three-time All-Pro and five-time pro bowler. Great players but neither is likely to be voted to the hall of fame. Once again, great line but there have been many others.
Yes, of course, I’m sure Mike Webster loved to have Franco Harris running behind him! I’m sure Forrest Gregg loved leading the power sweep for Jim Taylor. Larry Allen loved blocking for Emmitt Smith. A great running back inspires his line to play better just as a great line inspires a running back to run harder. It is a team game after all.
I have no problem with you not agreeing with me but be respectful. Making statements like “you really must live under a rock to say these asinine things” is not respectful.
