The greatest running back to ever play football. As a diehard 49er fan that hates the “Star” I have all the reason in the world to hate Emmitt Smith and downgrade his accomplishments. However I cannot because of the high level of respect I have for the man and his achievements. In my mind there will never be another Emmitt Smith. I am surprised the story of him walking away from the game has not been more prominently talked about. Emmitt Smith was one of those stars that always displayed a lot of class (which is more than you can say for some other all-time greats at the running back position and I am looking in O.J. Simpson and Jim Brown’s direction). I am happy that he retires on a high note as he rushed for 937 yards and 9 Touchdowns. While those are not the numbers he got in his prime, there are plenty of guys who wish they could put up a season like that.
18,355 yards. 164 Rushing Touchdowns. Three Super Bowl rings. People can talk all the want about Jim Brown and Barry Sanders. However Smith beats them both in terms of numbers and “how did you do when the lights were on” (or the Joe Montana factor).
When my grandkids ask me years down the road what was Emmitt Smith’s greatest strength as a running back, the answer will be durability. A year ago I compared Emmitt Smith to Jerry Orbach. That’s because the both of them kept generating good season after good season for years. Do you realize in his fifteen years as a running back, Emmitt Smith played in at least fifteen games in twelve of those seasons? The least amount of action he ever saw was in his first year with Arizona when he only got into ten games. Smith carried the 4,409 times in his NFL career. That is an incredible number. When you factor in that he probably carried the ball at least another 600 times at Florida he set a precedent for durability that will never be touched. That’s pretty good for a guy who was considered a risky pick coming out of college because of his size and speed (apparently scouts felt his college productivity would not translate……….I’m sure the scouts who said that are currently working in Canada or the Arena League now).
What I always liked about Smith was that he was a north/south runner. Give me a guy who gets 4 yards every single time he touches the ball. Nobody found the hole better than Emmitt Smith. There was never a lot of fanciness to his game, just results.
Remember how I said, Emmitt plays better when the “lights were on”. This is the final and most important argument as to why Emmitt Smith is the greatest running back of all-time. I’ll even go straight to the numbers and spare you a diatribe on how Smith singlehandedly beat the New York Giants with a broken arm (never fumbled in that game which is shocking). As a 49er fan, I knew firsthand what Emmitt could do with the money on the table. In seventeen postseason games, Emmitt Smith ran for 1,586 yards and 19 Touchdowns and caught 342 yards and another 2 Touchdowns. In three Super Bowls, Emmitt Smith carried the ball 70 times for 289 yards and 5 Touchdowns. If we were debating this at trial, it would be right here that I said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I rest my case.”
Maybe Emmitt should have hung it up two years ago. Maybe that’s why his retirement is going without the mention it deserves. However, Emmitt Smith should be remembered as a class act and as the greatest running back to ever play in the NFL. In the midst of this chaotic Super Bowl week, let us not forget the departure from the game of one of the very best.
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3 replies on “Goodbye Mr. Smith”
Emmitt Smith is a fraud the fact that CURTIS MARTIN is close to that record shows you that in this era and behind a giant all world offensive line you can break this record.
Some kid will have 20,000 yards before I die.
Believe it.
Emmitt can’t hold Barry Sanders or Jim Brown’s jock.
Give Emmitt credit, but he’s not the greatest Emmitt Smith is probably in the top ten greatest running backs of all time, in some lists the top 5. It’s hard to argue that he is the greatest because in this era, yards are a lot easier to come by. What Walter Payton did was special. Jim Brown was dominant. And Barry Sanders could make you miss, spin, then miss again. Emmitt is a great back, but not the greatest of all time. That honor would probably have to go to former Niner Tom Rathman (JOKE!).
i agree about emmitt Emmitt stayed 14 years most with a team that had one of the greatest lines of their time, Barry Sanders produced big numbers as well with a worse line. I believe Jim Brown was the best Running back in history and then Walter Payton because Walter took the bears to the next step which makes him great, and as for Jim Brown he played during the time that Defensive players went out of the way to hurt players, at that time the only rules were there was no rules.