Post by cfoo on Feb 4, 2005 1:07:30 GMT -5
Give Emmitt Smith his due
How could the greatest ever be called underrated?
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/arash_markazi/02/03/markazi.emmitt/index.html
It's nearly impossible to hold one of the greatest records in sports and still be labeled underrated, but that's exactly what Emmitt Smith is. The all-time leading rusher reportedly will retire from the NFL today, and no doubt will be described by announcers, analysts and writers as a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players of his generation.
The simple truth, however, is Smith is more than that. He is the greatest running back of all time.
What makes Smith so underrated is that, as deserving as he is of the honor, most experts would have a hard time putting Smith on their list of the top-three tailbacks ever and possibly even their top five. While immortals such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders certainly deserve to be near the top of the list, Smith has done everything to earn his place atop the throne.
Smith is everything you want in a running back. He is the epitome of the "complete back" often referenced by coaches. He was a ferocious blocker, a deadly receiver out of the backfield and, if he was given an open lane, chances were that the ball he was holding would end up in his legendary storage room that houses every one of his 175 touchdown balls.
Although Smith played on immensely talented teams with offensive lines stocked with Pro Bowlers, his accomplishments shouldn't be diminished. No one would dare penalize Joe Montana for playing amongst legends. Montana is widely considered the best quarterback ever, despite playing alongside Jerry Rice and Roger Craig, behind an All-Pro offensive line and in a Bill Walsh-inspired West Coast offense that turned Steve Young from a backup has-been into a Hall of Famer.
Smith was the heart and soul of the Cowboys during their run of three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s. That was never more evident than in '93 when Smith missed the first two games of the season as the star-laden Cowboys started the year 0-2. Smith missed portions of two other games that season, and both resulted in Dallas losses. The Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl that year on the legs of Smith.
Contrary to what others believe, Smith also didn't outstay his welcome in the NFL or play beyond his years in order to rack up records. Last season he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards (937) and ran for nine touchdowns. If Smith had retired after nine seasons as Brown did he would have more yards and touchdowns than the Cleveland Browns great. If he had called it a career after 13 seasons as Payton did he would also have more rushing yards and touchdowns than Sweetness. But most wouldn't even put No. 22 in their class.
While Brown had the mystique, Sanders the highlights and Payton the reputation, Smith has the numbers, titles and intangibles that make him the Michael Jordan of ball carriers. His predecessors are certainly immortals in their own right -- but it's important to note that Smith never quit on his team, never failed to block for his quarterback, never finished a playoff game with negative rushing yards, never was replaced on goal-line or passing situations and never played on mediocre teams while he won rushing titles.
There is no reason why anyone should need to make a case for Smith being the best back ever. But since it's a foreign idea for most, let's go over what Smith has done during a storied 15-year career.
Any argument for Smith should begin with the coveted all-time rushing title, which Smith should hold for some time judging by the durability of today's tailbacks. His 18,355 career-rushing yards not only stuffters Payton's former record of 16,726, but it dwarfs Brown's total of 12,312 yards, which was once thought to be as untouchable as Hank Aaron's 755 home runs.
Aside from racking up the most yards on the ground, Smith also accumulated a record 164 touchdowns on the ground, 41 TDs ahead of second-place Marcus Allen. A nice chunk of Smith's scores came during his career-best '95 season when he ran for a then-record 25 rushing touchdowns. He broke the record on a Christmas Monday night game in Arizona to give the Cowboys the NFC East crown and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Not only did Smith compile record-breaking yards and touchdowns during the regular season, he took his game to another level in the playoffs. He owns the NFL postseason records for rushing yards (1,586), rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (nine), 100-yard rushing games (seven) and shares the total playoff-touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas.
Smith had arguably the greatest five-year run of any player, regardless of position, in NFL history from '91 to '95. He won four rushing titles, becoming the first player to post five consecutive seasons of more than 1,400 yards rushing. His team won a record three Super Bowls in four years, as he became the first rushing champion to be on a Super Bowl championship team. He won a Super Bowl MVP and a league MVP in '93. At that point he was just beginning a streak that would make him the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and the first to pass the 1,000 mark that many times in a career.
The fact Smith's resume is filled with the words first, most, greatest and record-breaking still don't impress many pundits, who crave flashier, more dynamic players. They want players with stories to tell. You know, the kind you sit down and tell your kids around the campfire one day. Well, if you're looking for folk-hero type tales, Smith has those too.
There was, of course, his signature game and one of the most courageous performances in league history on a cold January day in '94. The Cowboys faced a stingy Giants defense in the frigid Meadowlands with the NFC East title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs on the line. Smith, playing most of the game with a separated shoulder, rushed for 168 yards and caught 10 passes for 61 more yards and a touchdown, leading Dallas to a 16-13 overtime victory.
There was also the time he ran for a career-high 237 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown against the Eagles in the pouring rain at the Vet in '94. The time he ran for 163 yards and a team-record four touchdowns on the season-opening Monday night game at Giants Stadium, including his first carry, which went for a 60-yard score, in '95. And the time he ran for 150 yards and set a club record with three playoff touchdowns, including two key fourth-quarter scores, to give the Cowboys a 38-27 win in the '96 NFC Championship game -- and in the process popularized the "raise-the-roof" gesture.
One of Smith's greatest games, unfortunately, will never get the credit it deserves because he was forced to leave in the second quarter. Still grieving the loss of Payton, his childhood idol, who had died earlier that week, Smith went to Minneapolis on Monday night in '99 and put on a performance for the ages against the Vikings. In less than one half of football, Smith ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Included in his first-half totals were 63- and 24-yard touchdown runs on back-to-back carries just 18 seconds apart -- the fastest anyone has scored consecutive touchdowns in league history. Smith, however, would be forced to leave the game for good with over six minutes remaining in the second quarter as he broke his right hand on his second score. If he had continued, Smith, who refused to go down that night, probably would have passed Payton's record of 275 yards rushing in a single game. "I draped his jersey, 34, on my back, gave him honor and said, 'Let me go play now,'" Smith would later say. "It was just a moment, a moment that I wanted to lift him up and say, 'Thank you, thank you for what you've done.'"
Now as Smith bids farewell to his unparalleled and record-breaking career, it's time football fans and analysts alike show the same respect for No. 22. We should lift him up and say, "Thank you, Emmitt. Thank you for what you've done."
How could the greatest ever be called underrated?
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/arash_markazi/02/03/markazi.emmitt/index.html
It's nearly impossible to hold one of the greatest records in sports and still be labeled underrated, but that's exactly what Emmitt Smith is. The all-time leading rusher reportedly will retire from the NFL today, and no doubt will be described by announcers, analysts and writers as a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players of his generation.
The simple truth, however, is Smith is more than that. He is the greatest running back of all time.
What makes Smith so underrated is that, as deserving as he is of the honor, most experts would have a hard time putting Smith on their list of the top-three tailbacks ever and possibly even their top five. While immortals such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders certainly deserve to be near the top of the list, Smith has done everything to earn his place atop the throne.
Smith is everything you want in a running back. He is the epitome of the "complete back" often referenced by coaches. He was a ferocious blocker, a deadly receiver out of the backfield and, if he was given an open lane, chances were that the ball he was holding would end up in his legendary storage room that houses every one of his 175 touchdown balls.
Although Smith played on immensely talented teams with offensive lines stocked with Pro Bowlers, his accomplishments shouldn't be diminished. No one would dare penalize Joe Montana for playing amongst legends. Montana is widely considered the best quarterback ever, despite playing alongside Jerry Rice and Roger Craig, behind an All-Pro offensive line and in a Bill Walsh-inspired West Coast offense that turned Steve Young from a backup has-been into a Hall of Famer.
Smith was the heart and soul of the Cowboys during their run of three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s. That was never more evident than in '93 when Smith missed the first two games of the season as the star-laden Cowboys started the year 0-2. Smith missed portions of two other games that season, and both resulted in Dallas losses. The Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl that year on the legs of Smith.
Contrary to what others believe, Smith also didn't outstay his welcome in the NFL or play beyond his years in order to rack up records. Last season he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards (937) and ran for nine touchdowns. If Smith had retired after nine seasons as Brown did he would have more yards and touchdowns than the Cleveland Browns great. If he had called it a career after 13 seasons as Payton did he would also have more rushing yards and touchdowns than Sweetness. But most wouldn't even put No. 22 in their class.
While Brown had the mystique, Sanders the highlights and Payton the reputation, Smith has the numbers, titles and intangibles that make him the Michael Jordan of ball carriers. His predecessors are certainly immortals in their own right -- but it's important to note that Smith never quit on his team, never failed to block for his quarterback, never finished a playoff game with negative rushing yards, never was replaced on goal-line or passing situations and never played on mediocre teams while he won rushing titles.
There is no reason why anyone should need to make a case for Smith being the best back ever. But since it's a foreign idea for most, let's go over what Smith has done during a storied 15-year career.
Any argument for Smith should begin with the coveted all-time rushing title, which Smith should hold for some time judging by the durability of today's tailbacks. His 18,355 career-rushing yards not only stuffters Payton's former record of 16,726, but it dwarfs Brown's total of 12,312 yards, which was once thought to be as untouchable as Hank Aaron's 755 home runs.
Aside from racking up the most yards on the ground, Smith also accumulated a record 164 touchdowns on the ground, 41 TDs ahead of second-place Marcus Allen. A nice chunk of Smith's scores came during his career-best '95 season when he ran for a then-record 25 rushing touchdowns. He broke the record on a Christmas Monday night game in Arizona to give the Cowboys the NFC East crown and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Not only did Smith compile record-breaking yards and touchdowns during the regular season, he took his game to another level in the playoffs. He owns the NFL postseason records for rushing yards (1,586), rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (nine), 100-yard rushing games (seven) and shares the total playoff-touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas.
Smith had arguably the greatest five-year run of any player, regardless of position, in NFL history from '91 to '95. He won four rushing titles, becoming the first player to post five consecutive seasons of more than 1,400 yards rushing. His team won a record three Super Bowls in four years, as he became the first rushing champion to be on a Super Bowl championship team. He won a Super Bowl MVP and a league MVP in '93. At that point he was just beginning a streak that would make him the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and the first to pass the 1,000 mark that many times in a career.
The fact Smith's resume is filled with the words first, most, greatest and record-breaking still don't impress many pundits, who crave flashier, more dynamic players. They want players with stories to tell. You know, the kind you sit down and tell your kids around the campfire one day. Well, if you're looking for folk-hero type tales, Smith has those too.
There was, of course, his signature game and one of the most courageous performances in league history on a cold January day in '94. The Cowboys faced a stingy Giants defense in the frigid Meadowlands with the NFC East title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs on the line. Smith, playing most of the game with a separated shoulder, rushed for 168 yards and caught 10 passes for 61 more yards and a touchdown, leading Dallas to a 16-13 overtime victory.
There was also the time he ran for a career-high 237 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown against the Eagles in the pouring rain at the Vet in '94. The time he ran for 163 yards and a team-record four touchdowns on the season-opening Monday night game at Giants Stadium, including his first carry, which went for a 60-yard score, in '95. And the time he ran for 150 yards and set a club record with three playoff touchdowns, including two key fourth-quarter scores, to give the Cowboys a 38-27 win in the '96 NFC Championship game -- and in the process popularized the "raise-the-roof" gesture.
One of Smith's greatest games, unfortunately, will never get the credit it deserves because he was forced to leave in the second quarter. Still grieving the loss of Payton, his childhood idol, who had died earlier that week, Smith went to Minneapolis on Monday night in '99 and put on a performance for the ages against the Vikings. In less than one half of football, Smith ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Included in his first-half totals were 63- and 24-yard touchdown runs on back-to-back carries just 18 seconds apart -- the fastest anyone has scored consecutive touchdowns in league history. Smith, however, would be forced to leave the game for good with over six minutes remaining in the second quarter as he broke his right hand on his second score. If he had continued, Smith, who refused to go down that night, probably would have passed Payton's record of 275 yards rushing in a single game. "I draped his jersey, 34, on my back, gave him honor and said, 'Let me go play now,'" Smith would later say. "It was just a moment, a moment that I wanted to lift him up and say, 'Thank you, thank you for what you've done.'"
Now as Smith bids farewell to his unparalleled and record-breaking career, it's time football fans and analysts alike show the same respect for No. 22. We should lift him up and say, "Thank you, Emmitt. Thank you for what you've done."