Where would you rank Emmitt Smith? (1 Viewer)

[Despyzer]

Where does he rank and what places him there? How heavily do you weigh the career rushing title?

 

[JohnnyU]

My top 10:

#1 - Jim Brown

#2 - Barry Sanders

#3 - Walter Payton

#4 - O J Simpson

#5 - Marshall Faulk

#6 - Eric Dickerson

#7 - LaDainian Tomlinson

#8 - Adrian Peterson

#9 - Emmitt Smith

#10 - Earl Campbell

 

[tonydead]

You're skewing #1 by putting the "no question" qualifier on it, there is always a debate for the GOAT, that's why you asked.  Should probably just go with where would you rank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  Any answer out of the top 5 is just ridiculous and shouldn't even be entertained.  

 

[JohnnyU]

Where does he rank and what places him there? How heavily do you weigh the career rushing title?

 Emmitt has to be ranked in the top 10 but when you watch him run compared to some others, you just can see he wasn't as good as them.  I was fortunate enough to see O J Simpson run and I'll tell you that Smith wasn't in his class, same goes for Eric Dickerson.  If I were starting a team today and both Marshall Faulk and Emmitt Smith were rookies and available to choose from and I know what I know now about both, the overwhelming choice would be Faulk.

 

[jtp1982]

His stats as they stand would hurt him in fantasy with the rise of PPR formats.  On the other hand in today’s game he’d probably be doing more as a receiver out of the backfield.

There’s definitely no one playing at a level right now who could touch him (Peterson in his prime is a different story, but he’s not in his prime).

 

[Manster]

He's top 5 based on production and longevity, ,toughness, and leadership....look up workhorse RB in the dictionary, #22 staring back at you

 

[JohnnyU]

He's top 5 based on production and longevity, ,toughness, and leadership....look up workhorse RB in the dictionary, #22 staring back at you

Longevity and leadership have nothing to do with how I look at which RBs were better, especially longevity.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I have Sanders, Payton, Brown as the top 3, can be argued in any direction between those 3. I'd put him in the next group of guys you could argue. 

 

[Manster]

Longevity and leadership have nothing to do with how I look at which RBs were better, especially longevity.

Disagree.....we are talking about a guys career, a RB's ability to stay on the field under a heavy workload absolutely matters.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

What makes one a great runner does not necessarily make one a great running back. See: Adrian Peterson. He's an awesome runner with terrible patience, vision, etc.

As a corollary, you don't have to be an great runner to be a great running back. Emmitt wasn't as athletically gifted as Peterson or Dickerson, for example, but he had patience, vision, scheme understanding and all the other things that make a great back. I'd put him at #8.

 

[matuski]

I put him in the tier with the likes of Marcus Allen, Thurman Thomas, Riggins,  Edgerrin, Bettis, CMart, etc.

Very good.. I don't consider him a "great" as far as RBs go.

 

[Despyzer]

You're skewing #1 by putting the "no question" qualifier on it, there is always a debate for the GOAT, that's why you asked.

I'm asking for your opinion. You debate yourself over your own opinion?

 

[matuski]

You're skewing #1 by putting the "no question" qualifier on it, there is always a debate for the GOAT, that's why you asked.  Should probably just go with where would you rank 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  Any answer out of the top 5 is just ridiculous and shouldn't even be entertained.  

I think it would be an interesting debate whether he makes the top 5 among his contemporaries.

Barry

Faulk

LT

Terrell Davis/Emmitt/Thurman/Allen/Bettis/CMart/F Taylor/Steven Jackson/Edgerrin/Gore/Priest Holmes.

Maybe LT and Edge and Gore are a little late in the Emmitt timeline?  So prob top 5 among peers in the 90's.

 

[tonydead]

I think it would be an interesting debate whether he makes the top 5 among his contemporaries.

Barry

Faulk

LT

Terrell Davis/Emmitt/Thurman/Allen/Bettis/CMart/F Taylor/Steven Jackson/Edgerrin/Gore/Priest Holmes.

Maybe LT and Edge and Gore are a little late in the Emmitt timeline?  So prob top 5 among peers in the 90's.

I've got some obvious fan bias going on, but, when I google the all time leading rusher his name keeps popping up.  

 

[matuski]

I've got some obvious fan bias going on, but, when I google the all time leading rusher his name keeps popping up.  

Oh.  Well, he did play long enough to compile the stats.. nobody is arguing he didn't.

 

[Dizzy]

I got him in the Top-5... you can go round and round on this stuff based on "qualifiers" as others have mentioned. I read this as an "all around football player" and two items that stand out to me regarding Emmitt Smith are:

-1) A player's greatest ability is his AVAILABILITY... didn't bother looking it up but I would guess the games he missed while in Dallas might be counted on one hand.

-2) Pass protection... when this comes up regarding today's RBs I always envision Emmitt as the gold standard for picking up blitzers and just exploding on them.

My own qualifier? Steelers fan, Cowboys hater , never owned Emmitt in fantasy.

 

[Manster]

Top 5

1. Payton

2. Brown

3. Sanders

4. Dickerson

5. Emmitt

Bo and Sayers would no doubt be in top 5 had their careers not been shortened by injury.

And yea I'm a Homer, but I do think Emmitts ability to be on the field grinding down defenses is underappreciated.....RB's who can't play are of no use.

 

[Manster]

I got him in the Top-5... you can go round and round on this stuff based on "qualifiers" as others have mentioned. I read this as an "all around football player" and two items that stand out to me regarding Emmitt Smith are:

-1) A player's greatest ability is his AVAILABILITY... didn't bother looking it up but I would guess the games he missed while in Dallas might be counted on one hand.

-2) Pass protection... when this comes up regarding today's RBs I always envision Emmitt as the gold standard for picking up blitzers and just exploding on them.

My own qualifier? Steelers fan, Cowboys hater , never owned Emmitt in fantasy.

The pass pro.....I forgot to mention that, and you are absolutely right.....Emmitt laid the wood to pass rushers.

Emmitt is sold short because he didn't have the flashy moves, or top end speed.....he was just a steady Eddie, lunch bucket guy, who would outlast you and out tough you.....my favorite kind of football players, personally.....I can see why a Steeler fan would appreciate those qualities.

 

[Da Guru]

Top 10 due to his numbers.   Emmitt was a tough runner who like many NFL stars was in a great situation.  Always felt if the Lions had drafted Smith and the Cowboys had drafted Sanders that Barry would have had 20K yards and Emmitt would have been a journeyman RB.

 

[CalBear]

Emmitt's 1991-1995 stretch is clearly one of the great achievements of NFL history. Leading the league in rushing yardage four out of five years, all over 1400 yards, leading in TDs three times, and winning three Super Bowls. He put up 8019 yards at 4.54 YPC with 85 rushing TDs. Barry Sanders over the same years was 600 yards and 39 TDs behind. 

Barry's 1994-1998 was in the same ballpark, with more total yardage and better YPC (8480/5.20) but still only 44 TDs. 

Other best 5-year spans:

• Brown 1958-62 (6517/5.02/61)
  
• Payton 1976-1980 (7707/4.62/58)
  
• Simpson 1972-76 (7699/5.09/45)
  
• Dickerson 1983-87 (8256/4.72/61)
  
• Faulk 1998-2002 (6394/4.91/51, with 4088/28 receiving)
  
• Tomlinson 2002-2006 (7940/4.64/90, with 2533/11 receiving)
  

I think the two things that stand out in that list are Dickerson and Tomlinson. Dickerson actually had the best five-year rushing stretch despite getting traded during the fifth year and only playing 12 games. If you substitute his 1988 for 1987 it comes out to 8700 rushing yards.

And Tomlinson, averaging over 20 TDs per season for five years is absurd.

Even given those, Emmitt's peak run looks pretty damn good. You can argue that his team was better, but I don't think you can take any of these RBs out of their contexts and assume they'd perform better than they did. Emmitt did exactly what he was supposed to do on those Cowboys teams, and they were successful substantially because of him. He's clearly closer to the all-time best at his position than any other offensive player on those teams was (including linemen). Faulk, for example, clearly had a better QB and better WRs than Dallas, and I'd also take Rivers over Aikman and Gates over any Cowboys receiver. Herman Moore was as good as (or maybe better than ) Irvin, Johnnie Morton was solid and Scott Mitchell was actually quite a good QB.

Emmitt wasn't flashy and I think that leads people to downplay how dominant he was. Barry and Dickerson were more fun to watch but he's right up there with them in terms of greatness.

 

[kutta]

Emmitt had 4 seasons where he averaged more than 4.2 yards per carry, and 11 seasons where he averaged 4.2 or below. His career average is 4.2 YPC.

Barry had 10 seasons where he averaged more than 4.2 yards per carry, and 0 seasons where he averaged 4.2 or below. His career average is 5.0 YPC.

At least with these two, I have no idea how it's even close to who was the better RB.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

My top 10:

#1 - Jim Brown

#2 - Barry Sanders

#3 - Walter Payton

#4 - O J Simpson

#5 - Marshall Faulk

#6 - Eric Dickerson

#7 - LaDainian Tomlinson

#8 - Adrian Peterson

#9 - Emmitt Smith

#10 - Earl Campbell

I might move someone here or there but this is a pretty good list.

 

[kutta]

Emmitt's 1991-1995 stretch is clearly one of the great achievements of NFL history. Leading the league in rushing yardage four out of five years, all over 1400 yards, leading in TDs three times, and winning three Super Bowls. He put up 8019 yards at 4.54 YPC with 85 rushing TDs. Barry Sanders over the same years was 600 yards and 39 TDs behind. 

Barry's 1994-1998 was in the same ballpark, with more total yardage and better YPC (8480/5.20) but still only 44 TDs. 

Other best 5-year spans:

• Brown 1958-62 (6517/5.02/61)
  
• Payton 1976-1980 (7707/4.62/58)
  
• Simpson 1972-76 (7699/5.09/45)
  
• Dickerson 1983-87 (8256/4.72/61)
  
• Faulk 1998-2002 (6394/4.91/51, with 4088/28 receiving)
  
• Tomlinson 2002-2006 (7940/4.64/90, with 2533/11 receiving)
  

I think the two things that stand out in that list are Dickerson and Tomlinson. Dickerson actually had the best five-year rushing stretch despite getting traded during the fifth year and only playing 12 games. If you substitute his 1988 for 1987 it comes out to 8700 rushing yards.

And Tomlinson, averaging over 20 TDs per season for five years is absurd.

Even given those, Emmitt's peak run looks pretty damn good. You can argue that his team was better, but I don't think you can take any of these RBs out of their contexts and assume they'd perform better than they did. Emmitt did exactly what he was supposed to do on those Cowboys teams, and they were successful substantially because of him. He's clearly closer to the all-time best at his position than any other offensive player on those teams was (including linemen). Faulk, for example, clearly had a better QB and better WRs than Dallas, and I'd also take Rivers over Aikman and Gates over any Cowboys receiver. Herman Moore was as good as (or maybe better than ) Irvin, Johnnie Morton was solid and Scott Mitchell was actually quite a good QB.

Emmitt wasn't flashy and I think that leads people to downplay how dominant he was. Barry and Dickerson were more fun to watch but he's right up there with them in terms of greatness.

Good stuff.

But, the reason Barry was 600 yards behind in that timeframe was becasue he missed 5 games in 1993.

And, yes, all over 1400 yards for Emmitt is great. But Barry only had 3 seasons where he DIDN'T reach 1400 yards, and one of those was because he was hurt. Emmitt had 10 seasons where he didn't reach 1400 yards.

 

[Despyzer]

And, yes, all over 1400 yards for Emmitt is great. But Barry only had 3 seasons where he DIDN'T reach 1400 yards, and one of those was because he was hurt. Emmitt had 10 seasons where he didn't reach 1400 yards.

I agree with you in regards to Barry > Emmitt, but this isn't how I would defend it, considering Emmitt had a career that was 50% longer than Barry's.

 

[CalBear]

Good stuff.

But, the reason Barry was 600 yards behind in that timeframe was becasue he missed 5 games in 1993.

And, yes, all over 1400 yards for Emmitt is great. But Barry only had 3 seasons where he DIDN'T reach 1400 yards, and one of those was because he was hurt. Emmitt had 10 seasons where he didn't reach 1400 yards.

You can't discount the ability to stay on the field in a RB's career. I'd say a substantial part of Emmitt's game was the way he protected his body by avoiding big hits.

The 5-year stretch I chose, Barry played all 16 games. And I don't think his 1993 would have been much better than his 1998 if he'd played 16 games; he was at 1115/4.6/3TD in 11 games. 

And Barry would have had more seasons where he didn't reach 1400 yards if he'd played to age 35 as Emmitt did. If Emmitt had retired at age 30 after putting up 1397/4.2/11TD and going to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time, his career would look pure like Barry's.

 

[-OZ-]

My top 10:

#1 - Jim Brown

#2 - Barry Sanders

#3 - Walter Payton

#4 - O J Simpson

#5 - Marshall Faulk

#6 - Eric Dickerson

#7 - LaDainian Tomlinson

#8 - Adrian Peterson

#9 - Emmitt Smith

#10 - Earl Campbell

That's a good top 10, but I'd put bo and gale Sayers above Emmit.

This has been discussed before, but I'll maintain that if you switched teams, Emmit doesn't look much better than Eddie George, Curtis Martin, Herschel Walker, or a bunch of others.

Fact remains that he did do it, he was a key cog to the cowboys dynasty. So he's barely in my top 10. 

 

[JohnnyU]

And Barry would have had more seasons where he didn't reach 1400 yards if he'd played to age 35 as Emmitt did. If Emmitt had retired at age 30 after putting up 1397/4.2/11TD and going to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time, his career would look pure like Barry's.

Not even close when you're looking at it on the screen and not numbers.  Emmitt had a LOT better OL than Barry and Barry still looked better on the field by a long shot.

 

[JohnnyU]

That's a good top 10, but I'd put bo and gale Sayers above Emmit.

This has been discussed before, but I'll maintain that if you switched teams, Emmit doesn't look much better than Eddie George, Curtis Martin, Herschel Walker, or a bunch of others.

Fact remains that he did do it, he was a key cog to the cowboys dynasty. So he's barely in my top 10. 

Maybe Sayers, but not Jackson.  His body of work was ridiculously low (38 games compare to Sayer's 68 games.

 

[-OZ-]

Maybe Sayers, but not Jackson.  His body of work was ridiculously low (38 games compare to Sayer's 68 games.

I get that, sure.  But there has rarely been a brighter star, even if it was only for a brief moment.

 

[JohnnyU]

I get that, sure.  But there has rarely been a brighter star, even if it was only for a brief moment.

Bo was something else for sure, but you have to draw the line somewhere with a limited body of work.  I don't think you can rank someone on an all-time list that has zero chance to make the HOF.

 

[-OZ-]

Not even close when you're looking at it on the screen and not numbers.  Emmitt had a LOT better OL than Barry and Barry still looked better on the field by a long shot.

Honestly, anyone saying Emmit was as good as Barry wasn't watching the Lions.

 

[-OZ-]

Bo was something else for sure, but you have to draw the line somewhere with a limited body of work.  I don't think you can rank someone on an all-time list that has zero chance to make the HOF.

I can! 

It just depends how you're ranking. The whole "what player do you take for one game" vs the body of work argument.

 

[CalBear]

That's a good top 10, but I'd put bo and gale Sayers above Emmit.

This has been discussed before, but I'll maintain that if you switched teams, Emmit doesn't look much better than Eddie George, Curtis Martin, Herschel Walker, or a bunch of others.

Fact remains that he did do it, he was a key cog to the cowboys dynasty. So he's barely in my top 10. 

It is absolutely ridiculous to include Gale Sayers on any of these lists. If he were in the NFL today he'd be Darren Sproles. 

 

[Gally]

Emmitt had 4 seasons where he averaged more than 4.2 yards per carry, and 11 seasons where he averaged 4.2 or below. His career average is 4.2 YPC.

Barry had 10 seasons where he averaged more than 4.2 yards per carry, and 0 seasons where he averaged 4.2 or below. His career average is 5.0 YPC.

At least with these two, I have no idea how it's even close to who was the better RB.

And he wasn't touched by a defender until he was 5 yds down the field most of the time.  Emmitt is a very good RB but his stats are greatly exaggerated by his O-Line dominance at the time. 

 

[JohnnyU]

It is absolutely ridiculous to include Gale Sayers on any of these lists. If he were in the NFL today he'd be Darren Sproles. 

OMG

 

[CalBear]

And he wasn't touched by a defender until he was 5 yds down the field most of the time.  Emmitt is a very good RB but his stats are greatly exaggerated by his O-Line dominance at the time. 

That Cowboys team was a unit. Only Larry Allen has made the HOF from that team and he didn't show up until 1994, Emmitt's fifth season. Maybe Nate Newton will at some point. They worked very well with Emmitt's running style, just like those Broncos teams did with TD. You couldn't just put any back back there and have the same results.

 

[CalBear]

OMG

In Sayers' best season he rushed for 95.1 yards per game (and that was just 9 games). All five years of Emmitt's stretch that I posted above were better than that, as are probably 90% of the other peak seasons of the backs we're talking about.

Sayers getting mentioned is just mythology, just like with Bo. What did either of them do that puts him in the best-of-all-time discussion? 

 

[JohnnyU]

In Sayers' best season he rushed for 95.1 yards per game (and that was just 9 games). All five years of Emmitt's stretch that I posted above were better than that, as are probably 90% of the other peak seasons of the backs we're talking about.

Sayers getting mentioned is just mythology, just like with Bo. What did either of them do that puts him in the best-of-all-time discussion? 

Sayers and Sanders are probably the two most electric RBs ever.  There has never been a better football player in the open field than those two and not a better kick returner than Sayers.  You also have take into consideration the time in which they played.  It's bad to compare players of different eras exactly.   Also, you will notice that I didn't put Sayers in my top 10, but did Smith (reluctantly), but I guarantee you that if Sayers had played more than 68 games I would have wanted him on my team more than two Emmitt Smiths.   The Sproles comparison was truly insulting to Gale Sayers.

 

[-OZ-]

It is absolutely ridiculous to include Gale Sayers on any of these lists. If he were in the NFL today he'd be Darren Sproles. 

That's certainly one way to evaluate. Just not the way I'd use.

In Sayers' best season he rushed for 95.1 yards per game (and that was just 9 games). All five years of Emmitt's stretch that I posted above were better than that, as are probably 90% of the other peak seasons of the backs we're talking about.

Sayers getting mentioned is just mythology, just like with Bo. What did either of them do that puts him in the best-of-all-time discussion? 

You compare him to sproles yet focus only on the rushing? 

give me Sayers, bo or Barry for one game over any other RB. 

I'll give credit to Emmit for longevity and a HOF career. 

 

[travdogg]

My top 10:

#1 - Jim Brown

#2 - Barry Sanders

#3 - Walter Payton

#4 - O J Simpson

#5 - Marshall Faulk

#6 - Eric Dickerson

#7 - LaDainian Tomlinson

#8 - Adrian Peterson

#9 - Emmitt Smith

#10 - Earl Campbell

You are always on point with these historical arguments. I'm in almost complete agreement with you. My list would be:

1. Jim Brown, clearly #1, can't really see an argument for anyone else.

2. Barry Sanders

3. Walter Payton

4. Lenny Moore, as a Unitas guy, I'm curious your opinion of him. I may be overcompensating here, but he's the most underrated RB ever to me. 

5. Eric Dickerson

6. OJ Simpson, could probably flip a coin between him and Dickerson.

7. Gale Sayers

8. Emmitt Smith

9. Frank Gifford, another underrated gem in my opinion.

10. Adrian Peterson

 

[CalBear]

Sayers and Sanders are probably the most electric RBs ever.  There has never been a better football player in the open field than those two and not a better kick returner than Sayers.  You also have take into consideration the time in which they played.  It's bad to compare players of different eras exactly.   Also, you will notice that I didn't put Sayers in my top 10, but I guarantee you that if Sayers had played more than 68 games I would have wanted him on my team more than two Emmitt Smiths. 

There are a ton of great kick returners and open field runners. In recent history, Jamaal Charles, Desean Jackson, and Devin Hester come to mind. There are plenty of others.

I don't think you could find a single 16-game stretch of Sayers' career that was better than any of Emmitt's five peak seasons. Or even really comes close.

You don't need to compare Sayers to modern players to question his greatness. He led the league in yards/attempt only once. Why is Leroy Kelly not considered among the best of all time? He was ahead of Sayers in rate stats, let alone total production, when they were contemporaries. 

 

[Tau837]

It is absolutely ridiculous to include Gale Sayers on any of these lists. If he were in the NFL today he'd be Darren Sproles. 

This is a ridiculous statement, just as it always is when one says that a star player of a distant past generation would be the same if playing today, as if they wouldn't have been affected by today's improvements in training, medicine, nutrition, etc. That is particularly true for Sayers, since his career would not be ended by injury in today's world in the same manner as it was.

 

[CalBear]

That's certainly one way to evaluate. Just not the way I'd use.

You compare him to sproles yet focus only on the rushing? 

give me Sayers, bo or Barry for one game over any other RB. 

I'll give credit to Emmit for longevity and a HOF career. 

Sayers had one good season as a receiver (his rookie season, 29/507/6). The last six years of his career, combined, he was 83/800 for 9.64 yards and 3 TDs. He was 37th among RBs in receiving yards from 1966-1971 and 41st in yards/reception among RBs with more than 50 receptions over that time span.

 

[Tau837]

In Sayers' best season he rushed for 95.1 yards per game (and that was just 9 games). All five years of Emmitt's stretch that I posted above were better than that, as are probably 90% of the other peak seasons of the backs we're talking about.

Because the NFL game of the 60s was exactly the same as the NFL game of the 90s? You are not one of the posters on this board I would expect to say this sort of thing.

 

[Tau837]

Sayers getting mentioned is just mythology, just like with Bo. What did either of them do that puts him in the best-of-all-time discussion? 

Sayers was 1st team All Pro in every season in which he played more than 2 games, which included the first 5 seasons of his career.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

My top 10:

#1 - Jim Brown - I was 4 when he retired and so don't recall watching him play, but even my racist father and his friends all gushed about how awesome Brown was.

#2 - Barry Sanders - the player I most loved to watch when I didn't have a rooting interest. That dude's ankles must have had ball bearings in them.

#3 - Walter Payton - the best football player I've ever seen, full stop. I truly believe he could have made the HOF at 5 or 6 different positions.

#4 - O J Simpson - he's a joke now, but I watched him and he was as good a pure runner (on horrific teams) as I've ever seen.

#5 - Marshall Faulk - by the time he retired, he was the most dangerous dual-threat RB in NFL history.

#6 - Eric Dickerson - built like Adonis and ran like a gazelle, the "prettiest" great runner ever.

#7 - LaDainian Tomlinson - a wonderful combo of Payton & Faulk.

#8 - Adrian Peterson - a heathen hell-beast

#9 - Emmitt Smith - maybe the smartest great RB of all time. He and his line were a brutally efficient machine.

#10 - Earl Campbell - God decided to punish all NFL defenders and sent the Tyler Rose. 

That's a good list, though I rearrange 'em some.

eta: those are my comments by each player and not Johnny U's

 

[CalBear]

Because the NFL game of the 60s was exactly the same as the NFL game of the 90s? You are not one of the posters on this board I would expect to say this sort of thing.

You could argue that Leroy Kelly's 1966-1968 seasons were comparable to Emmitt's. He led the league in TDs all three of those years, in rushing yardage twice, and rushing yards/attempt twice. He was better than Sayers in every rate stat and scored more than twice as many TDs. 

Sayers doesn't only pale in comparison to today's backs; it's really hard to argue that he was the best back of his own generation, even in the very limited opportunities he had. Like, you could make that argument for Terrell Davis but it just doesn't work for Sayers.

 

[Concept Coop]

And he wasn't touched by a defender until he was 5 yds down the field most of the time.  Emmitt is a very good RB but his stats are greatly exaggerated by his O-Line dominance at the time. 

The offensive line was dominant, but so was Emmitt. Defenses stacked the box consistently and Emmitt consistently made defenders miss. 

DAL vs NYG - 1994 (Shoulder Game)

 

[Tau837]

He was ahead of Sayers in rate stats, let alone total production, when they were contemporaries

1965-1969 are the 5 seasons before Sayers' career was ended by injuries.

Sayers 1965-1969:

• 64 games
  
• 955/4866/39 rushing (5.1 ypc) - #1 in NFL in rushing yards and ypc (min 300 carries) and #2 in rushing TDs
  
• 111/1313/9 receiving (11.83 ypr)
  
• 5 1st team All Pro selections
  

Kelly 1965-1969:

• 68 games
  
• 925/4451/51 rushing (4.91 ypc)
  
• 103/1334/8 receiving (12.95 ypr)
  
• 3 1st team All Pro selections
  

In fewer games and carries, Sayers outproduced Kelly in rushing yards (total, per game, per carry). He also had more receptions, and receiving TDs. He would have had more receiving yards if they played the same number of games. Kelly had more TDs, but Sayers was #2. Kelly also played for a much better team which presumably gave him a lot more scoring opportunities, which I expect accounts for the disparity in TDs.

I never advocated that Sayers should be in a top 10 of all-time list, but IMO you are doing him a disservice with some of your commentary.

 

[JohnnyU]

You are always on point with these historical arguments. I'm in almost complete agreement with you. My list would be:

1. Jim Brown, clearly #1, can't really see an argument for anyone else.

2. Barry Sanders

3. Walter Payton

4. Lenny Moore, as a Unitas guy, I'm curious your opinion of him. I may be overcompensating here, but he's the most underrated RB ever to me. 

5. Eric Dickerson

6. OJ Simpson, could probably flip a coin between him and Dickerson.

7. Gale Sayers

8. Emmitt Smith

9. Frank Gifford, another underrated gem in my opinion.

10. Adrian Peterson

Moore and Gifford were very good RBs that I would put Moore in the top 20.   Gifford only had 34 career rushing TDs and a 4.3 average, but was a monster as a receiver with over 5K receiving yards, 14.8 ypc, and 43 TDs.    Moore was similar to Gifford in that he was a great dual threat as a rusher and receiver, but was a lot better than Gifford.  Moore had 63 TDs as a rusher with a 4.8 average, and over 6K yards receiving, 48 TDs, and a 16.6 yards per catch.   Three times in his career he averaged over 7 yards per rush.  I would definitely rank Moore over Gifford in any ranking.  Having said that I would never rank Moore over the guys you ranked him over and I wouldn't rank Gifford over Peterson.  Great RBs and HOFers, but not top 10 IMO.