Smith holds record but not regarded No. 1
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There are two things which are 100 percent certain about former NFL running back Emmitt Smith, who goes up for election Saturday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
There is no question that Smith, the all-time leader in rushing yardage (18,355) and rushing touchdowns (164) is going into the Hall of Fame. Of 10 Hall selectors who were casually surveyed, all 10 put Smith and wide receiver Jerry Rice(notes) as automatics.
There is also no question that, unlike Rice at his position, Smith gets no respect in discussions about the greatest running back of all-time. Not a little bit, not a smidgen, not any.
"He ran behind that big offensive line and never got hit in the backfield," former St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts running back Marshall Faulk(notes) said, almost dismissively. "That was really the beginning of those giant offensive lines."
True. With linemen such as Erik Williams, Larry Allen(notes), Nate Newton and Mark Tuinei in front of him and skill players such as quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin around him, Smith was able to do some astounding things with the Dallas Cowboys. He holds the NFL record with five straight seasons of 1,400 yards or more. He has three Super Bowl rings on his hand.
The problem is that Smith didn't have a singular physical quality that stood out. He didn't have Jim Brown's combination of power and grace, Barry Sanders' uber quickness, Earl Campbell's brutish strength or Eric Dickerson's gait.
"If Emmitt went to the [NFL scouting] combine with all those guys, he'd be downgraded because they would test better at whatever you were looking at: speed, quickness, whatever," NFL.com draft analyst and former Dallas personnel executive Gil Brandt said. "But he had a competitive desire that others didn't have, even a lot of the guys we're talking about.
"They ran that lead draw play 75 percent of the time. You knew what was coming, but you still couldn't stop it."
Here's a look at one man's top 10 running backs of all time …
1. Jim Brown: Even 45 years after his retirement, Brown's statistics hold up well against players of today's era – everything from his 12,312 rushing yards in nine years to his career average of 5.2 yards per carry (that's ridiculous). Considering he did that in an era of I-formation football against defenses designed to stop the run, well before the wide-open formations of today's game, Brown's accomplishments are even more impressive. In short, the former Cleveland Browns back was a man who truly transcends any era of football. There might not be more than six players in the history of the game who do that.
2. Walter Payton: Of all the players on this list, Payton and Smith might be tied for No. 1 when it comes to desire. Payton used to train by running up and down the sandy river banks of his native Mississippi. Payton never had the greatest speed, but he used his powerfully trained legs to break tackle after tackle. Throw in the fact that he spent most of his career with a below-average Chicago Bears team and his numbers are even better.
3. Earl Campbell: No one has ever played the way Campbell played. The former Houston Oiler was the most physical, punishing runner in the history of the game and he paid a dear price for it. Campbell can barely walk these days. Watching Campbell run was like watching a human demolition derby. He ran as if his goal was to tackle defenders on the way to the end zone.
4. Barry Sanders: Just as Campbell was the definition of the game's brutal side, Sanders was the elegant match. Sanders' unique ability to change direction and get to stop speed in a matter of a step made him the most dynamic runner in the history of the game. In a sense, he was a running deep threat, capable of breaking a long run on just about any play. The downside of Sanders is that he was a terrible runner on short yardage and the Detroit Lions were never able to harness his ability to produce a championship. He produced great stats and great highlights, but no titles.
5. Emmitt Smith: It's fair to say that Smith was surrounded by the most talent of any of the running backs on this list, which is why he helped Dallas win three championships. It's also fair to say he may have had the least pure athletic talent of anyone on this list. But that doesn't mean he wasn't still great, which is why he ended his career as the leading rusher in NFL history. Smith was tough, a solid pass receiver and a great blocker. Most important, he was a great leader on a team that featured more than its fair share of distracted guys. Without Smith, it's fair to wonder if the Cowboys would have ever one a title during that era.
6. Eric Dickerson: Aside from Brown, no running back ever hit the hole between the tackles better than Dickerson. At the height of his career, he was both tough and explosive, Despite a heavy workload in his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts, he produced four with at least 1,600 yards and still holds the mark of 2,105 yards in 1984. At the top of his game, there was no better all-around back in the game than Dickerson.
Faulk helped influence teams to involve tailbacks more in the passing game.
(Paul Sakuma/AP Photo)
7. Marshall Faulk: Former Rams coach Mike Martz has called Faulk the smartest football player he ever coached. Faulk was pretty talented from an athletic side as well. In terms of being both a running and receiving threat, Faulk might have been the best all-around back in the league. The move to get Faulk in trade from Indianapolis helped key St. Louis to its Super Bowl title in 1999 and to another Super Bowl appearance in 2001.
8. LaDainian Tomlinson(notes): At the height of his career, Tomlinson was only a shade behind Sanders in terms of his ability to break a long run. His unique ability to cut on his inside leg to either the right or left side makes it almost impossible to defend, particularly in the open field. His 1,815 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns in 2006 is one of the best seasons in NFL history. As a pass receiver, he was second to perhaps only Faulk in terms of both his running and receiving skills. Injuries have slowed him the past three years and mean he may likely retire from the San Diego Chargers if the team cuts him.
9. O.J. Simpson: Putting aside his sordid life after football, Simpson was one of the great breakaway threats in the history of the game. His high-stepping, sprinter's gait remains unusual for most running backs, but was extremely effective for Simpson because of his great speed. He was the first running back to ever gain 2,000 yards in a season when he topped that mark in 1973 for the Buffalo Bills, doing it in only 14 games. That was part of a five-year run in which he topped 1,000 yards each season and won four NFL rushing titles.
10. Franco Harris: This is a tough pick over Marcus Allen and Tony Dorsett. Even Terrell Davis and Curtis Martin(notes) deserve some mention. Harris took plenty of heat in his career for his tendency to run out of bounds and for fumbling. However, he was consistently productive, rushing for at least 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons even though he often split time. He was MVP of Super Bowl IX and a nine-time Pro Bowler. He may not have the highlight runs in the Super Bowl that Allen and Davis produced, but the Immaculate Reception is one of the game's greatest moments. Unless you're a Raiders fan, that is.
