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Will we ever see another Barry Sanders?
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<blockquote data-quote="Voyageur" data-source="post: 950490" data-attributes="member: 17953"><p>It's hard to argue with the success Smith had, but watching both, and so many others during their career, I never really saw Smith as being that special to be honest. I thought he was the recipient of great offensive lines who could have opened holes for grannies with a walker to get 5 to 7 yards a pop. He only had 3 seasons where he averaged over 4.5 yards per carry, and his career average was 4.2. To me, he was a plodder who stayed healthy, and racked up yards because of it.</p><p></p><p>Sanders, on the other hand, averaged 5.0 per carry for his career, and only had 2 seasons under 4.5. He also played with a team that was not particularly good across the front line for most of his career. Jim Taylor, who was a lot more like Smith had 5 seasons @ 4.5 or more, out of 10, and ended up with a 4.4 average. I honestly believe he was better than Smith.</p><p></p><p>Then there's Jim Brown. Nine seasons, only one under 4.5, and a career 5.2 average. Rushing champion 8 of the 9 years he played, and the one time he wasn't, it was Jim Taylor who took the honors. I won't even go into Walter Payton's record. Sweetness was also someone who exceeded what most will ever do. I put him in my top 3, with nobody given the nod as #1. They can all take their turn.</p><p></p><p>Those 3? Payton, Sanders, and Brown. They're in a group of their own. Next level, I'm not certain how many I can lump in here, but it's not only total yardage for seasons, it's based on talent. Some had shorter careers than others. I'll just name a few. Gayle Sayers - He should have had a long career, but injuries destroyed it. This guy was amazing. I watched him play, and he was so smooth. Jim Taylor - A bull in a china shop, who knew how to punish tacklers. He was the Packers bread and butter back during their best years of the 60s. Not certain on this one, but Adrian Peterson is another RB who fits into that 2nd level, in my opinion. There are more, but I don't want to do that much research.</p><p></p><p>It is interesting how Emmitt Smith became the #1 total yardage rusher in the NFL. So darned durable. You gotta give a lot of props to him for staying in that good of shape, and obviously playing through a lot of pain during his career.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Voyageur, post: 950490, member: 17953"] It's hard to argue with the success Smith had, but watching both, and so many others during their career, I never really saw Smith as being that special to be honest. I thought he was the recipient of great offensive lines who could have opened holes for grannies with a walker to get 5 to 7 yards a pop. He only had 3 seasons where he averaged over 4.5 yards per carry, and his career average was 4.2. To me, he was a plodder who stayed healthy, and racked up yards because of it. Sanders, on the other hand, averaged 5.0 per carry for his career, and only had 2 seasons under 4.5. He also played with a team that was not particularly good across the front line for most of his career. Jim Taylor, who was a lot more like Smith had 5 seasons @ 4.5 or more, out of 10, and ended up with a 4.4 average. I honestly believe he was better than Smith. Then there's Jim Brown. Nine seasons, only one under 4.5, and a career 5.2 average. Rushing champion 8 of the 9 years he played, and the one time he wasn't, it was Jim Taylor who took the honors. I won't even go into Walter Payton's record. Sweetness was also someone who exceeded what most will ever do. I put him in my top 3, with nobody given the nod as #1. They can all take their turn. Those 3? Payton, Sanders, and Brown. They're in a group of their own. Next level, I'm not certain how many I can lump in here, but it's not only total yardage for seasons, it's based on talent. Some had shorter careers than others. I'll just name a few. Gayle Sayers - He should have had a long career, but injuries destroyed it. This guy was amazing. I watched him play, and he was so smooth. Jim Taylor - A bull in a china shop, who knew how to punish tacklers. He was the Packers bread and butter back during their best years of the 60s. Not certain on this one, but Adrian Peterson is another RB who fits into that 2nd level, in my opinion. There are more, but I don't want to do that much research. It is interesting how Emmitt Smith became the #1 total yardage rusher in the NFL. So darned durable. You gotta give a lot of props to him for staying in that good of shape, and obviously playing through a lot of pain during his career. [/QUOTE]
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Will we ever see another Barry Sanders?
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