LT or Emmitt?

[crzyjournalist03]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/091207dnspofromthe50.c323399b.html

Saw an interesting article in the DMN today that got me thinking about the question that it asked.

Which is the better running back? LT or Emmitt?

(obviously, we are not talking about right now, but a hypothetical of if they were both in their absolute prime...I know someone out there would have said "LT because Emmitt is retired" :nerd: )

[TMer25]

I would love to see Tomlinson run behind some of the offensive lines Emmitt had.

[DU_stud04]

Originally posted by TMer25
I would love to see Tomlinson run behind some of the offensive lines Emmitt had. yup.

[bobcat04]

Lt has been fabulous but Emmit is a Hall of Famer with 3 championship rings.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by TMer25
I would love to see Tomlinson run behind some of the offensive lines Emmitt had.


I will always believe that Smith made the OL as good as they made him..I think people overrate the line he was behind because he made them look good

[Bearkat]

I voted for #22 becasue I'm a COWBOYS fan and he's the All Time Leading Rusher , but I can see the argument for LT. I would give Emmitt the edge in toughness and in blocking. Gotta give LT the edge in speed and catching the ball out of the backfield. The best thing is that you couldn't go wrong with either one of these great backs.

[BILLYFRED0000]

There might have been a more selfless player than Emmitt and LT might be one of them. But Emmitt was all heart. Too slow.
Too small. He became a runner that could make you miss and then punish you at the end of the run. I have not seen any tailback block in the backfield better than emmitt. He was uncanny at picking up the blitz. LT has more tools but Emmitt has accomplished more with heart and LT won't catch him in that department. That makes Emmitt my man. But LT and Sweetness can be my number two (tie) all day long.

[venomous tat2]

won't really know untill LT retires then we can compare them. Right now LT is about 3rings , a few thousdand yards & a hall of fame jacket behind. :thinking:

[icu812]

For me rings and yards have little to do with it. It's about what I'm seeing, the quickness, vision, power, etc... all the things that make a great RB. To me LT is better than Emmitt ever was and Barry Sanders was better than both of them. Give me Earl Campbell and B. Sanders.

[Eagles52]

Originally posted by icu812
For me rings and yards have little to do with it. It's about what I'm seeing, the quickness, vision, power, etc... all the things that make a great RB. To me LT is better than Emmitt ever was and Barry Sanders was better than both of them. Give me Earl Campbell and B. Sanders.

While Earl Campbell is my favorite back to ever watch highlights of or anything, a good case could be made that a guy like Tiki Barber's best 3 years are better than Campbell's best 3 years, and that's saying a lot. But back on topic, LT is a much more talented runner than Emmitt could have ever dreamed of being. If you're asking me who I'd want to be my running back on my team, its LT, but he has a few more years of super high production to pass Emmitt in stature all-time, even if he never approaches his yards record or anything.

[SWAMP-RAT]

I love Emmitt I'm big COWBOY fan but if you put Emmitt on
LT's Chargers and LT on Emmitt's Cowboys, LT would blow
the H@LL out of Emmitts Rushing #'s and Emmitt would'nt
be close to the rushing title.

[crzyjournalist03]

Let's not forget though that much of Emmitt's career was against a 28 team league...with 32 teams and the arrival of free agency, teams talent levels aren't what they used to be...LT is playing in a more watered down league that Emmitt did.

[SWAMP-RAT]

Let's not forget though that much of Emmitt's career was against a 28 team league...with 32 teams and the arrival of free agency, teams talent levels aren't what they used to be...LT is playing in a more watered down league that Emmitt did.

Your making my point Emmitt's Cowboy's where ten times
the (TEAM) LT's Chargers are thats why I think LT would have
tore up that leauge

And I'm not that sure Emmitt would do the same in the present

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by SWAMP-RAT
Your making my point Emmitt's Cowboy's where ten times
the (TEAM) LT's Chargers are thats why I think LT would have
tore up that leauge

And I'm not that sure Emmitt would do the same in the present

Emmitt faced defenses 10 times tougher than anything LT faces too...

[SWAMP-RAT]

Emmitt faced defenses 10 times tougher than anything LT faces too...

Emmitt had 10 times the TEAM (ie O-LINE) to back him up too

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by SWAMP-RAT
Emmitt had 10 times the TEAM (ie O-LINE) to back him up too


Once again the OL looked good because of Emmit as much as they made him look good

One of the biggest misconceptions IMO is that Dallas had an all first round draft picks on the OL, that they all were highly rated before Smith, and that when ever he was hurt the back up RB would run for as many yards as he did.

The OL was good..but Emmit made them look even better, the offense fit both the OL and Smith to a T. Without Emmit..the OL is not thought of like they are now

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by SWAMP-RAT
I love Emmitt I'm big COWBOY fan but if you put Emmitt on
LT's Chargers and LT on Emmitt's Cowboys, LT would blow
the H@LL out of Emmitts Rushing #'s and Emmitt would'nt
be close to the rushing title.
I don't know if I'd go that far. I think Emmitt would be a 1,500-yard threat no matter who he played for, but I do think LT is the better runner. And I honestly don't think it's close.

Here's how I'd rank the best NFL running backs of all-time, post-1950 (this is based on ABILITY only, not greatness):

1. Jim Brown (The gold standard. He was running for 1,500 yards every year in an era when number two-- usually Jim Taylor or Frank Gifford-- was struggling to reach 1,000.)
2. LaDanian Tomlinson (ASSUMING HE KEEPS UP AT THIS PACE FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT THREE YEARS!!!! Can do it all: run, catch, block and even throw... Has averaged over 1,500 yards and 16 TD's rushing during his first six years. Want to know what's even more amazing? Factor in his receiving stats, he AVERAGES well over 2,000 total yards and almost 19 TD's a year.)
3. Sweetness
4. Eric Dickerson
5. OJ Simpson
6. Gale Sayers (best pure runner of all-time... if he could've stuck around longer, he'd be number three)
7. Emmitt Smith (Wasn't the most gifted athlete of all-time, but did so many things well that he's quite possibly the most well-rounded back outside of the top two. Oh, and his outstanding vision and balance didn't hurt, either.)
8. Earl Campbell
9. Marshall Faulk (In the past 25 years, only LT and Terrell Davis have been as dominant over a given period of time as Faulk.)
10a. Barry Sanders (What makes it even tougher to put him this is the incredible yardage numbers he put up... If only he would've been effective inside the 20's.)
10b. Jim Taylor (As pretty as it was to watch Hornung, Taylor was the best RB on those Green Bay teams of the 60's)


I know we live in Cowboy-crazy Texas, but as far as just saying flat-out who the best ever were, Emmitt doesn't even belong in the conversation with LT. It's not even close.

Now as far as GREATNESS, that's a different story altogether. Emmitt's a far greater RB than LT because he proved he can do it for a decade and a half.

[SWAMP-RAT]

Once again the OL looked good because of Emmit as much as they made him look good

IMO LT would have made the OL look even better
had LT been the back up he would have had more
yards than Emmitt

[SWAMP-RAT]

As much as I have enjoyed this, I gota go home :wave:

[Bull's-eye]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
I will always believe that Smith made the OL as good as they made him..I think people overrate the line he was behind because he made them look good

Took the words right out of my mouth. Nate Newton was a joke before Smith arrived, but won All-Pro awards with Emmitt. I'm not saying the line wasn't good, but a good runner will make a line better. With Smith getting all those yards, they had to give his line recognition. People will say that he ran behind all those All-Pro linemen and that is why he was so good, but I feel without Emmitt, they wouldn't of received all those awards. Go back and watch those games where he didn't play and you will see the difference in the Cowboy's offense.