Barry Sanders vs. Emmitt Smith

6/21/2024

Intro

When I was a kid, my brother and I spent a ton of time playing football or maybe just tackling each other. We'd play outside, in the basement, and sometimes, in the living room before other mother would not so kindly point us outside.

Running around with a football in your hand is a liberating feeling. We grew up in Wisconsin, where rooting against the Packers was sacrilegious. We were, of course, Packers fans, but when it came to carrying the football, there was one player that everyone wanted to emulate. His name was Barry Sanders. While Emmitt Smith was winning Super Bowls, Barry was making guys miss on a weekly basis. He was must-watch TV.

Today, we take a look at Barry's career vs. Emmitt's. How do the two stack up? And who, ultimately, was the better football player?

Emmitt Smith: The Stats Don't Lie

Emmitt Smith

Let's start with Emmitt Smith. Emmitt's legacy begins and ends with statistics that leave many of his peers in the dust. He holds the irrefutable crown for the most career rushing yards in NFL history, amassing a staggering 18,355 yards. This record, broken in 2002, was previously held by Walter Payton with 16,726. He also holds the record for most career rushing touchdowns (164) and total touchdowns (175), showcasing his ability to find the end zone with consistency.

Looking beyond raw numbers, Smith's efficiency was remarkable. His yards per carry average (4.5) was impressive for a back with such a high volume of carries. He also holds the record for most rushing attempts (4,409), a testament to his durability and workhorse mentality. Emmitt had 11 seasons of over 1,000 rushing yards, a feat rarely seen in the modern NFL with its increased wear and tear on running backs.

Barry Sanders: No One Like Him

Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders' nickname, "The Lion," wasn't just about his team, the Detroit Lions. It embodied his ferocious running style and uncanny ability to deceive would-be tacklers. His vision in the backfield was legendary, allowing him to anticipate defenders and find cutback lanes with seemingly no space. His agility and footwork made him a nightmare to tackle, and his jaw-dropping jukes and spins made him a must-watch on Sundays.

While Barry's overall career statistics don't come close to Smith's, he holds the record for most career carries of 10+ yards (957), a testament to his ability to create explosive plays. His yards per carry average (5.0) stands as one of the highest in NFL history, a remarkable feat considering his playing style. In fact, Sanders would often lose yards before breaking off a 70+ yard touchdown run.

Despite only playing 10 seasons, Barry still ranks 4th all-time in rushing yards, with 15,269.

The Debate

Emmitt Smith played five more seasons than Sanders, naturally inflating his career stats. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, and in Super Bowl XXVIII, he was named MVP after a dominant performance against the Buffalo Bills. He holds the record for most rushing touchdowns in a postseason career (19) and most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown in the playoffs (9).

Smith benefited greatly from a dominant offensive line, which led to a more robust overall offensive attack in Dallas. He was the 1993 AP Co-MVP with Brett Favre.

While Barry Sanders never won a Super Bowl, he won the AP MVP in 1997, rushing for 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite teams stacking the box, Sanders dominated and led the Lions to ten wins. Despite running for 1,491 yards in 1998, Sanders retired at the age of 30 before father time had kicked in.

In my opinion, Barry Sanders was a better running back than Emmitt Smith. Don't get me wrong: Emmitt Smith was incredible, and it wasn't his fault that he played on dominant teams. Would Barry Sanders have won as many games in Dallas if the roles would've been reversed?

The reason I'm picking Sanders is that there's something to be said about how you felt as a fan when you watched somebody play. Sure, there are going to be spontaneous, flash in the pan moments that don't necessarily make a given player great. Sanders, though, wowed for 10 years. He made grown men look silly. He was the guy that kids wanted to be on the playground.

Football has changed. Smith and Sanders played in an NFL that was run-heavy. In many cases, defenders were closer to the line of scrimmage, making their ability to carve off a big run even more difficult than in today's game.

It's for that reason that another Barry Sanders may never exist. For those of us that had the chance to watch him, NFL team allegiances aside, it was never wasted time.

For Futher Reading

Here are two great books about both Sanders and Smith. The Emmitt Zone was actually published in 1994 but is a fun look back to a time when Smith was in his prime.