When watching Barry Sanders' highlights, how does one justify a better RB than him?

Depends on your definition - video game joystick swivel hips or guy who is faster, pounds through the lines and always gets positive yards.

It's easy to get seduced by Sanders because he was and looks amazing in highlight reels. Because that's what they show you - the highlights.

They don't show you all the negative yards he lost dancing back there...Barry always wanted the homerun. And when he got that breakaway he would way too often get tackled at the 5-yard line.

If you were going with a back in the 90's for your fantasy team, you took Emmitt Smith. He had the yards and more importantly, the TDs.

I couldn't imagine what Sanders would have done with a good o-line

leonard fournette

The best argument for Barry Sanders being the best RB of all-time or at least in the conversation is that he made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team every single season he was in the NFL. That means Barry at his very worst was still a Pro Bowl and second team All-Pro RB. Sanders was remarkably consistent in a position that is incredibly volatile. The only RB who has a better track record is Jim Brown who led the NFL in rushing every season he played except one.

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Emmitt Smith

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i can think of like 5 running backs in the 90s off the top of my head that I would choose before ES if I were starting a team


Barry
Thurmon
Ricky Running Watters
Faulk


shite even Jamal Anderson


Emmit was a product of his surroundings even more so than Terrell Davis, whom I'd also pick ahead

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They don't show you all the negative yards he lost dancing back there

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I love how people tote out this ignorant line of thought as if it means something. Sure, if Samders was a 4 ypc rusher but that isn't the case. As pointed out, Sanders danced because he had to. He had defenders at his feet as he was receiving the hand off. It's not like he's juking air. Is he supposed to just let them tackle him?

Two OL does not make an OL.

Are you insisting Sanders was purposely waiting for defenders to get into the backfield?

No doubt Smith played behind one of the best O-lines ever.

That's never questioned. Aikman and him benefited greatly.

But Smith also took what he was given.

No knock on Barry because he had to create...sometimes he would get hit a second after taking the hand-off...but later his lines weren't terrible. That's a common myth that his line was so bad. It wasn't the Cowboys line but it wasn't some clown show.

Again, maybe because he thought he had to do too much but Barry just couldn't take the 3 yards in front of him...and so often his offense would start going backwards.

You just can't lose yards in football - that's a cardinal sin - for a running back. Always be going forward. But Barry was a maestro so he gambled too much in sandlot shite.

The Lions offense of the 90s really improved when Tom Moore was OC and Scott Mitchell was the QB. He was among the best QBs in 1995 with Herman Moore catching like 100 passes, another common myth that Scott Mitchell was the worst thing since the plague from all the haters.

Also the Cowboys offense was predicated around Smith and his production on the ground, hence the lack of gaudy QB stats from Aikman with among the best WR corps ever.