Most over-rated football player (still playing) - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

reeds · 07-24-2001, 06:47 PM

How bout votes on one player who you feel is the most over-rated in all of football (right now).

Although Im a huge Packer fan, my vote is Antonio Freeman. He had a great year when they won the super-bowl, hasnt even been close since then...

Big Boy Laroux · 07-24-2001, 06:57 PM

but man, that catch he had in that monday night game this past year was pretty darn sweet...

actually, i know he's good, but i actually think ray lewis is overrated. super bowl MVP? whatever. all the hype before the game was for him.

reeds · 07-24-2001, 07:50 PM

Ya- that catch was nice. But they are few and far between.

You think Ray Lewis is over-rated? WOW. I think he is nice. Flys to the ball, quick, powerful, fearless, and something many players lack these days- he can tackle!!! That is a lost art in the new era of football. Too many missed tackles. Fundamentals!

Deon might get some votes. I feel he may have been the best DB ever his first 6 years in the NFL, but for whatever reason, he seems to be losing it..and fast! But I still like the guy..

Man, I have got FOOTBALL FEVER!!!

MFFL · 07-24-2001, 08:58 PM

My vote would be Aikman, but he's retired for now. I gotta agree with reeds - Deon is the most over-rated now.

Murphy3 · 07-24-2001, 09:36 PM

i know that we're not supposed to knock people's opinions...but i've read two of the worst opinions in the history of ever.... deion and aikman overrated...
give it up..
aikman was perhaps the best qb in the nfl for a good part of the 90's and deion is maybe the best cover guy in the history of the nfl

MFFL · 07-24-2001, 10:13 PM

Obviously my ranking would be over the last couple of years - not the entire career of either player.

LonestarROB · 07-24-2001, 10:58 PM

I don't really follow football much but I gotta go with Deon aswell.

Murphy3 · 07-24-2001, 11:24 PM

well, that's ok then...you had me worried for a sec mffl, ..sorry about jumping to a conclusion a bit too quick

MFFL · 07-24-2001, 11:38 PM

That's ok murph. I wasn't very clear in my post. My sports opinions are a little lazy right now - the damn Rangers ruined the summer sports scene for me. The Cowboys aren't going to be very good so I'm just waiting on the Mavs preseason to open.

Big Boy Laroux · 07-25-2001, 07:51 AM

yeah, reeds, like i said, i know ray lewis is good. but i got so sick of hearing, "ray lewis this, ray lewis that." "he's a good football player so let's forget the fact that he was involved in a homicide."

i know he was acquitted, but so was OJ, and we all know he's really guilty.

TheKid · 07-25-2001, 09:17 AM

Believe it or not, I think Emmitt Smith is overrated... Now before people start jumping all over me, hear me out first. In his prime he was running behind arguably the best offensive line EVER! I recall his best season seeing some stat that Emmitt gained some 600 yards on the season from the line of scrimmage without being touched. That's amazing, hell I could rush for 1,600 yards if I knew would 600 yards without being touched.

Now I'm not saying he's a scrub because he's not. I just don't think there was ever a time where I thought he was the best in the league, even when he lead the league in rushing, and I sure as hell don't think he's good now. The only thing I like about Emmitt is he's a class act, in my opinion. Also, he works hard, always out there to give 100%, which is commendable but I just think he's overrated.

Murphy3 · 07-25-2001, 10:31 AM

e.smith has always been a great all around back..he could catch the ball out of the backfield..the best blocking tailback i've ever seen, and a great runner... he has always been good at making people miss, with small, quick moves. i'll never forget the game where he separated his shoulder against the giants and made that nice catch late in the game where the ball was thrown over his head and he had to reach up to catch it with his shoulder all f'ed up. he's been an amazing back.
no, he's not fast, but he's very quick and strong..has always been able to move the pile.
he's quite simply one of the most complete backs in the history of the NFL

MFFL · 07-25-2001, 11:14 AM

Emmitt was never overrated in my book. In fact I have the opposite view of Emmitt - too many people want to write him off too fast. He is amazingly durable with a nose for the endzone. He runs inside despite being a small back. He is a good blocker and a very good receiver. One of the mistakes made by the coaching staff was replacing Emmitt on passing downs. He has scored the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history despite not being a breakaway back. Probably one of the 5-6 greatest running backs in NFL history.

Murphy3 · 07-25-2001, 11:38 AM

he always got the tough yards...and amazing at picking up the blitz.
i'm sure the reason he was taken out on passing downs was to get him a play of rest, but it always hurt the cowboys because he's simply the best i've ever seen at picking up the blitz from the tailback spot

TheKid · 07-25-2001, 04:34 PM

I think he's good probably in the top 10 in best running backs of all time, but I've argued with people who tells me they think he's the best and in my opinion he's not the best of all time. I know he's broken all of Tony Dorsett's records, but I think Dorsett was better. I will say one thing in Emmitt's defense, I think people make a bigger deal out of his speed. All this crap about him being slow means nothing to me.

Murphy3 · 07-25-2001, 04:42 PM

he isn't fast compared to most tailbacks. there's no arguing with that..
and you're allowed to have your opinion...it's just that the history books will not agree with you, and most nfl experts won't agree with you, and most people in general won't agree with you.

that's all
does that mean you're wrong?..no
does it mean you're right?...well, it does mean you're probably not right.

no one said he's the best back of all time..i've never heard that said..but he is one of the better running backs of all time, without a doubt.

TheKid · 07-25-2001, 04:52 PM

I don't question the man's heart (which I do with a lot of supposedly good running backs ala Robert Smith) or the man's ability. My only question is this, do you think running backs such as Barry Sanders or Jim Brown for that matter do you think they would have probably doubled the numbers Emmitt has put up??? Especially Barry. Granted Emmitt may get tougher yards but Barry has done just fine considering the majority of his career he did it with no full back.

I just wish Barry could have run behind that line of Dallas, he would probably be the leading rusher of all time easily, and arguably the greatest.

Murphy3 · 07-25-2001, 05:04 PM

no, i don't think he would have doubled e.smith's yards...
he might have had more...but probably not as many touchdowns because sanders was not as capable of getting the tough yards...
and troy would have ended up on his back alot more because sanders' isn't near the blocker that smith is.
smith was definitely a more complete back, just not quite the runner that sanders was

reeds · 07-25-2001, 06:33 PM

I couldnt agree more on your take KID. Emmitt had it all. A great O line and a balanced offense. That O line Dominated teams- period. You could drive a truck thru some of the holes they created. If a team then put 8 or 9 in the box- Aikman would throw to Irvin or Harper or Novacek all day. You had to respect their run and their pass. With that being said- Emmitt was on the right team at the right time. Not even close to the runner Barry Sanders, Payton,Brown,Dorsett,Dickerson,Sayers were. But he might end up with the record?! Just proves my point- the team, the system, made him better than he would have been on any other team during his career. He was/is great- but not in the class of the above.

And Murph- I didnt say Sanders wasnt good. I said he was the best DB EVER, its just now he still has that reputation as still being the best, and he is NOT

Murphy3 · 07-25-2001, 09:18 PM

reeds, we already know you're going to kiss thekid's ass, so it's pointless for you even to respond with an opinion.

MFFL · 07-25-2001, 10:05 PM

One back who would have probably gained another 5,000 yards behind the Cowboy line - Sweetness. Payton was the greatest running back ever. Some backs were slightly better in one area or another, but Payton was excellent at all of them. The man could block. He could catch. He was a threat to score everytime he got the ball. Payton would get tough yards through the middle and was one of the best ever at running the sweep.

Payton had the misfortune of playing with some of the worst teams in NFL history. Thank God the Bears got it together and won at least one bowl for Payton.

MFFL · 07-25-2001, 10:14 PM

I doubt seriously that Sanders would have gained much more yardage behind the Cowboy line. Sanders was not a disciplined runner - he would not hit the hole. He would jitterbug around and that was effective for him. He's a Hall of Fame back and I love watching his touchdown runs more than any other highlight. Emmitt, however, would hit the hole. The blockers KNEW they HAD to make the block, 'cause E Smith was going into that hole. Emmitt would always give his blockers their props, I rarely heard Sanders do that. Maybe that's one of the reasons that the Lions never had many Pro-Bowl linemen - Barry's jitterbugging would always make them look bad.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, Emmitt is my favorite player who is currently active in sports.

MFFL · 07-25-2001, 10:16 PM

And kid - Barry Sanders would have been the leading rusher in NFL history already. BUT HE QUIT!

TheKid · 07-26-2001, 09:20 AM

MFFL, you're right, he quit. However I disagree with the fact that he would not hit the hole if it were there. That's one of the great things about Sanders, when there was space there, he could hit it. However he's great at making people miss, that's what he's known for. Also, look at the fact that despite running without a full back for the majority of his career he still has the highest average yards per carry. That's impressive for someone with as many carries that he has.

However I agree with you about Payton being probably the most complete back there is also. That's very true.

Murph- you're right about Sanders blocking, he isn't even half the blocker that Emmitt is true, but I think in every other category, he was just as complete as Emmitt. He could catch coming out of the back field and he is able to get the tough yards. It was just that he played for DUMBA WAYNE FONTES who decided not to give him the ball in short yardage situations. It was Bobby Ross who decided to do it and found out that Sanders could actually get the tough yards when asked to.

reeds · 07-26-2001, 08:05 PM

GOD- im sorry Murphy. I keep forgetting that your opinion is the only one that matters on this board. Your sports mind is so much more developed than ours... I wont kiss Kids ass any more- just yours. YOU DA MAN

Flying Tiger · 07-30-2001, 11:10 PM

Oh man...I can't believe I missed out on a conflict with the greatest athlete of all time. Barry Sanders would have crushed Payton's record if he had played all the years he had in him. I agree that he made his linemen look bad at times, but the overall line still sucked and there wasn't hardly ever a hole for him to hit. Granted, he wan't a great reciever or blocker, but the title is running back, which he exelled at. Plus, he never really had to block, not when your quarter back is Scott Mitchel or Stoney Case, odds are he's gonna get the ball. The reason he didn't have as many touchdowns is because the Lions' coaching staff didn't have enough faith in him so they pulled him close to the goal. Sure he had lots of losses, but he averaged over 5 yards a carry for his career, so he had to have made up for those losses somewhere. And, thekid, neither one of your points are argueable...Emmitt did have the greatest line ever, and Barry is the greatest runner ever.