Emmitt Smith has, by cold and hard facts, an nearly airtight argument as the greatest running back of all time.
First in rushing yards, First in rushing touchdowns. First in attempts. He wasn't just a compiler either. Smith won four rushing titles, a NFL MVP award, a Super Bowl MVP, three championships, four first-team All-Pro nods. He was the best in the NFL in his prime by a few measures, and he had unbelievable longevity. That's a perfect combination for his legacy.
It will be debated until the end of time, though. Some like Smith. Some prefer Jim Brown. Or Walter Payton, or Barry Sanders, or Red Grange or whoever else comes up. Smith doesn't like to get caught up in that debate of where he ranks.
"People have their own opinion," Smith said, in a promotional interview for Keurig 2.0 coffee brewers. "They’re entitled to their opinion. Based off of history, and what people talk about – Who had most home runs in Major League Baseball? Who was fastest man on the planet? When they talk about the guy who has most receiving yardage, it’s Jerry Rice. The most points NBA history, who has the most championships in golf – they talk about Jack Nicklaus being best. If that’s what the criteria is, my history speaks for itself. I shouldn’t talk about what I was able to do."
Smith is working with Keurig on a campaign called “What Do You Do While You Brew?” with a video series. Fans can register through Keurig for a chance to tailgate with Smith at the College Football Playoff title game in January at Cowboys Stadium.
If we're dealing with quantifiable measures for Smith’s legacy, the trump card Smith has is the all-time rushing record. He finished with 18.355 yards. He passed Walter Payton by nearly 2,000 yards, and is more than 3,000 yards ahead of Barry Sanders, who is in third place. Steven Jackson is the leading active rusher, and the 31-year-old Atlanta Falcons back has 11,026 yards, which is about five great seasons away. Seattle Seahawks back Marshawn Lynch is the top rusher under 29 years old, and he has 7,871 yards, not even 43 percent of the way to Smith. Lynch is 28.
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Smith’s record gets more impressive as time passes. If someone rushed for exactly 2,000 yards each year for nine seasons, he’d still be short. But Smith thinks his mark could be broken.
“I was always raised this way – records are made to be broken. I’m not concerned about that,” Smith said. “I know how difficult and hard it is for that to take place. I just enjoy watching the players and hope they stay healthy and fight hard and give themselves a chance to do something they haven’t experienced.
“I think it could be broken. You never know what run a player might get on. I think it’ll take 13 years. And this sport is very, very physical. If a person doesn’t take care of their body, doesn’t do a lot of the small things, it’ll be very tough.”
13 years? Running backs are lucky to get five years, and that’s with limited workloads and tailback committees.
Limited workloads? Committees? The concepts were foreign to the Cowboys when Smith was their workhorse back. Smith was either a freak of nature, an example of how the game has changed in less than two decades since his prime, or both. People have spent weeks worrying about current Cowboys star DeMarco Murray’s workload, but here’s a list of Smith’s annual touches from 1991, his second year, to his final year with the Cowboys when he was 33: 414, 432, 340, 418, 439, 374, 301, 346, 356, 305, 287, 270. Murray is having one of those high-volume seasons and people are freaking out. Smith had 12, and those numbers don't count 395 postseason touches. Smith missed seven of 208 possible games in 13 Cowboys seasons. That's unbelievable.
Luck helped. Smith never suffered a major injury. He had a great offensive line in front of him, which he pointed out. But he also took great care of his body. Smith had an in-season routine during his career. He said he spent two hours getting massages on Monday, and met with the trainers. He saw his chiropractor “as many times as I needed to see him.” On Fridays he’d be back for two hours with the message therapist, an hour or so with the chiropractor again, and he said he got a lot of rest and drank a lot of water. Voila. That’s how he lasted for 4,409 regular-season carries and 515 receptions.
“Doing all the little things to make the big things happen,” Smith said.
The phenomenon about worrying over touches is not new (“I heard the same thing when I was playing,” Smith said with a chuckle), but Smith said Murray and the Cowboys shouldn’t worry about it.
“The bottom line is (Murray’s) moment and the Cowboys’ moment is now,” Smith said. “The cupboard has been bare for a long time for the Dallas Cowboys. We’re 6-2, good chance of making the playoffs, with a team that is built in a way to go deeper into the playoffs and we have to take full advantage. Don’t worry, just allow him to do what’s natural. Let’s figure out where everything is at the end of the season.”
It worked for Smith. He has the numbers and records to prove it. It seems like he’ll have those records for a long time, as well.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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