Guess what? The goal is not to be down 14, and hand having Curtis and his "4 yards here, 5 yards there and next thing you know he has 30 carries for 120" and a little D help was a great way not to go down 2 TD's. When you are down 14, you are pretty much looking for the passing game to get you back into it not a running back IMO. When you are winning a guy like Martin allowed you to totally control the clock and the ball, that IS changing a game.
Is he though? 5 time pro-bowler, 1 time all-pro. 1 superbowl loss. Not very good in the post season. I love the guy to death because he was a Jet, but I'm not so sure he's a sure thing for the Hall...maybe a couple years after eligibility. Marshall Faulk has the better chance at first ballot their first year of eligibility. Don't get me wrong I hope he gets in, but the voters aren't too kind...especially towards those that play in green and white.
He is 4th all time, he was the oldest ever to win the rushing title, he was the classiest guy in the league for the most part with 10 1,000 yard seasons. He is a hall of famer and he should get in first ballot, no question.
^ plinko, there is a HUGE reason why the Jets went from a joke of a team before Parcells brought Martin in and began pounding the rock 30 times a game to a relatively consistent playoff contender until Curtis was taken out of commission in 2005.... You shouldn't/don't rely on your running game to make a comeback when you're down 14 points late in the game... But if you think that a guy that can carry the rock 30 times, and get 4 yards a pop, week in and week out isn't an impact player, you're crazy.... Defenses consistently had to put 8 in the box against us when Curtis was here, and it helped mediocre QBs like Vinny Testaverde and Chad Pennington shine... It also kept mediocre, aging defenses off the field, and kept us in contention when we clearly were not all that talented... When a defense puts 8 or 9 in the box almost every play, and still gives up 4+ YPC, it opens up the passing game infinitely and completely changes the game... Yeah, big plays are fun to watch, and it's great to have a guy who can break one or two big ones a game... But consistent success is what wins ballgames and builds playoff teams... There is NOBODY in NFL history, save for Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton, who was as consistently good as Curtis Martin, year in and year out....
First off, I never said Martin wasn't an impact player. He simply never dominated the game and if you want to argue that then let's do it. The top three running backs all dominated the game at some point in their careers. That's who you have to compare Martin to: Sanders, Smith and Payton. Was Martin in the same league as those three players? I'm not saying no, just saying that it isn't a slam dunk yes.
"4 yards here, 5 yards there and next thing you know he has 30 carries for 120" constantly, over and over more consistently than almost anyone ever IS dominating the game if you ask me.
Compared to his peers at the top I would choose any of them over Martin any day of the week, regardless of who was blocking. He was 4th in yardage and 19th in scoring. Among running backs that's 12th. Not going to argue that he wasn't the classiest guy in the league because he was. But first ballot, I'm not so sure of...Any don't get me wrong, I hope to God I am wrong.
Impact can be defined as 'having a strong effect'..... You said he doesn't change the game... That's saying he's not an impact player... And I don't think Martin could be put on the same level as Payton and Sanders, but Smith and Martin were very similar players, and both are worthy Hall of Famers who made their teams succeed through being more consistently good than almost anybody else to ever play the game
Sanders was in a different league than pretty much everyone else. Smith and Payton were definitely comparable. Martin shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as any of the top three. Smith was consistently one of the best players in the league for a 5 year stretch. Please reconsider your argument because it is very weak.
That may be true, but when it comes to scoring, that as allot to do with play calling and the rest of a teams weapons. I'm not sure I would take everybody over Martin, just because of a few skewed numbers. What about intangibles, are they worth anything? They are priceless, and if CMart ran behind the Dallas line with their play calling back then his numbers would be right up there with Emmit's, out Smith on the Jets and I'm not sure he would even be in this dialog.
I really do not think Smith is up there based on him having any where near the talent of Sanders or Sweetness. I'm sorry but Emmit and Curtis are way more comparable with each other than either of them to the others.
What would happen if Sanders ran behind the Dallas line? If you want to think that Smith and Martin are in the same league then let's argue that. You will lose. This isn't about who I like, if you think Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin are similar then you simply need to take your green glasses off.
So basically you are saying Martin could never break a long run, but McNeil could do it with ease. Well, that would be wrong. Let's look at their longest runs, year-by-year. Martin 1995- 49 yards 1996- 57 1997- 70 1998- 60 1999- 50 2000- 55 2001- 47 2002- 35 2003- 56 2004- 25 2005- 49 McNeil 1981- 43 1982- 48 1983- 19 1984- 53 1985- 69 1986- 40 1987- 30 1988- 28 1989- 19 1990- 29 1991- 58 1992- 18 From those numbers, we can see that Martin had six 50+ yard runs and McNeil had 3 that we know about. I don't think McNeil had any others in 1991, but maybe he did in 1984 and 1985. Martin was also a much better blocker than McNeil. Martin was also a much better pass receiver than McNeil. Martin had 40 or more catches in 9 seasons. McNeil accomplished the same feat only one time. I see you also ripped Martin for not having scored enough TDs to your liking. Martin 3518 rushing attempts 90 rushing touchdowns McNeil 1798 rushing attempts 38 rushing touchdowns
If Barry Sanders or Lt ran behind that Dallas line they would both have over 20,000 yards when it was all over. Those two are in a class by themselves and there is not even a close third. We are talking talent on a football field not teams. Barry did it with a bunch of scrubs. Cm is a Hall of Famer and My favorite Jet but he is a testament of consistancy and heart. There are a whole lot of backs with more talent than him.
There is no way to compare them the way you want to, because there is no way to have them both in the exact same situations. If I could have either one in the exact same circumstance, I would take Curtis. This is how I compare them, they were both GREAT, when you reach greatness, there is very little to compare in my opinion. I think the hall of fame is a good measuring stick for greatness, and I'd bet my bottom dollar Curtis gets in.
Hello that is exactly what I said in this thread, Emmit Smith does not even come close to Sanders and Sweetness, read on I'm sure you will find it.
Are you young enough to remember Barry Sanders? Comparing Sanders to Martin is like comparing LT to Thomas Jones.
In 10 playoff games, Martin had two dud performances. In 8 playoff games, McNeil had five dud performances. Granted, for one of those games he only played a bit role.
