Emmitt, Rice both great, but the greatest?

The Article

The article gives a nod to Rice, but disrespects Smith by saying he wasn't great at anything, but good at a lot.

That's some stupid bullshit. Smith's greatness, the thing he was GREAT at, was determination. Barry Sanders?... please. If Barry had half the heart Emmitt had, then maybe Barry would have done better and be considered the greatest. Walter Peyton, was good, no doubt, but Emmitt faced far superior defenses, much faster and more athletic players, etc. Same thing with Jim Brown, sure he was a great, but it's clear to me the greatest was definitely, without any doubts or hesitation, Emmitt Smith.

Emmitt wasn't a loudmouth, he didn't try to draw attention to himself, he simply let his game speak for itself. His quiet determination would shout at you though. When he had a hurt shoulder and ran the ball down, play after play against the Giants, my God, what more proof do you need? That drive was all Emmitt, hurt shoulder and all, he single-handedly punished the Giants defense. The G-men's defense back then was nothing to sneeze at either. It's not like they were playing Tampa Bay, they were playing a top team... I don't remember if it was the NFC Championship game or what, but that drive showcased Emmitt and left no doubt to anyone on or off the field, that Emmitt was without a doubt, one tough sonofabitch.

Even more proof of his determination is the number of years he played. Sanders' determination? His determination was to try and retire and keep a bunch of signing bonus money. You want to talk about the greatest, don't forget integrity. Walter Peyton and Emmitt Smith kept their integrity, Sanders didn't. Sanders had a lot of rushing yards, as was definitely hard to tackle sometimes, but so was Emmitt. Where Barry was dodging and moving around, Emmitt would do that too, but he'd also power through when needed, and wouldn't be shy about blocking or taking/giving hits. Smith had an all around game, the complete package. Barry, not so much. Barry is definitely one of the greatest, for sure, but Emmitt was definitely better.

So, yeah, without hesitation everyone knows Emmitt deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Greatest ever? That requires comparing different eras when considering Walter Peyton, but there's no question that Emmitt is more deserving of that than Barry Sanders. For the article to slight Emmitt in that is stupid. They get some defensive guy from Tampa to comment... please.

But let me say this, I also watched plenty of Walter Peyton growing up. I liked Peyton. And from my perspective, having watched both players, I've got to say I really do think Emmitt is, hands down, the better of the two.

Brown was known is his time, was surely a great, but definitely not the greatest. OJ Simpson, likewise, was one of the greats, but he killed two people, and then later robbed some people at gunpoint... so... integrity took a massive hit.

However you want to look at it, Emmitt Smith is the greatest running back to ever play football, to date.

I just hope before I die that another great back emerges that is compared to Emmitt.

Oh, and Rice, yeah of course. There's not even a close 2nd to Rice as far as receivers go.