FanNation - The Republic of Sport

buckybadger said 02/07, 08:10 PM
Its Walter Payton.

We know the stats but that doesn't tell the whole story about a player, especially in this sport. Put yourself in this situation. Its 4th and 1 and if you give up the ball the game is over. Who do you want to run the ball, Sanders or Payton? Sanders might get you 60yds but he also might lose 3. That was the problem with Sanders' style. Very exciting but not always getting the results you want. Payton you know would get that one yard and get you the first down. Short yardage wasn't Sanders strength. Sanders style also made it very hard to game plan around. You don't know when he will break one off. The running back position is more valuable when the athlete is a consistent runner rather than the big play maker. Sure the big play is great but with that you will get a lot of 2nd and long or 3rd and long. If your running back just danced in the whole instead of driving forward for the 5 yards your next play just became much more difficult to call. The Lions faced a lot of 2nd and longs in those years. Of course I would take either on my team but if I had a choice I take Sweetness.

buckybadger said 02/07, 08:23 PM
Teams did stop Barry otherwise they would have had a better playoff recored than they did. Walter Payton also spent most of his career on bad teams. They were able to build around him, its easier with that style of running. He didn't spend his whole career with teams like the '85 Bears. If you don't remember Sweetness running, Adrian Peterson is close except Payton never got hurt and was still more consistent. I can't stress how important that is to a team. To know your running back is going to get through that hole. Barry danced to much. His line was underrated and they had a couple of years with the run and gun offense with Herman Moore. Barry was far more exciting but the run game isn't suppose to be flashy. Its suppose to hard nosed, punch you in the mouth and run you over.

buckybadger said 02/07, 08:55 PM
-2, -1, 15, -2, -2, 2, -3, 3, 60, -1, -3, 20, -2, -1, 14, -1, -2, 2, 30. 126yds, on 19 caries. This is over 5yds a carry.

Not consistent and this was how Barry ran. A stats101 class will teach you that average tells you nothing of consistency. You can't game plan around that and you also don't give your defense much of a rest. For me I would much rather get rid of those (-) signs and see a lot more of 4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s. Its the difference between 2nd with 4 to go and 3rd and long. Barry's teams had a lot of 3 and outs and it wasn't just because the passing game was horrible. It was cause the faced a lot of 3rd and longs as well.

Both players put up great stats. Payton played longer which is also in my opinion a plus. Barry was the better play maker, more elusive and electrifying player but that doesn't make you the better football player. My dream backfield would to have Payton as my possession back and Barry my situation back but that suggest right there that Payton was the work horse. Not that Barry wasn't capable of totting the rock 30 times you just were going to get just as many negative runs as positive ones.