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Best short players is more accurate
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Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
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00:08If you stand next to him, you say, man, he is short.
00:14Did you see what the little fellow just did?
00:16I mean, he's thought of as a little man, but he's not a little man.
00:19I mean, he may be short, but he's not a little.
00:23You've heard of the big story.
00:24Well, here's the little story.
00:26The first convention of the Midgets of America, which is now campaigning for half-fair on trains and airlines for
00:33midgets.
00:34Like the real world, little people have been making inroads in the NFL.
00:39Security.
00:42Security.
00:44Hey, now we got two small children over here.
00:47What up, boys?
00:48What up?
00:49But as short players continue to rise to the occasion, from time to time, they still get teased about their
00:57height.
00:57Man, you're short. I thought I was short.
00:59I'm like, man, he's too little, man.
01:01He is a shrimp.
01:03What I look like calling somebody literal.
01:05One common misconception is that all football stars are towering muscle-bound behemoths.
01:10That just is not the case.
01:13Some of the game's greatest heroes are quite short in stature.
01:17While there was certainly no shortage of candidates for this show, compiling our list became a tall order.
01:25After all, what should matter more?
01:28Size or talent?
01:30Bravo!
01:31In the Hall of Famer.
01:32If the list is greatest short players of all time, I think the bigger criteria should be shortness.
01:40No.
01:40It's still got to come down to talent.
01:42You know, we don't want to watch footage of guys playing mediocre football, but they're 5'3".
01:47Let them be the master stick!
01:49We doing the master stuff!
01:51I would have figured the top ten shortest players all had to be kickers.
01:56I mean, the grammaticas, there's like seven grammaticas.
01:58They had to be one through seven, right?
01:59No wrong.
02:00Kickers were disqualified for fear that they might do just that, overpopulate our list.
02:07In the end, we found ten players who stood 5'9 or under, but weren't short on big playability.
02:15Short people are people, too.
02:18Way to go, little man!
02:20And in the NFL, where big is usually better, sometimes those little guys, they stand tall.
02:40You know, for his height and his size, he's real, like, compact.
02:55You get behind all these big offensive linemen, 6'6", 6'7", and the guys on defense will tell you,
03:00they can't see him.
03:01Spose it! Spose it!
03:03Push down! The little guy! There's Rob!
03:06His size factor really works to his advantage. He's a true weapon in the National Football League.
03:12The media guide has him listed at 5'6". Is that accurate?
03:16It's probably stretching it a little bit.
03:18If he's 5'5", 5'5", where does it matter?
03:20He's accurate. You know, he's 5'6". He's a legit 5'6", but he plays like he's 6'2".
03:26Barreling into the end zone. Touchdown, San Diego!
03:29Derrick Spoles is one of the strongest guys, pound for pound.
03:32Spoles dashing through a tackle.
03:34Through another. Keeps on driving. Touchdown!
03:38I mean, he came out of the womb, I think, at 10 and a half pounds.
03:42So think about this. He's only gained, what, 170 pounds in his lifetime?
03:47Unfortunately, for Sproles, that's not the only thing he was called.
03:52Sproles is little.
03:53Short people have been made fun of all their life.
03:57It's time.
03:59They've been taunted all their lives. It's way back in rollercoaster days.
04:02You can't go on the rollercoaster, Darren Sproles. You're not big enough.
04:05So, of course, he's going to break an 80-yard run on you. He's pissed.
04:09Sproles puts a move on at the 30, 20, 15, 10, dashing to the 5. Touchdown!
04:17Drafted in the fourth round in 2005, Sproles saw the field primarily as a kick returner.
04:24You have to worry about him taking it to the house every time he touches the ball.
04:27Our number 10 shortest player made our list by becoming the first player in NFL history
04:33to score his first two touchdowns on a kickoff and punt return.
04:38The little guy, he's hit a ball run!
04:40The first time like that we needed him, the little guy turned into the big guy on the field real
04:45quick.
04:45Connor Smith has got his clutch on the back of the end zone.
04:48Just when you think you have him contained, he does something special.
04:5185, right up the middle to the 40, 35, 30, angles to the 25, 20, 15, 10, 5!
04:57He did it again! Touchdown, Darren Sproles!
05:05After signing with the Saints in 2011, our number 10 shortest player set an NFL single season record
05:12with 2,969 all-purpose yards.
05:16Sproles is going to start!
05:19Thank you, Coach.
05:21There's something that makes great players, and whatever it is, he's got it.
05:26Coming up, who refused to be stonewalled by opponents?
05:30When he grew up, he and his friends...
05:34Joe Morris was a little guy, a lot of villain.
05:36Explosive, he could break tackles, he had speed.
05:40He runs kind of the way Jim Brown used to run.
05:43He's a little guy.
05:45Shouldn't he be trying to make people miss?
05:46No, he was trying to be a plow horse.
05:50He was trying to hurt people.
05:53Our number 9 shortest player starred on the 80s Giants.
05:58Sticks and stones could break his bones.
06:00And they toughened him up for the gridiron.
06:03When he grew up, he and his friends used to have rock fights.
06:07His kids used to throw rocks at each other.
06:09Big rocks.
06:10Felt like he got hit with a stone.
06:12Joe Morris was destined to be a football player.
06:18He was a guy who worked out with alignment.
06:20He could, like, bench 400 and squat 700.
06:23He had a giant work ethic.
06:25Our number 9 shortest player also racked up a giant vocabulary.
06:30Roll one.
06:31What has transpired is I learned how to catch the ball a lot better.
06:34It kind of epitomizes his season.
06:35He doesn't worry about the fruitless things that personify what he wants out of a play.
06:39This team, this team, they are...
06:46So why is Morris only number 9 on our list?
06:49Injuries limited him to 8 seasons.
06:52And in 5 of them, he averaged fewer than 4 yards a carry.
06:56He wasn't the poor man's Barry Sanders.
06:58He was the broke man's Barry Sanders.
07:02But he also broke plenty of tackles in 1985 and 86.
07:07It was like Katie by the door.
07:09Our number 9 shortest player, Rush, for a combined 2,800 yards and 35 touchdowns.
07:16From his physical makeup, you wouldn't think that he would be an impact player.
07:20And Joe really carried a lot of the offensive burden.
07:24Yeah, he just turned around and said, look, you've got to carry us for a while.
07:26Our passing game's just not there.
07:28You're not sick tonight, are you?
07:30Good.
07:30Your tongue's going to be hanging out.
07:32I said, okay, that's fine, as long as you know that I can't do it all year.
07:356.20 to go here in the first half.
07:38Sims is 0 for 0 for 0.
07:40Are you kidding me?
07:42There are certain guys who are always having problems.
07:45I think Joe is always having problems.
07:47His whole life was, I'm going to show Parcells.
07:50He doesn't think I can play.
07:52And when they keep drafting running backs, I'll show them.
07:54Joe, if your heart starts fluttering, we'll send you down a county emergency.
07:58Get you recycled.
07:59And Joe has a Napoleon complex.
08:02It's like the French Riviera.
08:04They never thought I could do it.
08:06Everybody thought I was too short.
08:08But before he met his water load,
08:10our number nine shortest player took home a Super Bowl ring as a bona parting gift.
08:16Yeah, he belongs because he won a Super Bowl.
08:18I'm from Buffalo, so believe me, that counts.
08:20I'd love to be short and win a Super Bowl once.
08:23For the rest of your life, man, nobody can ever tell you that you couldn't do it.
08:31An erratious player of all time.
08:34Work done.
08:35People had to question,
08:38what's this little guy going to do?
08:40Hit it, boy.
08:41Hit it, boy.
08:41Hit it.
08:42Play handoff to Dunn.
08:44Dunn pops, weaves, deals, and wheels.
08:45Gets outside.
08:46Makes 25.
08:4840 sideline.
08:51At 5'9", Warwick Dunn was a little man who made a big first impression in the NFL.
08:58A little inside handoff on a delay to Dunn.
09:00Dunn breaks the tackle.
09:01Dunn tries to get out there.
09:02Dunn's got the clutter.
09:03The little guy does it again.
09:05Warwick Dunn just put on a showcase where everyone said,
09:08okay, this guy here is going to be a superstar.
09:12Surprising that Warwick makes this list.
09:15His height was probably his advantage.
09:17His low center of gravity.
09:19You know, he could hit the hole standing up sometime.
09:22He faked out how many?
09:23Maybe seven green-based hackers?
09:25Never got a clean shot on Warwick.
09:29Looks like he's getting ready to get a hit.
09:30A head-on train wreck.
09:31And all of a sudden, he just steps to the side.
09:33The guy falls on his face.
09:36In 1997, Dunn was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year
09:41and went on to the Pro Bowl twice as a Buccaneer.
09:44I think the Bucs finally figured out his toughness.
09:46They didn't have to worry about his size.
09:49Warwick Dunn leaving his ground.
09:51That's all heart and soul, number 28.
09:54So at some point, they quit counting his number of touches
09:57and started counting their blessings that they had drafted this guy.
10:00Warwick Dunn is a special running back.
10:04We've got to grind this thing up.
10:06We want this game to come down to us, all right?
10:09In 2002, our number eight shortest player moved to the Atlanta Falcons
10:13where he earned another trip to the Pro Bowl.
10:16He was out to prove that he was the man.
10:19He played with a chip on his shoulder,
10:20but this was really a place where he found himself as a great football player.
10:2590 yards, the longest run in Atlanta Falcons history.
10:30I really didn't even get tired of that.
10:33On his climb to the top,
10:35our number eight shortest player faced towering obstacles.
10:39When he was 18, his mother, a Baton Rouge police officer,
10:43was killed during a robbery.
10:46You don't ever want to get a call in the middle of the night
10:48and said, someone that is pretty much your world is gone.
10:52She molded me, and I had 18 years and two days with her
10:55to be the type of man that I am today.
10:57To honor his mother, Dunn established Homes for the Holidays
11:01where the little man made a huge impact
11:04by helping single moms and their families purchase homes.
11:08You know, you talk about someone having a lasting effect on a family.
11:12He's just very, very, very unique.
11:14You don't find many work done in this world.
11:16I admire the guy for what he's done throughout his career.
11:19On the field, but more so off the field,
11:21because the guy's a great citizen.
11:23You just have to rub your eyes and say,
11:25this guy's just too good to be true.
11:28Yes, sir.
11:29Coming up on Top Ten,
11:30the NFL in catches, yards, and touchdowns.
11:34That man can't be stopped.
11:36But at 5'9 1⁄2",
11:39he soars over our height limit by a half an inch.
11:42Really?
11:43Plus, even he thinks he's big.
11:47Ooh!
11:48Spaceman takes a big hit!
11:50Big players!
11:51Big players!
11:52Big games!
11:54I'm the second short slayer of all time,
11:58Buddy Young.
12:005'4".
12:01What position would you have guessed he played?
12:03Point card?
12:04Yeah, Buddy Young belongs on the list.
12:06He was 5'4".
12:07They would call him 5'4",
12:09but there's an argument that he wasn't.
12:11He was a tall 5'4".
12:13I played nine years of professional football.
12:16Weighed 167 pounds,
12:18stood 5'4 1⁄2 inches tall,
12:19and most of the time,
12:21I'd run it for my life.
12:25In the late 40s and 50s,
12:27our number seven shortest players
12:28starred for the New York Yankees,
12:31Dallas Texans,
12:32and Baltimore Colts.
12:34A kick returner and fullback,
12:36he averaged six yards per carry
12:38in two separate seasons.
12:40He was very elusive,
12:41and he was very fast.
12:43He had, at one time,
12:46the world's indoor 60-meter dash record.
12:50He was about as fast as any man in the world.
12:52Our number seven shortest player
12:54was also as fast as any horse in the world.
12:57He raced the Colts mascot.
12:59A horse is a horse.
13:01Of course, of course.
13:02But this is a horse of a different color.
13:04He resisted at first
13:05because he thought it was some,
13:07you know, a little too hokey.
13:09And I said,
13:09Young, there's no way
13:10that you're going to bail out
13:11that the public's coming out there tonight
13:12to see the InterSquad game,
13:14but they also want to see
13:15a man run against a horse.
13:16They always said that
13:17there's never been a track man alive
13:18who didn't have a little larceny
13:20in his heart.
13:20And Buddy came out
13:21before the gun went off
13:22and stole about a 25-yard jump
13:24on the horse.
13:25He grabbed acceleration off the blocks.
13:27The horse apparently didn't.
13:28Then he let it all go, man.
13:30He beat the horse by 10 yards.
13:34Yes, sir.
13:35Buddy always said
13:36the worst discrimination in the world
13:38isn't color, it's size.
13:40Many in football
13:41looked upon tiny Buddy Young
13:43as a sideshow freak,
13:45an acorn among oaks.
13:48He wasn't just a novelty act.
13:50This wasn't Eddie Goodell.
13:51If he's so fast,
13:52you can't touch him.
13:53It doesn't matter how big they are, right?
13:54I mean, Buddy Young proved that.
13:56The fan appreciates the little guy
13:58simply because of what he's made out of.
14:00You see his quick feet
14:01over the lumbering strides
14:03of the big tackles
14:04and the defensive ends.
14:05And that contrast
14:07holds excitement.
14:08So if he's
14:1080-80, tiny, tiny, tiny,
14:12and he gets the job done,
14:14he's got a place.
14:15Short people never have to
14:16bow down to anybody
14:17after people like that.
14:18And Buddy Young
14:19was a pioneer in the NFL.
14:21Number six
14:22shortest player of all time,
14:23Doug Flutie.
14:25How can anyone
14:27be better than Doug Flutie?
14:29I mean, it's like a holiday
14:30when they show his pass
14:32against the Canes
14:33down in the Orange Bowl.
14:34The deep one for the end zone.
14:35Salem is down there.
14:37He's got it!
14:38He's got it!
14:38That guy's the greatest
14:39short guy ever
14:40of all time.
14:42He's better than
14:43Vern Troyer.
14:44Doug Flutie was
14:46that Vern Troyer size.
14:47He was three foot six
14:48and then the afro
14:50made him like
14:51four foot eight.
14:52Most of him was mullet.
14:53Is he still playing?
14:54I think he's still playing
14:55because I saw him
14:55on a cereal box
14:56the other day.
14:57So maybe he was
14:58in it as the prize.
15:04If you're like,
15:05you know,
15:05a four foot tall quarterback,
15:07you've really got a challenge.
15:08You can't see
15:09anything downfield.
15:11No team wants
15:12a five foot nine
15:13quarterback.
15:14Nobody.
15:15That is until
15:16Mike Ditka
15:16plucked the pint-sized QB
15:18from the ranks
15:19of the USFL
15:20in 1986.
15:21After that Hail Mary
15:22in Boston College,
15:24Ditka said,
15:24well, let's bring
15:25a little bit
15:25of that magic here.
15:26He just didn't know
15:27that was pixie dust
15:28and Flutie was
15:29really Tinkerbell.
15:33Mike Ditka
15:34saw the little big man
15:35as a savior.
15:36Doug Flutie
15:37was a great football player.
15:38If he had one limitation,
15:39it was height.
15:41But that never bothered me.
15:43But Ditka's affinity
15:45for his new quarterback
15:46certainly rubbed
15:47some of his veteran bears
15:49the wrong way.
15:50When Doug Flutie came in,
15:51Mike wrapped Doug
15:52around his arms,
15:53would have Doug
15:54over for dinner.
15:55He was viewed
15:56as kind of
15:57Ditka's pet project.
15:58It's probably
15:59that some Bears players
16:00resented him
16:01for nothing.
16:02Nothing.
16:03A lot of Bears players
16:04resent me.
16:05They said some
16:05mean things
16:07about the guy.
16:07Jim McMahon
16:08thinks you're actually
16:09shorter than...
16:09Exactly.
16:11I'm a lot shorter
16:12than Jim thinks I am.
16:13And you're a lot taller.
16:14No, I'm about 5'2".
16:16Ha!
16:18Despite the contention,
16:20Flutie was named
16:21the starter
16:21for the 1986
16:23NFC Divisional Playoff.
16:25If everybody else
16:26around him
16:26would have done
16:26their job,
16:27they would have won
16:27the playoff game.
16:28And Doug Flutie
16:29would have went down
16:30in history
16:30as one of the
16:31quarterbacks
16:32who led the Bears
16:33to the Super Bowl.
16:33I really believe that.
16:35But you know,
16:36I tell everybody,
16:37the place to go see
16:38that little people
16:39act in the circus
16:40is at the All-State Arena,
16:41not Soldier Field.
16:45In New England,
16:46things were beginning
16:47to look up for Flutie.
16:49Flutie to pass again.
16:50Let's it go long.
16:53But his head coach,
16:55Raymond Berry,
16:56still looked down on him.
16:58All he did was keep winning
16:59and all Ray Berry
17:00wanted to do
17:00was get him out
17:01of the lineup.
17:03The NFL really lost out
17:05because nobody could figure out
17:07how to use Doug Flutie
17:08early on
17:08and he had to go
17:09to the CFL.
17:10When you go up
17:10and look at what he accomplished
17:11for Canada,
17:13he was pretty good.
17:14Flutie rolling right,
17:16looking over the middle,
17:17complete touchdown!
17:19After three Great Cup victories
17:21and six Canadian League MVPs,
17:24our number six shortage player
17:26was lured back to the NFL
17:27in 1998.
17:29When I think of Doug Flutie,
17:30I think of that wonderful
17:31Renaissance season
17:32in 1998
17:33and how he really created
17:35this whole second act
17:36for himself.
17:37Flutie rolling out
17:37and he is in
17:38for the touchdown!
17:40Every time Doug Flutie
17:41took the field
17:42in an NFL game,
17:43he had the motivation
17:45in the back of his mind,
17:46and I'm going to show everybody.
17:49What allowed him
17:50to have the career
17:51that he had
17:51was he was driven
17:52by the desire
17:53to disprove the stereotype
17:55that a guy his size
17:56can't play and win.
18:02That's a 21-year season
18:04in the NFL
18:05or CFL.
18:07That's the longest career
18:08anybody under six foot
18:10probably lasted
18:12in pro football.
18:15There's nobody
18:16on your list
18:17of short guys
18:18who may ever
18:19drop-kicked
18:20an extra point
18:21in the National Football League
18:22except my man
18:24Doug Flutie.
18:26He's going to drop-kick it.
18:28That is good!
18:30I haven't seen that
18:31since the days
18:31of those finish
18:32basket leather helmets.
18:34That is an all-time
18:35accomplishment,
18:36alright?
18:36And he did it,
18:37and that stands.
18:39So that's enough for me,
18:40I'll tell you.
18:40Up next is...
18:42Man, you shot!
18:43I thought I was shot!
18:45You're big!
18:46I'm small!
18:47You shot, though!
18:48You shot in the ref!
18:49They got this guy
18:50up in Jacksonville now
18:51that he's unbelievable,
18:52you know?
18:53Maurice Jones-Trewing?
18:54Yeah.
18:55How tall is he?
18:565'6", 5'8",
18:58on his best day
18:59wearing my mom's heels.
19:00Ooh, he got heels on him!
19:02You could sue the city
19:02for building a sidewalk
19:03too close to his butt.
19:04But he's not small.
19:05I mean, he's thick.
19:06He's so massive
19:07in his lower body.
19:09Those big old legs.
19:10Tree trunk thighs.
19:12The guy is a big guy.
19:13He's just...
19:14He's vertically challenged.
19:16What do you think about?
19:17It's like sort of a
19:18pint-sized semi-truck.
19:21Real quick!
19:22What a powerful run
19:23by the youngster
19:24from UCLA.
19:25Maurice Jones-Trew
19:26is like...
19:28We back up about
19:2910 yards
19:29and we run
19:30as hard as we can
19:31and we hit a mailbox.
19:33We get arrested.
19:35Belted.
19:36It's still on his feet.
19:37How did he escape?
19:38How did he escape?
19:39He might be
19:40the best player
19:41in the league.
19:43I mean,
19:43he's that good.
19:45Don't get too
19:46carried away,
19:47Mr. Shula.
19:48We couldn't put
19:49Maurice Jones-Trew
19:50any higher
19:50than number five
19:51on our list
19:52because his game
19:54has a glaring flaw.
19:56Two left feet.
19:57We lost two points
19:58at the end, though.
19:59Oh,
20:00then the end zone dance.
20:01Wow.
20:02I didn't know
20:03it was that bad.
20:08You're talking about
20:08miracle games
20:10and miracle comebacks
20:11and miracle this
20:11and miracle that.
20:12The greatest miracle
20:13in the history
20:14of the National Football League
20:15is how in the world
20:16were they able
20:17to get his name
20:19across that jersey?
20:20I think they use
20:20very small lettering
20:22on there.
20:22They give him
20:23real big shoulder pads.
20:24It's a miracle.
20:25Successfully tackling
20:26Jones-Trew
20:27can require
20:28a minor miracle.
20:30Hey,
20:30when you hit this
20:30little joker,
20:31grab his ass.
20:32It don't look pretty.
20:33Grab him.
20:33It's why he's
20:34number five
20:35on our list.
20:36But why is he
20:37number 32?
20:38It wasn't because
20:39Jim Brown wore it
20:40or O.J. Simpson
20:42or Marcus Allen.
20:43Hopefully,
20:44you know,
20:45go up a little bit
20:45on some draft boards
20:46and, you know,
20:47come draft day
20:47be a first-round draft pick.
20:4932 teams
20:50passed him by,
20:51including the Jaguars.
20:53I was surprised
20:54he lasted,
20:54what,
20:55until the second round?
20:56We were there
20:56for like seven hours.
20:58Actually,
20:58it was seven hours
20:59and 46 minutes.
21:00I talked to NFL scouts
21:01and Maurice Jones-Drew
21:02was a complete
21:03afterthought.
21:04He'd be a good
21:04third down back.
21:06You know,
21:06he's a middle-round
21:07kind of guy.
21:08I felt they really
21:09looked at it
21:09and they would have
21:10put the stats together.
21:11I would have been
21:11like top 15 pick easy,
21:13but it wasn't about
21:14the stats
21:15and the drafts
21:15about your size
21:16and, you know,
21:17how you look.
21:18You know,
21:19I just got to go out
21:19there and prove,
21:20you know,
21:20I should have been higher.
21:24Short people everywhere
21:26who might have felt
21:27angry that they got
21:29their view of
21:36All stood up
21:38tall and rejoiced
21:39the day that
21:41big
21:41came rushing in
21:44to kill the Jaguars
21:46quarterback.
21:47I ought to try
21:47to blow his ass up.
21:50He's just a man.
21:51It's not like he's
21:52Clark Kent
21:53or he's like
21:54Hancock or somebody,
21:55you know.
21:56Guys that small,
21:57you can't see them.
21:58Before you know it,
21:59they dug him behind
22:00somebody at 6'2
22:00or 6'3
22:01and there they are.
22:02He was knocked down
22:03on a block
22:04by the 5'7
22:05inch Maurice Jones-Drew.
22:06But that was
22:07a pretty good play
22:08by the short guy.
22:10Police of everything
22:11came off the ground.
22:12He just kicked them all up.
22:13The only thing better
22:14would be if he actually
22:15did the lights out,
22:16Dennis.
22:17Lights out.
22:19The number 4
22:21shortest player
22:21of all time,
22:23Bob Sanders.
22:24He'll bet it
22:25on the air,
22:25picked off,
22:26Bob Sanders.
22:27Bob Sanders
22:28is a difference maker.
22:30Has to be the shortest
22:32ever defensive player
22:33of the year
22:33in NFL history.
22:34Has to be.
22:35Maybe no one
22:35has ever seen
22:36at the safety position
22:37in the NFL.
22:38Pound for pound,
22:39he might be the best player
22:40in the national football league.
22:42He was a hybrid,
22:45you know,
22:46linebacker,
22:47defensive back,
22:47even though he was
22:48only 5'8".
22:49And that's maybe
22:50giving him a little bit.
22:51But the thing about
22:52Bob Sanders,
22:52not only is he short,
22:53he's got one of the
22:54weirdest bodies.
22:55The neck's made
22:56by Schwarzenegger,
22:57the height's made
22:58by a munchkin,
22:59the shoulders are like
23:00Superman's,
23:01the waist is Batman's,
23:02and boom,
23:03here's Bob Sanders
23:03who happens to be
23:04one heck of a football player.
23:06Bob Sanders!
23:06Nope.
23:09Bob is a,
23:10he's a big play guy
23:11and he brings
23:11a lot of energy.
23:13Oh, oh!
23:14Woo-hoo!
23:15Let's go, baby!
23:16One hit can bring
23:18that excitement
23:19to the whole defense
23:20and then he has the ability
23:21to do that.
23:22Sanders' panage
23:23for punishment
23:24preceded his professional career.
23:27I mean,
23:27he's a fierce,
23:28fierce hitter.
23:29See,
23:29he was in Iowa, too.
23:30He would absolutely
23:31come up
23:31and hit you.
23:33A second-round pick
23:35in 2005,
23:36Sanders' stellar play
23:38led to a defensive MVP award
23:40two years later.
23:41I don't think
23:42even Bill Pullian
23:43knew how good
23:45a tackler
23:45he was going to turn
23:46out to be in the NFL.
23:48I don't know
23:49if there's ever been
23:49anyone
23:50at the safety position
23:51that plays his physical
23:52and they might as well
23:53put 52 or 55
23:54because that dude's
23:55a linebacker
23:56coming up
23:56and making his.
23:57Yeah!
23:59Sanders may have
24:00ranked higher
24:01on our list
24:01had he stayed healthy.
24:03He's such a fierce hitter
24:05that he knocks himself
24:06out of games.
24:07I mean,
24:08he's missed a lot of games
24:09because of injuries.
24:10He plays so much time
24:11around the line
24:12of scrimmage.
24:13He had so many people
24:14so hard
24:15it started to take its toll.
24:18With him out of the lineup,
24:19major difference.
24:212006,
24:22the Colts have arguably
24:23the worst run defense
24:24of all time.
24:25Bob Sanders
24:26misses 12 games
24:27that year
24:27with various injuries
24:28and the Colts
24:29give up 173 yards
24:31rushing per game.
24:32Run it down.
24:33Keep running it.
24:35It was a tough year
24:36and especially
24:37with the defense
24:37struggling
24:38because he knew
24:38he could make a difference.
24:40Sanders comes back
24:41for the playoffs
24:41and he makes a run
24:43they give up 82 yards
24:44rushing per game.
24:45That's the Bob Sanders factor.
24:47Well Bob...
24:47That's less than half
24:48of what they gave up before.
24:51Came back in
24:52he was just flying
24:53to the ball
24:53and everybody
24:54started flying to the ball.
24:55If we ain't physical
24:56I don't know if it's hard.
24:58But more than anything
24:59I think he just
25:00gave us confidence.
25:05Our number four
25:07shortest player
25:07saved his best
25:09for the game's
25:09biggest stage
25:10Super Bowl 41.
25:12Bob Sanders
25:13made a hit
25:14on Cedric Benson
25:15and when that happened
25:17and we knocked
25:18that ball loose
25:19and that energy
25:20came back
25:20on our sideline.
25:24Inch for inch
25:26it's Bob Sanders'
25:27legacy
25:28that means the most
25:29to Indianapolis.
25:31His impact
25:31on that defense
25:33will be felt
25:34for years.
25:35He's the guy
25:35that brought
25:36the physicality
25:37that toughness
25:38to the Colts' defense.
25:39It will be there
25:40long after he retires.
25:42Coming up
25:43on Top 10
25:44what does this
25:45field mouse
25:46have in common
25:47with our number
25:47three shortest
25:48The number three
25:49shortest player
25:50of all time
25:51Sam Mills.
25:54Easily.
25:54Number three
25:55Sam Mills
25:56is the field mouse.
25:59I wondered
25:59how a guy
26:00that compact
26:01could even consider
26:03playing linebacker
26:04in professional football.
26:05Sam Mills
26:06looked like Tattoo.
26:07I kept looking around
26:07for Mr. O'Rourke
26:08thought I was
26:09on Fantasy Island.
26:10I mean he's listed
26:10at 5'9",
26:11but I think anybody
26:12would tell you
26:12he's a little shorter
26:13than that.
26:14I'm 5'9",
26:15three quarters actually.
26:16The guy said
26:16well Sam was little.
26:17He wasn't little
26:18he was short
26:18and yet
26:19that size
26:21probably might have
26:22been an advantage
26:23to him
26:23because he had
26:24great leverage.
26:25He would get up
26:26under guys
26:26and he would
26:28just rock them.
26:35For Sam Mills
26:36his road
26:37to the NFL
26:38began with a
26:39few detours.
26:40The USF
26:41went to training camp
26:42but the Cleveland Browns
26:43was cut
26:43went to the Canadian
26:45Football League
26:45to Toronto
26:46was cut
26:47good fortune for him
26:49along came
26:49the United States
26:50Football League.
26:51He played three years
26:52with us
26:52in the USFL
26:53and he was
26:54in my opinion
26:55the best football player
26:56we had over those
26:57three years.
26:58He reminded me
26:59so much of
26:59Willie Lanier
27:00a middle linebacker
27:02who could
27:03do everything.
27:04When Jim Mora
27:05was named
27:06the Saints head coach
27:07in 1986
27:07he brought Mills
27:09to New Orleans
27:10but there were still
27:11some lingering doubts.
27:13I remember the first day
27:14he stepped onto the practice field
27:15he looked short.
27:17I was going to cut him
27:18crying out loud.
27:18I never came close
27:19to cutting him
27:20but I'm thinking
27:20we've got to have
27:21a big guy
27:22and that's been
27:24the worst mistake
27:25of my life
27:26in or out of coaching.
27:29A half-pied linebacker
27:31named Sam Mills
27:32is helping the Saints defense
27:34wage of full frontal assault
27:36on the NFL.
27:42He is a full speed player
27:44in the image
27:45of Mike Singletary.
27:48Sam Mills
27:49really sort of
27:50played my role
27:50in Chicago
27:51in terms of
27:52being a leader.
27:53You know
27:54he had to handle
27:54Von Johnson
27:55and Ricky Jackson
27:56and Paps Willis
27:57and keep everybody
27:57together.
27:59Let it go, Barrett.
28:01Good job, man.
28:01That's the way
28:02you do it
28:03right there.
28:03Yeah.
28:06Browning Nagel
28:07who's back to pass
28:08on third down
28:08has the ball
28:09taken out of his hands
28:10by Sam Mills.
28:11He'll score.
28:12Sam Mills
28:12was an absolute
28:13genius
28:14student of the game.
28:16You know what that is, huh?
28:17He was bad, man.
28:20He really studied film.
28:22He understood
28:23what the offensive line
28:24was doing,
28:25how they were doing.
28:26He knew when
28:26to shoot the gaps.
28:27I remember game
28:28playing against him.
28:29Sam called
28:30every single
28:31and rightly called
28:32every single play
28:32we were running.
28:33What's a draw?
28:35It's a run.
28:36I said,
28:36Sam,
28:36would you give us
28:37a break here, man?
28:38I mean,
28:38you're killing us.
28:39I got it, baby.
28:39I got it.
28:43In 1994,
28:43at the age of 35,
28:46our number three
28:47shortest player
28:47signed with
28:48the expansion
28:49Panthers.
28:50He was the kind
28:50of guy they needed
28:51at that time.
28:52They were a fledgling
28:53organization.
28:53They needed a leader
28:54and I think
28:55they felt like
28:55he was the kind
28:56of guy
28:56that could come
28:57in and lead
28:57their defense.
28:59Sam,
29:00I expect the hell
29:01out of you, man.
29:01You're one hell
29:02of a good player.
29:03We can't measure
29:03the effect
29:04that Sam Mills
29:05has had
29:05on our football team.
29:07I've said this
29:07many, many times
29:08and I've coached
29:09a long time.
29:10Sam Mills
29:11was the best
29:11football player
29:12I have ever coached.
29:16Coming up,
29:17which Redskins'
29:19speed was
29:19over the top?
29:22I know my limits
29:24are small
29:25and it's got
29:27to be a big
29:27man's game.
29:30The number two
29:31shortest player
29:32of all time,
29:33Darryl Green.
29:35These gnats
29:36are killing me.
29:36I know.
29:37We got him.
29:38Ready?
29:39Ready?
29:39Go.
29:41Cover your face.
29:42Ready?
29:42Small, fast guy,
29:44very annoying.
29:44I would describe
29:45him as a gnat.
29:46I used to call
29:47Darryl Peanut
29:48because he was
29:49a little guy.
29:49This game is
29:50about the Redskins
29:51winning.
29:51Period.
29:52It's about
29:52the Redskins
29:53winning, guys.
29:55Our number two
29:56shortest player
29:57had a long career.
29:58In 20 Hall of Fame
29:59seasons,
30:00Darryl Green
30:00made seven Pro Bowls,
30:02won two Super Bowls,
30:04and made his weight
30:05in the Tootsie Rolls.
30:07Tootsie Roll, buddy.
30:10Make your run fast.
30:12Green was
30:13a number one draft
30:14set whose blinding
30:15speed helped him
30:16cover the entire field.
30:18When he was in
30:19college,
30:20he was Olympic
30:21caliber sprinter.
30:22The only man
30:22on the football field
30:23that could catch
30:24Eric Dickerson
30:25is Darryl Green.
30:25He was as fast
30:26almost as anybody
30:27in the world.
30:29But of course,
30:29the track doesn't pay
30:30and football does.
30:33Yep.
30:35The Green's in the huddle
30:36talking about
30:36we're trying to get
30:37three and O.
30:38Three and O.
30:39This is about
30:40winning football.
30:41This isn't about
30:41just you made the team
30:43and you're a Redskins.
30:44It's all time
30:45and he's kicking in.
30:46We already lost one.
30:46Here's a guy
30:47that was running
30:47a 4-3
30:48and is like 16th year.
30:50Here's a guy
30:51that's backpedaling
30:52at an older age
30:53as fast
30:55as some of these
30:55young receivers
30:56were running
30:57forward.
30:58That's why
30:58if he played so long
30:59he lost his step
31:01but he had one to give.
31:022-8 can still do it, baby.
31:05Mayor of D.C.
31:05Darryl Green.
31:07After he left office,
31:09our number two
31:10shortest player's
31:11speed didn't slip.
31:12I got a phone call
31:13from Darryl Green
31:14who said that
31:15he had run in Florida
31:16a 40-yard dash
31:17in 4.46 seconds
31:20at the age of 40.
31:22No, wait.
31:23Is he 40?
31:24Or is he 50?
31:26Darryl, at the age of 50,
31:27ran 4-4
31:28at a Pro Bowl event.
31:31And so that's legit.
31:32I couldn't drive
31:33a 40-yard dash
31:35in 4.4 seconds
31:36at the age of 50.
31:39That's just sad.
31:40That doesn't make
31:41what he did
31:42more impressive.
31:43Your car's just slow.
31:45You're a slow driver.
31:49Darryl would never
31:50be accused
31:51of being
31:51a perfect technician.
31:53He could have had
31:54twice as many
31:54interceptions
31:55if he could catch.
31:56I'd swear his hands
31:57were on the wrong arms
31:58half the time.
31:59He drops the ball!
32:01The ball
32:02hit the ground.
32:03But he had
32:04instant quickness,
32:05instant acceleration.
32:07And he could match up
32:08with bigger receivers
32:09because he had
32:09tremendous ability
32:11to jump.
32:13Bravo to the
32:14Hall of Famer!
32:15When the ball
32:15was in the air,
32:16I'm not sure
32:17there was anybody
32:17really better
32:18than Darryl Green.
32:19He throws it up.
32:21It's picked off
32:21by Darryl Green.
32:25Joe Gibbs
32:26made a very
32:27conscientious effort
32:28never to let
32:29Darryl return punts
32:30during the regular season
32:32because he didn't
32:32want to get him hurt.
32:33But the 1987 playoffs
32:35were another story.
32:37As soon as we saw
32:38him back there,
32:39it was like,
32:39uh-oh,
32:40here we go.
32:41Green driven
32:41back to midfield
32:42on the far side.
32:43He's got the ball
32:44up to the 45,
32:45far side 40.
32:46He wanted to win
32:46that game so bad
32:48that he knew
32:49he had to score
32:50or they were going
32:51to lose.
32:51Balls a man
32:52to the 30,
32:52breaks it to the
32:53near side,
32:5325,
32:54watch out!
32:55I can still see him
32:56hurtling Cap Bozo
32:57and I'm sure
32:58Cap Bozo can still
32:59see him hurtling
32:59Cap Bozo.
33:00He's gone!
33:01Touchdown!
33:02Washington Redskins!
33:03At about the
33:0410-yard line,
33:05you see him start
33:05to slow up
33:06and grab his
33:07rib cage.
33:08He tore rib
33:09cartilage hurtling
33:10the last defender.
33:12Kind of like
33:12that scene
33:13from Rocky.
33:14Remember at the
33:14end of the fight
33:15you're all swollen
33:16and shattered
33:16and bruised
33:17but cut him,
33:18Mick,
33:19cut him.
33:19That's the
33:20difference
33:20between a winner
33:22and a loser.
33:23The guy that
33:23will go that far
33:25is going to win.
33:27Coming up,
33:28our number
33:29one shortest
33:29player of all time,
33:34Barry Sanders.
33:36Who else?
33:37Two, four, six, eight!
33:39Who do we appreciate?
33:40Barry!
33:41Barry!
33:42Barry!
33:43Ten seasons
33:44in the NFL
33:46averaged better
33:47than 300 carries
33:48a season,
33:49averaged better
33:50than 1,500 yards
33:51a season,
33:52and for all
33:53of those carries,
33:54finished his career
33:54with a five-yard
33:56per carry average.
33:57Barry Sanders
33:58is the best
33:59short football player
34:00of all time.
34:00That's not even
34:01a question.
34:01He is certainly
34:03the best little guy.
34:05That's pretty awesome.
34:06It's awesome,
34:07but it's kind of
34:07an insult, too.
34:11Our number
34:12one shortest
34:13player of all time
34:14has always been
34:15a little sensitive
34:16about his height.
34:17Going up,
34:18I always thought
34:19if I could just
34:20get to six feet,
34:21maybe I could be
34:22a good football player.
34:24Barry Sanders
34:25dreamed of starring
34:26at Oklahoma
34:27for Barry Switzer.
34:29You don't go
34:29take a five-foot,
34:32765-70-pound
34:33wingback
34:33in high school
34:34when you only
34:35got 30 scholarships.
34:36Oklahoma State,
34:37they were fortunate
34:38to get it.
34:39In fact,
34:39it was a gift to them.
34:41Turns out,
34:41I guess I didn't need
34:42those extra few inches.
34:46My son met
34:47Barry Sanders
34:48and he's like,
34:49that's Barry Sanders?
34:50I'm like,
34:51yeah.
34:51He's like,
34:52he's not even six foot.
34:53I'm like,
34:53I know.
34:53Barry Sanders
34:54is a 280-pound man
34:57who was cut off
34:58at the knees
34:59and had his shoes
35:00reattached.
35:03Barry Sanders
35:03was like 5'8",
35:04but when you look
35:05at him,
35:06he looked like
35:07he had four and a half
35:08feet of legs.
35:09Barry Sanders
35:10with those
35:11big big legs.
35:12He had games
35:13against the Bears
35:14where it seemed
35:15like they simply
35:16refused to tackle it.
35:18And they never
35:18had a chance.
35:19Guys were laughing
35:20at each other
35:21and they were just
35:22saying,
35:22you know what?
35:22Hey,
35:23I at least touched him.
35:24You didn't touch him
35:25at all.
35:25I've got my hand
35:27on his jersey.
35:28Barry Sanders
35:29can be very,
35:30very dangerous.
35:31No one
35:31in the history
35:32of the game
35:32ever stopped
35:33and started
35:34in a different
35:35direction
35:35as quickly
35:36as Barry did.
35:37Every time
35:37we talk about Barry,
35:39we say,
35:39that's the greatest run,
35:40that's the greatest run,
35:41that might have been
35:42the greatest run.
35:43I don't know
35:43how Barry Sanders
35:44didn't blow out a knee
35:45about every third play.
35:48One of the finest
35:49running backs
35:49in the United States
35:50of America
35:51and our number
35:51one pick,
35:53Barry Sanders.
35:55Barry Sanders
35:56had Wayne Fonce
35:58as his head coach
35:59for the bulk
36:00of his career.
36:02Wayne Fonce
36:03was handed
36:03the keys to a Ferrari
36:04and he wasn't sure
36:05how to drive it sometimes.
36:06He had all of his yards,
36:08yet when they would
36:08get to the goal line
36:09they'd take him
36:10out of the game.
36:10Anywhere on the field
36:11Barry Sanders
36:12was in a goal line situation.
36:13When in doubt,
36:14give it to Barry.
36:15I feel it's a privilege
36:17to be one of the players
36:17that will help
36:19restore the roar
36:20in the dome.
36:21What Barry Sanders
36:22did with how little
36:23surrounded him?
36:25Insane.
36:26His quarterbacks,
36:27Eric Kramer,
36:29ball stumbled
36:29and a turnover
36:31for the Redskins.
36:32Rodney Peet,
36:36Andre Ware,
36:38these are the other
36:39weapons on his offense.
36:40Every defense
36:41was ready to stop
36:42Barry Sanders
36:43and he still
36:45motored his way.
36:49Barry Sanders?
36:50That guy quit.
36:52He left the game
36:53way too early.
36:54Who quits
36:54when you're that good?
36:56He certainly had a lot of love.
36:57You try playing for Detroit.
37:00Anyway.
37:01He didn't play that long.
37:03Some say our number one
37:04players sold his career
37:06short.
37:07Just for you.
37:08Like our 60 album
37:09of 30.
37:10Doug Flutie
37:11played until he was 43.
37:13Quitter!
37:15Doug Flutie
37:16never quit in his life.
37:17Probably the most popular
37:18short football player
37:20ever
37:21is Doug Flutie.
37:22No.
37:23No.
37:24Barry Sanders
37:25was the greatest short player
37:27in the history of the NFL.
37:28We agree.
37:29He retired only
37:301,400 yards short
37:32of the career rushing record.
37:34A lot of people talked about
37:35well he's so close
37:36to breaking this record.
37:37Now he only has
37:38one more running back
37:39to catch.
37:40The former bear
37:40Walter Payton.
37:41What was in the record books
37:43never mattered to him.
37:45He played the game
37:45because he was good at it.
37:46He played the game
37:47because he liked it.
37:47At the point when he stopped
37:48liking it he stopped playing.
37:50He already knew he was
37:51an otherworldly talented
37:53running back
37:53and he was that
37:54every morning he woke up.
37:56So what does he need
37:56the number for
37:57to tell him that?
38:01Barry may have come up short
38:02in the record books
38:03but he's number one
38:05on our list
38:06as the greatest short player
38:08of all time.
38:09Sometimes you just
38:10gotta look to the heavens
38:11and say wow.
38:13Barry Sanders
38:13is the greatest pure runner
38:16that ever suited up
38:17in the NFL
38:17and he should be
38:18number one on this list.
38:19Number one
38:19Barry Sanders
38:20end of story.
38:21Thanks for watching.
38:22Drive home safely.
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