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There goes Herschel! Here comes Lehcsreh!

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by deskslave, Jan 17, 2008.

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  1. Big Chee

    Big Chee Active Member

    Doesn't change the fact that he was a limited runner who couldn't run in anything other than a downhill offense.

    His downfall in Minny is when they attempted to run a counter offense, forcing his rigid running style to move laterally which was his Achilles heel as a RB.

    You force Herschel to run parallel and he was easy to tackle and became ineffective.

    He's fortunate his abnormal size, speed and hard work during the off season allowed him to play so long.
     
    Big Chee, Apr 14, 2008
    #25
  2. Grimace

    Grimace Guest

    Not to mention the 100,000 pushups and 100,000 situps he did every day.
     
    Grimace, Apr 14, 2008
    #26
  3. Big Chee

    Big Chee Active Member

    The guy worked harder than any athlete during his era.
    I'll give him that, but he was limited as a tailback.

    He didn't have the ability to contort his body and face the end zone when forced outside, giving defenders the side of his body to tackle when his shoulders faced the sidelines.

    He had Terry Kirby like longevity with better skills.
     
    Big Chee, Apr 14, 2008
    #27
  4. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Exactly - I 've never watched another "tailback" with less ability to cut than Herschel Walker.

    Anyone who says differently just did not watch him in the NFL. He was not a good NFL tailback.

    I've always wondered about the story where police found him asleep in garage with car running . He claimed that he was listening to music and fell asleep.
     
    Boom_70, Apr 14, 2008
    #28
  5. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    You left out the part where Herschel Walker only had three seasons where his longest rush was at least 70 yards.

    The guy averaged 4.2 ypc for his career, and it's not because he alternated 70-yard carries with 2-yard carries.
     
    TheSportsPredictor, Apr 14, 2008
    #29
  6. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    I can't believe Dooley had a quote anyone liked...




    Wait...
     
    slappy4428, Apr 14, 2008
    #30
  7. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    He was plenty good. Other than 1988, he just wasn't great.
     
    Steak Snabler, Apr 14, 2008
    #31
  8. fishwrapper

    fishwrapper Active Member

    Is that Sybil?
     
    fishwrapper, Apr 14, 2008
    #32
  9. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    He wasn't anything near the pro that he was as a college player. He was an all-time great at Georgia. As a pro he was above average for a few years and average at best after the trade to Minnesota. Part of that was that the coaching staff never embraced him -- they were resentful they had given up so much for him. But part of it was Herschel. The whole "Herschel The Turkey" thing in Minnesota, which still survives to this day, didn't start because he had lived up to what people expected after his college career, during which he looked like he might be the best ever.
     
    The Big Ragu, Apr 14, 2008
    #33
  10. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    If he was an "average" NFL running back, his career would have lasted four years, not 15. He was a good NFL player --- durable and capable of the occasional big game, just not exceptional for more than a short stretch.

    This is a mindset you run into a lot of times. If a guy's not a perennial Pro Bowler/Hall of Famer, he's average or bad. There's no in between to a lot of people, except that there actually is.

    Ricky Watters was a good NFL player. Not often a great one, but a very good one. I think that's a comp for Herschel (yes, I know he had 2,000-odd more yards than Herschel, but give Walker back the 4-5 years he lost in the USFL and then splitting time with Dorsett and their numbers are comparable).

    It's just that everyone thought Herschel would be an all-time great in the pros. He wasn't, but that doesn't mean he wasn't good.
     
    Steak Snabler, Apr 14, 2008
    #34
  11. Stone Cane

    Stone Cane Member

    did you guys watch these two RBs play?

    ricky watters was vastly superior to herschel

    ricky made teams better

    herschel didn't
     
    Stone Cane, Apr 14, 2008
    #35
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member


    I disagree with your assertion. First of all, I gave him his due. He had some above average years. But most of his career was average at best. Average means just that. Average. Below average are the guys who have 2 year careers and can't hold roster spots. There are plenty of average guys who manage to fill out rosters for a long time.

    Herschel Walker was not a perenial pro bowler in the NFL. He was a serviceable back who was good for limited carries and was not going to give you even a 1,000 yard season. That is average.

    But none of this is the point when you are talking about a guy like Herschel Walker. He was all world coming out of college, as in no one had ever seen that kind of size and speed in a back. He wowed people; was a special talent. People expected him to be the best ever--and trust me, because even though I was relatively young, I remember how good he was and what the hype was. So even though he chipped out a very nice NFL career--and lots of average players do--he had the unfortunate cross to bear of living up to what he had been in college and that was the second coming of Jesus. And in that regard he was a major disappointment as a pro. He at least needed to be Earl Campbell to live up to what he had shown in college. What he did show, fell FAR below that standard.
     
    The Big Ragu, Apr 15, 2008
    #36
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