Terrell Davis, HOF Candidate (1 Viewer)

[Ministry of Pain]

Davis was a great RB and a big reason why Denver won back to back Super Bowls. His career was cut short but he had one of the best 3-4 year runs of anyone we have ever seen. I thought it was enough to put him in the HoF and still maybe one day they will like they did Ray Guy but he is gonna have to wait a long time.

1996- 1,538 rush/13TD 1st team All Pro

1997- 1750 rush/15 TD 1st team All Pro, Super Bowl XXXII MVP

1998- 2,008 rush/21TD 1st team All Pro, Post Season 200/2TD vs Mia, 167/TD vs NYJ, 102 in SB, pulled twice at GL

I bet I can't find a RB inducted into the HoF in the last 20 years that has a run like this.

 

[cstu]

It was a helluva a run - 3rd most rushing yards by a RB in his first 4 seasons. However, the knock against him is his OL that produced this after he was injured:

1999 - Olandis Gary - 1159/7 (4.2 YPC) *In 12 games

2000 - Mike Anderson - 1487/15 (5.0 YPC)

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I went back as far as 1973-1975 and couldn't find anyone with more rushing yards over a three year span than Davis's 5296. Hell of a run.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Davis was a great RB and a big reason why Denver won back to back Super Bowls. His career was cut short but he had one of the best 3-4 year runs of anyone we have ever seen. I thought it was enough to put him in the HoF and still maybe one day they will like they did Ray Guy but he is gonna have to wait a long time.

1996- 1,538 rush/13TD 1st team All Pro

1997- 1750 rush/15 TD 1st team All Pro, Super Bowl XXXII MVP

1998- 2,008 rush/21TD 1st team All Pro, Post Season 200/2TD vs Mia, 167/TD vs NYJ, 102 in SB, pulled twice at GL

I bet I can't find a RB inducted into the HoF in the last 20 years that has a run like this.

It's occurred to me that Davis deserves more credit for those Denver SB wins than Elway, a stretch for many, I know, but to my mind he was the last of the "great" RBs (Franco, Riggins) that championship teams were once built upon.

 

[moleculo]

It was a helluva a run - 3rd most rushing yards by a RB in his first 4 seasons. However, the knock against him is his OL that produced this after he was injured:

1999 - Olandis Gary - 1159/7 (4.2 YPC) *In 12 games

2000 - Mike Anderson - 1487/15 (5.0 YPC)

is that really a knock? These guys had good seasons, sure, but nothing like 2000 yards from TD in 1998 - a season where he was pulled in the 2nd half in a lot of games.

And, no one produced in the post season.

 

[moleculo]

Here is a complete list of Bronco RB's to run for > 90 yards in a playoff game:

name date game score attemptws yards avg TDSammy Winder 1/4/1987 DEN vs. NWE W 22-17 19 102 5.37 0Terrell Davis 1/4/1997 DEN vs. JAX L 27-30 14 91 6.5 1Terrell Davis 12/27/1997 DEN vs. JAX W 42-17 31 184 5.94 2Terrell Davis 1/4/1998 DEN vs. KAN W 14-10 25 101 4.04 2Terrell Davis 1/11/1998 DEN vs. PIT W 24-21 26 139 5.35 1Terrell Davis 1/25/1998 DEN vs. GNB W 31-24 30 157 5.23 3Terrell Davis 1/9/1999 DEN vs. MIA W 38-3 21 199 9.48 2Terrell Davis 1/17/1999 DEN vs. NYJ W 23-10 32 167 5.22 1Terrell Davis 1/31/1999 DEN vs. ATL W 34-19 25 102 4.08 0In the history of the Denver Broncos, going back to 1960, 90 yards rushing has been eclipsed 9 times, 8 of which were Terrell Davis.

Note: this list includes every post-season game TD ever played.

 

[MoveToSkypager]

Davis was a great RB and a big reason why Denver won back to back Super Bowls. His career was cut short but he had one of the best 3-4 year runs of anyone we have ever seen. I thought it was enough to put him in the HoF and still maybe one day they will like they did Ray Guy but he is gonna have to wait a long time.

1996- 1,538 rush/13TD 1st team All Pro

1997- 1750 rush/15 TD 1st team All Pro, Super Bowl XXXII MVP

1998- 2,008 rush/21TD 1st team All Pro, Post Season 200/2TD vs Mia, 167/TD vs NYJ, 102 in SB, pulled twice at GL

I bet I can't find a RB inducted into the HoF in the last 20 years that has a run like this.

It's occurred to me that Davis deserves more credit for those Denver SB wins than Elway, a stretch for many, I know, but to my mind he was the last of the "great" RBs (Franco, Riggins) that championship teams were once built upon.

I agree 100%. He did carry those teams to the title. People equating him to Olandis Gary just weren't paying attentinon. That he isn't in the HOF is on the same level of injustice as China occupying Tibet and Britain keeping priceless Egyptian relics.

 

[MoveToSkypager]

Here is a complete list of Bronco RB's to run for > 90 yards in a playoff game:

name date game score attemptws yards avg TDSammy Winder 1/4/1987 DEN vs. NWE W 22-17 19 102 5.37 0Terrell Davis 1/4/1997 DEN vs. JAX L 27-30 14 91 6.5 1Terrell Davis 12/27/1997 DEN vs. JAX W 42-17 31 184 5.94 2Terrell Davis 1/4/1998 DEN vs. KAN W 14-10 25 101 4.04 2Terrell Davis 1/11/1998 DEN vs. PIT W 24-21 26 139 5.35 1Terrell Davis 1/25/1998 DEN vs. GNB W 31-24 30 157 5.23 3Terrell Davis 1/9/1999 DEN vs. MIA W 38-3 21 199 9.48 2Terrell Davis 1/17/1999 DEN vs. NYJ W 23-10 32 167 5.22 1Terrell Davis 1/31/1999 DEN vs. ATL W 34-19 25 102 4.08 0In the history of the Denver Broncos, going back to 1960, 90 yards rushing has been eclipsed 9 times, 8 of which were Terrell Davis.

Note: this list includes every post-season game TD ever played.

So he had 7 consecutive 100 yard playoff games? Has anyone come close to that?

 

[moleculo]

Here is a complete list of Bronco RB's to run for > 90 yards in a playoff game:

name date game score attemptws yards avg TDSammy Winder 1/4/1987 DEN vs. NWE W 22-17 19 102 5.37 0Terrell Davis 1/4/1997 DEN vs. JAX L 27-30 14 91 6.5 1Terrell Davis 12/27/1997 DEN vs. JAX W 42-17 31 184 5.94 2Terrell Davis 1/4/1998 DEN vs. KAN W 14-10 25 101 4.04 2Terrell Davis 1/11/1998 DEN vs. PIT W 24-21 26 139 5.35 1Terrell Davis 1/25/1998 DEN vs. GNB W 31-24 30 157 5.23 3Terrell Davis 1/9/1999 DEN vs. MIA W 38-3 21 199 9.48 2Terrell Davis 1/17/1999 DEN vs. NYJ W 23-10 32 167 5.22 1Terrell Davis 1/31/1999 DEN vs. ATL W 34-19 25 102 4.08 0In the history of the Denver Broncos, going back to 1960, 90 yards rushing has been eclipsed 9 times, 8 of which were Terrell Davis.

Note: this list includes every post-season game TD ever played.

So he had 7 consecutive 100 yard playoff games? Has anyone come close to that?

John Riggins had 6 in a row. Thurman Thomas had 4 in a row, and a handful had 3 in a row.

link

 

[cstu]

It was a helluva a run - 3rd most rushing yards by a RB in his first 4 seasons. However, the knock against him is his OL that produced this after he was injured:

1999 - Olandis Gary - 1159/7 (4.2 YPC) *In 12 games

2000 - Mike Anderson - 1487/15 (5.0 YPC)

is that really a knock? These guys had good seasons, sure, but nothing like 2000 yards from TD in 1998 - a season where he was pulled in the 2nd half in a lot of games.

And, no one produced in the post season.

It is a knock when we're trying to get a RB with 4 seasons into the HOF. Had he done what he did on a team without an incredible OL I think it would be much easier to justify putting him in.

One of my favorite players is Emmitt Smith, but I wouldn't make him a HOF'er if his career ended after the 93 season. He too won 2 SB's in his first four years and rushed for over 100 yards in 5 out of 8 playoff games, only one game less than 80 yards.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Like I've always said, holding the fact that some RBs did well in the Denver system after Terrell Davis against him is like suggesting that Joe Montana isn't that great because Steve Young and Jeff Garcia did well in the same system in SF. There may have been others after him that had their moments, but no one did it as well, as long, or as great as Davis did. The facts bare this out quite clearly.

And Davis was in the league for seven years, not four. The last three might have been injury-plagued, but he was still in the league for all of those years.

 

[MoveToSkypager]

So crazy that people would say TD would be a HOFer if he hung around and pumped out 3 ####ty seasons. That makes no sense.

 

[dutch]

So crazy that people would say TD would be a HOFer if he hung around and pumped out 3 ####ty seasons. That makes no sense.

But Davis did hang around and post three more ####ty seasons and that is precisely why folks argue against his inclusion in the hall. Had he hung around and posted even avg. to above avg. seasons his hof candidacy may have garnered more votes than it has so far.

 

[MoveToSkypager]

So crazy that people would say TD would be a HOFer if he hung around and pumped out 3 ####ty seasons. That makes no sense.

But Davis did hang around and post three more ####ty seasons and that is precisely why folks argue against his inclusion in the hall. Had he hung around and posted even avg. to above avg. seasons his hof candidacy may have garnered more votes than it has so far.

No.

 

[Koya]

Great back. Fantastic four year run. But not quite enough for the HoF.

FWIW, imo it's not fair to compare him to compilers such as Bettis in an arguement, as I don't think Bettis is a HoFer either. Better comparison would be to Gale Sayers in his short time... but Sayers was a revolution, something unseen and a nearly unmatched talent exhibited over a few amazing years in a time long before the medical advances that could have prolonged his dominance. Davis was just a really great 4 year run. That's the difference, and it's enough to (legitimately) keep him out of the hall.

 

[cstu]

Great back. Fantastic four year run. But not quite enough for the HoF.

FWIW, imo it's not fair to compare him to compilers such as Bettis in an arguement, as I don't think Bettis is a HoFer either. Better comparison would be to Gale Sayers in his short time... but Sayers was a revolution, something unseen and a nearly unmatched talent exhibited over a few amazing years in a time long before the medical advances that could have prolonged his dominance. Davis was just a really great 4 year run. That's the difference, and it's enough to (legitimately) keep him out of the hall.

Reminded me of this:

Gale Sayers’s Knee, and the Dark Ages of Medicine

By TONI MONKOVIC

If you could watch highlights of one N.F.L. player, whom would it be?

Hold that thought.

Before we get to a gruesome part, some good news:

Wes Welker, the guy with the happy feet, has made remarkable strides after tearing knee ligaments in the Patriots’ final regular-season game. He is expected to play in Week 1, thought to be an all but impossible timetable for recovery.

And Leon Washington scored on an 11-yard touchdown run (in the video above) for Seattle on Saturday night. The compound fracture in his right leg — during a Week 7 game last season — was thought to be so serious that … Well, it was so serious that the Jets dumped him (and a seventh-round pick) for a fifth-round pick.

It’s easy to take these medical success stories for granted. In an article about Gale Sayers in last week’s Sports Illustrated, Tim Layden described surgical practices that call to mind old “Saturday Night Live” skits in which Steve Martin, as Theodoric of York, “bled” people.

Dr. Mark Klaassen replaced one of Sayers’s knees last year:

Inside the knee Klaassen found carnage. Sayers’s anterior cruciate ligament was gone; the posterior cruciate ligament was stretched and frayed. There was evidence that the medial collateral ligament had been sewn or stapled at some point in an effort to create stability (a practice common at one time but later found to be ineffective). A half-inch wedge of his tibia had been sawed off in an osteotomy, a surgical procedure designed to redistribute weight away from an arthritic surface. Almost no cartilage remained, and as a result, the joint was filled with dust and fragments from bones rubbing together for many years.

It was not the worst knee Klaassen had ever seen. But it was by far the worst on which the owner had been actively exercising. “This thing was utterly shot,” says Klaassen. “And Gale had been jogging on this knee. All I could think was, Wow, that’s a lot of pain tolerance. This is a unique individual here. Very determined. Very stoic.”

Layden quoted Dr. James Andrews as saying: “”In those days our ability to fix an ACL, MCL, PCL was in the dark ages. We didn’t know how to fix the ACL, so we left it alone and operated on the peripheral tendons to make up for the ACL. That didn’t work. With the cartilage, we would do a total menisectomy, just take it all out. That was a mistake too.”

As Layden points out, the amazing part is that the knee wasn’t the one that absorbed the blow that robbed Sayers of his greatness and led to the end of his brief career.

 

[Anarchy99]

Great back. Fantastic four year run. But not quite enough for the HoF.

FWIW, imo it's not fair to compare him to compilers such as Bettis in an arguement, as I don't think Bettis is a HoFer either. Better comparison would be to Gale Sayers in his short time... but Sayers was a revolution, something unseen and a nearly unmatched talent exhibited over a few amazing years in a time long before the medical advances that could have prolonged his dominance. Davis was just a really great 4 year run. That's the difference, and it's enough to (legitimately) keep him out of the hall.

When you add in his post season totals, TD had enough production wise to have 5 years of elite production in 4 years. If Davis had the same career in the 60s, he would have been in a long time ago. There will always be some voters who will say he was a four year wonder and then fell off the face of the earth.

 

[Tau837]

Here is a complete list of Bronco RB's to run for > 90 yards in a playoff game:

name date game score attemptws yards avg TDSammy Winder 1/4/1987 DEN vs. NWE W 22-17 19 102 5.37 0Terrell Davis 1/4/1997 DEN vs. JAX L 27-30 14 91 6.5 1Terrell Davis 12/27/1997 DEN vs. JAX W 42-17 31 184 5.94 2Terrell Davis 1/4/1998 DEN vs. KAN W 14-10 25 101 4.04 2Terrell Davis 1/11/1998 DEN vs. PIT W 24-21 26 139 5.35 1Terrell Davis 1/25/1998 DEN vs. GNB W 31-24 30 157 5.23 3Terrell Davis 1/9/1999 DEN vs. MIA W 38-3 21 199 9.48 2Terrell Davis 1/17/1999 DEN vs. NYJ W 23-10 32 167 5.22 1Terrell Davis 1/31/1999 DEN vs. ATL W 34-19 25 102 4.08 0In the history of the Denver Broncos, going back to 1960, 90 yards rushing has been eclipsed 9 times, 8 of which were Terrell Davis. Note: this list includes every post-season game TD ever played.

Without double checking, I assume your post is correct, but it would have been similarly compelling if you took the more common cutoff of 100 yards rather than a self-serving cutoff of 90 yards to get his 91 yard game in.

 

[moleculo]

Here is a complete list of Bronco RB's to run for > 90 yards in a playoff game:

name date game score attemptws yards avg TDSammy Winder 1/4/1987 DEN vs. NWE W 22-17 19 102 5.37 0Terrell Davis 1/4/1997 DEN vs. JAX L 27-30 14 91 6.5 1Terrell Davis 12/27/1997 DEN vs. JAX W 42-17 31 184 5.94 2Terrell Davis 1/4/1998 DEN vs. KAN W 14-10 25 101 4.04 2Terrell Davis 1/11/1998 DEN vs. PIT W 24-21 26 139 5.35 1Terrell Davis 1/25/1998 DEN vs. GNB W 31-24 30 157 5.23 3Terrell Davis 1/9/1999 DEN vs. MIA W 38-3 21 199 9.48 2Terrell Davis 1/17/1999 DEN vs. NYJ W 23-10 32 167 5.22 1Terrell Davis 1/31/1999 DEN vs. ATL W 34-19 25 102 4.08 0In the history of the Denver Broncos, going back to 1960, 90 yards rushing has been eclipsed 9 times, 8 of which were Terrell Davis. Note: this list includes every post-season game TD ever played.

Without double checking, I assume your post is correct, but it would have been similarly compelling if you took the more common cutoff of 100 yards rather than a self-serving cutoff of 90 yards to get his 91 yard game in.

well, sure but then I couldn't say every playoff game TD ever played.

 

[moleculo]

how about this:

Broncos in the SB with Terrell Davis: 2-0

Broncos in the SB without Terrell Davis: 0-5

note: that 0-5 record includes 4 games played by QB's universally considered all-time greats,

 

[Ministry of Pain]

how about this:

Broncos in the SB with Terrell Davis: 2-0

Broncos in the SB without Terrell Davis: 0-5

note: that 0-5 record includes 4 games played by QB's universally considered all-time greats,

Both of them are top 5 on many lists.

Outstanding new avatar.

 

[moleculo]

Outstanding new avatar.

no, it's not. Thanks for the reminder to change it back.

 

[Tau837]

how about this:

Broncos in the SB with Terrell Davis: 2-0

Broncos in the SB without Terrell Davis: 0-5

note: that 0-5 record includes 4 games played by QB's universally considered all-time greats,

But that is an incomplete comparison. Was Shanahan coaching any of their losing Super Bowl teams? Did Sharpe, Smith, and/or McCaffrey play on any of their losing Super Bowl teams? How did the OLs compare? Etc.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Outstanding new avatar.

no, it's not. Thanks for the reminder to change it back.

 

[msudaisy26]

how about this:

Broncos in the SB with Terrell Davis: 2-0

Broncos in the SB without Terrell Davis: 0-5

note: that 0-5 record includes 4 games played by QB's universally considered all-time greats,

It is a horrible comparison. It says nothing about who the Broncos played in the years they won or lost, all the players weren't the same. TD was awesome, but I think he is short of the hall of fame because as great as he was for those 4 years it was just 4 years. Life isn't fair.

 

[sn0mm1s]

No, Gary, Anderson, Droughns, and Portis all had solid seasons - without a HOF QB (and some without a HOF TE). That system/oline was plug n play. Just look at Portis - the guy was ridiculous his first two years in the league (better than Davis' first two years) then he goes to Washington and his efficiency falls off the map.

 

[Faust]

Why Terrell Davis belongs in the Hall of Fame:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000372268/article/why-terrell-davis-belongs-in-the-hall-of-fame

 

[SacramentoBob]

I think I'd vote him in. I'd rather have a guy who was the best at his position for a 3-4 year stretch than a guy who was borderline top 5 for 6-7 years who finished with more yards. The NFL is short, and yeah you have guys who are top 1-2 at their position for a decade (Sanders), but that's very rare.

Same thing for Kurt Warner.

I want guys in the HoF who took over games and willed their teams to victory. I want guys the other team was afraid to play. 3-4 year career or not, those are the people whose stories you want to remember 30 years from now.

 

[John 14:6]

Why Terrell Davis belongs in the Hall of Fame:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000372268/article/why-terrell-davis-belongs-in-the-hall-of-fame

Great article. What stood out to me included:

"Twelve players have won both Super Bowl MVP and regular season AP MVP awards in their careers. Seven of the eight eligible for the Hall have been elected: Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith, John Elway and Steve Young.


Only Davis remains on the outside. And he can't even get in the debate room!"

"The former Broncos back is tied with Emmitt Smith for most 100-plus-yard rushing games in the playoffs with seven. T.D. did it in eight games. Emmitt needed 17. Oh, and Davis' were accomplished in seven consecutive games (holding the record). The Broncos won every one of those contests.

Davis has the highest career playoff rushing average at 5.59 yards per attempt -- he averaged 142.5 yards per playoff game -- and ranks fifth in most career postseason touchdowns (12), in far fewer games than his colleagues, all of whom are in the Hall."

"It's not called the Hall of Longevity. It's not called the Hall of Cumulative Stats. It's called the Hall of Fame. And for that brief, shimmering period, Terrell Davis lit up NFL skies as much as anyone with a bust."

 

[Adam Harstad]

Why Terrell Davis belongs in the Hall of Fame:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000372268/article/why-terrell-davis-belongs-in-the-hall-of-fame

I was hoping when I clicked through the article would just say "Because duh."

 

[Shutout]

I think I'd vote him in. I'd rather have a guy who was the best at his position for a 3-4 year stretch than a guy who was borderline top 5 for 6-7 years who finished with more yards. The NFL is short, and yeah you have guys who are top 1-2 at their position for a decade (Sanders), but that's very rare.

Same thing for Kurt Warner.

I want guys in the HoF who took over games and willed their teams to victory. I want guys the other team was afraid to play. 3-4 year career or not, those are the people whose stories you want to remember 30 years from now.

Great post. Isn't the Hall of Fame supposed to be about, well...famous, notable players? I get it. I know you have to have some numbers and a measuring stick but c'mon! Yes, we will remember a worthy player's 12 year illustrious, checked every box career and watch him in his yellow jacket but even though TD had about a 5-6 year run, all be told, he is one of the most memorable AND accomplished football players from his era.

He flat out dominated. He had GAUDY GAUDY stats. He took his team where it never went before, despite a HOF QB. He did everything you want. When did the HOF become a lifetime achievement award? Give me quality over quantity any day. He may have only did it for a few years but what he did was flat out awesome.

Disclaimer: I AM biased because he single-freaking-handedly crushed the will of my opponents in the most dominating FF season I have ever been in prior to 2013. So I am thankful...But he was awesome!

 

[SacramentoBob]

He has 1 less 1st team All Pro than Emmitt Smith.

 

[Adam Harstad]

He has 1 less 1st team All Pro than Emmitt Smith.

He has as many as Marshall Faulk, Adrian Peterson, or LaDainian Tomlinson. He has one more than Thurman Thomas.

 

[Hooper31]

...but even though TD had about a 5-6 year run...

Really? Might want to double check TD's "run".

That said, I wouldn't think twice about Davis being inducted. I'd look forward to his speech.

 

[SacramentoBob]

...but even though TD had about a 5-6 year run...

Really? Might want to double check TD's "run".

His run was so good it counted for double.

 

[Raider Nation]

"A Football Life" featuring TD is on NFLN at 9:00.

Can't believe they got rid of these uniforms. So stupid.

 

[Raider Nation]

This was one of the greatest days ever for a fantasy owner. The Dallas defense was helpless, and you knew it immediately.

TD had two touchdown runs of 59+ yards in the 1st quarter.

 

[Ignoramus]

This was one of the greatest days ever for a fantasy owner. The Dallas defense was helpless, and you knew it immediately.

TD had two touchdown runs of 59+ yards in the 1st quarter.

That game was ridiculous. Seemed like every time TD got the ball he was running for another 40+ yard touchdown.

 

[Raider Nation]

Hard to believe he got less than 9 carries per game in 11 games his senior season at Georgia, then he walks into Denver and starts as a rookie.

 

[goodoldalky]

This was one of the greatest days ever for a fantasy owner. The Dallas defense was helpless, and you knew it immediately.

TD had two touchdown runs of 59+ yards in the 1st quarter.

That game was ridiculous. Seemed like every time TD got the ball he was running for another 40+ yard touchdown.

How about another Denver RB that had an even better game? I was a huge fan of this guy in his Denver days...

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200312070den.htm

 

[Raider Nation]

He came out of that Dallas game in the 3rd Q. He exited games early very often that year. On this program, Sharpe just said that TD could have rushed for 2,500 yards that season, and that's not hyperbole. That rushing offense was a machine. I kind of wish Shanahan would have let him run up the numbers. His total for that season would likely never have been matched, especially with the run game so de-emphasized in the league now.

 

[Truebluey]

Can't believe he's not in already. It's a no-brainer. TD won TWO super bowls single handed.

 

[Raider Nation]

Can't believe he's not in already. It's a no-brainer. TD won TWO super bowls single handed.

I'm positive they would have beaten Atlanta without him.

 

[Truebluey]

Well to win a super bowl game you have to get to the SB.

 

[Adam Harstad]

He came out of that Dallas game in the 3rd Q. He exited games early very often that year. On this program, Sharpe just said that TD could have rushed for 2,500 yards that season, and that's not hyperbole. That rushing offense was a machine. I kind of wish Shanahan would have let him run up the numbers. His total for that season would likely never have been matched, especially with the run game so de-emphasized in the league now.

No he didn't. The play-by-play is right there in the link you provided! Denver's 2nd-to-last drive:

1 10 DEN 20 John Elway pass complete to Rod Smith for 11 yards (tackle by Fred Strickland)

1 10 DEN 31 Terrell Davis left end for 2 yards (tackle by Deion Sanders)

2 8 DEN 33 John Elway pass complete to Ed McCaffrey for 14 yards (tackle by Kevin R. Smith)

1 10 DEN 47 John Elway pass complete to Ed McCaffrey for 7 yards (tackle by Hurvin McCormack)

2 3 DAL 46 Terrell Davis up the middle for 2 yards (tackle by Randall Godfrey)

3 1 DAL 44 Bubby Brister left guard for 2 yards (tackle by Greg Ellis)

1 10 DAL 42 Bubby Brister pass complete to Ed McCaffrey for 38 yards

1 4 DAL 4 Terrell Davis up the middle for 1 yard (tackle by Randall Godfrey)

2 3 DAL 3 Terrell Davis up the middle for 3 yards, touchdown

Denver's last drive:

1 10 DEN 46 Terrell Davis left tackle for 6 yards (tackle by Dexter Coakley)

2 4 DAL 48 Terrell Davis left tackle for 2 yards (tackle by Randall Godfrey)

3 2 DAL 46 Terrell Davis left end for 6 yards (tackle by Darren Woodson)

1 10 DAL 40 Derek Loville up the middle for 1 yard (tackle by Artie Smith)

2 9 DAL 39 Derek Loville up the middle for 4 yards (tackle by Darren Woodson)

3 5 DAL 35 Derek Loville right tackle for 1 yard (tackle by Darren Woodson)

4 4 DAL 34 Derek Loville right tackle for 2 yards (tackle by Michael Myers)


Other than those four carries right there at the end, Loville only had two carries on the day, both in the second quarter. Otherwise it was the Terrell Davis show from start to finish.

Look, obviously I'm a massive fan of Davis and think he's one of the most deserving players not in the Hall of Fame. I think it's ridiculous that he can't even get up for debate. I think it would be borderline criminal if Jerome Bettis- JEROME BETTIS!- somehow managed to make it in while Terrell Davis kept sitting on the sidelines. In 1997, counting regular season and postseason, Terrell Davis had the 2nd most rushing yards in NFL history. The only player who has ever had more rushing yards in a single year was... Terrell Davis in 1998. His peak was just so ridiculous, so obscene, so transcendent.

With all of that said, the legend of just how many times Terrell Davis got pulled from games in 1998 is overblown. Terrell Davis had 83.6% of Denver's non-QB runs in 1998. That's a huge percentage. As a point of comparison... Adrian Peterson had 81.7% of Minnesota's non-QB runs in 2012. It's not like Minnesota was benching Adrian Peterson for huge stretches of blowout wins, or like Adrian Peterson should have rushed for 2500 yards.

Putting aside the mythology, if you add up all of the little bits and pieces of blowout games that Terrell Davis sat out, it adds up to just a shade more than four quarters worth of action. Certainly not enough for him to have gotten up to 2500 rushing yards. And while Davis might have sat an unusually large amount late in games, this was partially offset by the fact that he sat an unusually SMALL amount early in games, where Denver rarely rotated in other backs to keep him fresh. The biggest stretch he sat, for instance, was the Philadelphia game. Terrell Davis rushed for 168 yards and 2 TDs... in the first half. He didn't play a single snap after halftime, as Denver already had a 35-2 lead. Sure, that was a big opportunity to pad some stats, maybe even make a run at the single-game rushing record... but Davis had a ridiculous 20 carries in the first half. It's not like they could have just given him 40 carries on the day and seen what he could do with them. If Davis *had* played those extra four-ish quarters, it's possible he would have gotten injured and rushed for 500 fewer yards, instead. Even as it was, Davis had the 5th most carries in NFL history up to that point, and that was just during the regular season- he added 78(!) more in the playoffs, giving him 470(!!!) for the season. Realistically, how many more carries could he have gotten?

There's really not a lot of "what might have been" for me surrounding Davis' 1998. I'm pretty sure that that season was about as great as it possibly could have been for TD. And by that, I mean it was the single greatest RB season in NFL history. All due respect to O.J. Simpson's 1972 and 1975, but when you add in the postseason, it's not really a discussion. 2476 rushing yards, 2762 yards from scrimmage, 26 TDs, league MVP, SB champion. Whatever Denver did to make that season happen, I'm thrilled, and I wouldn't have them change a thing.

 

[Raider Nation]

That's strange. They showed highlights of that Dallas game I mentioned before the program started, and then cut it with Shanny talking to the OC after halftime and saying "Leave the O-line in, leave the receivers in, take TD out." Made it seem like he sat with tons of time remaining. My mistake.

 

[Adam Harstad]

That's strange. They showed highlights of that Dallas game I mentioned before the program started, and then cut it with Shanny talking to the OC after halftime and saying "Leave the O-line in, leave the receivers in, take TD out." Made it seem like he sat with tons of time remaining. My mistake.

It's cool, the amount of time Terrell Davis sat in 1998 is like a good fish story. It gets bigger every year. All of his old teammates- Sharpe, Smith, etc- get a little bit fast and loose with the details when they're reminiscing, and it's reached the point of absolute blind unquestioned acceptance among the Broncos fan base. I've heard people claim that Terrell Davis sat out the equivalent of two full games which... the play-by-play data is right there on the internet. He didn't. Anyone can feel free to check.

If they don't want to check the play-by-play, the carry totals tell the story well enough on their own. 392 regular-season carries, 470 total carries, 84% of non-QB rush attempts, it's not like Terrell Davis' statistics were handicapped because Denver kept resting him too much. If anything, quite the contrary. 1998 was ridiculous enough without having to create the expectation that he somehow should have gotten 100% of the carries and topped 550 attempts for the year.

Edit: Sorry, tangent/rant aside... how the hell is Terrell Davis not in the Hall of Fame? He had 5418 yards from scrimmage and 49 TDs from 1997 to 1998. That is incomprehensible.

 

[Raider Nation]

I took Barry over him at 1.01 in a redraft in '98. The guy who took TD won it all. I still hear about it to this day.

But in 1997, Barry had 2,358 total yards and 14 TDs. Davis had 2,037 total yards and 15 TDs. It wasn't exactly a no-brainer, even though TD's arrow was really pointing up. I agonized over the decision for days prior to the draft, but in the end, I simply enjoyed watching Barry more than any other player in the league. I let that break the tie, and it didn't work out

 

[sn0mm1s]

I took Barry over him at 1.01 in a redraft in '98. The guy who took TD won it all. I still hear about it to this day.

But in 1997, Barry had 2,358 total yards and 14 TDs. Davis had 2,037 total yards and 15 TDs. It wasn't exactly a no-brainer, even though TD's arrow was really pointing up. I agonized over the decision for days prior to the draft, but in the end, I simply enjoyed watching Barry more than any other player in the league. I let that break the tie, and it didn't work out

Barry is the GOAT - but I took TD that year as well at 1.01. My logic was that he had by far the best supporting cast and Elway was coming back with the sole purpose of winning a 2nd SB - so they were going to rely on TD quite a bit. Of course, in 2000 I took James over Faulk at 1.01 (non-PPR) and had to watch Faulk score 4 TDs against me in the first round of the playoffs.

With all of that said, the legend of just how many times Terrell Davis got pulled from games in 1998 is overblown. Terrell Davis had 83.6% of Denver's non-QB runs in 1998. That's a huge percentage. As a point of comparison... Adrian Peterson had 81.7% of Minnesota's non-QB runs in 2012. It's not like Minnesota was benching Adrian Peterson for huge stretches of blowout wins, or like Adrian Peterson should have rushed for 2500 yards.

An even more impressive stat is that Barry Sanders averaged 86.1% of the non-QB runs, 80.5% of the non-QB rushing TDs, and 73.9% of the non-WR/TE receptions for his *career*. If you want to talk about legends and myths being overblown it is how often he was pulled in short yardage or passing downs.

 

[Adam Harstad]

An even more impressive stat is that Barry Sanders averaged 86.1% of the non-QB runs, 80.5% of the non-QB rushing TDs, and 73.9% of the non-WR/TE receptions for his *career*. If you want to talk about legends and myths being overblown it is how often he was pulled in short yardage or passing downs.

I agree, that's another one that needs a stake through the heart. Like most myths, there was some tiny kernel of truth to it, but it's just grown so much with every retelling that the reality no longer bears any resemblance to the truth. In five of ten seasons, Barry Sanders' non-QB teammates combined for 1 or fewer rushing touchdowns. The "TD vulture" memory comes exclusively from 1993-1994 (when Derrick Moore "stole" seven touchdowns) and 1997-1998 (when Tommy Vardell "stole" twelve). It's nineteen touchdowns. If that sounds like a lot... it isn't. In 1993, Emmitt Smith rushed for nine TDs and his teammates combined for eleven. In just one season.