Tampa Bay could have drafted Earl Campbell (1 Viewer)

[Raider Nation]

I remember the year before in the 1977 draft, the Seahawks had the 2nd overall pick and could have taken Tony Dorsett (after the Bucs drafted Ricky Bell), but they traded that pick to Dallas for the 24th overall pick and three second-round picks. It turned out to be one of the biggest draft-day steals in league history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yZaJsH6aXs

But I didn't recall the Earl Campbell story. (Thanks to the Pewter Report for the info). Tampa again had the #1 pick in 1978. Houston desperately wanted the home-state hero from UT to lead their rushing attack. The Oilers got Tampa's #1 pick, which of course they used on Campbell. The Bucs received Houston's first-round pick (#17) which they used to select Doug Williams. They also received Houston's second-round pick. With it, they drafted a guard named Brett Moritz from Nebraska who didn't even start in college. He was an immediate bust. They also got Houston's 5th-round pick in 1979 which turned out to be QB Chuck Fusina from Penn State. The biggest prize in that trade was that Houston threw in TE Jimmy Giles.

Wow. How history would have changed seeing Dorsett in a Seahawks uniform and Campbell in Tampa's creamsicle uniform.

 

[GregR_2]

I remember the year before in the 1977 draft, the Seahawks had the 2nd overall pick and could have taken Tony Dorsett (after the Bucs drafted Ricky Bell), but they traded that pick to Dallas for the 24th overall pick and three second-round picks. It turned out to be one of the biggest draft-day steals in league history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yZaJsH6aXs

But I didn't recall the Earl Campbell story. (Thanks to the Pewter Report for the info). Tampa again had the #1 pick in 1978. Houston desperately wanted the home-state hero from UT to lead their rushing attack. The Oilers got Tampa's #1 pick, which of course they used on Campbell. The Bucs received Houston's first-round pick (#17) which they used to select Doug Williams. They also received Houston's second-round pick. With it, they drafted a guard named Brett Moritz from Nebraska who didn't even start in college. He was an immediate bust. They also got Houston's 5th-round pick in 1979 which turned out to be QB Chuck Fusina from Penn State. The biggest prize in that trade was that Houston threw in TE Jimmy Giles.

Wow. How history would have changed seeing Dorsett in a Seahawks uniform and Campbell in Tampa's creamsicle uniform.

Perhaps even more ironic is that Dallas and Seattle were both on the losing end of what I think most would consider a bigger draft day steal, if not the biggest of all time. In 1978, the Cowboys sent to Seattle a player and their 1979 3rd rounder for a Seattle 1979 3rd and a 1979 6th rounder

Seattle then sent that Dallas 1979 3rd rounder and a player to the 49ers for a San Fran 1979 third rounder.

End result of the trade:

Seattle: selected LB Michael Jackson with the 49ers 3rd round pick, and got DE Bill Gregory from trade.

Cowboys: selected TE Doug Cosbie with the Seahawks 3rd round pick, and (I believe) DB Tim Lavender with the Seahawks 6th round pick.

49ers: got safety Bob Jury from trade, and selected a QB named Joe Montana with the Cowboys 3rd round pick.

Even more interesting that the clip you linked to mentions the Montana trade but gets it really wrong. They said the final Cowboy's 2nd rounder in 1977 from the Dorsett trade was traded by Seattle to the 49ers and used on Montana. Obviously that's way off since Montana was a 3rd round pick in 1979, not a 2nd round pick in 1977.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Pro-Football Reference is your friend. You can read though every draft back through the '40s.

Bookmark It!

 

[Zoomanji]

Pro-Football Reference is your friend. You can read though every draft back through the '40s.

Bookmark It!

Nice link That 2003 draft isn't nearly as bad as Pat Kerwin makes it out to be.

Maybe that was the one that got him fired?

 

[Doug Drinen]

Wow. How history would have changed seeing ... Campbell in Tampa's creamsicle uniform.

Why would they want Campbell when they had Ricky Bell?Seriously though, while it looks awful in hindsight, I think the trade was reasonable at the time from the Bucs' standpoint. They had just taken a running back #1 overall the previous year and Campbell was the consensus #1 pick. So why not trade down to get a QB, a young tight end, and a couple of extra picks?

Also, shame on you, RaiderNation, for not being a regular listener of the p-f-r podcast. We talked about the Campbell/Williams trade in the James Wilder episode.

 

[Raider Nation]

Pro-Football Reference is your friend. You can read though every draft back through the '40s.

Bookmark It!

I've had it bookmarked since Doug first started the site. Outstanding source of information.But show me where it mentions the Houston/Tampa Bay trade: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1978.htm

 

[Raider Nation]

Wow. How history would have changed seeing ... Campbell in Tampa's creamsicle uniform.

Why would they want Campbell when they had Ricky Bell?Seriously though, while it looks awful in hindsight, I think the trade was reasonable at the time from the Bucs' standpoint. They had just taken a running back #1 overall the previous year and Campbell was the consensus #1 pick. So why not trade down to get a QB, a young tight end, and a couple of extra picks?

Also, shame on you, RaiderNation, for not being a regular listener of the p-f-r podcast. We talked about the Campbell/Williams trade in the James Wilder episode.

This is my busy time of year.Regarding Bell, he had 436 yards rushing and 1 TD his rookie year. Tampa couldn't have been THAT comfortable passing up on the Mack truck in cleats. Campbell, by contrast, rushed for 1,450 yards and had 13 TDs in his rookie season.

 

[dgreen]

Seriously though, while it looks awful in hindsight, I think the trade was reasonable at the time from the Bucs' standpoint. They had just taken a running back #1 overall the previous year and Campbell was the consensus #1 pick. So why not trade down to get a QB, a young tight end, and a couple of extra picks?

Really? When I first read the details of the trade, I thought, "Wow, draft picks were valued much differently back then." Dropping from #1 to #17 would require so much more in exchange than a second, fifth, and a good, but not great, TE. Sure, maybe I'm underestimating Giles. But, even if I am, I'm not sure if that deal happens today with a top notch TE.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Thanks for the info. Actually, the Bucs don't look THAT bad here. Ricky Bell was a beast, and I don't think many RBs would have done better in that situation. Doug Williams got the Bucs to within 10 points of a Super Bowl, and eventually earned SB MVP honors with the Skins. Giles was a pretty effective TE and reliable weapon for Williams. I think it worked out better for Campbell the way it did as well.

I still recall Williams falling down and throwing a TD on his butt. Great arm.