The curious case of Greg Bell...

[Bryan]

Greg Bell was one of my favorite RBs in the 1980's. I remember him as a rookie being the lone bright spot on a bleak 1984 Bills team. He seemed to wash out quickly, then had a huge resurgence with the Rams in the late 1980's (leading the NFL in rushing TDs in 1988 and 1989).

The interesting thing about Bell is that he was huge 1st round reach on draft day. He had injury issues in both his junior and senior seasons at Notre Dame, yet the Bills still used the 26th overall pick on him. Bell had 870 rushing yards in his collegiate career...and 1100 rushing yards his rookie year in the NFL. How many guys have had more rushing yards in their NFL rookie year than in their entire college careers? I thought Sherman Smith might be a candidate, but he actually had over 1000 yards rushing his senior year as a QB. I thought Don Woods might be another candidate, but I couldn't find his college stats. I would guess its a pretty short list.

[mwald]

Can't comment on his college career because I have zero interest in college football, but yeah, underrated back from the late 1980s. Never top tier but for a couple years he was a durable, every down workhorse for John Robinson's Rams after coming to them through the Dickerson trade (if I recall).

What's funny is Dickerson, who left in a bitter dispute, expected the Rams to fall flat on their face without him. Bell steps in and, while not nearly as dynamic, moved the chains almost as well as Dickerson did. Rams really didn't miss a beat. No longer saddled with having to prop up the high maintenance, primma donna that Dickerson was, Rams were actually a better team.

Dickerson reacted by calling Bell a "little dwarf."

[Bryan]

Can't comment on his college career because I have zero interest in college football, but yeah, underrated back from the late 1980s. Never top tier but for a couple years he was a durable, every down workhorse for John Robinson's Rams after coming to them through the Dickerson trade (if I recall).

What's funny is Dickerson, who left in a bitter dispute, expected the Rams to fall flat on their face without him. Bell steps in and, while not nearly as dynamic, moved the chains almost as well as Dickerson did. Rams really didn't miss a beat. No longer saddled with having to prop up the high maintenance, primma donna that Dickerson was, Rams were actually a better team.

Dickerson reacted by calling Bell a "little dwarf."

In Dickerson's defense, he single-handedly made the Colts winners. He took a team with Ron Meyer as their head coach and Jack Trudeau as their QB to the postseason. That's pretty remarkable.

You are correct in the Rams didn't miss a beat. Charles White and Greg Bell had big seasons. The Rams offensive line was incredible for a very long period of time.

[mwald]

Can't comment on his college career because I have zero interest in college football, but yeah, underrated back from the late 1980s. Never top tier but for a couple years he was a durable, every down workhorse for John Robinson's Rams after coming to them through the Dickerson trade (if I recall).

What's funny is Dickerson, who left in a bitter dispute, expected the Rams to fall flat on their face without him. Bell steps in and, while not nearly as dynamic, moved the chains almost as well as Dickerson did. Rams really didn't miss a beat. No longer saddled with having to prop up the high maintenance, primma donna that Dickerson was, Rams were actually a better team.

Dickerson reacted by calling Bell a "little dwarf."

In Dickerson's defense, he single-handedly made the Colts winners. He took a team with Ron Meyer as their head coach and Jack Trudeau as their QB to the postseason. That's pretty remarkable.

You are correct in the Rams didn't miss a beat. Charles White and Greg Bell had big seasons. The Rams offensive line was incredible for a very long period of time.

Yeah, no question Dickerson proved himself with the Colts, at least from a physical standpoint. Never a great team guy, though.

Speaking of White (sorry, not trying to hijack your thread), real inspiring guy. Had a boatload of personal problems, but his performance in the first couple games of 1985 when Dickerson held out then again in 1987 (leading the league in rushing I think) as an old man still struggling with personal issues was one of the more inspiring tales I can remember.

To your point, all of this speaks very well to the Rams great OL back then.

[BD Sullivan]

Can't comment on his college career because I have zero interest in college football, but yeah, underrated back from the late 1980s. Never top tier but for a couple years he was a durable, every down workhorse for John Robinson's Rams after coming to them through the Dickerson trade (if I recall).

What's funny is Dickerson, who left in a bitter dispute, expected the Rams to fall flat on their face without him. Bell steps in and, while not nearly as dynamic, moved the chains almost as well as Dickerson did. Rams really didn't miss a beat. No longer saddled with having to prop up the high maintenance, primma donna that Dickerson was, Rams were actually a better team.

Dickerson reacted by calling Bell a "little dwarf."

In Dickerson's defense, he single-handedly made the Colts winners. He took a team with Ron Meyer as their head coach and Jack Trudeau as their QB to the postseason. That's pretty remarkable.

Singlehandedly might be a stretch considering the Colt defense held three of its final four regular season opponents (including the Browns) to a touchdown or less, and the first three post-scab games saw them only give up an average of just over 15 points per contest.

Dickerson's 1987 season reminds of this quirky bit of trivia: In his first four years in the league, Dickerson had never played in Cleveland. Yet in the span of roughly 11 weeks, he played there three times: his last game as a Ram came in a MNF loss; the Colts upset the Browns 9-7 in early December; and the Colts lost a 38-21 playoff game in early January in predictably brutal weather. In that playoff, they had Browns fans sweating: it was tied at halftime and the Colts were looking to go ahead, getting deep in Browns territory. However, Trudeau got hit as he was throwing a pass that got picked off and the Browns never lost momentum.

[SixtiesFan]

Can't comment on his college career because I have zero interest in college football, but yeah, underrated back from the late 1980s. Never top tier but for a couple years he was a durable, every down workhorse for John Robinson's Rams after coming to them through the Dickerson trade (if I recall).

What's funny is Dickerson, who left in a bitter dispute, expected the Rams to fall flat on their face without him. Bell steps in and, while not nearly as dynamic, moved the chains almost as well as Dickerson did. Rams really didn't miss a beat. No longer saddled with having to prop up the high maintenance, primma donna that Dickerson was, Rams were actually a better team.

Dickerson reacted by calling Bell a "little dwarf."

A long time ago, I read something to the effect that a dependable RB who keeps the chains moving running and receiving helps a good team about as much as a "great" RB.

[mwald]

A long time ago, I read something to the effect that a dependable RB who keeps the chains moving running and receiving helps a good team about as much as a "great" RB.

I believe it. I'd even go as far to say that a below average back accomplishes the same thing, as long as they aren't too far below average. The value of the running game is in attempts and repetition. It's the carburetor to the passing game's engine.

[JeffreyMiller]

Many of Bell's teammates questioned his toughness. Fred Smerlas called him "Tinker." He was a very good back but I think lost faith in the team and was happy to be traded. He flourished in LA.