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Thoughts on Johnny Rodgers and Anthony Davis
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:57 pm
by vikingsfan1963
Both signed with "other" leagues out of college and ultimately never made much of an impact by the time they got to the NFL. I know both guys were kinda on the small side. Do you think they would've been better off signing with the NFL out of college instead of the CFL and WFL? Or are they simply a case of outstanding college players who just didn't have the NFL pedigree?
Re: Thoughts on Johnny Rodgers and Anthony Davis
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:42 pm
by Jay Z
Anthony Davis wasn't any smaller than Mike Garrett, Clarence Davis, or Charles White, all USC tailbacks who had better pro careers.
His rushing averages his junior and senior seasons at USC, 4.0 and 4.7, were not outstanding compared to the other backs that went through the program. Going to the other leagues hurt him in the NFL, though he might have made more money with what he did. The Jets probably would have given him 3-4 years to establish himself, given the era. Instead, first two years are out of NFL, then he plays a season for a team with the worst offense ever and another USC tailback as the first pick in the draft.
Re: Thoughts on Johnny Rodgers and Anthony Davis
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:14 pm
by Bryan
Jay Z wrote:Anthony Davis wasn't any smaller than Mike Garrett, Clarence Davis, or Charles White, all USC tailbacks who had better pro careers.
His rushing averages his junior and senior seasons at USC, 4.0 and 4.7, were not outstanding compared to the other backs that went through the program.
Yeah, Davis was a heavy-duty RB in college. The 1972 Trojans may have been the most talented team in college history. The 1973 & 74 Trojan teams still had a wealth of NFL-level talent...for Davis to have those rushing averages doesn't really indicate a "can't miss" NFL prospect, IMO. The 1977 Bucs would probably be the worst team for any RB to land on, but even if he had joined the NFL immediately perhaps Davis' ceiling would have been Archie Griffin NFL production levels.
Johnny Rodgers is a stranger case, because he was kind of like a Glenn Davis/VT Smith 50's Rams "wingback" at Nebraska who did the majority of his damage as a pass receiver. It probably didn't help Rodgers that the 1977 Chargers had Joe Washington on the roster, who was a similar type of player to Rodgers. Still, it seems like Rodgers could have had a nice NFL career as a kick returner/punt returner had he not been injured. In 77 he averaged 10.5 yards per PR, and in 78 he averaged 26.1 yards per KR.