Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Slam dunk for HOVG? How highly do we value the USFL? It seemed to be a difference maker for Jim Kelly.

JameisLoseston wrote:Slam dunk for HOVG? How highly do we value the USFL? It seemed to be a difference maker for Jim Kelly.

I think he's HoVG even without taking the USFL into account if you take his total all purpose yards into consideration. Which I think one should.

bachslunch wrote:

JameisLoseston wrote:Slam dunk for HOVG? How highly do we value the USFL? It seemed to be a difference maker for Jim Kelly.

I think he's HoVG even without taking the USFL into account if you take his total all purpose yards into consideration. Which I think one should.

His NFL career stats are very similar to Roger Craig, but Craig played for much better teams.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... aiRo00.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... lkHe00.htm

Craig: 137 games started, 8,225 rushing yards for 4.21 YPC and 61 TD, 512 receptions for 9.5 Y/R and 21 TD.
Walker: 133 games started, 8,189 rushing yards for 4.11 YPC and 56 TD, 566 receptions for 8.7 Y/R and 17 TD. Walker also returned kickoffs for a few years.

You put on top of that the three USFL seasons, which even if you do discount his USFL seasons to a degree, I think you can easily make a HOVG case for Herschel Walker.

Craig just got in second ballot, so it seems Walker is only waiting to become eligible then. What is our overall impression of how USFL stats should count? Similar to AAFC or early AFL stats, or less significant than those?

JameisLoseston wrote:Craig just got in second ballot, so it seems Walker is only waiting to become eligible then. What is our overall impression of how USFL stats should count? Similar to AAFC or early AFL stats, or less significant than those?

I would think AAFC was probably similar in that it was clearly a notch below the NFL (Cleveland excepted, they were an anomaly) but the gap between the best and worst teams in the AAFC and USFL was much wider than the NFL in the late 40's and early 80's, which is a sign the leagues were not quite on an even level.

Even if you dock Walker's USFL stats, he still rushed for 2400 yards in 18 games in 1985, which has to count for something.

JameisLoseston wrote:Craig just got in second ballot, so it seems Walker is only waiting to become eligible then. What is our overall impression of how USFL stats should count? Similar to AAFC or early AFL stats, or less significant than those?

Correct. Walker has not yet been retired for 25 years. He should be eligible in 2022.