There’s nothing that brings out the passion of the Browns’ fan base more than a little running back back debate. Blame it on our legacy as a long-ago champion – the moments of which were defined by the game’s greatest back, but in Cleveland – we take our running backs seriously.
And by the dozen – which explains the idea behind yesterday’s post….
Historically Speaking: Montario Hardesty Edition
The whole point was that rookie back Montario Hardesty is indeed the next in line to become the “next” great Browns’ back – which isn’t exactly a badge of honor, considering all those who came before him during the expansion era.
Or in other words – today’s offseason hype can easily turn into tomorrow’s Lee Suggs.
Or garner reactions like the following…
For the love of God, man…would you stop the hype!!!!!!
There are a multitidue of reasons this player was not drafted earlier. Just look at the injury reports….
Please stop it!!!
cleveland sux
Talk about some hype – I just lumped Hardesty’s potential in with the ghosts of Madre Hill, Ben Gay, James Jackson, William Green and countless others. Not exactly the most effective use of hype – this must explain the reason why I’m a terrible salesman.
As for that hype – it’s already firmly entrenched in Berea and around Browns Nation, as there are two main reasons why Hardesty has become the next chosen one.
1. He’s a running back who shows some promise.
2. He’s a running back who shows some promise who happens to play for the Browns.
As for the “multitude of reasons” why Hardesty fell to the second round, the case becomes even clearer.
1. He’s a running back entering a league where such a position has become devalued.
2. Like 95% of all running backs, he has an injury history.
Isn’t it funny how these two items relate to each other? Or in other words – show me a 100% healthy running back and I’ll show you someone who plays too much Madden football on their Xbox.
As for some other topics….
What about “Touchdown Tommy” Vardell. I mean come’ on how could you forget?
ericart
Hey – don’t forget Stanford’s fabulous “Touchdown Tommy” Vardell!
dane pascoe
My sincerest apologies. I had no idea the level of Tommy Vardell support still rampant among Browns Nation. In my defense, I was mainly focusing on the expansion era – but to these two readers, I owe an apology….or just a walk down memory lane.
It’s easy to forget some twenty years later, but was Vardell actually a top ten draft pick?
What in the name of the Genius of Bill Belichick was going on here?
And not to slight Vardell – again – but the cast of running back characters brought in during Belichick’s tenure was a rather exotic bunch. Perhaps in a precursor to the lost days of the expansion era were names such as these…
Randy Baldwin
James Brooks
Leroy Hoard
Joe Morris
Lee Rouson
Ron Wolfley
Earnest Byner 3.0
Earnest Hunter
Ricky Powers
And of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without a “Metcalf up the Middle” reference, along with a mention of how Belichick built the 1994 offense around Leroy Hoard, then realized that he didn’t trust him during the playoff loss in Pittsburgh.
I guess the lesson to be learned here is that the historical tradition of running back futility goes back a lot further than the day Dwight Clark first pretended to know what he was doing.
As in way back….
As ever on this site fun reading, but I think you gave yourself a bit of a free ride at the outset. Surely Leroy Kelly was someone to be proud of after Jim and Paul Brown. Plus, the 1970s browns? A guy named Greg Pruitt might dispute your claim that they didn’t exist — Mike Pruitt might have something to say about that too (46 all-time in yardage; number 47? Hall of Famer named Leroy Kelly).
Scott
All pretty valid points but some of these guys weren’t that bad. You have to look at the lines most of them were running behind. Its hard to gain yards when you’re getting met in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage by three or four guys every play.
I’m hoping with the improved line that we will finally get back to the days of the Pruitt boys, Mack and Byner and yes, even Jimmy Brown and Leroy Kelly. That is the Browns tradition, a solid running game with timely passing and stout defense.
GW Bear
Again, I’m showing my age here, but I just don’t get the importance of Leroy Kelly. Sure, the footage I’ve seen of him looks impressive, but in terms of being a Hall of Fame member – why is this the case?
As GW Bear points out, the hallmark of those old, “traditional” Browns’ teams was a strong offensive line. If this was the case, does this mean that Kelly’s contributions were diminished? After all, wasn’t he basically just taking the ball after Jim Brown left for Hollywood?
Convince me longtime Browns’ fans. I get that he was a piece of Browns’ tradition and history – but purely as a player, why should I care about Leroy Kelly?
And finally….speaking of more passion….
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE…for the love of Leroy Kelly…refrain from any further use of the term, “Browns Nation”
Aside from the fact that Browns Backers are, in fact, world-wide…it just sucks to see it in print.
Thanks…
David Roberts
I had no idea the passion that could be derived from a simple phrase. “Browns Nation” simply refers to the idea that most people of my generation, as well as older ones, simply are spread out all over the country and world – yet still retain the utmost loyalty to our team.
This idea is furthered by the fact that Browns fans can find each other in different time zones, on an international flight, in a bar that only shows soccer games, in the heart of an university town or virtually in the middle of nowhere.
Actually, those last few words have opened up my eyes – perhaps I’ve been selling the Nation short.
Browns World? Browns Universe? Browns Galaxy?
Just doesn’t have the same ring to it. I think I’ll stick with Browns Nation.
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Leroy Kelly, listed as a 6′0″, 202 pound halfback drafted in the 8th round out of Morgan State as a punt and kickoff return specialist.
In ‘64 and ‘65 he was way down on the depth chart, not only behind Jim Brown and Ernie Green, the starters, but behind people named Charlie Scales and Jamie Caleb.
After Brown retired (at the end of 1965), Kelly won the starting job beside Green (in 1966) and rushed 1141 yards (a league leading 5.5 yards per carry) and scored 15 rushing touchdowns, which also led the league. The 1966 league leader in rushing was Gale Sayers with 1231 yards (and 8 TDs and a 5.4 average).
In 1967 and ‘68, Kelly led the league in rushing with totals of 1205 and 1239 yards and led both years in rushing TDs with 11 and 16 (and in 1968, he led the league in scoring with 120 points from 20 TDs total).
In 1969 Gale Sayers was back on top in rushing.
After the 1973 season, Kelly was waived and claimed by Oakland and then was a 1974 Raider training camp cut.
In his 10 years (all with the Browns), Kelly rushed for 7274 yards (1727 carries for a 4.2 average), which was, AT THE TIME (and therefore more significant to Hall of Fame induction), the 4th highest career rushing yards in NFL history (only behind Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, and Joe Perry). He was an ALL-PRO selection 5 times, (‘66, ‘67, ‘68, ‘69, ‘71) and in the PRO BOWL 6 times (1966-1972). He scored 90 touchdowns for 540 points, which put him behind only (Note: on the old Browns as I think Dawson is among the leaders now) Lou Groza, Don Cockcroft, Jim Brown, and Matt Bahr.
In the years 1966-1973, when Kelly was the featured back, the Browns Won-Lost records were 9-5, 9-5, 10-4, 10-3-1, 7-7, 9-5, 10-4, 7-5-2; and their playoff record: 1967, lost to Dallas 14-52, 1968 beat Dallas 31-20 and lost the NFC championship to Baltimore 0-34, 1969 beat Dallas 38-14 and lost the NFC championship to Minnesota 7-27, 1971 lost to Baltimore 3-20, 1972 gave the undefeated Dolphins a close playoff game but lost 14-20.
I don’t see how Leroy Kelly wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame (but do note, as per your point, that Gene Hickerson was all-pro for the Browns in the late 60’s, as Schafrath was in the middle 60’s and Jim Ray Smith was in the early 60’s — but, should we dismiss the accomplishments of Packers, such as Jim Taylor, because Kramer and Gregg were all pros?).
On the other hand, Earnest Byner who was rightfully called the heart and soul of the offense in his years with the Browns (remember that his fumble was because he would NOT QUIT), and the team did have a pretty good won-lost record when he was with them, too, scored 29 touchdowns for the Browns (he also played for the Redskins, of course) and, with 3583 rushing yards, was behind (in order) Brown, Kelly, Mike Pruitt, Greg Pruitt, and Kevin Mack.
Thank You KV. The stats speak volumes about why 44lk is relevant. I guess if you were not alive when he played Mr. Kelly does not matter! Geez DK you almost sound like a Cowboy fan who thinks the NFL championships only count since the 1990’s. Wow…that was kinda harsh, (sorry ) but I have lived for 50 years on this planet and have never heard anyone ask why Leroy Kelly is important to Browns History and the history of great running backs. Perhaps I need to get out more but come on…
It always seemed that the worse the weather was the better Leroy played. He was one of my favorite players then and as a kid I’d pretend I was 44 when I was playing in the backyard with my friends.
As for the Browns nation, I once lived on a small island in the middle of the Pacific with only about 100 people and there were 2 or 3 other Browns fans on this island. We’re everywhere.
A Great Jerome Harrison Highlight film
How soon we forget how good the guy is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCbtxeJzP-k
It is beyond Moronic that Tony Grossi and now you guys would hype Hardesty as our savior when the true savior is already here.
How soon we forget how good this guy is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCbtxeJzP-k
For the love of God. 95% of all running backs may have injurys in the past (hangnails included) but this kid has had BOTH knees operated on, (separate times, of course). It was a douchy pick and they over paid for him. Holmgren has a history of shaky draft picks. This looks like one of those. We’ll see, I could be wrong. But smart money is on this proving to be a bad draft pick.
So let’s find something else to hype about!!! Where is B.O., oh sorry, I meant to say T.O. Silly me. He’s heading down to that lock down facility in the South of Ohio known as SinSinatti!!! Well that should be special. Even though he’s a tremendous pain in the ass, and quite frankly, probably refused to carry any Veterans shoulder pads as well, he may still be better than anything the Browns have catching the ball this year. Sad, but true!!!
If you really have to ask about why Leroy Kelly is an important player – well I just don’t know what to say to you really.
In addition to the stats already cited above:
How about 74 career rushing TD’s – which at the time he retired was third in NFL history to J Brown and Jim Taylor? He had 90 career TD’s playing 14 game seasons – give him a 16 game schedule like today’s stars and he would easily have added another 15-20 TD’s to that total.
Even so – his 90 TD’s puts him at #30 on the All time list.
Know how many players had more when he retired? 4 – Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, Don Hutson and Bobby Mitchell.
Not sure if it was mentioned but Kelly was a member of the 60’s All-Decade team.
Kelly was also reportedly one of the greatest running backs EVER on a muddy field – which most of them were in those days. No Astroturf back then. He also was a special teams standout returning punts and kickoffs.
And you also fail to even consider the fact that at the time Kelly took over the mantle as the best African-American RB in the NFL after Brown retired. Sayers arrived a year later. I wasn’t alive back then either – but being a little older than you gives me a little bit more perspective on what it meant to be an African-American star in those days of racial tension in this country.
And I have to agree – there is no Browns Nation – we are Browns Backers. There is the Steeler Nation – but we are the Browns Backers. Browns Nation is nothing more than the name of a website.
It does Boggle the mind.
Hardesty a good but not great College back who rushed for 1300 plus yards his senior year.
HARRISON..A Heisman finalist. Led the nation with 1900 yards rushing his Senior year in college. Holds the Pac 10 record with 16 Straight games over 100 yards and 5 of those games were over 200 yards.
Took his friend and mentor Jim Browns record last year With 286 yards rushing in a single game WHICH is also the 3rd. best rushing game in NFL HISTORY. He holds the team record for most Carries in a single game 39. He is certainly the Fastest, Quickest RB on the team and Accelerates with the best in football.
AND PEOPLE WANT TO START HARDESTY OVER THIS GUY …HARDESTY A GUY WHO IS SITTING INJURED FROM THE no contact rookie camp….a GUY WHO HAS NEVER FACED AN INSPIRED 260 LB NFL LINEBACKER IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE?
HARRISON has two runs from scrimmage of over 70 yards…How many guys have done that in a career and
Harrison hasn’t had all that many carries.
WHILE MOST CLEVELAND FANS UNDERSTAND THE GAME THERE ARE TOO MANY THAT ARE JUST JOKES….AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON GROSSI AND MARY KAY.
DK: I second David Roberts’ vehement objections to “Browns Nation”. Smacks too much of “Stooler Nation” (spell-corrected), a phrase that the national print and broadcast cannot resist using seemingly EVERY SINGLE TIME they reference the NFL team from Pissburgh (spell-corrected).
For a second there, I thought I was on Cleveland.com.
I fail to see how “______ Nation” is Steelers-specific. If anything, I’d say Red Sox, but I think it is at this point pretty generic. In any case, I agree with DK that Browns Nation has a euphony the other suggestions lack.
On a related note, why would you frequent a Browns blog if you’re going to post under the pseudonym “ClevelandSux” and complain about every sentence written? Wouldn’t it be easier just not to read the blog?
Thanks Superjoe and G Stu. Truer words were never spoken. I am a skinny little boy from Cleveland Ohio but I remember like it was yesterday, watching Leroy Kelly run up and down the field and I wanted to be a pro football player because he ran so effortlessly, so smoothly, so quietly. Perhaps this is why DK has missed the 44lk boat. He was a great great football player who followed a legend. The shoes he filled were his own and no one else. DK here is a subject to ponder…how many pro athletes who replace or follow legends, have a hall of fame career themselves? A handful is all but that can be explored another day…perhaps the day after Harrison or Hardesty enter the Hall of Fame
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