Spots for more “senior” candidates are being added to enshrine more worthy players into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Names being thrown around include Randy Gradishar, Chuck Howley, and Roger Craig.
Craig gets consideration because he played on the 49ers dynasty, on Bill Walsh's star-studded west coast offense alongside standouts Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, John Taylor, Randy Cross, Harris Barton, Dwight Clark, Tom Rathman, etc. This helped Craig earn one All Pro honor, plus four Pro Bowls and a place on the All-80’s team (he played 11 seasons, from 1983-1993). Roger was the first running back to gain 1000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.
How does Herschel Walker stack up against the great Roger Craig? Herschel played on average teams in Dallas, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and New York. He only made two Pro Bowl teams in the NFL. In the eight seasons they were in the NFL at the same time Walker outgained Craig by almost 3000 yards from scrimmage. Roger gained over 1000 yards from scrimmage 7 straight seasons. Herschel gained 1000+ NFL yards from scrimmage for 9 straight years.
In 1988 Craig was named offensive POY. Note the stats:
1502 rush + 534 rec = 2036 YFS + 8 fumbles Roger
1514 rush + 505 rec = 2019 YFS + 6 fumbles Herschel
That year Herschel outrushed Roger, but finished 6th in the POY vote. Is this not a clear case of voting for players on good teams over players on bad teams? You’d think producing so much for a less successful team would be all the greater achievement.
Overall, the two running backs’ career NFL stats are almost identical in many categories. Herschel edged Roger in every rushing category.
YR..G….att.yards.TD.long.avg
11 165 1991 8189 56 71 4.1 RC
12 187 1954 8225 61 91 4.2 HW
.rec.yards.avg.TD.long.yd scrim.TD.fumbles
566 4911 8.7 17 73 13100 73 42 RC
512 4859 9.5 21 93 13084 82 41 HW
To recap, Walker outrushed Roger by 36 yards. Roger gained 52 more receiving yards than Herschel, giving Craig a whopping 16 more yards from scrimmage. Pretty even, huh? Does either have any kind of edge over the other?
Never mind that Herschel averaged more yards per rush, and more yards per catch. Scored more touchdowns, both rushing and receiving. Fumbled less. Again, all harder to achieve on less successful teams. Herschel had longer runs and longer receptions. Doesn’t that make Herschel kinda like a more exciting player or something?
If that doesn't give Herschel the edge, there’s the little matter of return yards. Few “experts” put much stock in such a trivial statistic, yet hold up the likes of Devin Hester as hall of fame candidates. Craig piled up a grand total of 43 career return yards. Herschel? How about 5084 career NFL return yards.
Dismiss it if you want, but how many return men gain 5000 yards? A returner can tally 50 yards in returns 16 games a season for six seasons, and not have 5000 yards. After six years most return men are being replaced by someone younger, cheaper, and not as beat up. How many return men with 5000+ yards also gain 13000+ yards from scrimmage? Only Herschel Walker.
Roger Craig's humble 13143 combined yards pale in comparison to the 18168 that Herschel gained in the NFL – a total that was second all-time when Herschel retired. Not bad for 12 years spent on average teams.
But what about Craig’s 1985 season, gaining 1000 yards rushing and 1000 yards receiving? Isn’t that hard to top? That year Craig rushed for 1050 and caught passes for another 1016, topping two thousand by exactly 66 yards. An average of 129 yards per game. Very nice.
What was Herschel doing in 1985, while Craig was setting the world on fire? Only setting the professional football single-season rushing record: 2411 yards. Plus Walker added 467 yards receiving, meaning his 2879 yards from scrimmage were an astounding 39% more than Roger Craig’s 1985 total. Walker's 160 yards per game were more than 30 more yards per game than Roger.
So who is it that belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
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