O.J. Anderson

[MilkSpiller22]

Those numbers are factually accurate. So is the fact that Anderson has more rushing yards, receiving yard, total yards, rushing tds, receiving tds and total tds than Campbell. None of those numbers shows that Anderson compared fairly favorably to Campbell before both players had issues with injuries hurting their careers.

but the point was that short careers with short primes, if the player doesn't have seasons of being the BEST of something then they will have a hard time being remembered as being great...

 

[broncosmitty]

Funny thing is I don't remember calling him O.J. Anderson, I remember watching him play when he first started with the Cardinals and I remember always calling him Ottis...

OJ Anderson and Ottis Anderson are the same guy?


He's the one with yellow stains on his thigh pads from stickem, right?

 

[Nosferatu]

OJ Anderson and Ottis Anderson are the same guy?


He's the one with yellow stains on his thigh pads from stickem, right?

Uh huh

 

[broncosmitty]

Uh huh

the name part or the stickum?

 

[Nosferatu]

the name part or the stickum?

Boff prolly, definitely the name part.

 

[Myles]

He is the face of basketball in the most populated nation in the world.


They aren't Halls of stats.

Yeah, but they should at least have been the best at their position for a few years.

 

[broncosmitty]

Yeah, but they should at least have been the best at their position for a few years.

There would be a lot of great players not in various HOFs if that were the case.


Yao played 8 seasons. Was All NBA 5 times. I'd take him over Dwight Howard, not sure if Kevin Garnett was a Center, but Yao was prolly the best big in the game for a few years. He wasn't just a giant.

 

[UK Cowboy]

You appear to like looking back with current norms on players from the past, but what you seem to forget - that 1913 yards from scrimmage was 7th all time when it happened. It wasn't like it was common to have 2000 yards from scrimmage in 1979. That particular feat had happened only 4 times to that point. Just because it happens frequently now doesn't mean that it was a given for a RB to do that then.

Earl Campbell rode the first 6 years of his career to the Hall of Fame, yet Anderson's first 6 (starting a year after Campbell) was equal or better in many ways and he's just a footnote to the Super Bowl won by the backup QB. In all, he had as many 1900 yfs seasons as Campbell (1) more 1700 yfs seasons than Campbell (4 to 2) and more 1600 yfs seasons than Campbell (5 to 2). Also, while Roger Craig's 2 2000 yard seasons top everything Anderson did, Anderson holds the next 5 in the matchup before Craig's 1527 in 1989.

Anderson was a complete back. He had speed, power and versatility. He was one of the best for the better part of a decade before injuries limited his playing time and diminished his abilities, yet he still ran up another 1000 yard season at 32. I'm not saying he should be a HoFer, but that he's so underrated that he was never even truly considered when there's less accomplished players already in. Maybe everything looks different if he isn't a Cardinal through his prime, or doesn't try to continue playing after injuries put him on the bench for 4 years.

One final obscure point, Anderson's final 3 healthy seasons with the Cardinals were all winning seasons (combined 22-18-1), yet once he's hurt they fall back to 5-11 (1-7 in games he touched the ball less than 2 times), and don't have another winning season for 11 years.

I saw both guys play their whole career. There was no comparison between Earl and O.J.

 

[blstoker]

I saw both guys play their whole career. There was no comparison between Earl and O.J.

Agreed. Not saying Anderson was the better back, just saying that he was similarly successful over the same period of time in the same era. Not arguing he was better.

 

[CitySushi]

Yeah, but they should at least have been the best at their position for a few years.

What? This makes no sense.

Clyde Drexler was never the best at his position really in any year in the NBA and he's at least the 4th best SG of all time.

There's a ton of NBA guys who were never truly the best at their position in the league that are worthy of being in the HOF.

Off the top of my head:

David Robinson
Ray Allen
Reggie Miller
Kevin Durant
Gary Payton

 

[Nosferatu]

Gary Payton

Maybe i'm forgetting someone but I think he might have been the best PG in the game for a bit...

 

[CitySushi]

Maybe i'm forgetting someone but I think he might have been the best PG in the game for a bit...

I'd say Stockton was better, but I think it's close. But there's some overlap so maybe at one point he may have been the best for a year or two. But then came the emergence of Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson midway through his career.

 

[Nosferatu]

I'd say Stockton was better, but I think it's close. But there's some overlap so maybe at one point he may have been the best for a year or two. But then came the emergence of Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson midway through his career.

I am obviously in the minority but I was never a Jason Kidd fan.

 

[CitySushi]

I am obviously in the minority but I was never a Jason Kidd fan.

I might also be slightly biased because J-Kidd was a bay area product, but I always thought he was an incredible point guard. Amazing vision and passing skills. Great rebounder. He ran the fast break in his prime better than any PG (Magic included) I've ever seen. He played phenomenal defense. His weakness coming into the league was his shooting, but he ended up being an all-time three point shooter later into his career.

J-Kidd was routinely getting triple doubles when it was much harder to do so. Payton was obviously the better scorer and he was a slightly better defender than Kidd. He single handedly carried those Nets teams to the NBA finals.

IMO, Jason Kidd in his prime was the closest thing to Magic. The way he could control an offense was amazing. Again, probably a bit biased but J-Kidd was great.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I might also be slightly biased because J-Kidd was a bay area product, but I always thought he was an incredible point guard. Amazing vision and passing skills. Great rebounder. He ran the fast break in his prime better than any PG (Magic included) I've ever seen. He played phenomenal defense. His weakness coming into the league was his shooting, but he ended up being an all-time three point shooter later into his career.

J-Kidd was routinely getting triple doubles when it was much harder to do so. Payton was obviously the better scorer and he was a slightly better defender than Kidd. He single handedly carried those Nets teams to the NBA finals.

IMO, Jason Kidd in his prime was the closest thing to Magic. The way he could control an offense was amazing. Again, probably a bit biased but J-Kidd was great.

Saw Kidd play and he is one of the players that I always underrate. I saw him play but I just forget how great he really was and he didn't have to be the best scorer to change the game. Nowadays, this kind of player is not appreciated as much imo. Kidd is underrated in our mocks

 

[CitySushi]

Saw Kidd play and he is one of the players that I always underrate. I saw him play but I just forget how great he really was and he didn't have to be the best scorer to change the game. Nowadays, this kind of player is not appreciated as much imo. Kidd is underrated in our mocks

In 2002-03, his best teammates were Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Kerry Kittles. He took that squad to the NBA finals beating the Bucks (Gary Payton, Sam Cassell, Tim Thomas, Toni Kukoc, Anthony Mason, Michael Redd), Celtics (Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker), Pistons (Chauncey, Rip, Tayshaun, Ben, Okur, Cliff Robinson) and won 2 games in the finals against the Spurs (Duncan, Robinson, Parker, Ginobili, Stephen Jackson, Bruce Bowen, Steve Smith, Steve Kerr, Kevin Willis)

 

[Myles]

What? This makes no sense.

Clyde Drexler was never the best at his position really in any year in the NBA and he's at least the 4th best SG of all time.

There's a ton of NBA guys who were never truly the best at their position in the league that are worthy of being in the HOF.

Off the top of my head:

David Robinson
Ray Allen
Reggie Miller
Kevin Durant
Gary Payton

You are correct. Sorry, I meant for it to have said one of the best, not just the best.

 

[femurov]

I think HOF credentials are a little different in the NBA from the NFL. There are only 5 positions in the NBA. And I don't think you necessarily need to be the clear-cut best player at your position, just in the top 3 or so year in and year out. I'm not sure that OJ makes that cut.

 

[Myles]

I think HOF credentials are a little different in the NBA from the NFL. There are only 5 positions in the NBA. And I don't think you necessarily need to be the clear-cut best player at your position, just in the top 3 or so year in and year out. I'm not sure that OJ makes that cut.

I agree. If you weren't one of the top 3 players at your position in a few seasons, then there needs to be other reasons why you get in. Maybe incredible clutch play. Maybe certain records held.