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Walter Payton: Sweetness and Sorrow

Posted: Oct 29th 2009 12:00PM by Dave Goldberg (author feed)
Filed under: Chicago Bears

Jim Finks knew the Atlanta Falcons would use the first pick of the 1975 draft on Steve Bartkowski, the California quarterback -- then, as now, "franchise'' quarterbacks were a premium item.

What the general manager of the Chicago Bears didn't know as he waited on at New York's Hilton Hotel on Jan. 28 of that year was whether or not Dallas would use the second pick on the player he desperately coveted: Walter Payton, a running back from Jackson State who had finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, despite playing for a historically black school that never competed on national television.

"We didn't know who we were going to take either,'' says Gil Brandt, then the personnel director of the Dallas Cowboys. "I guess the draft started at noon and we didn't make our decision until maybe an hour before. It was Walter or Randy White and we went with longevity -- defensive linemen are supposed to last a lot longer than running backs.''

George: Jeff Fisher Remembers Payton, the Teammate
Moore: Payton Was Supposed to Live Forever

Continue Reading Walter Payton: Sweetness and Sorrow

Today's NFL Rookies Still Love Walter Payton

Posted: Jun 19th 2008 7:35PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, Chicago

6 COMMENTS

It's been more than 20 years since Chicago Bears great Walter Payton retired and almost nine years since he died. But Sweetness is most certainly not forgotten.

The NFL has implemented a new policy this year requiring every rookie to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and there's great news for any old-school type who worries that the modern 20-somethings don't have respect for the history of the game. Here's what Hall of Fame vice president of communications and exhibits Joe Horrigan had to say about the rookies' visits:

"The one guy they all seem to know about is Walter Payton. It's just the mystique. I think it's the personality, the nickname 'Sweetness,' and everyone really revered him as a guy that put his heart and soul into the game."

This year's NFL rookies were infants when Payton stopped playing and pre-teens when he died. And yet they still revere him. That speaks well to them, and to Payton's enduring legacy.

Jonathan Stewart's Football Idol: Walter Payton

Posted: Apr 28th 2008 10:20AM by David J. Warner (author feed)
Filed under: Panthers, NFC South, NFL Draft, Charlotte, Carolina

1 COMMENT

We all know the Carolina Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart to be the next Stephen Davis. Ask the big bruising running back from Oregon which NFL player he'd like to emulate, though, and he gives an even better answer:

Yeah. If video of the late, great Walter Payton pounding the ever-lovin' crap out of everything in his path doesn't get you going on a Monday morning, nothing will. If Stewart displays just half the unwillingness to be tackled that Sweetness did, Panthers fans are going to be very, very happy with this selection.

42 Stops to Super Bowl XLII: #20 - Super Bowl Ring Stories

Posted: Jan 28th 2008 12:00AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: NFL Media Watch, Super Bowl, ESPN

2 COMMENTS

The 42 Stops to Super Bowl XLII is a series that will feature stories, stats and interesting trivia that you can use to act smart as you prepare for Super Bowl XLII.

ESPN.com is doing a neat story about Super Bowl rings. They go through all of the previous 41 Super Bowls and tell a story about a championship ring from each of those games.

They cover everything from the Packers Jerry Kramer losing his Super Bowl I ring and his quest to get it back to the Colts' Adam Vinatieri receiving his fourth ring last year.

There is the story of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who wears all his Super Bowl rings ... at the same time ... whenever he's due to collect a new one. So, if the Patriots win Super Bowl XLII, he will show up with his three Super Bowl rins with the Patriots and two with the New York Giants.

There is the Dolphins' Mercury Morris losing his Super Bowl VII ring ... then losing his replacement. There is Don Shula's Super Bowl VIII ring making a cameo in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. There is the Raiders' Skip Thomas who pawned his Super Bowl XI ring to try to pay for his house (it didn't get enough). The Steelers' Rocky Bleier who leased his rings out to keep them from his divorce settlement ... then had them stolen from him from a dressing room.

Continue Reading 42 Stops to Super Bowl XLII: #20 - Super Bowl Ring Stories

Tomlinson Could Be the Fourth Fastest RB to Reach 10,000 Yards

Posted: Nov 15th 2007 11:23AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Chargers, AFC West, NFL Fans

0 COMMENTS

Some good news to distract Chargers' fans from the fact that Norvell Turner is still the head coach: LaDainian Tomlinson is just 91 yards shy of 10,000 career rushing yards.

"I think 10,000 yards is usually a benchmark for most running backs in their career. If you have a successful career, they say you rushed for 10,000 yards. So obviously, that would be a big accomplishment."

In Tomlinson's case, it could be the precursor for even bigger feats. If he surpasses 10,000 this Sunday, it will come in his 105th career game, making him the fourth fastest running back to reach that mark. The three quickest are Eric Dickerson (91 games), Jim Brown (98) and Barry Sanders (103).

Let's see, Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame, and ... Hall of Fame. And what about the guy who holds the all-time career rushing record, Emmitt Smith? He reached 10 grand in carries in 106 games. Smith finished with 18,355 yards in his 15-year career. This is LdT's seventh season, and he'll need to maintain his productivity over the next few years if he's even going to have a shot at 18,355.

At one time, many people thought Barry Sanders would be the guy to break Walter Payton's record, but unlike most professional athletes, Sanders walked away from the sport while he still could, you know, walk.