Michael McDaniel it's a shame he's thought of as underrated. I don't disagree but if his career trajectory kept on track after the year of this game in 85 we'd probably be talking about him as one of the top 5 rushers ever, and maybe the best all-around back of all time. Instead he was either a fullback or backup because of some off-the-field nonsense with the owner during his what- last four years with the Raiders? In a related story the Raiders' last great year was 85.
Al Davis thought he was washed up after injuries in 1986. He and Walter Payton maybe the two most talented running backs to ever play the game. Allen talks about his later years with the Raiders in his Football Life special.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this game. Along with Walter Payton, Marcus Allen was the most complete RB I have ever seen. Marcus could run between the Tackles (with his leaping ability, he was the best short-yardage runner in the league), and run to the outside. He could catch passes at the first, second, and third-level of the field, and he was extremely dangerous after the catch. Allen was a superb blocker. As long-time scout Don Heinrich once said, "He [Allen] doesn't block opponents, he destroys them." Marcus could be your lead-blocker on running-plays, or provide outstanding pass-blocking in the pocket. He saw the field exceptionally well and did a great job setting up blocks and reading defenders. One of Marcus's patented moves in the open field was his fake burst of speed --- he could trick defenders into thinking that he was about to kick it into high gear and run straight forward --- only to deftly change direction as the defenders broke into full sprints. The man did everything exceptionally well and he was a pleasure to watch. Rich, I have watched one of your games in each of the last six days, and I have viewed over ten games in the past two weeks. I watch every play of each game. Thank you!
Thank you for watching the games I recently uploaded John. Everything you said about Marcus Allen is so true. I even saw him throw a perfect deep pass to a WR against the Oilers in 1984, but the guy dropped it. He was one of the most intelligent runners I ever saw play in the NFL. I miss the great running backs from the glory years. Nowadays everything on offense is pass, pass, pass. It's sad that teams feel they need to line up from the shotgun on 3rd and 2. The game of football is not even a shell of what it used to be especially on offense.
@@survivor5044 I agree with you, Rich. NFL games were far more fun to watch in the 1980's than they are today. The modern game features way too much passing. Get every eligible receiver on the field into a passing lane, toss it up, and let's see if we can draw a pass-interference penalty. When the old-fashioned TE/FB offenses were consistently matched up against standard 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, the chess games were more interesting. In terms of formation deployment, situational substitution, and carefully conceived information relayed from the sideline to the huddle, the old game was much simpler, yet, at the same time, it was actually more interesting from the standpoint of strategy. During the 70's and 80's, you never really knew if a 3rd-and-3 or a 3rd-and-4 would be a pass or a run. That made the play-action-fake so much more significant. Could you get your RB out of the backfield one-on-one against the OLB? If so, would the QB have the time to hit him at the second-level? If you were facing Cover-Two, would a LB cover your TE, or would it be the Safety on that side? The same basic questions were relevant all day long, but the physical battles in the trenches influenced the outcome of those questions. Who would win the battle of will?
@@johnvisconti9848 and to @Richard Waldrup Usually I hear the same textbook answers about the NFL back in the day and how it's different, etc, etc. However I really like reading these incredible replies to each other.
