ESPN: 30 For 30: Marcus Dupree - The Best That Never Was

Source:The New Democrat

If talent and the ability to play football were the only things that people needed to be successful football players, then maybe Marcus Dupree ends up as the great running back whose ever played. Because he was 6’3 225-230 pounds of muscle, speed and vision. Sounds like Eric Dickerson right, but Eric Dickerson is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a college degree and is very intelligent. And not the feature in an ESPN film called the Best That Never Was. 

Maybe instead Marcus is in a film called The Best Who Ever Lived winning awards at Sundance and so-forth. Marcus Dupree unlike Eric Dickerson didn’t even finish his first year of college at Oklahoma. Not calling Marcus a dumb man, but he didn’t have the education, maturity and probably people around him to show him that "you are blowing this you are blowing a golden opportunity to be a great football player. Perhaps the greatest who ever ran the ball, why are you doing this?" 

Marcus Dupree is the perfect example of why there should be a minor league pro football system in the United States. A place to go for high school football players who’ve at least graduated from high school, but not ready at least for major college. And perhaps not college at all who do not even have any interest in attending college and wouldn’t do the work at college to be successful. 

If the NFL had that back then like baseball and hockey already have in America, Marcus plays 3-4 years of minor league football and get’s drafted in the NFL by a team that wants him. And knows how to utilize him and Marcus probably goes down as the top pick or one of the top picks in the. 1985 or 86 drafts. Never tries to play in the United States Football League and probably has a 12-13 year career in the National Football league headed to the Hall of Fame. Because Marcus wasn’t college material as a student, but someone with a great gift to play football.

The Best That Never Was is the title for a player who would’ve been the greatest running back of all time. But never lived up to that because he was a guy who went to college even though he probably shouldn’t have been in college. Because he was there to play football not be a student who needed other options post high school to be successful as a pro football player. But who didn’t have those options for him at the time.

ESPN: Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL

Source:The New Democrat

I could just write that Donald Trump by himself killed the old United States Football League that only lasted for three seasons from 1983-85 and I'm actually old enough to remember games from all three seasons. I could write that and it would be mostly true about Donald Trump. Because he was involved in the league owning the New Jersey Generals, but he was the Dan Snyder of the USFL. A great businessman outside of pro football with no business being involved in pro football.

But the whole story is that the USFL folded for multiple reasons and even though The Donald had a hand in several of those reasons why the league folded. It wasn't all his fault but with The Donald I could put down the facts that the league grew way too fast going to eighteen teams by 1985. And also expanding in NFL markets that already great established pro football franchises and weren't looking for another pro football franchise like. Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, and Denver. And I could put the fact that Donald Trump decided the USFL should be playing in the fall and go up against the NFL. When they had the spring and summer all to themselves.

So yeah I could put most of the failures of the old USFL on Donald Trump. Because he had a hand in a lot of their management failures. But he wasn't the Commissioner of the USFL, but the majority owner of one of their franchises. And the USFL didn't have strong enough people amongst their other owners or a commissioner to stand up. And say "you know what we shouldn't be doing this. Going up against the NFL in their own markets and playing when they do. When we have all of these other major markets that do not have a major league pro football franchise yet". If they had strong smart people like that, they probably never go out of business. And have the spring and summer to themselves and still be in business in today.

USFL History: USFL Comes Back

I have already written a blog about why the United Sates Football League failed in the mid 1980s and how it could've succeeded. So I'm not going to focus too much on that but the reasons why the USFL could've succeeded and still be in business today are the same reasons how a USFL could make it today, because there are enough non NFL markets in America, to support a USFL franchise. And enough good NFL caliber players, to make the USFL work today, who maybe aren't ready for the NFL yet or have been overlooked and just need that one shot to make it.

The NFL is somewhat short on quarterbacks offensive lineman, defensive lineman and there are plenty of NFL players, that simply aren't ready to be stars in the NFL today. And need time to develop and when they are sent out to play now, they simply don't look ready to play yet, but if they are playing in the USFL and given a chance to develop and play and not have to worry about playing against the best football players in the World, then the pressure is off to a certain extent instead of trying to live up to some huge contract that they signed and would be better off starting in the USFL.

Put those players in the USFL, they would be surrounded by good young players, who just need time to develop or that shot to be a good NFL or USFL player. The USFL could serve as either a developmental league for the NFL or they could end up, however they develop their players and are able to attract players to their league perhaps one day end up being part of the NFL or perhaps merging with the Canadian Football League, the USFL and maybe we could end up with some type Continental Bowl in the future.

But in the short-term, the USFL needs to be about developing NFL players, that aren't ready to be in the NFL yet or players that are so far down on the depth chart, that they aren't getting a chance to develop. And they need do this by being a spring league at least in the beginning, basically starting training camp and Preseason after the Super Bowl and playing in major non NFL markets. Again a big reason why the USFL failed, was because they were in big NFL markets, like Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago etc.

The USFL can't do that again and need to go to places like, Orlando, Birmingham, Memphis, perhaps Columbus, Ohio, San Antonio, Portland, Salt Lake, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, perhaps San Jose or Sacramento. Major big cities like this that want pro football but don't have an NFL Franchise yet that would especially support a USFL franchise in the spring. And you take the players from the NFL or were overlooked by the NFL, that are simply not ready to play full-time in the NFL yet, thats how the USFl could succeed.

Paul Woods:CFL 1994-Week 1: Baltimore Stallions @ Toronto Argonauts: First Game in the CFL

Source:The New Democrat

The first Canadian Football League game ever for the City of Baltimore, Maryland, which was starving for major league pro football again to the point they would take a CFL franchise to show they can and will support good pro football. This is not a shot at the CFL, of which I'm actually a fan and watch their games in America, but Baltimore is one of the greatest pro football cities in North America, with a long proud rich tradition. It is the only city to win the NFL Championship, including three Super Bowls, the United States Football Championship in 1985 with the Stars, and the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup in 1995 which you could make the case was the North American gridiron pro football championship in 1994 and 1995. The Baltimore Stallions played both games against the Vancouver Lions in 1994 and the Calgary Stampeders in 1995.

1994-95 was the final chapter in the Baltimore journey to be an NFL city, again by not only getting the Stallions as an CFL expansion franchise, but supporting them very well, and I believe they even led the CFL in attendance. Keep in mind an American franchise leading the Canadian Football League in attendance, but they wanted the NFL back in Baltimore so much that they would support another style of gridiron football from another country.

Thanks to the CFL and football fans of Baltimore and the State of Maryland in general and perhaps the Delmarva area and Southern Pennsylvania, Baltimore proved that they were an NFL-caliber market again after losing the Colts in 1984 and losing out on NFL expansion in 1993, that the NFL was losing money by not having a franchise in this great football city and market, and that the State of Maryland deserved its own NFL franchise again as well.  Now it has two:  the Ravens and the Redskins, who play about 40 miles apart from each other.

CBC Sports: CFL 1995- San Antonio Texans @ Toronto Argonauts: Short Video

Source:CBC Sports- the San Antonio Texans going north of the border to play the Toronto Argonauts at Skydome.

Source:Real Life Journal 

"CFL 1995 SAN ANTONIO TEXANS AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS" 

From CFL Video

Inter-conference play in the CFL with the San Antonio Texans from the South or American Conference, against the Toronto Argonauts from the North, or Canadian Conference. Which was really the goal of the CFL when they started their American experiment in the early 1990s was to create a continental or Can-Am league, between America and Canada with a Canadian conference and an American conference. And have the winners of both conferences play in a continental or North American Championship game. 

The 1995 San Antonio Texans were the second best American team in the CFL. They had NFL quality and NFL experienced talent on their club, both on offense and defense. Which is why I'm surprised they didn't do better as far as attendance and ratings in San Antonio which is a great sports market as far as size and people who love sports. And of course Texas has always been a great state of football. But the Texans weren't marketed very well and perhaps just expected their fans to automatically show up for their games. Not that different from the Los Angeles Raiders in the NFL. 

ESPN: CFL 1995- Memphis Mad Dogs @ Edmonton Eskimos: Short Video

Source:ESPN- Edmonton Eskimos kick returner Gizmo Williams.

Source:Real Life Journal 

"CFL 1995 MEMPHIS MADDOGS AT EDMONTON ESKIMOS" 

From CFL Video

Here’s a battle between one of the most storied and successful North American, not just CFL, but North American major league pro football franchises in the Edmonton Eskimos and one CFL American expansion franchises in the Memphis Mad Dogs. Who in their two CFL seasons were decent, but struggled to get over 500. A defensive oriented teamed coached by Pepper Rogers, who had some success in college football and the old USFL. 

The Memphis Mad Dogs were one of the better defensive teams in the entire Canadian Football League, just like the Baltimore Stallions and Calgary Stampeders, but we're at best ball control offensive team that needed to run the ball very well. And then they could throw with play action with QB Damon Allen and go deep to receivers like Joe Horn, who would end up in the NFL after the CFL.

ABC Sports: WLAF 1992- Sacramento Surge @ Columbus Glory

Source:CFL Video- The Columbus Glory (as I call them) from the WLAF.

"WLAF 1992 SACRAMENTO SURGE AT OHIO GLORY" 

From CFL Video

Pro football being played at Columbus, Ohio at Ohio Stadium.

ESPN: CFL 1995- Grey Cup- Baltimore Stallions vs. Calgary Stampeders: Short Video

Source:ESPN- broadcasting the 1995 CFL Grey Cup 

“This is a clip of the opening minutes of the 1995 CFL Grey Cup game between the Baltimore Stallions and the Calgary Stampeders. It was played in November in Regina with 80 km/hour winds and a -20 wind chill. Baltimore became the first and only U.S. team to win the Grey Cup.”

From Darcy 757

One thing that was great about the CFL American experience in the early and mid 1990s was that we got to see a North American Football Championship game. Not once, but twice in 1994 and 95.

The Stallions lost to the Vancouver Lions (as I call them) in 1994 and then beat the Calgary Stampeders in 1995.

Baltimore, being one of the premier American football markets and now with one of the premier franchises and premier histories as well.

Calgary, being one of the premier Canadian football markets, franchises and has one of the best football histories in Canada.

The Stallions and Stampeders, were clearly the two best teams in the CFL in 1995. And both had a host of players that either played in the NFL, or went on to play in the NFL.

The CFL American experience didn’t fail because of lack of quality talent on the American teams. But because outside of Baltimore the franchises weren’t run and marketed very well. And outside of Baltimore there wasn’t a CFL American market that badly wanted in to or back into the NFL.

Baltimore loved the Stallions, but they also used the Stallions to get another NFL club to show the NFL how much they wanted another NFL club by the way they supported the Stallions. And as a result Baltimore is the only city in the world actually, that has won the NFL Championship, including multiple Super Bowls, the USFL Championship and the CFL Grey Cup Championship.

The CFL American experiment, was a good idea that was poorly executed. And if the USFL ever comes back, they should look at the CFL as a possible merger with let’s say ten American clubs that are all outside of NFL markets. With 9-10 CFL clubs and play a couple inter-conference or inter-league games for each club in this new league. So fans in both countries can see how they play against each other. Play in the spring and summer, instead of the fall and winter. So they’re not going up against the NFL. Get a player agreement with the NFL so they can have access to NFL players who are talented, but aren’t playing much right now. Because they are not ready and need experience. And get a revenue sharing agreement as well. And this new Can-Am league I believe would do very well both in America and Canada. 

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