Tag: Eric Dickerson

Eagles announce finalized coaching staff for 2024 season

The Philadelphia Eagles announced the addition of nine new coaches to the staff, including Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio and Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore

The Eagles announced a revamped coaching staff for 2024 that’ll include significant changes at offensive and defensive coordinator positions.

In all, the Eagles welcome nine new coaches to the staff, including Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio and Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore.

Three members from last year’s coaching staff return with new titles.

Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson hates the name ‘Commanders’

The legendary running back still refers to Washington by its old name.

Eric Dickerson is one of the greatest running backs in football history. During his college career at SMU, Dickerson rushed for 4,450 yards and scored 45 touchdowns.

Dickerson then became the No. 2 overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft. He played 11 seasons with four teams, rushing for over 13,000 yards and scoring 96 touchdowns. Dickerson is a member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Now, the 63-year-old Dickerson works in the Rams front office as the vice president of business development. Dickerson spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with Los Angeles.

Dickerson played three games against the then-Washington Redskins during his career. During those days, Washington was one of the NFL’s flagship franchises.

Things are much different these days. Dickerson has followed the Commanders some and, like many Washington fans, hates the new name.

“I still call them the Redskins…..Commanders, I mean, I’m not in Washington, but I hate that name,” Dickerson said on “BMitch and Finlay” on 106.7 The Fan Friday, courtesy of Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “I have friends here in L.A. that are on the tribes, and they love the name Redskins, but, you know, it’s a whole different thing.”

Now under new ownership, it’s possible Washington could look at changing its name again. While far from a certainty, ownership hasn’t ruled it in or out.

As far as the 2023 team, Dickerson isn’t impressed.

“I watched them early in the season, and they would play really hard but lose games, and they would be the team that I think they shouldn’t be,” Dickerson said. “Then the last couple weeks, man, they just fell off the map. When you’re watching a team that’s not playing good and losing, you don’t want to watch that anymore.”

Washington fans would likely agree with almost everything Dickerson said on Friday.

The Commanders travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday.

10 of the greatest running backs in Texas high school football history

Here are 10 of the greatest high school running backs in Texas history.

Some of the most outstanding performers in the history of the sport got their start playing high school football in Texas. That tradition is especially rich at the running back position, where the state has produced several all-time special athletes. Some of them went on to win Heisman trophies, others had prestigious awards named after them and some even played in the NFL and became Pro Football Hall of Famers.

Here are 10 of the greatest high school running backs in Texas history. All high school stats are courtesy of MaxPreps.

Best NFL player to wear each jersey number: How many Rams were picked?

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar picked the best player ever to wear each jersey number and 6 Rams made the list. Can you guess who?

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There are some players in NFL history who became impossible to see wearing any other jersey number. Tom Brady and the No. 12 go hand in hand, just as Aaron Donald and No. 99 do.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar went through the fun (and challenging) exercise of picking the best player to ever wear each jersey number, from No. 00 to 99. The Rams have had some historic names suit up for them throughout the franchise’s history, many of whom made Farrar’s list.

It’s easy to think of a few, like Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson rocking Nos. 28 and 29, as well as Orlando Pace in his No. 76 uniform. In total, six Rams were selected, including Donald at the very end.

Marshall Faulk: No. 28

Eric Dickerson: No. 29

Aeneas Williams: No. 35

Jerome Bettis: No. 36

Orlando Pace: No. 76

Aaron Donald: No. 99

Faulk wore No. 28 throughout his NFL career, including his first five seasons with the Colts before going to the Rams in 1999. It was a tough number to sift through because there were a lot of deserving picks, including Adrian Peterson, Darrell Green and Darren Woodson, but Faulk was the best choice.

Dickerson edged out Harold Jackson, Earl Thomas, Ken Houston and others at No. 29, a number he wore his entire NFL career, too. No. 35 wasn’t as loaded as some other numbers, but the Hall of Famer Williams made those digits look good for both the Cardinals and Rams.

Bettis is best known for his time with the Steelers but he got started with the Rams, where he also wore No. 36. Pace and Steve Hutchinson were the top candidates at No. 76, along with Marion Motley and Steve Wisniewski.

At No. 99, there were a host of current and future Hall of Famers alongside Donald. J.J. Watt is one of the best ever, as is Warren Sapp. Jason Taylor also got consideration thanks to his Hall of Fame resume. But Donald is one of the rare all-time greats who’s still currently playing, and his resume at the end of his career will be the best of anyone to wear No. 99.

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Trojan legend John Robinson finally got his man … by leaving USC

John Robinson is a great and beloved Trojan, but he coached Eric Dickerson only by leaving USC. @LBCTrojan knows the story.

The twists and turns of football history are fascinating to contemplate.

On Friday, we passed along a story told by Rick Anaya, the co-host of Trojan Conquest Live, the USC YouTube show which airs Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific at The Voice of College Football. Anaya told this story during his interview — with co-host Tim Prangley — of USC legend Anthony Munoz.

Here’s the short story, for those who missed it:

“The day was January 1, 1980. USC, Anthony Munoz, and Charles White played No. 1 and unbeaten Ohio State in the 1980 Rose Bowl. Munoz talked about this game and many other subjects in his recent conversation at Trojan Conquest Live with co-hosts Rick Anaya and Tim Prangley.

“On this Anthony Munoz show, Rick Anaya mentioned that John Jackson — the USC receiver who was an important part of the late-1980s Rose Bowl teams under then-coach Larry Smith — was just 12 years old on New Year’s Day of 1980. Jackson told Anaya that he attended the 1980 Rose Bowl in person. Who was sitting next to him? None other than SMU running back Eric Dickerson, who played his freshman season with the Mustangs in 1979.”

Eric Dickerson watched USC coach John Robinson win a third Rose Bowl and finish in the national top two of the polls for the third time in four years. There was obviously some degree of mutual admiration, if not curiosity, between Robinson and Dickerson for the running back to make his way to the 1980 Rose Bowl Game and watch in person.

Well, a few short years later, the player and the coach would be united.

Robinson left USC after the 1982 season to coach the Los Angeles Rams over in Anaheim. Dickerson’s magnificent SMU career ended with the 1983 Cotton Bowl against another NFL legend-to-be, Dan Marino of the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Who was the first Ram taken in Robinson’s first NFL draft as the Rams’ head coach? Eric Dickerson with the No. 2 overall pick. Dickerson helped Robinson reach the NFC Championship Game in what was a very successful NFL run for the former USC coach. Had the Joe Montana-led San Francisco 49ers not become a dynasty in the 1980s, Robinson and the Rams probably would have made the Super Bowl at some point.

John Robinson and Eric Dickerson — both inside the stadium at the 1980 Rose Bowl — never worked together as player and coach in college, but their paths ultimately did intersect in the pros. They are both grateful it happened.

Be sure to catch the next episode of Trojan Conquest Live on Sunday, June 18, at 8 Eastern and 5 Pacific at The Voice of College Football.

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If the transfer portal existed, Eric Dickerson might have thought about playing for USC

.@LBCTrojan found out that Eric Dickerson was in the stadium for one of the most famous #USC games of all time. What if the portal existed back then?

The history of college football is more than 150 years long. There’s a very lengthy list of “what-ifs” in this sport’s twisting, turning, tide-changing existence. The transfer portal, which is such an equation-changing aspect of modern college football, could have overturned so many aspects of the sport in past eras. What if specific superstar players changed programs with the frequency we see today? USC has obviously benefited enormously from the portal. Without Caleb Williams transferring from Oklahoma, the Men of Troy aren’t in a position to contend for conference and national championships in 2023.

Here’s one very big “what if” from the transfer portal: What if the portal existed in 1979 and 1980? An elite running back might have thought about transferring to USC.

The day was January 1, 1980. USC, Anthony Munoz, and Charles White played No. 1 and unbeaten Ohio State in the 1980 Rose Bowl. Munoz talked about this game and many other subjects in his recent conversation at Trojan Conquest Live with co-hosts Rick Anaya and Tim Prangley.

On this Anthony Munoz show, Rick Anaya mentioned that John Jackson — the USC receiver who was an important part of the late-1980s Rose Bowl teams under then-coach Larry Smith — was just 12 years old on New Year’s Day of 1980. Jackson told Anaya that he attended the 1980 Rose Bowl in person. Who was sitting next to him? None other than SMU running back Eric Dickerson, who played his freshman season with the Mustangs in 1979.

Imagine if Dickerson had the transfer portal as a realistic option back then. He would have seen Munoz opening up gaping holes for Charles White on that final 83-yard touchdown drive which delivered USC a 17-16 victory. He would have seen White run for 247 yards in his last game as a Trojan.

You don’t think Dickerson would have been interested in playing for USC after seeing that game in person?

It’s quite a “what if.”

Here’s the other “what if” of this story: Marcus Allen and Charles White shared the backfield at USC. Imagine Dickerson and Allen sharing the backfield under John Robinson in the early 1980s. Oh, my goodness.

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WATCH: Chiefs rookie Rashee Rice gets locker room pep talk from Eric Dickerson

#Chiefs rookie WR Rashee Rice was surprised by SMU & NFL legend Eric Dickerson.

Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice got a pleasant surprise during the 2023 NFLPA Rookie Premiere event in Los Angeles last month.

The No. 55 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft was surprised with a special pep talk from SMU Mustangs legend Eric Dickerson during an after-party hosted by Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin in Beverly Hills. Rubin surprised several incoming rookies with messages from players, coaches and others related to the NFL game who inspire them. They recorded a documentary short film titled, “The Locker Room.”

Fanatics shared a video on social media featuring NFL legends like Joe Montana, Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson Jr., Jerry Rice, Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, Rob Gronkowski, Davante Adams, George Kittle, Ray Lewis, Barry Sanders and more. They all spoke to a respective rookie, sharing words of wisdom as they enter the league.

There’s only a brief glimpse of Rice’s chat with Dickerson. The two are attached as they both graduated from SMU and hold school records there. If we’re to assume these chats between rookies and legends were all equal, Rice was likely presented with a signed jersey of Dickerson’s with a custom inscription.

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50 legends who could be inducted into National High School Football Hall of Fame

Here are all 50 of the potential inductees.

The National High School Football Hall of Fame will soon be settling into Canton, Ohio – per Josh Weir at the Canton Repository.

In five days’ time, 18 players will be inducted into the inaugural class. That group will be narrowed down from a group of 50 legends of the sport who are eligible to be inducted. The induction ceremony will take place on July 30 at the Timken Auditorium at the Timken Career Campus in Canton.

Here are all 50 of the potential inductees.

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New Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks has tied the record for NFL’s most-traded player ever

Brandin Cooks has now been traded FOUR times in his career.

New Dallas Cowboys receiver Brandin Cooks has been everywhere, man.

After the speedy wide receiver was traded to Dallas from the Houston Texans on Sunday morning, Cooks joined the fifth team in his professional career.

Four of those teams were joined by trade. Indeed, Cooks has been traded four times in his career since being taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

In 2017, the New England Patriots traded a first-round pick and a third-round pick to New Orleans for Cooks and a fourth-round pick. Then, in 2018, the Los Angeles Rams sent a first rounder and a sixth rounder to New England for Cooks and a fourth rounder.

In 2020, the Houston Texans acquired Cooks and a fourth-round pick from the Rams in exchange for a second-round pick. Now, it’s the Texans who traded Cooks to the Cowboys in 2023 for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft and a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft.

Since 1980, Cooks has now tied NFL Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson for the player who has been traded the most times in his career, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Cooks will join a Cowboys offense where he’ll slot next to wideout CeeDee Lamb on the depth chart as Dallas’ No. 2 receiver.

It’s a nice landing spot for Cooks, who has learned throughout his career the hard way of how the NFL’s business side can transpire.