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The Colts did have a decent run from 1987 through 1989, immediately upon acquiring Eric Dickerson ...... Dickerson single-handedly gave the franchise a much needed shot in the arm, turning them from the NFL's laughing stock into a respectable team. They had 3 consecutive winning/non-losing seasons (9-6, 9-7, and 8-8 respectively in 1987, 1988, and 1989.) I was thrilled when they won the AFC East in 1987. We beat the Browns in the regular season that year, and I thought that we might have beaten them again in the divisional playoffs if Gary Hogeboom had stayed healthy.

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Having not looked at the '25 class much... Unless there is a DT or Pass Rusher or to a lesser extent a CB worthy of moving up for...

I am very intrigued by Tyler Warren from PSU. Usually see him at the end of the first, but I feel like he'll move up. Could line up well for where we're at.

I like him better than the Michigan kid because he's huge, uber versatile, and productive even though he can still polish his route running and has room to grow. Very athletic.

Most of all, he is a big, capable blocker. Especially with AR going forward, I've wanted that Jack Doyle-type blocker back in the lineup.

The '87 Colts were actually a decent team,even without Dickerson. Albert Bentley was a pretty good RB in his own right. Dickerson put butts in the seats and gave the team some national exposure. Cornelius Bennett would have made the Colts a better team though.

AB was a GREAT 2nd option, had his jersey!

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The Colts were not decent without Dickerson.

Bentley was pretty good, but Dickerson was an all-time great in his prime.

Dickerson led the AFC in rushing in 1987, and he only played in 9 games after the trade. They got national exposure because they went from 3-13 to 9-6 and the AFC title, largely because of Dickerson. The 1987, 1988, and 1989 Colts probably would have gone somewhere between 5-11 and 6-10 without Dickerson.

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\\Lest we forget '87 was a strike season. So most NFL starters only played 9 games.

In the 3 non-strike games that Bentley started before Dickerson was the starter, he accumulated 492 scrimmage yards or 164 scrimmage yards per game. This was weeks 16 0f '86 and 7,8 of '87.

Sure Dickerson was a superstar. It still doesn't make it the right move for the Colts, as RB was not their biggest need.

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No, most starters did not play 9 games in 1987. Most starters played 12 games in 1987, because there were 12 non-strike games. In fact the only player in the entire NFL who had more rushing yards than Dickerson was Charles White, and he played in all 15 games, including the 3 strike games ...... White had 1,374 yards in 15 games, and Dickerson had 1,011 games in 9 games with the Colts.

There were 12 non-strike games in 1987. Dickerson played in 9 of them with the Colts.

The Colts went 6-3 in the 9 non-strike games in which Dickerson played in in 1987. The Colts went 1-2 in non-strike games in which Dickerson did not play in in 1987.

The Colts were not a good team, or even a decent team without Dickerson in the late 1980's. Dickerson is the primary reason of what made them the respectable team that they were in 1987, 1988, and 1989.



Your numbers are wrong on Albert Bentley. There were 2 games before the strike, not 3. In those 2 games, Bentley had 230 yards from scrimmage, or 115 yards per game. In the first game back from the strike, Bentley had 118 yards from scrimmage. In those 3 games combined Bentley had 348 yards from scrimmage, or 116 yards per game.

Bentley had a great game against the Jets, in which he had 145 yards on 29 carries. That was Dickerson's first game with the Colts, in which he played very little in, gaining 38 yards. So in the final 8 games of the season in which Dickerson played the entire game he gained 973 yards, which computes to 1,946 yards over 16 games.

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One of my favorite what-ifs is Jerry Rice's 1987 box score:

65rec, 1078yds, 22tds - 12 games

87rec, 1438yds, 30tds - 16 games

His receptions and yards would've been very good. But his TD's could've been untouchable. Over 1/3 of his receptions were TD's which is fucking bananas.

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Rice showed a lot of integrity in not crossing the picket line in the final strike game of 1987 ...... Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark and a bunch of other stars on that team crossed the line to play in the final 2 strike games ...... Rice chose not, and waited for the NFL Players Union and the team owners officially ended the strike.

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No matter where the Colts draft, I want this guy. He will instantly upgrade the entire offense.