Biggest RB Busts | Page 3 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Biggest RB Busts

sammie smith thread closed. anyone who says otherwise must be to young to have watched him drop the ball every time he got hit. throw in the selling drugs and you have a winner
 
Lamar Smith in his 2nd season with us didnt do very well. Was dominate up until we played Oakland in Oakland in the playoffs. Went to the black hole to cheer for the phins and will never go back. That games still hurts my soul to this day.
 
Pope Shula XIV said:
I'd have to say Sammie Smith would have to be the biggest bust among the running backs you mentioned because the Dolphins had the most invested in him (high first round pick).

The following biography is courtesy of www.thedolphinsmakemecry.com:

"Smith's career is defined by one play. Without it, he might just be one more 1st round draft bust, instead of being a pariah to Dolphin fans. In a game against the Houston Oilers in 1991, the Dolphins were trailing late in the 4th quarter. Marino drove the team to the goal line. With time running out, Smith took the hand-off, went over the top and fumbled the ball away. Houston recovered and held on to win 17 - 13. It was a carbon copy of a play from the previous week, where Smith fumbled into the end zone against the Chiefs. That one was run back for a touchdown. The back to back fumbles were labeled the "Double Whammy on Sammie". Fans had seen enough of Sammie Smith and what followed was one of the ugliest scenes in professional sports. The entire stadium erupted in chants of "Sammie Sucks". Smith needed a police escort from the stadium. ...his own stadium. He said after the game that he doubted he could play for the Dolphins anymore. He was right.

Smith would be traded to Denver, where he would play a total of 3 games before being released. With no other teams interested, Smith slipped out of football and the public spotlight, at least for a while. Like so many retired athletes, Sammie wanted to give something back to the community. By "give", we mean "sell" and by "something", we mean "drugs". In 1995, Sammie was convicted of selling 12 ounces of crack, while in possession of 37.4 pounds of cocaine. He was invited to spend the next 7 years as a guest of the federal prison system."
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I remember watching Leno after that game..."Did you hear that Sammie Smith tried to commit suicide after the game? Yeah, but he dropped the gun!"

I felt really bad for Sammie and was really upset about how the fans treated him. A real low point for our fans...That said, he is easily the biggest bust we've had at running back.
 
nyjunc said:
Lorenzo Hampton
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Good choice - We are from the same hometown and I remember seeing Lorenzo tear it up in High School. When I was in High School, I remember one day seeing a brand new top of the line Porsche 911 in the parking lot. Then me and my buddies remembered that he was invited to speak at our high school (more like invited to make a donation!) that day. This was the 2nd year I believe after he was drafted. Fast forward to 1990 and I was home from college during Christmas break rehabbing my knee at the YMCA. Guess who comes in the weight room? Got to talk to him for a brief minute and was impressed by how down to earth he was and it was like talking to anyone you would meet out in public. Just a shame since he was from my hometown, played for my favorite college, and was drafted by my favorite pro team during Marino's early years.
 
Lamar Gordon.. 04: 3 games, 64yds, no TDs, 1.8ypc., then injured, then gone?

Wasn't he a desperation 3rd round pick trade from the Rams... by Wanny?
 
Ohiophinphan said:
Here is a list of FB/RB's taken in the first two rounds who were busts in Miami;

Benny Malone 2-47 1974
Stan Winfrey 2-49 1975
David Overstreet 1-13 1981 (Went to Canada and then died which really wasn't his fault)
Andra Franklin 2-56 1981
Lorenzo Hampton 1-27 1985
Sammie Smith 1-9 1989
John Avery 1-29 1998
JJ Johnson 2-39 1999


Now for a much shorter list, successful RB/FB picks in the first two rounds

Larry Csonka 1-8 1968
Rob Konrad 2-43 1999 (there are likely some who think he should be on the first list)

After reviewing these lists does anyone wonder why we spent two first round picks on Ricky?

But to answer the question of the thread, Sammie Smith has to be the biggest bust only in that he was by far the highest pick.
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You have to be kidding! Andra Franklin is the polar opposite of a bust! He was a FB and still ran for over 2000yds in 3 yrs. Unfortunately, he got hurt in 1984 or he would have been one of the best FB we had ever had.

Sadly, he died of heart failure in 2006. Pro Football can take a serious toll on the human body.:(
 
I would DEFINATELY PUT Cecil Collins and sammie smith on this list but the biggest bust in dolphin history wasnt at rb or wr it linebacker Eddie freakin Moore the man got ko'ed by a non athlete at Ihop but as for runningback my vote goes to john avery the did more dancing then jason did on dancing with the stars.
 
Mebeverine said:
How in the hell have 7 posts gone by without even the mere mention of the names Ki-Jana Carter?
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Blair Thomas and the guy who played at Michigan and the panthers Tim bonka-something(SP) And I hat to say it, but if Ronnie Brown can't return for his inquiries he'll be talked about like this.:unsure:
 
To put the Sammie Smith thing in perspective, there was great debate over who, at the time, was the best college RB in in the state of Florida. Emmitt Smith had a great line, saying something to the effect that Sammie was bigger, stronger, and faster, but that he (Emmitt) had a lot to offer, as well. Emmitt was drafted the year after Sammie. Who knows how our fortunes might have shifted had the Cowboys & Dolphins drafted each other's Smith.

I still remember the draft wrap up I bought after the '89 draft. Sammie Smith, 6'2", 232, 4.33 forty yard dash. Shula was beaming for months after that pick. Later, one writer wrote SS ran as if was trying not to crush his socks. Hard to disagree, and that's without the fumbles. You take a RB 9th overall, you expect a good 7-8 years out of him being a major team weapon, if not your most lethal one. All we have now are the echoes of those shameful chants raining down on him from Dolphin fans. Oh, and his mug shot.
 
I'm torn between Sammie and Avery. Probably Smith because of his high draft status and expectations, but Avery amounted to almost nothing. Speaking of which, just think about what Jimmie Johnson tried to do while here: after finding Emmitt in Dallas, he was the one drafting guys like Avery, Cecil Collins and JJ Johnson. I personally was more disappointed in his lack of finding offensive talent than with the players themselves!
 
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