Terrell Davis retires...

[Guest Zero_Cool]

EDIT - This is from ESPN.com...

 

 

DENVER -- Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis has decided to retire after seven seasons because there's little chance that his chronically injured left knee will get any better, his agent said Saturday night.

 

 

Agent Neil Schwartz said doctors told Davis they could not guarantee that his latest ailment -- a degenerative condition in his left knee -- would get better. Schwartz also said Davis wanted to be able to end his career in Denver, on his own terms.

 

 

Davis will be placed on injured reserve Tuesday, allowing fans to see him in uniform one last time Monday night, when the Denver Broncos face the San Francisco 49ers.

 

 

"Terrell is at peace with himself. He knows that he did everything that he possibly could to play again, but his knee just would not cooperate,'' Schwartz said. "There were no guarantees that his knee would get better with treatment, and he wanted to be able to go out on his own terms.''

 

 

Schwartz said Davis met with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan on Saturday to discuss his future for the first time since experiencing swelling in his left knee last Saturday. He said Shanahan talked about putting Davis on injured reserve Sunday, but Davis wanted to wait until Tuesday, so he could walk out of the tunnel one final time.

 

 

"He wanted to acknowledge the fans of Denver and basically say 'Thank you,''' Schwartz said. "It means a great deal for him to walk out of the tunnel at Mile High one last time. He would shake the hands of all 75,000 people there if he could.''

 

 

Davis finished his career with 7,607 yards on 1,655 carries and 60 touchdowns. He holds or shares 56 teams records -- 21 in the postseason -- including most rushing yards, total yards from scrimmage and rushing touchdowns.

 

 

"It's tough, man, don't get me wrong,'' Davis told the Denver Post on Saturday. "It's tough because I know I still have a lot of football in me. But I know that my body is not going to allow me to perform at the level I want to play. Unless some new technology comes along real soon, there's a good chance I'll never see the field again.''

 

"It's the hardest decision I had to make, but obviously the decision was made for me. My body made it,'' he told the Rocky Mountain News.

 

 

Davis, the last NFL player to gain at least 2,000 yards, was one of the most dominant running back of the 1990s: He ran for 6,413 yards over his first four years in the league, the second-most in history over that span.

 

He had 2,008 yards during his stellar 1998 season, joining O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders as the only players to reach that milestone. The previous season, Davis was chosen the Super Bowl MVP, as the Broncos won their first Super Bowl by defeating Green Bay 31-24.

 

 

That was Davis' last full season in the NFL, however. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the fourth game of the 1999 season, and he has been beset by injuries ever since.

 

 

He played just five games in 2000 due to a stress fracture in his lower leg, and he was limited to eight games because of a knee injury last season. He rushed for 1,194 yards over his last three seasons -- 814 fewer than he had in 1998.

 

 

Davis had surgery on his left knee for the second time in six months in May, but he was back on the field for a minicamp just three weeks later. He appeared to be pain-free in the first two weeks of training camp but pulled himself from the Broncos' preseason opener against Chicago last Saturday after experiencing pain and swelling in his left knee.

 

An MRI exam on Sunday revealed an arthritic condition in his left knee, and he received a two injections on Monday to reduce the swelling and lubricate the knee joint. Schwartz said Davis had fluid drained from his knee twice before the Chicago game and again on Monday.

 

 

Davis said he was feeling better on Tuesday, and that he hoped to practice again by the end of the week, but he made little progress over the next four days.

 

Schwartz said doctors told Davis that it was unlikely any further procedures would alleviate the pain in his knee. He also said Davis considered continuing with the lubricating injections so he could play, but doctors couldn't guarantee that his knee wouldn't swell up the next day.

 

 

"At some point, you just have to be real honest with yourself about what's going on,'' Davis told the Denver Post. "It's not something that you can just rehab and expect it to be better. Chances are it's going to keep on doing what it's been doing. These are just the cards I've been dealt.''

 

 

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Thoughts? I for one am sad to see him go, because he was so very, very awesome back when Denver had that mini dynasty back in the late 90s. Maybe it was the chunky soup...

 

LOOK OUT, DONOVAN McNABB!!

 

But yeah, he reminds me of Gale Sayers, dominating, then being forced to retire early by injury.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

5 years until the debate begins.

[Guest LexLugerRules]

Hope Davis haves a get retirement, he was a great runningback in his day.

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

He'll be back.

I give him about a Year or Two and he'll be

back.

[Guest razazteca]

so does this mean that rookie Portis is going to get 1000 yards?

[Guest MrRant]

If he does than anyone can run in that offense and they don't need to pay anyone shit and just draft rookies constantly lol.

[Guest Shaved Bear]

damn TD really did get screwed, he should defintley go to Canton

[Guest Vern Gagne]

He's not a Hall of Famer. Sorry that his career was cut short but he only played like 4 four seasons.

[Agent_Bond34 0]

I agree with Vern, Terrell Davis is not a Hall of Famer. His career was cut a bit too short to warrant being a Hall of Famer. Had he avoided the injury-prone tag, he probably could have become a Hall of Famer, that is of course had his career not ended this year.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

TD isn't a HOF'mer, but he was a great RB during his brief NFL stint...

[Guest Youth N Asia]

TD isn't close to being a hall of famer...

 

He was only as great as his QB...when Elway was there the threat of the pass took heat off him...when Elway left he got killed.

 

It's Barry Sanders syndrom...Scott Mitchell, talented (and underrated) QB=Barry having good numbers...Charlie Batch, untalented waste of a draft pick=Barry getting killed...no threat of a pass so they buried Barry

[Guest El Satanico]

He got injured either the last year of Elway or the year after Elway. It's hard to say that Elway was the reason he was good when he was never fully healthy when Elway was gone.

 

Besides if Gale Sayers can be a Hall of Famer then why exactly can't Terrell Davis be one. Hell Terrel Davis even had more production in his short career then Sayers had in his own short career.

 

And no that isn't coming from a Broncos fan. Denver isone of my least favorite teams in the league.

[Guest DawnBTVS]

Overall though Sayers owned Davis. Gale was able to do alot more then TD cuz Sayers was a RB, Kick/Punt Returner and possibly threw some passes(not sure on the last fact). Plus Gale's 6 TD's in a game alone makes him a HoFer.

[Guest Strike Force!]

He's actually borderline HOF-er. He's definitely NOT a sure thing. If I to lay money on it, I'd say he won't get in.

 

Don't go to the other extreme, and say he's not even close, because that's wrong.

[Guest El Satanico]

Yeah Sayer may have been more versatile, but the point is that both he and Davis dominated for much of their short careers and had great numbers for such short careers.

 

He won't get in right away, but he will be Inducted at some point.

[Guest Strike Force!]

TD has the accomplishments, just not the longevity. I say screw longevity.

 

On a related note, I find this interesting. Back when Lawrence Taylor was about to get inducted, the great debate was whether he should be allowed in because of his off the field problems. Well, people would then come back and say that he should be allowed in because of what he ACCOMPLISHED (there's that word) on the field. Why not hold the same standard for TD? yeah, he didn't play that long, but look at what he did on the field.

If you hold the same standard to one guy, you gotta hold it to the other.

[Guest HartFan86]

Wow. I'm shocked that Davis retired, though it did accumulate over the past few years. It seemed like yesterday everyone said he was going to be the next Barry Sanders and even more. I was never a big fan of his, but it is definately sad to see him go. He did win a couple of Super Bowls, so I guess he had a decent football carrer. I wonder what he'll do now.

[Guest The Man in Blak]

TD isn't close to being a hall of famer...

 

He was only as great as his QB...when Elway was there the threat of the pass took heat off him...when Elway left he got killed.

 

It's Barry Sanders syndrom...Scott Mitchell, talented (and underrated) QB=Barry having good numbers...Charlie Batch, untalented waste of a draft pick=Barry getting killed...no threat of a pass so they buried Barry

Not to take this thread off track or anything...but what in the world are you babbling about? Sanders never had a season below 1,000 yards, despite running under under a hideous gallery of quarterbacks that included Erik Kramer, Rodney Peete, and frickin' Bob Gagliano. There's no correlation between Detroit QB quality and Sanders' numbers at all.

 

And I'm sure that Scott Mitchell (the best Lions QB of the '90s - there's a backhanded compliment for you) wasn't complaining about having to throw to one of the best receiving corps the Lions had ever had, with Herman Moore and Brett Perriman grabbing balls out of nowhere.

 

But I digress.

 

There is one factor that is being forgotten in Davis' HOF argument:

 

The man was a MONSTER in the playoffs.

 

Two out of the seven years years that he played, the Broncos won the Super Bowl, with Terrell Davis grabbing Super Bowl MVP honors in 1998. And, not only does Davis own the best own the best per-game rushing average in NFL history (105.1) in the regular season...but he also has the best per-rush (5.6) and per-game (142.5) averages for the postseason as well.

 

Davis led the AFC in rushing three years straight from '96-'98, finishing second to Sanders in NFL rushing in '96 and '97. Davis was the league's MVP in 1998, which is one of the best offensive seasons ever by any running back. He also has scored more rushing touchdowns per game (.918; 56 in 61 gms.) for his career than any other player in history.

 

Though I'm not exactly sure whether Davis is HOF-material or not (I have to agree with the argument that comparisons to Gale Sayers are totally uncalled for)...I think, by looking at the stats above, that the case against Terrell Davis making it into the Hall of Fame isn't necessarily closed.

 

(Credit: NFL.com for the stats)

[Guest hhh6294]

Actually... The papers here say that he never officially announced his retirement... just that the team had placed him on Injured Reserve because of his knees...

 

Now, I realize that there is little to no hope of Davis ever playing a full season ever again, but he didn't actually retire officially.... he has just stated that he has little to no desire to go through surgery/rehab once again.

 

As it relates to Davis in the HOF... in addition to all of the stuff he did in the NFL in his time, he also holds/shares close to 26 Bronco all-time records as well... so I wouldn't really be saying that he isn't HOF material based solely on the fact that he played only 5 seasons or so.

[Guest kingkamala]

Terrell Davis may not be a shoe in for the Hall of Fame in five years but I know is the illustrious Ryan Leaf, my hero whose legandary career was cut short