who would have had the better NFL careers? I am confident that had all 3 stayed healthy and didn't blow out their knees, they all would have had a career like LJ, Jr. did.
Ki Jana, Curtis Enis, or Blair Thomas? If not for knee injuries.................
- Thread starter Jerademan74
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I used to always get Joel Buschbaum's Draft Guide from Pro Football Weekly. He had KI-Jana rated his top back since Sayers. Said he had better moves than speed guys like; Bo, Dickerson and Herschel. A little bigger and quicker than Sweetness. Could catch the ball too. He loved him. Damn shame he never got the chance to show it in the NFL.
I am going to play my Bears fandom and pick Enis. He was perfect for the offenses of the NFL at that time. Oh...what might have been.
I would go Carter. Size and speed. Thomas was a pretty small back. Battering rams like Enis are very good but usually for a very short period of time. Earl Campbell for about 5 years was as good as any back to ever play but after that he was done.
I think I've gotta go Ki-Jana as well. Ended up in the worst situation possible, the mid-90s Bungals. Knee injuries or not, he was never going to prove what we could've been there.
Really is a shame how snake-bitten our backs were for a while there. Also a shame ACL repairs weren't what they are today.
Really is a shame how snake-bitten our backs were for a while there. Also a shame ACL repairs weren't what they are today.
You nailed it with that response. No dis-respect to Enis or Thomas, but and AHarris and Kijana are 1 and 1A on this list.
Me too.
He was one of the most naturally gifted running backs ever. That wasn't just greatness it was generational. Really sucks he didn't get to run with it longer.
Kijana here as well. I can still visualize that hit on his knee in the backfield during that pre-season game. His moves, and sneaky speed were fun to watch. I still remember a game, and I wish I could recall who and when, that he plowed into the chest of a defender, stood him straight up and then ran him over. I really think we didn't get to see what Aaron Harris could do. I agree that his injury seemed to be a part of the start to the long, downhill, swirl we got into.
That MSU game that Aaron Harris went nuts I remember pretty well. He probably could have been Jerome Bettis-like in the big guys that have crazy moves territory.
Ki-Jana though, if that guy had a hole he was gone. That speed was not normal.
Gotta go with Ki-Jana as well. Speed, finesse, catches out of the backfield -- he was the kind of dual threat that any team killed to have during that West Coast offense era of the 90s. Enis had the physical abilities to be a bruising running back but I think he would have flamed out if not for the knee injury because I don't think he had the mental strength to be able to handle the riches of being an NFL back and the extra attention that goes with being a #1 in a city like Chicago.
It is hard to argue against Carter. Still, when I consider those three running backs, the thing that sticks in my mind is how Thomas single-handedly put Penn State in a position to beat Alabama in 1989. Of course, the attempted game-winning field goal was blocked, but that drive was all Thomas. Alabama just couldn't stop him.
Blair Thomas also single handedly beat ND I believe that same year, and that was AFTER his firsy knee surgery. He ran for close to 10 yards on just about every carry up the middle on the last few drives to run the clock out for our win. EVERYBODY in the stadium and all ND players knew Thomas was going to get the ball, but somehow he still twisted, juked and ran up the middle with unbelievable success!
You answered your own question - the Jets. When it comes to draft picks, who to pick, how to use who they pick, etc, the Jets are the poster child for how not to do things.
Ki Jana for sure. That first play from scrimmage in the 1994 Rose Bowl (where he took it off tackle and to the House) said it all. He was phenomenally gifted. What a shame he got hurt.
KiJana would have been a great pro had he stayed healthy. His combination of power and speed was unbelievable.
Kijana was back last year during the 20th anniversary of the 94 team. Curtis Enis was coaching high school football in Ohio , not sure if he comes back to penn state or not.
I would agree Carter although through the 70's, 80' and 90's culminating with LJ in 02, we had a 30 run of some incredible backs.
Re Enis, Thomas and Carter all seemed to have injuries at different times. I recall Carter being hurt possibly on his first carry in pre-season (v Lions??). He did play another 3-4 years after coming back from the injury. I don't recall him getting hurt again though. After he came back from the knee injury I thought he might still turn out to be a star. I remember him in an interview saying he was running his fastest ever 40 times a year after the injury.
I thought Enis played injury free a while, and the ACL was at the and of a 4-5 year career. In Thomas case I thought he actually had multiple injuries and two ACLs - plus didn't he have an ACL while at PSU?
Blion: You are correct about the timing of Thomas and Carter's injuries, but I believe Enis tore out his knee with the Bears in his first season. You are also right about the stable of great RB's in that 70's to 90's era. With the RB's we have now, including the 2 freshmen comin in soon, I feel we will be back to that era of great RB's following each other!
And if I had 4 legs, I would have won the Kentucky Derby! What ifs are not worth anything. None of them were good enough to make it through an NFL career. Period!
Carter was injured several times following his knee injury. I remember that he had a big game against Denver in which he had very long touchdown run. I think it was Simeon Rice who said that KiJana was looking like the player he remembered in college. The next week Carter wrecked his shoulder and missed the rest of the season. It was one injury after another his whole career.
This might be the dumbest post I have ever seen. They were all good enough to have very good NFL careers. They were robbed of the chance because of injuries, especially KiJana Carter. He blew out his knee the second time he touched the ball in his very first pre season game. It has noting to do with not being good enough. I suppose in your world Gale Sayers and Terrell Davis must suck because they did not come back from knee injuries.
