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By Ted Glover VikingsValhalla.com Chuck Foreman will be inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor at halftime of the Green Bay game on Sept 30th, and I only have one question: what the *bleep* took so long?
He was the #12 overall selection in the 1973 draft, and had it not been for injuries in 1978 and 1979, Foreman would have been in the Hall of Fame. Looking at his stats, and how he completely dominated the running back position from 1973-1977, if Terrell Davis gets in to the Hall of Fame based on a three or four year span, you can’t deny Foreman the same honor. It’s easy to rattle off stats: 1973 rookie of the year, player of the year in 1975 and 1976, All-Pro from 1973-1977, a then-NFL record for receptions by running backs with 73 in 1975, and a staggering 45 touchdowns from 1975-1977. Add in the Super Bowl year of 1974, it rises to 60. Remember, these numbers were put up in the day when defenses had the upper hand; the rules hadn’t loosened to give the offense the upper hand it has now. Holding by the offensive line was interpreted a lot stricter, defensive backs could maul receivers all the way down the field, and Foreman had to play all his home games outside, in the elements of the Minnesota winter. If you never saw Chuck Foreman play, you missed out on one of the greatest, if overlooked backs, in NFL history. He was just as adept at taking the ball between the tackles and running over a linebacker, or accelerating at the corner on a sweep and out running a defensive back. Defenders cringed when forced into an open field one on one against Foreman, as his spin moves would buckle the knees, and the only thing that his opponent would tackle would be air or his own jockstrap. He was a unique combination of power and speed, and he was also the prototypical west coast running back, before there was a west coast offense. Foreman was pivotal in making the Viking offense go; it was a methodical ball control offense that was predicated on timing and short rhythm passes, usually to Foreman out of the backfield. They would wear a defense down, and Foreman was the battering ram that was used to force open the gate. He wasn’t usually going to go 80 yards, but he’d punish you for 4 and 5 yards at a time, then take a swing pass in the flat from St. Francis of Bloomington and turn a 5 yard gain into football poetry. Injuries robbed him of football immortality, but to those of us that got to see him play, he will always be immortal to us. It is fitting and right that he be immortalized by the Vikings. Congratulations, Mr. Foreman. Thanks for the thrills and the memories. Well done. |
