With the 5th pick in the 1986 NFL draft the St. Louis Cardinals select Anthony Bell

[Lomax to Green 84]

Outside Linebacker from Michigan State University.

Why am I bringing this horror story from the Cards colorful draft history up? Answer, I was digging through some old junk from my parents house and found a 1986 Cardinal yearbook from the Monday Night football game versus the Dallas Cowboys (Cards lost 31-10). Talk about a team with no talent. This was not the 1984 Cards who scored 400 plus points. This team was horrific.

Wow, Anthony Bell, the poster child for why teams should never evaluate a guy based on NFL combine information. On paper, Bell looked like superman: 6'3" 235 pounds, 4.5 40 yard dash, 475 pound bench press. On the field he looked like crap. He was an honorable mention all conference selection for a Michigan State team that was average at best. He had a whopping 2.5 sacks his senior year and yet the Cards saw him as a Lawrence Tayloresque sack master obviously because of the gawdy combine numbers. Bell was so bad that the early draft guides of that era had him as a 4th or 5th round pick, not the 5th overall selection.

I bring this stupid story up because I think we sometimes forget how ridiculously incompetent the Cards of the 80's and 90's really were and how competent they now appear to be.

At least I am hoping.

 

[slanidrac16]

Yep. We've gotten a lot better in the 2000's.......

 

[Twist18]

Outside Linebacker from Michigan State University.

Why am I bringing this horror story from the Cards colorful draft history up? Answer, I was digging through some old junk from my parents house and found a 1986 Cardinal yearbook from the Monday Night football game versus the Dallas Cowboys (Cards lost 31-10). Talk about a team with no talent. This was not the 1984 Cards who scored 400 plus points. This team was horrific.

Wow, Anthony Bell, the poster child for why teams should never evaluate a guy based on NFL combine information. On paper, Bell looked like superman: 6'3" 235 pounds, 4.5 40 yard dash, 475 pound bench press. On the field he looked like crap. He was an honorable mention all conference selection for a Michigan State team that was average at best. He had a whopping 2.5 sacks his senior year and yet the Cards saw him as a Lawrence Tayloresque sack master obviously because of the gawdy combine numbers. Bell was so bad that the early draft guides of that era had him as a 4th or 5th round pick, not the 5th overall selection.

I bring this stupid story up because I think we sometimes forget how ridiculously incompetent the Cards of the 80's and 90's really were and how competent they now appear to be.

At least I am hoping.

I remember Kipers smirk after the pick. The one that floored me was the Clyde Duncan pick.

 

[kerouac9]

Don't forget that Levi Brown was a huge on-field disappointment for the Nittany Lions and 2nd Team All-Conference his senior season. He was rated as a third-round pick by The Sporting News. Until workouts, when his stock soared.

Whoopee!!

 

[Doc Cardinal]

Probably our worst first pick EVER....even worse than picking a kicker in round 1....Bell just couldn't find or tackle the opposition.....no football smarts or instincts whatsover.

 

[BigRedRage]

Don't forget that Levi Brown was a huge on-field disappointment for the Nittany Lions and 2nd Team All-Conference his senior season. He was rated as a third-round pick by The Sporting News. Until workouts, when his stock soared.

Whoopee!!

holy sh** man you gotta stop this crap, all your negativity is bringin me down, let me drink my koolaid.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

holy sh** man you gotta stop this crap, all your negativity is bringin me down, let me drink my koolaid.

Meh, It is to be expected.

K9 REALLY wanted us to pick Gaines Adams or Adrian Peterson. So Levi Brown is in the K9 doghouse (that sound pretty cool!) along with Anquan Boldin.

 

[kerouac9]

Meh, It is to be expected.

K9 REALLY wanted us to pick Gaines Adams or Adrian Peterson. So Levi Brown is in the K9 doghouse (that sound pretty cool!) along with Anquan Boldin.

C'mon, Rugby... this part so isn't true.

 

[BigRedRage]

Its understandable to not get overly hyped for the season but the doom and gloom is really a waste of time, too much negativity, give the guy a chance. This is our team.

 

[dylanbw]

Things actually got worse..

...the very next year, 1987. On my death bed, I will still be recounting the horror story of the 1987 draft. Since the draft was on a Tuesday back then, I had to (cough-cough) be "sick" and miss a day of sophomore year high school to watch and chart the Draft. Obviously, based upon the enormous success of Anthony Bell, we had a very high selection (#6). In the weeks leading up to the draft, based upon the late Joel Buschbaum's extensive reports in PFW, I was talking a lot of smack to my buddies (collection of Cowboys, Steelers, and Giants fans), that the Cards would definitely select this super stud CB from Purdue named Rod Woodson. Outstanding college career, off the charts combine, and great character. This was a slam dunk if he was still there.....and worst case was the late Jerome Brown, I kept touting....

....so when my buddy Lou called from a school pay phone to see what the Cards (and more importantly how his beloved Steelers had done), I had to begrudgingly tell him we had taken some QB from Colorado State named Kelly Stouffer, and that Rod Woodson had fallen into the lap of the Steel Curtain (insert Lou's giddy laughter here).....the rest is Hall of Fame history....you think Rod Woodson would have helped in the "win and you're in" game in week 15 vs. Dallas later that year (when Herschel killed us?!!?)

As you may recall, Stouffer sat out the whole year, then we traded him to Seattle (for a 5th rd pick, I believe) where his 4 year career concluded with the slightly less than Hall of Fame 7-19 TD-Interception ratio...we would have been better off drafting with Kelly Leak...

Who was making the calls back then, George Boone?? Thanks for years of futility you d^&%$#@!&*ck!!!! Ugh...

Dylan
(feels good to vent)

 

[BigRedRage]

I have enjoyed this entire thread.

 

[kerouac9]

That's a fabulous story, Dylan.

 

[SuperSpck]

On my death bed, I will still be recounting the horror story of the 1987 draft.

Even for a death bed, that's sad.

 

[football karma]

...the very next year, 1987. On my death bed, I will still be recounting the horror story of the 1987 draft. Since the draft was on a Tuesday back then, I had to (cough-cough) be "sick" and miss a day of sophomore year high school to watch and chart the Draft. Obviously, based upon the enormous success of Anthony Bell, we had a very high selection (#6). In the weeks leading up to the draft, based upon the late Joel Buschbaum's extensive reports in PFW, I was talking a lot of smack to my buddies (collection of Cowboys, Steelers, and Giants fans), that the Cards would definitely select this super stud CB from Purdue named Rod Woodson. Outstanding college career, off the charts combine, and great character. This was a slam dunk if he was still there.....and worst case was the late Jerome Brown, I kept touting....

....so when my buddy Lou called from a school pay phone to see what the Cards (and more importantly how his beloved Steelers had done), I had to begrudgingly tell him we had taken some QB from Colorado State named Kelly Stouffer, and that Rod Woodson had fallen into the lap of the Steel Curtain (insert Lou's giddy laughter here).....the rest is Hall of Fame history....you think Rod Woodson would have helped in the "win and you're in" game in week 15 vs. Dallas later that year (when Herschel killed us?!!?)

As you may recall, Stouffer sat out the whole year, then we traded him to Seattle (for a 5th rd pick, I believe) where his 4 year career concluded with the slightly less than Hall of Fame 7-19 TD-Interception ratio...we would have been better off drafting with Kelly Leak...

Who was making the calls back then, George Boone?? Thanks for years of futility you d^&%$#@!&*ck!!!! Ugh...

Dylan
(feels good to vent)

Gene Stallings, when informed the Cardinals would be taking a QB, reportedly said "I hope he can rush the passer".

The Cards did ultimately get something in return for Stouffer -- the Seahawks gave a 1st round pick for him. The deal originally was for Kenny Easley, the safety. Easley however failed his physical when Cards doctors discovered a kidney disorder -- a disorder that ended Easley's career.

That first round pick turned into Joe Wolf -- guard from Boston College-- who was merely "ok" as a pro.

 

[dylanbw]

my bad..

...good call on Joe Wolf; should have recalled that....still, #1 pick (#17 overall) 2 years after blowing the #6 pick in the draft did very little to ease the sting of the Stouffer debacle....

 

[Lomax to Green 84]

I recall hearing that Gene Stallings and many of the assistant coaches for the Cardinals wanted to cut Anthony Bell during training camp of his rookie year because he was that bad. I went to the Cards/Cowboys Monday Night Game in early October of that year and I tried to convince my Cowboy friends going to the game that Bell was going to "break out" against the Cowboys. In reality, Bell didn't see the field even on special teams.

In 1987, the Cards opened the season against the Cowboys at home. The Cards behind the brilliant play of Neil Lomax pulled the game out in the 4th quarter, no thanks to the horrific play of Anthony Bell. The rumor floating around Cards fans back in 1987, was that the coaches were told to find a place on the field for Bell (was it the old man? George Boone?). During that game, Anthony Bell whiffed on a tackle so bad that it still sticks out in my mind as one of the most awkward looking plays ever. On the whiff play, Hershel Walker got a swing pass and started scampering down the sideline. Bell had a clear shot at Walker, either a clean shot at a tackle or at worst pushing Walker out of bounds. Bell does neither, and completely whiffs on the tackle (it seriously looked like Bell was either blind or blindfolded, he whiffed that bad on the tackle). Walker goes in for the go ahead touchdown.