Saintman2884
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The following thread is, as some of the more keener, observant SR.com fans have already picked up from, highly influenced from the two, uncommon, forward-thinking Canadian genuises behind Vice's Dark Side of the Ring which usually provides outstanding, first-rate commentary from former wrestling manager, historian, WWF/WWE and NWA executive, fabled story-teller, and Kentucky "living legend" Jim Cornette, I am proud to bring you a story about one of New Orleans Saints worst, likely avoidable 1st round draft picks and busts ever. How a legendary, All-American PK from Texas who was selected one spot after future HOF TE Chargers Kellen Winslow Sr. and how this pick went against the personal wishes of then-Saints player personnel, Harry Holmes. Not only was Erxleben a failure as an NFL player, but he also was a rotten, terrible human being in his post--NFL career, too as a manipulative con man in business.
The year was 1979. Disco still sort of ruled the all-powerful FM radio airwaves, although cracks were starting to show and fracture its once-unstoppable dominance from raw, vulgar bitter undertones of punk and new wave scenes grumbling on both sides of the Atlantic. CBGB's and Max's Kansas City provided hard, fast, and loud abrasive musical alternatives to the computerized, decadent, cocaine beats of Studio 54 that would soon implode due to over-saturation, commercialization, federal lawsuits and eventually, jail time, from Studio 54 owners "skim-scamming" their taxes. This was also the summer where long lines of frustrated Americans waited in hot, humid temperatures to try and get a couple gallons of gas, if those gas stations had any gasoline at all. 53 Americans--Marine MP's, secretaries, embassy staff, employees were taken hostage and were about to endure the longest 14 months of their lives in the Iranian hostage crisis via sleep deprivation, psychological torture using mock executions in the embassy basement in Farsi, beatings and some embassy staff trying to commit suicide due to a feeling of hopelessness they would never get released.
In late December 1979, the Soviet Union decided to join the ME turmoil party by making it worse by invading a predominantly-Muslim nation to prop up a failing, discredited authoritian Afghan Communist puppet regime whose leader Leonid Brezhnev had already come to suspect was a secret American CIA double agent. Then again, by the late 70's, Brezhnev's mental/cognitive decline had accelerated so badly he had to read speeches in the largest font size possible.
The New Orleans Saints had just come off their best season in franchise history,7-9, and if not for a couple of fluke Hail Mary plays called Big Ben vs. Falcons, New Orleans might've had his first winning season and playoff appearance.
While coaching the South team at the Senior Bowl, Saints HC Dick Nolan fell in love with a strong-legged, powerful PK from Texas named Russell Erxleben. So much so that he ignored conventional wisdom and warnings from Saints scouts that usually Kickers and Punters aren't selected that high, and only one (Steve Little of the St. Louis Cardinals) had been drafted that high before and he'd had a disappointing career to say the least. Against the wishes of Harry Hulmes, Dick Nolan made Erxleben only the second P/PK drafted in the 1st round of the entire history of NFL Draft.
It was a disaster almost from the start. Erxleben had a prima-donna attitude from the very beginning, which didnt exactly endear him to his teammates, he complained of leg, ankle problems and he was beaten out as teams' starting kicker by Rich Mauri in training camp, so he was relegated back to punter. He had a decent 1979 seaosn, in so far he only played one game and that was the season-opener against the Falcons and he was injured midway through the OT period when a punt went way over his head and while trying to throw it away from the endzone to avoid a safety, his desperation pass was caught by a Falcons DB who scored a TD to win the game, 40-34. Erxleben was so fragile he was injured on the play and was out for the entire 1979 season.
His bad luck continued into the next season when he hooked a makeable 33-yard FG season opener in the Dome to lose to the 49ers in 1980 and according to Archie Manning, by the next time the team returned to camp next day, a famous TP front-page picture of Erxleben pounding and hitting the turf like a spoiled brat after missing the potential GW-FG while a dejected, hurt LB Joe Federspiel looked down on him in disgust, someone had drawn an bow into Federspiel's hands and an arrow in Erxleben's back. Suffice it to say, Erxleben wasnt the most popular guy on the team.
Many Saints fans, especially those 55 and older, and some historians like me, rate Erxleben one of the worst picks in team history, although not as bad or as severe as Jonathan Sullivan, the crux of the matter when it came to both of these huge busts is that they were very much avoidable. Their were some warning "signs" particularly as it relates to Sullivan in 2003, when the Saints FO, GM and scouts didnt push harder or deeper enough about some of Sally's bad habits, unruly discipline, aloof behavior. Sullivan had shown some of these same bad behavioral traits in college at Georgia but Saints scouts didnt push or press hard enough to discover these things before it was already too late. I suspect Erxleben had a similar backstory, too.
The year was 1979. Disco still sort of ruled the all-powerful FM radio airwaves, although cracks were starting to show and fracture its once-unstoppable dominance from raw, vulgar bitter undertones of punk and new wave scenes grumbling on both sides of the Atlantic. CBGB's and Max's Kansas City provided hard, fast, and loud abrasive musical alternatives to the computerized, decadent, cocaine beats of Studio 54 that would soon implode due to over-saturation, commercialization, federal lawsuits and eventually, jail time, from Studio 54 owners "skim-scamming" their taxes. This was also the summer where long lines of frustrated Americans waited in hot, humid temperatures to try and get a couple gallons of gas, if those gas stations had any gasoline at all. 53 Americans--Marine MP's, secretaries, embassy staff, employees were taken hostage and were about to endure the longest 14 months of their lives in the Iranian hostage crisis via sleep deprivation, psychological torture using mock executions in the embassy basement in Farsi, beatings and some embassy staff trying to commit suicide due to a feeling of hopelessness they would never get released.
In late December 1979, the Soviet Union decided to join the ME turmoil party by making it worse by invading a predominantly-Muslim nation to prop up a failing, discredited authoritian Afghan Communist puppet regime whose leader Leonid Brezhnev had already come to suspect was a secret American CIA double agent. Then again, by the late 70's, Brezhnev's mental/cognitive decline had accelerated so badly he had to read speeches in the largest font size possible.
The New Orleans Saints had just come off their best season in franchise history,7-9, and if not for a couple of fluke Hail Mary plays called Big Ben vs. Falcons, New Orleans might've had his first winning season and playoff appearance.
While coaching the South team at the Senior Bowl, Saints HC Dick Nolan fell in love with a strong-legged, powerful PK from Texas named Russell Erxleben. So much so that he ignored conventional wisdom and warnings from Saints scouts that usually Kickers and Punters aren't selected that high, and only one (Steve Little of the St. Louis Cardinals) had been drafted that high before and he'd had a disappointing career to say the least. Against the wishes of Harry Hulmes, Dick Nolan made Erxleben only the second P/PK drafted in the 1st round of the entire history of NFL Draft.
It was a disaster almost from the start. Erxleben had a prima-donna attitude from the very beginning, which didnt exactly endear him to his teammates, he complained of leg, ankle problems and he was beaten out as teams' starting kicker by Rich Mauri in training camp, so he was relegated back to punter. He had a decent 1979 seaosn, in so far he only played one game and that was the season-opener against the Falcons and he was injured midway through the OT period when a punt went way over his head and while trying to throw it away from the endzone to avoid a safety, his desperation pass was caught by a Falcons DB who scored a TD to win the game, 40-34. Erxleben was so fragile he was injured on the play and was out for the entire 1979 season.
His bad luck continued into the next season when he hooked a makeable 33-yard FG season opener in the Dome to lose to the 49ers in 1980 and according to Archie Manning, by the next time the team returned to camp next day, a famous TP front-page picture of Erxleben pounding and hitting the turf like a spoiled brat after missing the potential GW-FG while a dejected, hurt LB Joe Federspiel looked down on him in disgust, someone had drawn an bow into Federspiel's hands and an arrow in Erxleben's back. Suffice it to say, Erxleben wasnt the most popular guy on the team.
Many Saints fans, especially those 55 and older, and some historians like me, rate Erxleben one of the worst picks in team history, although not as bad or as severe as Jonathan Sullivan, the crux of the matter when it came to both of these huge busts is that they were very much avoidable. Their were some warning "signs" particularly as it relates to Sullivan in 2003, when the Saints FO, GM and scouts didnt push harder or deeper enough about some of Sally's bad habits, unruly discipline, aloof behavior. Sullivan had shown some of these same bad behavioral traits in college at Georgia but Saints scouts didnt push or press hard enough to discover these things before it was already too late. I suspect Erxleben had a similar backstory, too.
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