May 18, 2013

Eric Metcalf Was Good at Football

October 4, 2010 by 35 Comments

Before there was Josh Cribbs, there was Eric Metcalf. When he burst onto the scene in 1989, the Browns, and the NFL, hasn’t seen speed like this. Think of him as the original Reggie Bush. Other than Cribbs, I can’t remember another Brown who electrified the Cleveland fans they way Metcalf did. It’s almost as if he’s been forgotten in this town as one of the greats.

Need a little reminder? Watch these:

Or try this one – highlights include the famous two punt return TD’s against Pittsburgh. The second of which, is at the 5:10 mark. The Cleveland Stadium crowd may have never been louder. Listen to Cris Collinsworth fawn all over him.

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  • Lyon

    The key here is the team actually put the ball in his hands, as opposed to only letting him touch the ball 5 times a game like Cribbs.

    Definitely made our games fun to watch. Never knew when he’d break free.

  • TBrown

    I actually teared up while watching this. Does that make me old?

  • ClemJax

    It’s probably a pity he’s remembered less as a pre-Bush prototype and more as a punchline – “Metcalf up the middle.” First and 10 or 3rd & long? Metcalf up the middle.

    Everyone remembers that phrase…I’d me mildly curious going back to see if the reality was that bad, or if it was a typical frustrated Browns fan reaction.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com DP

    +1 to Langhorne for the end zone pelvic thrusts after Matcalf’s half-back pass in the first video.

    Hearing Nev makes me nostalgic. He was the best.

  • Chuck

    You know one thing I noticed the most about this second video (cause I didn’t watch the first one)? Hard to see ANY black and yellow in the crowd for all the orange and brown! It’s a shame how many people have jumped onto that Steelers bandwagon. GO BROWNS…til the day I die!

  • Chuck

    For the record, TBrown…I did too…

  • Jackson

    The “Metcalf Game” against Pittsburgh still my all time fave Cleveland sporting event that I witnessed in person.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com DP

    Go to 1:30 of the second video (punt return vs. Bengals) and just watch what Metcalf did to #50. Not right.

  • Harv 21

    Wow, was at that Pittsburgh 2-return game but never saw the video before.

    Not sure if you can tell from this video just how loud Muni stadium was after return #2, but it was as loud as any place I’ve been. My buddy was screaming something right in my ear and I couldn’t hear his voice at all, just a wall of white noise, and the stands were literally shaking, crap was spilling everywhere … magical.

    It wasn’t just the sprinter speed but that cutting ability. At training camp at Lakeland Community they let fans stand on the sidelines during 11 on 11s (do they allow that at Berea?). Metcalf ran a sweep directly at us and cut upfield just a few feet away. All of us just went “ooooh” when he planted and cut; looked more a gazelle than a human, a roadrunner cartoon. Of course, let’s not forget Metcalf’s limitation – he could be tackled with a pinkie, sometimes you needed slo-mo to see why he fell down. Cribbs is 100 times stronger, totally different runner.

  • humboldt

    What makes me nostalgic is the creative offense the Browns used to run. Can you imagine us pulling a fake reverse w/ Cribbs, or letting him throw a pitch-out? I was too young to appreciate the nuances of football in the ’80s, but good god, this must have been a fun offense to watch!

    Daboll has got to go

  • Harv 21

    @3: “Mecalf up the middle” was an insult to the play calling at the end of his era, not so much to Metcalf. The o-line was deteriorating, Bernie started getting killed, and Metcalf couldn’t run through a line but they kept trying to get cute with delayed handoffs to him on 3rd and long. He was effective only in space, he couldn’t pick up a blitz at all, an electric but ultimately limited player. So many tackles for losses as he tried to run wide and change direction.

    @7/Jackson: do you remember the stadium noise after return #2?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott

  • http://www.heyhokie.com Vengeful Pat

    It’s a shame he didn’t get to play in today’s game where the offenses are so much more effective at spreading the field and getting athletes into space to make moves and get YAC. Or at least, the good offenses do that.

  • http://ato.com Jmoney

    @12, I can hear it now, “metcalf up the middle” unreal….

    I loved Eric Metcalf, owned two jerseys of his, so exciting..

    Love the TECMOBOWL Post, Scott.

    I remember watching the METCALF GAME vs Pitt, just submitting my legacy in being a browns fan.

  • kingdiesel

    Nev Chandler was a god on the mic! That was REAL Browns football right there. When the owner cared, when the fans were given a product that was worth paying for. Awesome.

  • jj

    Ahh. Those were the days (watching Metcalf highlights video 1 of 4)!! Remember when there were mostly Browns fans in the stadium in a Browns v Steelers game?!?! Oh how I wish it was that way now!

  • jj

    @5… My bad, you had already stole my thunder, I posted before I read, shame on me! And shame on all those loser bandwagon Steelers fans!

  • jj

    @15 That same owner who “cared” is the same owner that stole our team away and created the mess we are in today!!!

  • jimkanicki

    this thread sent me (and probably mr. cleaveland) in search of greg pruitt videos. sadly, i could only find oklahoma vintage (with a curious metal soudntrack).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwQ_JDElmcw

    greg pruitt was the best i’ve seen in a browns backfield. elusive as metcalf. strong as cribbs. probably faster than both. great receiver too.

  • V

    Second video 4:30 “There are some moments in the NFL when you don’t mind paying the $25 – $30 to watch a kid like this play”

    Those games were special because those were fans that were there for the football, not the PSL’s not the $10 beer, not the TV time-outs. Those are kids and guys and gals that grew up with the players not the revolving door of free agents, rebuilding, and relocating. Model did more damage to this town and its fan base that 15 years later I still don’t think we realize.

  • saggy

    Metcalf: Monday NIght against the Bengals. Screen-pass, 3 cuts, broken ankles everywhere.

    Best. Play. Ever.

  • saggy

    and just so you guys realize it: I was comment #21. oh, and I STILL wear my Eric Metcalf jersey that my high school girlfriend’s parents bought for me on my 18th birthday.

  • saggy

    just checking my connection…

  • The Other Tim

    JimK
    Pruitt’s the reason they made the tear-away jersey illegal. What a beast!

  • kenmac

    One of the most memorable days of my life. Thanks for sharing.

    God, those were the days… Strock’s second half comeback against Houston was pretty special too…

    GO BROWNS

  • historycat

    I love how after the 2nd return the announcers just stopped talking for a full minute.

    A lesson for today’s announcers. you can just let fans enjoy the moment. I don’t need to hear you talk continually.

    God, I want to beat Pukesburg this year. Please!

  • saggy
  • BuckeyeDawg

    @ saggy – love that play. I remember watching that game.

  • Nate

    12 beat me to it . . . TECHMO BOWL LEGEND.

    That’s it, I’m getting me a Metcalf jersey.

  • http://www.cavstheblog.com Tsunami

    Speaking of TecmoBowl – that jumping high 5 in the endzone was pretty nostalgic.

  • cninja

    i love collinsworth talking about the 25 or 30 bucks it costed to get into a game.

    now that barely buy you 2 beers

  • cninja

    cost*

  • Horace

    Me too, TBrown.

    I remember meeting him at Great Northern Mall when I was a kid. He was buying a leather jacket and gave me an autograph. It was great.

  • Harv 21

    @jimkanicki: Pruitt was something in his prime, talk about an electric game changer. Interesting that just like Metcalf and now Cribbs, coaches had trouble putting him in space to operate from the line of scrimmage. Forrest Gregg wouldn’t play him for 2 years.

    Respectfully disagree on a few things. Pruitt had great strength and balance for a little guy, but not a beast like Cribbs. Was built and played more like Mack Herron, another short muscular guy with moves. And while he could explode through a hole before his knee problems, did not have Metcalf’s straight ahead speed. Metcalf was a relay sprinter on an excellent UT track team. Metcalf was as fast as Deion.

  • Ttp2

    Agree, that has to be one of the best moves in the history of the game.  Running right at full speed, jumped back to the left and one tackler goes by, lands and immediately jumps back to the right as the other tackler dives at where he was, and then full speed to the end zone.  The athleticism of that run is hard to fathom.