| Having covered Ron Dayne the past two seasons, I
know better than to question or doubt his ability. A Heisman Trophy, 6,397 career rushing
yards, the NCAA career rushing record, two Big Ten championships, two Rose Bowl titles and
two Rose Bowl MVP awards were more than enough shut me up. Despite his storied
collegiate career, a legion of naysayers has seemingly written Dayne off before he has
even taken the field for the Giants. Such a stance, I believe, reveals a misinformed view
from afar. While I’m certainly not penciling Dayne in as a Hall of Famer or even an
All-Pro, I’m certainly not ready to label him as an instant Heisman failure either.
Dayne’s résumé is just too impressive to make a pre-emptive judgment against him.
I wasn’t always pro-Dayne, especially after his injury-plagued sophomore and
junior seasons at Wisconsin. Sure, I saw him rush for 1,421 and 1,279 yards, respectively,
in those seasons. But like many others, I wasn’t completely sold. He was heavy,
having trouble hitting holes and wasn’t as hungry (or healthy) as he had been in his
freshman season, when he rushed for 1,863 yards.
My opinion started to turn at the 1999 Rose Bowl, where Dayne rushed for 246 yards and
four touchdowns. While I noted that he had done so against a high school-caliber UCLA
defense, I also noticed improved quickness, an increased hunger and a palpable desire to
prove his critics wrong.
The next fall, Dayne showed he could slim down, reporting to camp at 252 pounds (he had
weighed as much as 275), but the start of the Badgers’ season was less than ideal.
After a key fumble in an upsetting loss to Cincinnati and failing to gain a single yard in
the second half the following week in a loss to Michigan, Dayne was named by Sports
Illustrated as one of the top 10 disappointments in college football.
After citing the article as motivation, Dayne rushed for 1,222 yards over the next
seven games, leading Wisconsin to seven consecutive wins and a second straight Rose Bowl
appearance. Dayne’s biggest game came in West Lafayette, Ind., against Purdue, as he
rushed for 222 yards and busted an impressive 41-yard TD run around the right corner to
put the Badgers ahead for good. The following week, against Iowa, he broke Ricky
Williams’ NCAA career rushing record.
As everyone looked for someone — anyone — to give the Heisman Trophy to,
Dayne (and an incident at Dillard’s) made the choice quite obvious. Over the season,
Dayne had shown good speed, agility, health and an ability to carry his team on his
shoulders. Most importantly, I thought, he showed that he could answer the challenges
thrown at him. Despite facing defenses that knew what was coming and a box that sometimes
contained nine men, Dayne was still able to produce.
I think Dayne is in an ideal situation in New York. He is currently listed as the No. 1
running back on the Giants’ depth chart. Last season the Giants’ running backs
combined for a less-than-stellar total of 1,193 rushing yards. The team averaged only 88
rushing yards a game, the franchise’s lowest total since 1953. As in the past, lack
of clock control and an inability to keep the chains moving presented problems for the
Giants. The running game is clearly in need of a workhorse.
Next fall, you might be able to hear Giants head coach Jim Fassel repeat what
Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez used to say — "Sometimes all we needed to do was
climb on Ron’s back." The running game being what it is, Fassel will be able to
give Dayne the 20-25 carries that he needs in order to be successful. The result should be
the ball-control offense that New York has always seemed to covet.
In their nine defeats last season, the Giants turned the ball over 22 times, compared
to the opposition’s seven. Dayne should be able to partly remedy that problem. Over
the course of his college career, he turned the ball over on fewer than 1 percent of his
carries (nine fumbles in 1,220 attempts). With his brutish, wear-’em-down running
style, Dayne should be a tough man for the defenses of the NFC East to stop.
Dayne has shown signs of an NFL work ethic. It was reported that one of the reasons he
was drafted higher than Alabama’s Shaun Alexander was his intense study of game film.
Dayne’s training regimen and weight loss between his junior and senior seasons
provided another example of that strong work ethic. After a childhood filled with family
problems and adversity, Dayne was raised by his uncle, and he has been grounded with the
right morals and a determination that you like to see athletes have.
Of course, Dayne has plenty of things to work on. Over the offseason, Dayne worked with
former Olympic sprinter Dennis Mitchell on his speed, and I’m curious to see how
those workouts will affect Dayne’s ability to hit the hole. Dayne should prove more
than adequate as a blocker but still must prove his worth as a receiver out of the
backfield.
Dayne may not be a prototypical back with conventional size or speed, but he’s
always been able to back up his press clippings, to show that he belongs. Still, he has
remained a target for criticism and has sometimes been labeled an aberration or curiosity
while pundits have tried to downplay his achievements. That’s why, during the
upcoming months, a lot of questions will be asked of Ron Dayne.
But until proven otherwise, I’m going to assume he’ll have the answers. |
