Renewal of Dunn vs. doubters
Welcome back, Warrick.
By John Romano, Times Columnist
Published March 12, 2008
Welcome back, Warrick.
Nice to see, best of luck.
I assume your career is about to go pffft.
For the uninitiated, this is the proper and polite way to greet Warrick Dunn as he makes his way back to Tampa Bay. You smile, you offer him your hand, and you express extreme doubts about his skills.
For, if there is one thing we have learned after more than a decade of watching this whippet of a running back, it is that Dunn specializes in defying skeptics.
It happened at Florida State when Bobby Bowden insisted his tailback was not big enough to carry a heavy load practically until the moment Dunn left Tallahassee as the school's all-time leading rusher.
It happened in Tampa Bay when critics scoffed about the Buccaneers wasting the No.12 pick in the draft on a "situational back" who turned out to be playing in the Pro Bowl nine months later.
It happened in Atlanta when it was said the Falcons foolishly overspent in 2002 for a free-agent running back on the downside of a career, only to see him average 1,268 yards from scrimmage for the next six seasons.
"I think Warrick would be the first one to admit that he has always played and operated with a bit of a chip on his shoulder," said Falcons president Rich McKay, who drafted Dunn in Tampa Bay and signed him as a free agent in Atlanta. "It's served him well over the years."
Which brings us to today and the latest, and greatest, reason to doubt.
The Bucs are in need of playmakers. Desperate need. The running game lacks spark, and the passing game is one-dimensional. The quarterback just turned 38, and the top receiver will be 37 this year. So, I suppose, a 33-year-old running back might fit their idea of precocious.
Except, in this case, Dunn arrives at a troubling moment.
For the first time, he is coming off a season in which he gained fewer than 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. His average gain per carry was a paltry 3.2 yards, the worst in the NFL for a featured back. He is smaller than some seventh-graders, and has already lasted far beyond the typical NFL career.
So what makes anyone think salvation is still part of his repertoire?
Because he is Warrick Dunn.
Maybe that is not a conventional answer, but then Dunn is no ordinary back.
Without many people realizing it, without much fanfare at all, Dunn has become one of the most productive offensive players in league history. Only 15 NFL backs have gained more rushing/receiving yards than Dunn and, of those, all eligible are in the Hall of Fame.
He has even managed to exceed the expectations of the man who thought more of him than any other NFL general manager when Dunn was coming out of college 11 years ago.
The 1997 NFL draft included Antowain Smith, Tiki Barber, Corey Dillon and Duce Staley, yet McKay and the Bucs made Dunn the first running back taken.
McKay was not certain he had a star on his hands, but he was confident he had a weapon in the backfield. In a worst-case scenario, Dunn would be an effective option in third-down situations and on special teams. The upside was that Dunn might be able to carry the ball 15-20 times a game.
The upside prevailed.
Eleven years later, Dunn is the only running back remaining from that draft.
"Any running back in our league who makes it past six years is exceeding expectations," McKay said. "It is a very, very tough position. With the amount of hits and abuse a running back takes, it's rare for them to last much longer than that. The fact Warrick is still going shows you the character of the man.
"He is a very, very tough football player."
But is he tough enough to survive a second tour in Tampa Bay? I mean, shouldn't it be worrisome that a division rival with a 4-12 record just cut him loose?
They're certainly points to consider. The Falcons were obviously after a younger and more dynamic back when they signed Michael Turner to a $34.5-million contract last week.
So if the Bucs signed Dunn with the idea he would be the No.1 back while Cadillac Williams rehabs in 2008, they are probably in for a disappointment. We have been saying it for years, but Dunn has finally reached the point of his career where he is best limited to a situational role.
There might be the occasional game where he could handle 20 carries or more, but the Bucs would be better served using him as a complement to Earnest Graham and Michael Bennett.
Wouldn't you agree, Warrick?
Warrick?