Toby Gerhart

Colonel_Reb

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I'm really curious to see what happens with Toby Gerhart in Minnesota. Like with any White RB on any team in the NFL, Toby isn't really in a good situation. Hopefully he'll be used a respectable amount this year, and will be able to build on a good rookie season toward the rest of his career.
 

Colonel_Reb

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<div ="blog_post_components">
<div ="line" id="component_1222118"><h1>Vikings' draft pick of
Toby Gerhart raises the specter of the unspoken NF-Elephant in the room</h1>Steve Aschburner
</div>




<div ="_component left mp_main_wide with_credit with_caption" id="component_1222120">
mp_main_wide_TobyGerhartStanford452.jpg
<div ="caption_credit">REUTERS/Robert Galbraith</span>Stanford
University running back Toby Gerhart is shown scoring a first quarter
touchdown against the University of Southern California in 2008.</span></div></div>



<div ="richtext">

Toby Gerhart was born in March 1987 and has
been rushing the football since he was in high school, which means he
has been a white running back for at least eight years.

The
last white running back to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame in Canton, Ohio? Washington's John Riggins, back in 1992.

As
the NFL draft approached this weekend, scouts from around the league
had reservations about Gerhart because "¦ he was also an accomplished
baseball player. Yeah, that's it.

Whaaaa?</div><div ="richtext">

We began this post rather haphazardly to
highlight an issue that is very much a part of Gerhart's story as the Minnesota Vikings' pick at No. 51 Friday night,
yet doesn't get nearly the same scrutiny â€" more like microscopic
biomolecular inspection â€" that most elements of most draftee's games
receive.

Instead, it gets dealt with sideways, cautiously, even
self-consciously casual, although it has much to do with where and when
Gerhart was drafted and even more so with the projections all the
experts have for his career.

Gerhart, if you didn't know by
now, is white. Which is a rarity these days, akin to being a black
Olympian in the butterfly or a fifty-something journalist with two job
offers. It was backdrop heading into the draft â€" as much as his
runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting or his 27 touchdowns
and 1,871 yards gained last season at Stanford.

And it figures to
be subtext to his pro career, good, bad or indifferent. Whether folks
'fess up about that or not.

Just when you thought Vikings coach
Brad Childress was about to tackle the topic head on â€" "I know you guys
[media] want to put him in a box because of"¦," Childress said in his
post-pick news briefing â€" he veered away from it. Finishing his thought,
the coach said: ""¦ what his weight is." Oh, right, because of what
Gerhart's weight (231 pounds, by the way) is. Let's just say
the real answer is contained therein, anagram style: w-h-i-t-e.

Reporters
had asked about Gerhart being a lead blocker for the Vikings, rather
than a featured back. Code lives, apparently.

Even the most
innocent references to Gerhart and where he'll fit into the Vikings'
pecking order can get a little awkward. Adrian Peterson's "shadow" in
the Purple backfield? Ahem. What if the roles were reversed â€" would
Peterson be referred to as Gerhart's shadow? People would be waiting for
a Sammy Davis Jr. number to break out.

More than 22 years have
passed since Washington's Doug Williams, the MVP of Super Bowl XXII,
allegedly was asked in the days leading up to that game: "How long have
you been a black quarterback?"

But that sort of stereotyping â€"
even without any malice involved â€" still goes on. Where once it focused
on black QBs, now the shock and skepticism is associated with white RBs
or WRs.

Gerhart told Yahoo! Sports that race came up as he
prepped for, and was poked and prodded by curious teams, the NFL draft.
Sure, they liked his size (6-0, 231), his 4.50 time in the 40-yard dash
and the athleticism suggested by a 38-inch vertical leap. But there were
little insinuations and, sometimes, blatant queries, all based on his
unintentional challenge to, er, positional assumptions.

"One
team I interviewed with asked me about being a white running back,"
Gerhart told Yahoo! NFL writer Michael Silver. "They asked if it made me
feel entitled, or like I felt I was a poster child for white running
backs. I said, 'No, I'm just out there playing ball. I don't think about
that.' I didn't really know what to say."

It also is curious
that, when experts compare Gerhart's style as a back, names like
Riggins, Tommy Vardell and Craig James come up in the conversation. All
white running backs. It works that way in the NBA, where the young
fellows who get compared in playing style to Larry Bird or John Stockton
â€" lo and behold â€" almost always are Caucasian. Christian Laettner,
during his stay with the Timberwolves, even lectured a local AP reporter
for almost mindlessly, certainly harmlessly, linking him and Bird.

In
Minnesota, folks like to think they are beyond such superficial factors
(though the Timberwolves, like Utah and Boston, share a reputation for
wanting white players in the mix for fan appeal). As for Vikings fans,
they are like NFL fans in most places â€" they care mostly about victories
and defeats, cheering the guys who contribute to the former,
criticizing those who seem responsible for the latter.

But in
the equivalent of another NFL lifetime, a fullback named Rick Fenney was
cheered seemingly out of proportion to his on-field production, with
Twin Cities sportswriter Patrick Reusse suggesting it was directly
attributable to Fenney being white.

And if we start hearing
Bill Brown or Dave Osborn mentioned more often in 2010 than in recent
seasons â€" in talks about Vikings rushers past and present and anywhere
in the vicinity of Gerhart's name â€" we'll know that these things haven't
quite gone color-blind.http://www.minnpost.com/steveaschbu...ecter_of_the_unspoken_nf-elephant_in_the_room

Has this sportswriter been visiting Caste Football?
</div>

</div>
 

Colonel_Reb

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http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/04/26/makowsky-three-draft-picks-show-promise/

Wyndam
Makowsky:Three draft picks show promise



As Saturday's
seventh round came to a close, the Cardinal's three
2010 draftees found themselves not just in the National Football League,
but also in good situations therein.

Let's start, as always, with
Toby Gerhart. Minnesota was a bit of a surprise, as most of the
pre-draft talk centered on a few places â€" Denver, San Diego and
Philadelphia â€" with the Vikings rarely being a part of the conversation.

But

they should have been, because at first glance, they make quite a bit
of sense. Adrian Peterson is one of the best running backs in the
league, but has a violent running style that precludes him from carrying
an entire load. His valued backup, Chester Taylor, left for the Chicago
Bears this off-season, and the Vikings had to fill that role.

Enter

Gerhart, who instantly gives Minnesota one of the most intimidating
rushing attacks in football. Take out Peterson, and you have to deal
with another bruiser; fortunately for Gerhart, Peterson is also enough
of an all-around speed threat that the holes he will face will be just a
tad bit wider. Plus, the Vikings offensive line, though at times
maligned during the latter part of last season, still features one of
the all-time best pulling guards in Steve Hutchinson, two tackle
bookends in Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt and a young and developing
center in John Sullivan. They also added Chris DeGeare, a well-regarded
and versatile line prospect, in the fifth round of the draft. So
imagine: Gerhart will get to face defenses broken down from taking on
Peterson, with a line that can give him the room to operate.

Naysayers

will point to Peterson's status as indicative of a limited role for
Gerhart. But the NFL has, over the past decade, evolved into a two-back
league â€" few, if any teams feature just one runner. Complementary backs
abound. Even the two running backs taken in the top 12 picks will not be
asked to carry an individual load or, frankly, even start. C.J. Spiller
has Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in Buffalo; Ryan Mathews has Darren
Sproles in San Diego. Gerhart, Spiller and Mathews all have tremendous
importance as secondary players, and that's perfectly all right.

Additionally,

the fullback question, although nearly dead as is, can finally be put
to rest. The Vikings traded both their second and third round picks in a
deep draft in order to move up the 11 spots to pick Gerhart. That type
of investment is not made in a lead blocker. Head coach Brad Childress's
press conference was almost humorous â€" he was bombarded with questions
about whether or not Gerhart would be a fullback, which he continuously
brushed off as narrow-minded and inaccurate. He even said that Gerhart
could be lined up outside as a receiver, a statement indicative of the
flexibility the Vikings see in him.

Then there's Jim Dray, newly
of the Arizona Cardinals. Although taken in the seventh round, Dray
should get an opportunity early to challenge for serious playing time,
as Arizona does not have a featured tight end, and the quality of its
depth is precarious.

Outside of Dray, there are four TEs on the
roster. Ben Patrick is a young talent who has flashed promise and is
expected to be the starter. But Patrick has suffered from injuries
recently and, even when healthy, has not entirely capitalized on his
opportunities â€" his production has been limited, as seen in his career
high of 12 receptions in a season. Stephen Spach is apparently
well-liked by the staff, but he is a bit older and has bounced in and
out of the league with less than 100 career receiving yards. Anthony
Becht, a former first-round pick, is in the twilight of his career, and
Dominique Byrd has failed, repeatedly, to become a legitimate NFL
player.

So Dray, who possesses not just exemplary blocking
abilities, but soft hands, too, finds himself in a place where little is
certain. He can compete for playing time almost immediately. The
Cardinals, in turn, have themselves a player who likely would have been
taken quite a bit earlier had injuries not nagged him throughout his
collegiate career. Provided that he stays healthy, he gives Arizona a
talent boost at the tight end position.

Finally, there is Erik
Lorig, who went to Tampa Bay as the draft wound down. Lorig is still
recovering from an off-season surgery and is seen as more of a
developmental project. But even then, the Buccaneers have an admitted,
serious issue with their defensive end depth, and head coach Raheem
Morris was quick to point Lorig out as a guy who could see action on
both the right and left sides and earn playing time on defense as a
hustling reserve. Outside of Stylez White starting at RDE, the
Buccaneers line is still undecided.

And so Gerhart, Dray and Lorig
will have their chances, even if the expectations range from immediate
contributor to long-term prospect. Some draftees find themselves in
situations where they're buried on a depth chart, with little chance for
playing time or even making a roster; for the three Cardinal players,
this is not the case.

Wyndam Makowsky is going through an
existential crisis now that he can no longer write about Toby Gerhart.
Get him some help at makowsky@stanford.edu.
 

Extra Point

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There are rumors that the Vikings are trying to trade Adrian Peterson. One team supposedly interested is the New York Giants.

Trading Peterson would open the way for Toby Gerhart to be the starter.

Gerhart, I believe, is in the last year of his contract. If the Vikings traded Peterson they could offer Gerhart a long term contract.
 

celticdb15

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There are rumors that the Vikings are trying to trade Adrian Peterson. One team supposedly interested is the New York Giants.

Trading Peterson would open the way for Toby Gerhart to be the starter.

Gerhart, I believe, is in the last year of his contract. If the Vikings traded Peterson they could offer Gerhart a long term contract.

I feel like that would be too good to be true
 

whiteathlete33

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There are rumors that the Vikings are trying to trade Adrian Peterson. One team supposedly interested is the New York Giants.

Trading Peterson would open the way for Toby Gerhart to be the starter.

Gerhart, I believe, is in the last year of his contract. If the Vikings traded Peterson they could offer Gerhart a long term contract.

If this trade happens I will tap dance. Gerhart needs to be a starter.
 
Joined
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Peterson is at that point in his career where many blacks become a very big problem. I'm sure teams know this. It's all about whether or not they want to deal with the guy. Also, the GM's don't have to deal with him daily, just the coaches. So what does a GM care if the guy's a pain in the butt?

joegoofinoff...
 

Wes Woodhead

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Trading Peterson would open the way for Toby Gerhart to be the starter.

Gerhart, I believe, is in the last year of his contract. If the Vikings traded Peterson they could offer Gerhart a long term contract.

Trading Peterson would only open the way for Toby to get a few more carries. The NFL is obviously on a no white starting tailback policy. Gehart, like Brian Leonard, and Jacob Hester, will never be allowed the chance to get in the record books.

I know Im not optimistic, but after seeing the drafting of the few top white backs by teams that only intended to bury them I cant honestly, and logically have any hope for RB anymore. Look at how EVERY white back that has had any sparks of greatness in the NFL has either been replaced, or had their role in the offense altered to hinder them.
 

jaxvid

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Putting on my conspiracy cap, I think the only reason there are trade rumors about Peterson going to the Giants is the fear that Hillis might become a starting running back and foil the NFL's plans like he did in Cleveland. Probably San Diego is the other planned destination. But they won't trade him until they can bury any possibility of Gerhart getting playing time. So until Gerhart is injured or traded to Seattle or something Peterson is safe in Minn providing a bulwark against the feared possibility of a White starting RB.

Besides he's in morning for the bastard kid he never knew or knew about.
 

Don Wassall

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Gerhart's an unrestricted free agent after this season, so that's when we'll find out if he'll ever get a chance to start for an NFL team or even be part of a running back committee. He's still in his prime and has fresh legs due to being used so little.
 

Extra Point

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Putting on my conspiracy cap, I think the only reason there are trade rumors about Peterson going to the Giants is the fear that Hillis might become a starting running back and foil the NFL's plans like he did in Cleveland.

This is an interesting point. Bringing up a possible trade with the Giants also serves to divert attention away from Hillis. No doubt he's a hot topic of discussion among NY football fans. The anti-whites would want to limit any talk of white running backs playing anywhere.
 
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