Eric Crouch

[Trainer]

Ok, I'm sure you all breeched this topic before....but I'm new here so give me the 411 on Eric Crouch.

I hear he may try to play in NFL Europe or Canadian league.



I loved watching Crouch play at Nebraska. One of the all time greatest college players ever.

And all he got for it was 2 BS free agent tryouts with Green Bay and St. Louis.



I know he wanted to play QB, but don't you think he could have also been a great WR or maybe Tailback?

I just don't understand why Crouch never pursued his obvious pro talent.

Was there some sort of anti-Crouch feeling by player personal or was it a bit of Crouch's faults as well???

thoughts and rumors on this guy.


Edited by: Trainer

 

[jaxvid]

Yeah do a search on his name on the site here. We had an extensive thread on him. He was doing alright in NFL Europe as a safety but got hurt. I think there was some talk of him QB'ing in Canada.

 

[Joethethrow]

Eric Crouch is back in the news. Apparently he is coming back up to Toronto October 26 to work out with Argonauts with an eye on finally giving the CFL a shot. The Argos are probably just looking for some depth for the rest of the season, but with 2nd stringer Michael Bishop playing out his option, Starter Damon Allen 42 years old and third stringer Charlie Peterson unproven still. Eric would have a good chance of cracking the lineup next year....if he sticks with it this time. Edited by: Joethethrow

 

[JoeV]

I like Crouch somewhat, but the guy is a quitter.

 

[White Shogun]

I don't remember all the details of Crouch's career, or non-career, as the case may be, but I seem to remember that he didn't get a shot at QB, and quit when they told him he would have to switch to safety, is that right?

If thats the case, I wouldn't necessarily say that was quitting but rather sticking to your guns for what you know is right and what you want. Its about choices and he made his, although I don't know that I wouldn't have tried to make the switch if I were in his shoes.

 

[Don Wassall]

Crouch was drafted by the Rams in the third round to be a wide receiver, but quit because he wanted to be a QB and his heart wasn't into being a receiver. My theory has always been that he wanted to speak out abouthow Vick was treated as a god/quarterback and he wasn't even allowed a shot at the same position, but knew he'd be crucified so he registered his disgust by quitting. Not provable, but plausible. At any rate, here are the archives on him from the site, newest items at the top, oldest at the bottom:


(9/1/03) Crouch left the Packers in July when head coach Mike Sherman told him he was unlikely to beat out any of the Packers' QBs, including the atrocious Akili Smith. Smith ended up being cut, but it is clear that Crouch will never get a fair chance to play quarterback in the NFL, even though he is the prototype of the "fast, athletic" type of QB the league is trying to switch to. He just happens to be the wrong race; wouldn't want to destroy the myth of the "superior black athlete" at QB by having a white one outdo all of them. One Eminem is enough!

Crouch's only hope would be to play in the Canadian League and dominate, ala Doug Flutie, and then he might get a chance to play in the NFL. He undoubtedly sees the racial caste system of football as clearly as anyone who subscribes to this website, expressing his frustration and anger by quitting the NFL twice, but dares not say publicly what he feels.

(6/18/03) Things aren't looking real good for Crouch, as far as realizing his ambition of being an NFL quarterback. The Packers not only have Brett Favre, who will play as long as his desire is there, they also are high on Craig Nall, who starred in NFL Europe this year. They also have Favre's backup Doug Pederson, and the recently signed Akili Smith. Smith, of course, flopped miserably with the Bengals, making Ryan Leaf look like Johnny Unitas by comparison. So while Crouch could hang on as the team's number three or four QB, it's not a good sign that the Packers have been using him to return kicks. Though he deserved â€â€- and still deserves â€â€- a thorough chance to be an NFL QB, Crouch may end up wishing he'd stayed with the Rams as a wideout, as the Rams drafted Kevin Curtis in the third round this year (same round they drafted Crouch in last year), and Curtis could end up being a star on the Rams, perhaps the team least hostile to whites in the NFL.

(4/24/03) Finally, a bit of good news concerning this great athlete. Crouch was claimed off waivers from the Rams by the Green Bay Packers, who say they plan to give him a shot at quarterback. Much talk has been made of the Packers' need to begin grooming a quarterback to replace Brett Favre. Though Favre is only 33, there seems to be a fear that each season could be his last before he retires.

We'll have to wait and see if the Packers draft a QB this weekend. If they don't spend a high pick on one, it would be an indication that Crouch may get a real chance to be groomed as Favre's successor. We think Crouch would be a better NFL quarterback than Michael Vick, as he as just as many tools, and can read defenses better. Let's hope the Pack is serious about giving Crouch a chance.

(9/25/02) While I have no inside information, I'll be willing to bet that Eric Crouch quit because he was way out of his element at wide receiver and the Rams refused to let him play at either of the two positions this great athlete knows how to play â€â€- quarterback and running back.

Other than possibly lacking the "cannon arm" that all black quarterbacks are alleged to have, Crouch was the ultimate "new quarterback" (i.e., like black quarterbacks are hyped to be): incredibly athletic, fast, great runner, accurate thrower. He dominated games in college like few QBs ever have. Why wasn't he given a chance at quarterback?

And if, for whatever reasons, you're not going to let the Heisman Trophy winner have a shot at quarterback, why in the name of God would you take the greatest running QB of all time and not let him be a tailback?????? Is the league that afraid of having a successful white running back? Nothing better demonstrates the insanity of the NFL and college football's anti-white racism than the fact this magnificent runner was summarily rejected as a tailback and instead had to play a position he had never played in his life.

Crouch was reported to be unhappy. But no one in the media delved into it below the surface level. This kid loved football with a passion. To be that unhappy, to the point of quitting and returning a nice signing bonus to become. . . what, an assistant manager of a Burger King?, he had to have been extremely miserable that he couldn't be a quarterback or running back.

Crouch made a statement by quitting, but if my theory is right, he might as well of had the courage of his convictions and given the real reasons. What did he have to lose at that point?

It was also amazing though predictable how little coverage the media gave this shocking story. It was a pretty big story for a day or two, and then Eric Crouch went down the memory hole. No media outlets went to his home to interview him. No "journalists" seemed interested in delving into Crouch's emotions and reasoning. They just repeated the Rams' mantra that Crouch had suddenly and permanently lost his passion for the game that meant so much to him, which he had so dominated and played with great fire and determination. It makes no sense at all that Eric Crouch quit â€â€- unless it was because the racially segregated NFL thwarted his athletic brilliance by not letting him play one of the two positions at which he excelled.

(8/22/02) I assume everyone subscribing to this site is familiar with the many accomplishments of Eric Crouch, the Nebraska QB who won the 2001 Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in America. If you want to see the list of his awards and accomplishments (too many to list here) and his college stats go to http://www.ecrouch.com. For purposes of this website we must ask the question, why was Crouch drafted as a wide receiver?

Crouch was a brilliant and exciting athlete to watch at Nebraska. He would seem in many ways to be a perfect example of the "new breed" of black quarterback trying to make it in the NFL â€â€- fast, athletic, great runner, adequate passer. The knock on him as a quarterback in the NFL is a supposed lack of arm strength, but no one really knows as at Nebraska he directed an offense in which the passing game was secondary to the running game to say the least. Michael Vick is a lot like Crouch â€â€- excellent runner who makes many big plays, but Vick is touted as having a strong arm, but in college and thus far in the NFL his accuracy has been very questionable yet there is no talk of him playing tailback or wide receiver. Many quarterbacks (Joe Montana being the best known example) lacked great arm strength but were successful. Crouch, with his running ability and intelligence, should have been given a shot as a quarterback.

If not quarterback, it is obvious that tailback would be Crouch's position in the NFL. But the NFL's most rigorously-enforced racial taboo of the many that characterize the league is that whites are not allowed to be featured tailbacks, so that was out of the question even though Crouch has 4.4 speed and is obviously a dynamite runner.

And since running back is verboten, that left wide receiver and safety (cornerback, like running back, is strictly taboo except for one token whitey every generation). Considering that Crouch could have been drafted by any number of teams that would have tried to make him a safety, it is probably best under the circumstances that he went to the Rams as a receiver, and as a fairly high draft choice â€â€- the third round, which brought the Rams a fair amount of flak.

The Rams have more whites than most teams, including receivers, safeties and defensive linemen. Mike Martz is an offensive genius and will undoubtedly treat Crouch fairer than most head coaches. In fact, Crouch could develop into a star, replacing Isaac Bruce in a couple of years, and may also play some tailback and QB. He is a tremendous athlete with lots of football sense who deserves the chance to fully develop as a wide receiver and/or "Slash."
Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[robcat]

The NFL will never give him a legitimate shot at quarterback. He probably wishes now he would have stayed with the Rams. If Martz hadnt drafted him in the third round he might not have been drafted at all. He would be doing what KEvin Curtis is now.

 

[Joethethrow]

Eric is going to give it another try. The Argos report he is coming to Toronto sometime next month to work out and talk contract.

 

[Spooge]

I hope Eric makes the team and does well. There was another
diminutive quarterback with fleet feet and great plays, Doug Flutie.

 

[Don Wassall]

Crouch is 6-0, the same height as St. Michael Vick, and is a lot more talented. If he had been given five years to become an NFL quarterback does anyone doubt that Crouch would be better than Vick, probably way better. He would read defenses better, and would be great for designed running plays rather than taking off like a deer when he couldn't spot his first option. But oh that's right, he wasn't blessed with a "cannon arm."

 

[hollywoodnorth]

He's a rare athletic specimen that probably doesn't have the toughness and determination to stay in the league. Edited by: hollywoodnorth1

 

[Kaptain]

He's a rare athletic specimen that probably doesn't have the toughness and determination to stay in the league. He doesn't have that fire in him. It's too bad..his speed would allow him to make any roster at WR and/or DB. Even an option QB. Or he could have insisted on trying out at RB. He just doens't have what it takes. You need mental toughness to play in this league. It's a pity. Just like another great talent-gone-awry Ryan Leaf. If he makes the CFL, he could play RB or WR if he wishes to. I'm sure the CFL will let him play whatever he wants...they can't afford to be picky.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that he doesn't have the determination it takes to be in the league. The "league" wouldn't allow him to play quarterback, yet after objections to switching positions he did just that so that he could make play in the league. I believe he has tried to make it at three or four different positions. That sounds pretty determined to me.
I'm not too sure either if the CFL would let him be a quarterback at this point. Maybe they would have fresh out of college.

 

[SteveB]

I think that Eric needs to realize that nobody wants an option QB. He has bounced around league to league, so it should be getting clear to him. He needs to focus on playing WR, DB, or RB (where the coaches want him to play) and try to be the best at that position. If he would have taken that approach with the NFL, he would still be there. I think that the Rams would have been patient for him to develop as a WR. Sometimes you have to adapt to overcome.

As far as comparing Crouch to Vick, I would hate it for Eric if he turned out to be as bad as Vick, but its possible that he could have been worse. Option QBs have the most to learn as far as reading defenses. In the option game, your only reads are on the line of scrimmage. Even running QBs that operate from a pro-set or spread offense, must do some reads of the safeties/LBs in college and have a little less to learn at the NFL level. Running QBs (especially option QBs) just don't make it in the NFL. How many Kordell Stewarts, Mike Vicks, Donovan McNabbs does it take in the league for everyone to figure it out.

 

[backrow]

i would love to see him as wide reciver/running back... i watched him in NFL Europe games where he played safety and he was a sure tackler with good ball instincts before he got hurt, but i think he would display more skill with the ball in hand...

 

[speedster]

Eric Crouch has a scheduled work out next week with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.With current Argo QB Damon Allen, brother of Marcus,sitting pretty at 42 years of age maybe Eric has a shot.

 

[backrow]

is he working out as a QB?

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yep, they are trying him at QB! Here's a great article on him and the discrimination he has faced.

[url]http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Toronto/2006/01/31/14 19599-sun.html[/url]

 

[Joethethrow]

Eric Crouch has signed with the Toronto Argonauts as a QB for the coming season. Newspaper reports say the Argos were impressed with his arm strength which apparently had been the knock against him. With the 65 yard wide field arm strength is a huge requirement for even a side line pass in the CFL. He will be able to learn the CFL game under Damon Allen and Offensive Coordinator Kent Austin (a CFL Hall of Fame QB).
Better late then never.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Kent Austin was not only a record breaking CFL QB, but a great one at Ole Miss between 1981-85. He was the last Ole Miss QB to play pro football for any time until Eli Manning.

 

[backrow]

bah, we don't need him to be a QB, we need him to be an awesome RB, WR or a DB

and on a serious note, good for Eric, hopefully he will do well enough to get some recognition from the NFL

 

[Ta Waki Mumba]

Crouch officially signed today.

 

[white lightning]

Thanks Ta Waki Mumba.That is really great news.I hope he can light it up in Canada and make the stupid NFL People realize how special a talent he is.He could be 100 times the qb that M.Vick is.We know that,but they are too damn stupid to realize it here in the US.All they see is a white guy who is athletic that can't be allowed to be a qb because he would not fit the mold.

 

[Joethethrow]

Eric Crouch has started rookie training camp with the Toronto Argonauts...camp opened thursday May 18 but he has been in Toronto for two weeks to learn the CFL game and the Argo playbook. He'll being learning from two who have seen it all...OC Kent Austin and starter Damon Allen.

 

[Animalmuther0]

Looks like he will be playing with Ricky "hey, where's the ganja" Williams. If he [Crouch] plays his cards right, with media attention on the Argonauts, maybe he will shine enough to get a shot at the NFL.

Hope so. He was a superior option QB to Vick.

 

[Joethethrow]

I think Eric is tied up for three years so I think he's pretty well committed to the CFL now, but you never know. Joe Theismann and Doug Flutie both used some good years with the Argos as a spring board to the some good years in the NFL. The money's good. But if he had come up here three years ago and played QB he probably would have had a better chance now as a QB in the NFL. It was three wasted years IMO if he wanted to play QB.