Ottis Anderson had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a Running Back gaining over 1,600 yards on the ground.  Too bad he did for a bad St. Louis Cardinals team that was barely on the National radar.

Anderson would prove he was not a one-season wonder.  Although he would never again equal his rookie numbers he still posted decent ground numbers and was the highlight of a poor Cardinals team.  As it does in football, injuries piled up and he lost his explosiveness.  Anderson was however reinvented as a short-yardage specialist by the New York Giants and he again accumulated impressive tallies.  He was a natural leader and as he rarely fumbled he was a strong key to the Giants ability to control the ball for extended periods of time.  As a Giant, Ottis Anderson twice won the Super Bowl, capped with an MVP performance in Super Bowl XXV.

Phil Simms is a two-time Super Bowl Winning Quarterback, though many who watched his first five years of play may not have foreseen it.

Simms may have been inconsistent when he began his tenure in the NFL, but something seemed to click in 1984.  It wasn’t just the influx of talent to the Giants roster, as it was at this time that Simms became their leader and found ways to win.  He wasn’t the quickest or the hardest thrower, but he became a winner and most important he had the belief and trust of his teammates; something that not every Quarterback had.  Because of the Giants stellar defense, many have said that Simms only had to manage the game, but those who played with him always praised his high football I.Q. and his leadership skills.

As the first overall pick in 1984, many expected Irving Fryar to be great right away.  He wasn’t, but his career showcased a slow climb to being one of the elite receivers in football, and a lot of times hearing his number called by broadcasters on Sunday afternoons.

The New Orleans Saints offense has been good for so long, it is forgotten that when they were finally able to put decent teams together in the early ’90s, it was on the strength of their defense.  Pat Swilling was a big part of those squads.