The Hall: Wesley Walls

[WarPanthers89]

“Before there was Greg Olsen, there was Wesley Walls, a touchdown-catching tight end from Mississippi.

This is episode 3 of The Hall.”

 

 

[kungfoodude]

Man, I loved Wesley Walls. 

As Panthers fans, we really have been spoiled by having two of the best TE's in the league. Even though he is banged up all the time, I am gonna miss Greg when he goes.

[jfra78]

I always thought he was shooting falcons

[Khyber53]

It's kind of sad the rest of the NFL has forgotten about Wesley Walls and that a fair part of our fan base never got to see him play. He played like today's tight ends but a couple of decades before they did. He really was one of the prototypes for the position in the modern game.

 

 

[mc52beast]

1 hour ago, kungfoodude said:

Man, I loved Wesley Walls. 

As Panthers fans, we really have been spoiled by having two of the best TE's in the league. Even though he is banged up all the time, I am gonna miss Greg when he goes.

Greg has really only been banged up the last couple seasons... dude posted 3 straight 1000 yd seasons

[kungfoodude]

5 minutes ago, mc52beast said:

Greg has really only been banged up the last couple seasons... dude posted 3 straight 1000 yd seasons

Yeah, I should have clarified that by saying banged up so much RECENTLY. He has been extremely durable in his career until the foot started flaring up. It certainly does not diminish what a weapon he has been for us over his career.

[45catfan]

Walls was my first favorite Panthers player on the offensive side of the ball.  It took Greg Olsen to make the Panthers realize how the TE position can be such a weapon and how much of a void was left when Wesley retired.  Between Wesley and Greg, the team treated the TE position much like they did and still do free safety.

[Captain Morgan]

good ol' Wesley Walls.  Glad he got in.  Hope all these guys can come to the first game and be recognized.

[L-TownCat]

4 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

Man, I loved Wesley Walls. 

As Panthers fans, we really have been spoiled by having two of the best TE's in the league. Even though he is banged up all the time, I am gonna miss Greg when he goes.

Dunno man...after Walls and before Olsen, the pickin's was mighty slim at the old TE position.

Jeff King, Gary Barnidge, Dante Rosario, Michael Gaines, Kris Mangum, Mike Seidman.

That is a list that deserves to have a Walls and Olsen added, just to raise the average.

[kungfoodude]

13 minutes ago, L-TownCat said:

Dunno man...after Walls and before Olsen, the pickin's was mighty slim at the old TE position.

Jeff King, Gary Barnidge, Dante Rosario, Michael Gaines, Kris Mangum, Mike Seidman.

That is a list that deserves to have a Walls and Olsen added, just to raise the average.

Yeah, hopefully we never devalue the TE position again after that stretch. 

[jfra78]

17 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Yeah, hopefully we never devalue the TE position again after that stretch. 

Ian Thomas showed promise, I hope he can be the next Walls/Olsen for us.

[GRWatcher]

8 hours ago, jfra78 said:

I always thought he was shooting falcons

We called them dirty birds

[TheSpecialJuan]

these are great 

[GRWatcher]

In 1996 or 1997 Walls penned a short article for the Charlotte Observer on how fans can help the Panthers win. In those early years in Ericsson Stadium, fans were acting as if watching a college football game: "alumni" sitting quietly, "students" going nuts at the wrong times. Unfortunately there were more "alumni" than "students". Good lord, I remember the ladies in fur coats and men in suits, nary a word from them.

So he told them to boo loudly when the other team was introduced. (You'd be surprised how they didn't even do this.) To start yelling and screaming when the opposition first enters their huddle so it's difficult for them to hear the QB. And to keep yelling past the ball snap. Then he told them to be hear-pin-drop quiet when our offense was on the field. And to always show respect for anyone who is injured.

I lol at huddlers who think our fans are bad. OMG! They were much, much worse in the beginning, loudly cheering while on offense, quiet while on defense (which gave the other team a quiet huddle). That's why other teams used to say it was like playing a home game. Raised as a Bills fan I knew better and cheered accordingly but it took Wesley saying it to make it cannon.

I once mentioned this article to Scott Fowler for his book but he told me he never did find that article. Too bad. It's still relevant today.