Age: 27
5th
season in pro football, 3rd in NFL & with Colts
College: Miami
(FL)
Height: 5’11” Weight: 214
Prelude:
Bentley was a
walk-on in college who led the team in rushing as a senior and most notably
scored the winning touchdown in the Orange Bowl upset of Nebraska that capped
the 1983 season. His pro career started in the USFL after he was chosen by the
Chicago Blitz in the first round of the 1984 draft (seventh overall) and his
rights were traded to the Michigan Panthers. He saw limited action as a rookie,
primarily returning kickoffs. The Panthers merged into the Oakland Invaders in
’85 and Bentley played a far more prominent role, rushing for 1020 yards on 191
carries (5.3 avg.) and catching 42 passes for 441 more yards. With the demise
of the USFL, Bentley joined the Colts, who had selected him in the second round
of the ’84 NFL supplemental draft. He performed well in a backup role in 1985
and ’86, rushing for 639 yards with a 5.0 per-carry average, catching 36 passes
for 315 yards, and averaging 23.1 yards on 59 kickoff returns. He started the
1987 season at running back, but the arrival of RB Eric Dickerson in a
midseason trade significantly cut down on his playing time.
1987 Season Summary
Appeared in 12
of 15 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 142
Most
attempts, game – 29 (for 145 yds.) at NY Jets 11/1
Yards – 631 [17]
Most yards,
game – 145 yards (on 29 carries) at NY Jets 11/1
Average gain
– 4.4 [10]
TDs – 7 [6,
tied with Earl Ferrell, Herschel Walker & Dalton Hilliard]
100-yard
rushing games – 1
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 34
Most
receptions, game – 9 (for 69 yds.) vs. Miami 9/20
Yards – 447
Most yards,
game – 94 (on 2 catches) vs. Houston 11/29
Average gain
– 13.1
TDs – 2
Kickoff
Returns
Returns – 22
[20, tied with Gary Anderson & Lee Rouson]
Yards – 500 [16]
Most yards,
game – 105 (on 4 ret.) at Miami 11/15
Average per
return – 22.7 [5]
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 45 yards
All-Purpose
yards – 1578 [2, 1st in AFC]
Scoring
TDs – 9 [7]
Points – 54
Postseason: 1
G (AFC Divisional playoff at Cleveland)
Rushing
attempts – 4
Rushing yards
– 9
Average gain
rushing – 2.3
Rushing TDs –
1
Pass
receptions – 4
Receiving
yards – 47
Average yards
per reception – 11.8
Pass
receiving TDs – 0
Kickoff
returns – 6
Kickoff
return yards – 114
Average yards
per return – 19.0
Kickoff
return TDs – 0
Colts went 9-6
in the strike-shortened season (three games were played with replacement
players) to finish first in the AFC East to reach the postseason for the first
time since moving to Indianapolis. Lost AFC Divisional playoff to Cleveland Browns (38-21).
Aftermath:
With
Dickerson carrying the bulk of the load at running back, Bentley returned to
being a role player with his slashing running style and ability as a receiver
out of the backfield. While he ran the ball only 120 times in 1988 and ’89, for
529 yards (4.4 avg.), he caught 78 passes for 777 yards (9.9 avg.) that
included 52 receptions for 525 yards in 1989 alone, when he was used more as an
H-back. With Dickerson suspended early for the first part of 1990, Bentley saw
more action and went on to lead the Colts with 71 pass receptions, for 664
yards, while also running the ball 137 times for 556 yards (4.1 avg.). However,
a knee injury suffered in the first game of the ’91 season that required
surgery effectively ended his career. He was active for two games with
Pittsburgh during 1992 in which he had no carries or catches and returned one
kickoff. Overall with the Colts, Bentley rushed for 2355 yards on 526 carries
(4.5 avg.) and caught 226 passes for 2245 yards (9.9 avg.), scoring a total of
28 touchdowns. He also averaged 21.5 yards on 148 kickoff returns. His USFL
totals were 1080 yards on 209 rushing attempts (5.2 avg.) and 44 pass
receptions for 448 yards (10.2 avg.) while averaging 23.2 yards on 26 kickoff
returns and scoring seven TDs.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
