The WORST DEBUT in NFL HISTORY

Think of the worst possible first impression that you can make as a player. During week 1 of the 1986 NFL season, in a game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins, Dolphins wide receiver James Pruitt did just that, as the rookie had just about the worst start to a career, where everything that could've gone wrong did
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#nfl #dolphins #chargers #miamidolphins #miami #1986 #football #sports #highlights #nflhighlights #nflhistory #nflfilms #nflthrowback #americanfootball #debut

[@Wallyworld30]

Marcus Mariota had the greatest first start in NFL History with 4 TD and 0 INT completing 13/15 Passes. My goodness did he fool a lot of people with that game.

[@rngfootball759]

Cam Newton also had quite a 1st start too but had a costly pick six back in 2011 vs Arizona.

[@kevinramsey417]

So you might say he did a whole lot better than if he'd just spiked the ball on every play 😅

[@731rizzle]

And he was on my fantasy team....on the bench lol

[@chucktaylor6939]

MARIGOATA

[@bobsnow6242]

Pruitt's last regular season NFL game was in 1991 but he managed to hang around in the CFL throughout the 90s and even got himself a few paychecks on Washington and Carolina's practice squads in the late 90s. We can laugh at the dude all we like, but if you can stay consistently employed playing professional football for 15 years after a start like that then you definitely have some God-given talent.

[@DolFan316]

Ah yes, James Pruitt...the first of what would be many failed attempts at getting a third WR to compliment the Marks Brothers, at a time when the three wide formation was in its infancy. The '86 team only had one other WR on the roster, period. Imagine any team today going through a season with just 5 WRs. The worst part is, the Fins cut him loose only to have Pruitt score AGAINST them in a late season must win loss VS the Colts in '89, then actually signed him again only for him to do next to nothing again. Turns out the best third WR they had from '86-92 was some random 11th round pick in '81 who was drafted as a QB, a guy named Jim Jensen. You might have heard of him.

[@GR-bn3xj]

I remember all the attempts to get a good wide receiver and a good running back the Dolphins, and all the near misses and false hopes. Sammy Smith and Mark Higgs come to mind. Dolphins kept giving me so much false hope after 84

[@debaser_666]

The Dolphins had Anthony Carter's rights in '86 after the U.S.F.L. folded. Shula traded him to Minnesota for a linebacker named Lyle Sendlein.

[@aaropajari7058]

Jensen was a fine player. He was a utility player who played multiple positions.

[@architect011_3]

Remember Chad Owens? Drafted to be a punt return specialist? Muffed 3 punts in his first game and cut the next and stashed on the practice squad. Then brought back a year later in a week 17 game where the starters were resting, only to muff another punt. He was cut the next day.

[@LordTeaboBaggins]

Not quite a rookie debut, and not a football debut, but Pascual Perez’s debut with the Braves was a weird one- he couldn’t find the exit to Fulton County stadium so wound up driving I-285 for three hours in a circle around Atlanta before finally getting directions and making it to meet his team

[@CuntryRebel]

As far as I am concerned anyone that makes it to the opening roster of any NFL, whether they are ranked last or first, are in the top 1600 players of the 15,000 exiting college.

[@indyspotes3310]

There was the Nathan Peterman interception extravaganza a few years ago. I also remember Randy Fasani started his first game for the Panthers in the early 2000s and ended up with three or four picks and a 0.0 rating in a loss. I don't know if that's ever been done before or since.

[@BlueOpinion]

Technically Peterman made his debut the week before the interception game. Going 5/7 with a touchdown in a loss to the saints.

[@patrickreichert1442]

Matt Barkley, in his first game as an Eagle, threw 4 interceptions in 3 official passes.

[@clydemiller4776]

Watching Matt Barkley play for the Eagles is as close as I’ve ever come to knowing what it feels like to have a root canal. It’s amazing to me that he’s still getting preseason work to this day. Just goes to show how few NFL-caliber QBs are produced on a yearly basis.

[@patrickreichert1442]

@@clydemiller4776 so very well said! There is a dearth of talent at qb and it shows. But still, Carson Wentz is unemployed. lolol And, side note, I own a Matt Barkley jersey 😂🤣

[@d0nKsTaH]

What's even more embarrassing is that these same Chargers, lost the next eight games in a row after the win! They finished 4-12 on the year.

[@paulweston8408]

Even after all these years anytime I see the Chargers and Dolphins I automatically go back to the 1981 playoffs and 3 of the most memorable games in NFL history! First we got the unbelievably great game between San Diego playing at Miami during a hot and humid game that saw team hero Kellen Winslow need to be helped off the field after the game from pure exhaustion! Then a week later we get one of the coldest games in ever, with windchill of -59°. While it didn't seem like the Bengals were affected by the cold at all, the same could NOT be said for the Chargers. The over 100° temperature difference between games HAS to be a record that will never be broken. On top of that, we got the start of one dynasty and the end of another. I don't think any of us watching Joe Montana running for his life while 3 of the Cowboys Doomsday defense chased him down as time was expiring before Joe throw the ball into the endzone. Suddenly we saw Dwight Clark come into the picture, coming down with a fingertip catch!!! As bad as being 56 can be, I saw some amazing things happen. Thanks for reading and sorry this had almost nothing to do with today's subject.

[@GR-bn3xj]

Same here! And don't forget the Dolphins were handed their first loss in 1984 in overtime by the chargers. But those two or three weeks of playoffs were amazing and made me a fan for life.

[@johnnysama]

Mr. Pruitt was on the Miami roster in the original NES Tecmo Bowl, BTW.

[@travismcnamara8919]

That was terrible, his decision-making capabilities seem like they might have been a little underdeveloped. That being said, he showed a great deal of resilience, resolve, and fortitude in bouncing back to score TDs in the next 2 games

[@bdog1323]

For Miami to finish 8-8 in 1986 was a tribute to Marino and that passing game. Running game was non existent. Didn't have a 100 yard rusher until week 12, bad trades and to make matters worse, 2 weeks later Marino threw for 6 TD's in a game which was rare in this era and the defense gave up 50 points or more again, twice in 3 weeks. 51-45 loss to the Jets in the Meadowlands.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I’ve never seen a team as bad returning punts as the Dolphins. I swear over the first half of the season they muffed the ball half the time

[@DolFan316]

Shula the GM was Shula the coach's worst enemy. It's not as if he didn't know he needed better RBs and defenders, it's that he was just so bad at picking them. For every John Offerdahl there was a John Bosa, an Eric Kumerow and a Rick Graf.

[@GR-bn3xj]

And he threw for 500 yards in a game and lost. It was so hard to be a Dolphins fan back then, but I have stood by them.

[@debaser_666]

Remember... The Dolphins had the rights to Anthony Carter in '86 after the U.S.F.L. folded. Shula traded him for a linebacker named Lyle Sendlein. Or Larry? 🐬 💣

[@bdog1323]

@@debaser_666 I totally remember that trade. HORRIBLE trade, Shula was so desperate for linebacker help he took an average guy named Robert Sendlein & a second round pick. At the time I remember I was upset they gave up a WR that was SUPPOSED to be a first rounder, possibly a top ten pick if he hadn't already announced he was joining the USFL before the draft. He was a steal in the 12th round in the making. Getting a second-round pick for 1986 was ok, but then they give Tampa a 1st AND that 2nd round pick for Hugh Green who was a very good linebacker but already getting old. 2 bust linebackers in '84 were the beginning of panic moves for Shula and the Phins in the upcoming years in the 80's. Just too much to talk about from that one trade!!!

[@Mbarnstein62891]

RGIII was the most electrifying rookie at the time and would have had a great successful career until he met Haloti Ngata and was never the same player for the rest of his career.

[@CTubeMan]

You said the Dolphins would have been justified in cutting bait with Pruitt after that first game. This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about how the Dolphins traded Randal Hill after his first game. You also made a video about how the Chargers beat the Dolphins the last time they met in 1984.

[@rngfootball759]

I remember Kareem Hunt had an awful start fumbling the rock then went off against my Pats. One of my favorite fantasy football picks from 2017 when I took him as early as the 4th round one year after Spencer Ware went down.

[@scottp1001]

I always called him James "Drop It" Pruitt. Just looking at his pro-football reference page brought back bad memories. 1986 15 touches - 4 fumbles. 1988 2 touches - 1 fumble, 1989 5 touches - 2 fumbles. And they did not even track drops back in those days. Guy soaked his hands in butter before every game.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

Those Cal State Fullerton 80s teams had two future CFL legends: Damon Allen and Mike Pringle

[@MrKevinEaddy]

Mike Pringle Sacramento Surge/Gold Miners!! And Pruitt too

[@wcm5636]

Dropping Danny’s passes was never a good career move

[@briannearey8902]

That Gary Anderson run was EPIC for the time...He was so underrated as a back..The defense is the reason they never had a Superbowl win with Marino,I never understood it,plus they didn't balance run/pass enough. Damn shame Danny never got a ring

[@CuntryRebel]

If, you missed the exit to LAX, it’s more like an hour.

[@Wallyworld30]

A Receiver dropping 2 passes in his first NFL game isn't the worst Debut ever. Any Rookie who fumbled away the ball more than once in his first game would easily have had a worse debut. The off the field stuff is embarresing but what happens on the field is most important.

[@tomkoutsopoulos528]

As a longtime dolphin fan I do remember James Pruitt he had such great potential but he dropped so many passes. Shula gave him so many chances then they just gave up on him.

[@marcus813]

Thank goodness Pruitt was able to bounce back from this and have a viable pro football career even if he had to go to the CFL to continue it. I remember missing an exit to my city's airport when the interstate was a hot mess due to construction, forcing me to cross a bridge all the way to a neighboring county. However, if Pruitt would've given himself more of a buffer from a time standpoint, he could've overcome that mistake.

[@VerveQuest-zc4ri]

With Greg Pruott and Mike Pruitt being high quality players, i can see the Dolphins going with "name recognition,"

[@adambonesaw3689]

Remember kareems Hunts first touch was also a fumble? And that game also festured Alex Smith silencing the haters asking Reid to start Mahomes.... Sorry for the video idea

[@RetroYuuki]

Very nice stuff

[@AdamJ617]

Why did I have a feeling his start might’ve as bad, if not worse than Lewis Billups in 1992?

[@MrKevinEaddy]

He had a long career for a subpar Reciever

[@DolFan316]

That Chargers opener in '86 was my personal "we're not in Kansas anymore" moment. Up until then I'd been the biggest Dolphin homer ever. Being a preteen had something to do with it, but I always just *knew* my team would win every time out and when they didn't it was only because they were flat, the other team got lucky, etc. The Raiders were the only team I really feared. But that game is when I completely lost all of that and became the Potentate Of Pessimism I am today. And they arguably haven't been the same since then. *CURSE YOU, CHARGERS!!!* (Whispers.) Curse you forever...

[@cablehogue599]

Dolphins fan here and this is going to be a long season. Xavien sucks now and Ramsey is injured

[@DolFan316]

@@cablehogue599 I've already predicted 7-10. That might even be optimistic.

[@darrellmayberry7784]

DolFan316 I am a Dol-Fan since 1971 and that Chargers game as you mentioned was the end of the great Dolphins who won 2 Super Bowls 5 AFC Titles and 9 AFC East titles from 1970-85 but after that 1986 50-28 loss to the Chargers two weeks later they lost 51-45 to the Jets and the team that had the no name defense now had no defense and the combo of little defense and running game along with bad drafts plagued the last Shula years and since that 1986 game the Dolphins have had 0 Super Bowl wins 0 AFC titles and only four AFC East titles in 1992 1994 2000 and 2008.

[@DolFan316]

@@darrellmayberry7784 I still blame the uniform change they decided they just had to do that season.

[@darrellmayberry7784]

DolFan316 those uniforms were bad I guess Joe Robbie made the change to get fans to buy jerseys to help pay for the new stadium as 1986 was the last year the Dolphins played in the Orange Bowl.

[@briannearey8902]

Why weren't they traveling as a team to the airport? Isn't that what they've always done? And if you're an NFL player, GET A FREAKING TAXI to the airport for the Love of God!!

[@cameronrose9902]

I know he wasn't a week one starter but the Bills rookie peterman who threw 5 picks in a half

[@DolFan316]

As a DolFan I thought for sure this would be about Ray Lucas but you were talking about NFL debuts instead of just Dolphin debuts.

[@andrearel3703]

Ray Lucas had an anxiety attack during his Dolphins debut as a starting QB. Think he was responsible for 7 or 8 turnovers. He fumbled snaps, he threw picks, the guy was clearly folding under the pressure. This was Dolphins at home against the Bills 2002. There was a murmur in the home crowd. People saying wtf is going on here? Unique in NFL history. Official Jaguar should do a video about that game. It also helped ruin the Dolphins 2002 season. After a 5-1 start, the Dolphins were 7-5 by the time Lucas was done. He did settle in and play better, but in that first game he seriously had a series of anxiety attacks on display for the world to see... I think he was even crying on the sideline. No NFL GM wanted him after that day. The Ravens had him as a 3rd QB for a bit, but his career was over.

[@chuckbarber8792]

Good video

[@DolFan316]

My team didn't blow the opener to the Chargers THIS time! Just sayin'. 😎

[@oofusthenoob]

peterman threw like 5 picks in the first half alone

[@travistaylor4342]

Cam newton started his career with back to back 400 yd games

[@user-cv8qe9ru8c]

Miss an exit? Jg9 i dont think youve been to newark airport

[@Brand-ju4jm]

he ate up with that chronic

[@VerveQuest-zc4ri]

Think the guy was just trying to hide.

[@GotjoK3s]

Kenny Pickett 2 rushing touchdowns in his first nfl game. Record

[@drbonesshow1]

He is still alive. Not everything went wrong.

[@DolFan316]

The worst part about this game is that the Chargers lost their next EIGHT and would finish 4-12. I am not making this up.

[@darrellmayberry7784]

Did Don Coryell now in the Hall OF Fame get fired after that season.

[@DolFan316]

@@darrellmayberry7784 He actually got fired midway through that season and never coached in the NFL again.

[@darrellmayberry7784]

@@DolFan316 thanks for the info as my 62 year old brain knew Coryell's last year in 1986 but forgot he left in midseason.

[@DolFan316]

@@darrellmayberry7784 I actually forgot too until your question made me look it up so it's cool😊

[@DolFan316]

HOW could you POSSIBLY leave Anquan Boldin '03 off your list of great rookie debuts??? (Sighs.) Seriously, he was the first one that came into my mind. Cadillac Williams setting an NFL record for most rushing yards in his first three games is another good one.

[@chrisp679]

You gotta cut it off at some point.

[@DolFan316]

@@chrisp679 This is OJG9 we're talking about, cutting things short isn't what he does.

[@user-cv8qe9ru8c]

​@chrisp679 you new here?

[@chrisp679]

@@DolFan316 but even he has his limits, which is my point.

[@chrisp679]

@@user-cv8qe9ru8c like I said, everybody has limits.

[@johnsonbraddockesquire4636]

two words... NATHAN PETERMAN

[@part6133]

Battle of the Dan's super post.

[@Fireyninjadog]

At least the dolphins had duper, clayton, and marino

[@kevinramsey417]

What they didn't have? A running game.

[@Fireyninjadog]

​@@kevinramsey417or a defense during that 86 season

[@r.williamcomm7693]

Chiefs should sign Hunt for another run.

[@markross2124]

John Elway went 1-8 in his debut although Denver eventually won the game

[@marvelkingdom1972]

what about Yatil Green for my Dolphins :(

[@andrearel3703]

Nah, tore his ACL two years in a row. Can't call him a bust. He was just unlucky. He may have been All Pro, we'll never know...

[@gordonbranham9833]

He had to have been high

[@chrispeoples1559]

I love the videos but the exaggerations are ridiculous. 400 yards senior year of college is not impressive. A 35 inch vert is not even good. Only 9 of 40 combine receivers in 2023 draft had a lower vert than that.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Different era. In 1988, at the NFL Combine, only five receivers had a higher vertical than that. A lot had in the 20s, even going as low as 25

[@arickquinton1268]

2/3 of the video is build up "to the worst debut ever". Targeted three times, two drops zero catches... Bro..?

[@eleventy-seven]

Reminds me of Kadarius Toney in the KC vs Detroit game. 3 passes through his hands. Lost for KC.