COMMENTARY : Appeal of Recycled Stars: the Price

The Raiders got Eric Dickerson at a bargain-basement price--he cost them fourth- and eighth-round draft picks.

That’s still a lot more than the Philadelphia Eagles gave up to get Herschel Walker.

Two of pro football’s top running backs in the 1980s, Dickerson and Walker have moved to opposite coasts in hopes of finding the same fountain of youth and helping their teams go from playoff qualifiers to Super Bowl participants.

Dickerson, 32 next month, and Walker, 30, both believe they will benefit from their new surroundings.

“Am I (happy)? Very,” Dickerson said at the Raider training camp in Oxnard.

Dickerson, the third-leading rusher in NFL history with 12,439 yards in nine seasons despite the fact he gained only 1,213 yards combined the last two years, was very unhappy the last two years with the Colts and made no secret of it.

The main object of his dissatisfaction was the lack of ability of the offensive line.

“Dispirited, that’s a good word,” he said. “Disheartened, I felt like I wasn’t getting a chance. If a person wants to look at my last two years at Indianapolis, I say pull out the films. The films don’t lie.

“Some of my greatest moves were in the backfield, not down the field, I know it. One thing any back has to have is an offensive line. You have to have a line, I don’t care how great you are.

“If I have a great year, people are going to say, ‘I knew it, he’s got a great offensive line.’ ”

Dickerson smiled when told it appeared he had slowed down last season.

“We all slow down some,” he said. “I can’t say I feel a decrease in my ability. I’d be lying if I do. One thing people fail to realize is everybody who’s 30 years old is different. Look at Darrell Green, look at Carl Lewis. They can flat-out run--fast.

“I know it’s there, the thing is having the opportunity to show it. I’m blessed, I take pride in being in shape. I don’t feel like I’ve carried the ball a lot, I’m not beat up.”

Dickerson said he hopes to play four more years including this season. If that’s the case, he will have to average 1,072 yards in that period to move past Walter Payton and become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

“I’ll get that record. I know I’ll get that record,” Dickerson said. “I say that with confidence. I’ve always been confident, I don’t want to be cocky. I have a God-given ability.

“To get the record would be a great accomplishment for me. It’s there for the taking.”

Dickerson needs 300 yards to surpass second-place Tony Dorsett and 4,287 to move past Payton.

Dickerson admitted he’s not sure how much he’ll play for the Raiders. Among other tailbacks on the roster are Nick Bell, who has started both preseason games, and veteran Marcus Allen.

“I feel good, only time will tell,” Dickerson said with a smile when asked about his role with the Raiders. “I have no idea, I don’t know, I can’t say. I know I’ll play. I don’t know how much.

“I don’t have to worry about being the guy who has to carry the team anymore. I hated that role, I just hated that.”

Walker, who signed a two-year contract with the Eagles after being released by the Minnesota Vikings, won’t be asked to carry his new team, either.

That wasn’t the case with the Vikings, where Walker was under constant, heavy pressure since what turned out to be a one-sided 1989 trade with the Dallas Cowboys, who rebuilt their team thanks at least in part to the deal.

However, it appears he’ll be an important ingredient on a team that hasn’t had an impact running back since Wilbert Montgomery, as evidenced by the fact that quarterback Randall Cunningham led the Eagles in rushing for four years prior to his season-ending injury last year.

“I’ve come here to do whatever I can to help the team win,” said Walker, who gained 825 yards on 198 carries and caught 33 passes for 204 yards last season. “I’m sincere about that. If Herschel says Herschel is going to do it, it will get done.

“I’m not a person that talks and then doesn’t try to get it done. I’m going to try and do it.”

Walker has rushed for 5,652 yards in seven NFL seasons after gaining 5,562 yards in three years in the now-defunct USFL.

“He’s a great player and his attributes are his speed, his hands and his ability to just make things happen,” Cunningham said. “At the same time, we don’t have to put pressure on him like he had in Minnesota.

“I think Herschel has been accepted. He’s just a nice guy. There’s no ego problems with Herschel at all.”