Thread: Time for a HOF rant - Viking Slighted

"moviking" wrote:

Hi and thanks for allowing me to participate here at purple pride.

Today folks and sports fans, I want to discuss the HOF inductees of 07.

Been doing some surfing since the Super Bowl ended. I mean after all, the game should have been a complete blow out and NO, Peyton Manning wasnt the MVP in my opinion. IMHO, the figured they better feed this guy a Super Bowl MVP in case he never gets back so he is HOF worthy!

There in lies my rant for the evening....the Hall of Fame. There were some very worthy members inducted this year, and a couple that leave me scratching my gol 'darnit head! I have no problem with Bruce Matthews, Roger Wherli and Thurman Thomas(even though he forgot his helmet in a pretty big game).
My problem lies mainly in the other 3 selections. Oh and while Bruce Matthews is qualified....what about our boy Randall McDaniel? 12 consecutive pro bowls, 5 years ALL-PRO!! Doesnt that count?

Gene Hickerson instead of ohhhh say maybe Jim Marshall???
While Hickerson might have been a mighty fine guard playing in front of Jim Brown.....he played in front of...yes, the aforementioned Jim Brown that could probably make an average college offensive line look good!
Jim Marshall folks.....281 consecutive games at a very physical position while playing at a very high level! 3 Pro Bowls folks. Did Jim piss in someone's Cheerios way back when?

Charlie Sanders....hmmmmm I had to look up Charlie Sanders to even know who the hell he was. Apparently he was a pretty good TE, buuttttt.......
compare him to some other guys from the same era....why Charlie Sanders?
He was never in the top ten in any category, not in the top 50 of any category.
Here's a list of stats of him vs someone you never heard of either and a couple you might have.
Charlie Sanders
68-77 336 recpt/4817 yds/31 TD/14.3 per catch
Jerome Barkum (Jets)
72-83 326/4789/40/14.7
Raymond Chester
70-81 364/5013/48/13.8
Riley Odoms
72-83 396/5755/41/14.5 (2 yrs inactive)
There are a few others in the same area code, timeline and stat wise.
Why Charlie Sanders instead of one of these guys?

Now to my TURD induction of the day......yepp...you know where I am going here don;t ya? Yes...Michael (cocaine snorting, ho' train leading (kinda envious here) reverse bigoted dirtbag) Irvin!
What actually qualifies Michael Irvin? He did play on 3 SB teams, he was I will admit, a very good receiver. Is he or was he better than Art Monk? Was he better than ohhh say...Gary Clark?? Gary Clark caught as many TD passes in Super Bowls as Irvin did. Think anyone will ever beg for Clark to be inducted?
Think I'm wrong? Lets look at some stats .
Michael Irvin 5 pro bowls
88-99 750 recpts/11904 yds/65 TD/15.8 per catch

Gary Clark 4 pro bowls
85-95 699/10856/65/15.5
Noticethat Clark had as many tds and almost the same yds per catch? Clark spent a couple years on a couple poohie teams at the end of his career(2 yrs Arizona,,,nuff said) Irvin had the benefit of a HOF QB, the all time league rushing leader and arguably one of the best offensive lines ever assembled.
Naaaaa Gary Clark isnt as good as Michael Irvin you say...ok..here are a couple more guys with similar stats and no HOF consideration.

Here is Monks stats 3 pro bowls
80-95(he was only active 3 games in 95) 940/12721/68/13.5 He did however own the league recrd for some time for receptions....no biggie I guess! Oh and if memory serves me, the same amount of SB rings all while playing for a revolving door at QB.

Harold Jackson 5 pro bowls
68-83 (not exactly the pass happy years) 579/10372/76/17.9
hmmmmm 2 yds per catch better and 11 more TD catches.

Henry Ellard 3 pro bowls
83-98 (inactive 97-98) 814/13777/65/16.9
hmmm...more yards,,,more yards per catch.....hmm

Jimmy Smith 5 pro bowls
92-05 (92-93 inactive) 862/12287/67/14.2
about the same yrs actually playing, couple more tds and a few more yards. Yards per catch are close.

Ok.....so compare these guys...for real and is anyone going to be clamoring for Harold Jackson, Gary Clark or Jimmy Smith to be put in the HOF? The stats for these guys are almost identical. I have never seen Art Monk, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard, Harold Jackson or Jimmy Smith on the front page of any paper for being arrested for anything. Is that the difference between these players....media coverage? Michael Irvin is employed by ESPN spouting pooh at every possible opportunity while the rest of them just live their lives and stay out trouble.

Bottom line.....Jim Marshall should be in the HOF WAYYYYY before these guys simply for his consecutive games streak not to mention he played at a very high level in doing so! Cal Ripken made it into the baseball HOF by being a very solid, good player but not spectactular.
Let me know if Cal could have played in every game for 18 yrs getting into a car wreck on every play!


Hall of Fame = Hall of visiblity
End of rant....Thanks for the time!
moviking

The very same fallacy you applied to Gene Hickerson can be applied to Marshall. It could easily be viewed that Marshall had the numbers he did in large part because of Alan Page.

I don't think you will ever see Marshall in the hall for that very reason and to be honest I am not sure I would lose sleep over it myself, because I for one feel Alan Page elevated the play of that entire line.

Defensive line is a beast of a position and it's feast or famine. Someone is getting doubled and that someone more times then not was Alan Page.

[img width=149 height=202]http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Loge/4705/mick1.jpg[/img]
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Loge/4705/mick1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Loge/4705/mick.html&h=202&w=149&sz=5&hl=en&start=8&tbnid=PKR 4nL65UDWplM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=77&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMick%2BTinglehoff%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3 Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26sa%3DG

[img width=100 height=86]http://www.vikingstailgate.com/images/leg_tinglehoff.gif[/img]

Not much for pictures out there.

Isn't C. Carter eligble next year? or is it the following year? THat should be an interesting debate to see if he is a first ballot or not?

I think Marshall gets in. Down the Road.


McDaniel gets in too probably before Marshall

Tinglehoff?
Like AWZ said, it isn't a sexy position.
It also seems like it is difficult to measure that position.
Popularity goes a long way, just look at Irvin's induction over Monk.
Monk has been on the tips of peoples tongues for more years than Irving played.
He just doesn't get the push.
Monk will make it, but it will be a charity selection or injustice selection way down the line, I hope I am wrong and it comes sooner.
So back to Tinglehoff, does he have the popularity, is his name recognizable to fan that aren't from MN.
Some of these guys really have to campaign.

This article questions the number of inductees each year.
Need more?

Pushing for more NFL Hall of Famers

Bob Matthews
Feb 6th
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/SPORTS0101/702060306/-1/COLUMNS

Was newly elected Gene Hickerson really a better offensive lineman than rejected nominees Bob Kuechenberg, Russ Grimm and Gary Zimmerman? I don't know how they can be compared with any accuracy or validity, especially when a majority of the voters never saw Hickerson play.

Zimmerman should get there too.

[img width=181 height=250]http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/minnesota/GzimmermanMin.JPG[/img]

don't know if they need to elect more people each year but maybe a way that they could still get in after they are no longer eligble thetraditional way like them commisioner gets to choose or doesn't baseball let the HOF players themselves choose people?

"THEBIGDADDY" wrote:

Isn't C. Carter eligble next year? or is it the following year? THat should be an interesting debate to see if he is a first ballot or not?

Carter's last year was '02.

So, if my math is correct and he has to wait 5 years...next year he can be on the ballot.

If he is not, heads will fricken roll in Canton.

We all have to remember the media hates us, where in 3rd world state of football and everyone has forgotten tradition hear in MN!

Good rant, very well put. Randall McDaniel better get in soon.

"ultravikingfan" wrote:

"THEBIGDADDY" wrote:

Isn't C. Carter eligble next year? or is it the following year? THat should be an interesting debate to see if he is a first ballot or not?

Carter's last year was '02.

So, if my math is correct and he has to wait 5 years...next year he can be on the ballot.

If he is not, heads will fricken roll in Canton.

He better be there the first time, I want to go back when there is actually a reason to be there.