NFL HOF adds 6: Hickerson, Irvin, Mathews, Sanders, T. Thomas, Wehrli

Because of the little-known bylaw that states: He who runs the wrong way for an opponent's safety shall not be elected to the Hall of Fame. (thank you "Pro Football Players Do The Most Amazing Things!")

 

Irvin deserves to be in the Hall, even with his off-field issues. As long as Orenthal's bust still remains in Canton, any football player not named Rae Carruth deserves consideration.

But it is an absolute travesty and disgrace that Art Monk, one of the greatest receivers the game has ever seen, is still not enshrined. It absolutely makes no sense to me. I want someone to debate this, preferably one of the 39 people who casts a ballot.

People ridicule baseball's HOF process, but the pro football hall is the absolute worst. It has less credibility than the old baseball veterans' committee. Maybe it would be discussed more often if people (SportsJournalists.com members excluded) actually gave a damn about the pro football hall.

 

But...but...the baseball voters suck! They're stupid! They should be executed for being fucking stupid! [/Columbo]

 

I know that Guy, who did see his production drop off when the Raiders moved to LA, averaged about 1.25 punts inside the 20 per game in the final 11 seasons of his career (the first three, perhaps his best, did not keep the stat).

He also had seven such punts in the Raiders three Super Bowl wins.

When one considers how crude the kicking game was back then his numbers are fucking eye-popping.

 

Baseball voters can orally take the chrome off a tailpipe.

 

He was a compiler of the highest order.

Averaged fewer than 800 yards receiving a season.

 

Mike,

That's my understanding too. And it's fucked up.

I've been banging the drum for Ray Guy for years. It's ridiculous that he is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dude defined his position. It's a shame the Raidahs didn't use him in the secondary, where he played at a very high level at Southern Miss.

Guy had 57 punts inside the 20 over two seasons toward the end of his career. He had three punts blocked in 14 seasons. None in the first five years. Made that amazing play in the Super Bowl against the Skins, going up to get that amazingly high snap with ONE HAND -- when the game was still competitive. Shit, not many guys outside Lynn Swann and Wes Chandler could have made that play in those days.

He was a force for the Raiders. And they won three Super Bowls while he was there.

Art Monk should have gone in before Irvin. I'm a little intrigued by the Wehrli selection. I'd never heard him getting that much love in the selection committee meetings in the past. He was a helluva corner, though.

Matthews also deserved first-ballot induction. Happy for him.

Anybody know the first-time eligible big names for next year?

 

I'd like to see Ray Guy in there, but I'm still flying on Dave Casper making it in. And the next Raider to make it should be Lester Hayes.

I always thought Monk's main strength was longevity. On the one hand, at the time of those Super Bowls, I always thought Sanders and Clark were more FEARED wideouts than Monk, who was a good, steady performer. But on the other hand, if the NFL named him to its all-decade team for the 1980s, it's sort of dumb that he hasn't made the Hall of Fame. Obviously, someone is wrong.

But then, I'm someone who wonders why Bob Griese is in.

 

Fewer than 800 receiving yards per season.

 

From Wikipedia's Ray Guy entry, so take it with a grain of salt ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Guy

Punted 1,049 times for 44,493 yards, averaging 42.4 yards per punt (typical 2006 average, 43), with a 33.8 net yards average (typical 2006 average, 37)

 

Mustardbased, I like your thinking, but I don't think it will happen. I'd push for a couple other Broncos first -- Gradishar first and foremost, as I noted a bit earlier.

It's an absolute joke that Gradishar is not in. He played 10 seasons, didn't miss a single game, and averaged just over 200 tackles per season. In fact, in 1982 -- the strike-shortened year -- he had 151 tackles in nine freakin' games. He had 286 in 1978 (the year after the Super Bowl appearance), and in 1983, his final year, he still put up 224.

But Smith, rising from being an undrafted wideout on the practice squad to now being the only undrafted receiver to break 10,000 yards (now at 11,389, and coming up on 900 catches if he doesn't retire), merits at least some consideration.

But if Gradishar can't get in, let alone Floyd Little and probably Terrell Davis, there's no way those wacked voters will put Smith in.

 

It's folly to compare numbers from back then to numbers now. By this reckoning, Bob Griese and Terry Bradshaw should not sniff the Hall based on numbers. Ditto Namath, Biletnikoff, etc. How was he compared to the averages during his career? This is why a TIm Brown may have trouble, because a lot of WRs have been tearing it up in recent years.

Also, if Guy was on the 75th anniversary team . . . who did the voting? Seems if a punter belongs, he does.

And, in the interest of full disclosure, let's include this from the wikipedia entry for Mr. Guy:

"Joe Horrigan, the historian of the Pro Football Hall of Fame once said: "He's the first punter you could look at and say: 'He won games.'"