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Top Row: Shannon Sharpe (left), Pete Retzlaff.

Second Row: Jerry Smith (left), Fred Arbanas.

There aren’t many tight ends in Pro Football’s Hall of Fame, but then again it’s never been much of a “glamour” position in the NFL, although recent players like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates are changing that perception. One tight end not in the Hall stands out above the rest – Shannon Sharpe of the Denver Broncos/Baltimore Ravens, and current CBS football studio analyst. He is destined to get in soon. There were a lot of fine tight ends in the 1960s, and that fact is borne out by the fact that 2 of them from that era – John Mackey and Mike Ditka – are in the Hall. Pete Retzlaff of the Eagles was another great TE from that era. He was a 5 time Pro Bowl player and his jersey number 44 was retired by the team. His chances of getting elected to Canton, perhaps, are hurt by the fact that early in his career he played running back and split end before settling in at the tight end spot. Amazingly, Retzlaff never caught a pass in his college career. Two others who played tight end in the 1960s are Canton-worthy also – Fred Arbanas, who starred in the AFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Jerry Smith, who played for the Redskins. Former AFL players are rarely considered, but Arbanas was the dominant TE in the league. Despite losing sight in his left eye, he managed to be an AFL all-star 6 times and was voted the tight end on the All-AFL team. Smith was a terrific player, a great downfield weapon for ‘Skins QB Sonny Jurgensen when tight ends weren’t normally downfield threats. He died of AIDS and it’s unknown whether his homosexuality is a reason why he never seems to get consideration from Hall voters.

Some players who deserve a look are from the years when tight ends started to become more of a threat to catch passes rather than being just an extra blocking lineman. Among those players are Riley Odoms of Denver, Todd Christensen of the Raiders, Billy Joe Dupree of Dallas and Bob Trumpy of the Bengals. More modern day players who could have a shot to get in include New England’s Ben Coates, Mark Bavaro of the Giants and another Cowboy, Jay Novacek. The fact that Floyd Little, former Bronco running back, was elected this year gives hope to a player like Odoms.  Christensen was a converted running back who caught a lot of short passes and was a very unconventional tight end. Dupree and Novacek were both very high profile players of their respective eras, but, while playing for “America’s Team” may get you more media attention it doesn’t automatically punch your ticket to Canton.

From left: Andre Reed, Chris Carter, Tim Brown.

Wide receiver may be the position that causes the most controversy when it comes to debates over who belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There have been so many great ones over the years that it is hard to sort out which ones belong, and it seems even the ones who do belong always wind up waiting to get there. The case of Art Monk, who is finally in after years of waiting, is an example of this. So this listing of best receivers who aren’t in Canton is divided up into 2 sections. First, there are 3 slam dunk candidates who aren’t in, but it’s just a matter of time before they are. They are the 3 pictured above – Andre Reed, who had a dynamic career with the Buffalo Bills, Chris Carter, who played in Philadelphia and mostly Minnesota and, as his old Eagles coach Buddy Ryan said when justifying trading him, “All he did was catch touchdowns”.  The third is former Raider Tim Brown. None of these 3 need arguments to warrant their place in the Hall. Their careers are their arguments.

From left: Cliff Branch, Harold Carmichael, Drew Pearson.

So it’s on to the rest of the list, starting with former Eagle Harold Carmichael.  He played 14 seasons in the NFL, was a 4 time Pro Bowler and was voted to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1970s, which should be an automatic ticket to induction. Drew Pearson of the Dallas Cowboys, the favorite target of Roger Staubach for most of his career, is similar to Carmichael. He also was an all-decade team member for the ’70s, was a multiple year Pro Bowler and All-Pro choice and played on a Super Bowl championship team. Cliff Branch of the Raiders was overshadowed by his Hall of Fame teammates, Fred Biletnikoff and Dave Casper, when he played, but was just as important a receiver on those Raider teams  as those two were. There were a lot of great receivers who played in anonimity in the old American Football League who should be considered, including Lionel Taylor of Denver, Charley Hennigan of the old Houston Oilers and Elbert “Golden Wheels” Dubenion of the Buffalo Bills. Being that it is almost impossible for players who played exclusively in the AFL to get in, these players have little hope of making it, even though they deserve the honor and are easily as good as 2 of their AFL counterparts who did get in, Lance Alworth and Don Maynard. There is one old AFL receiver who stands out above the rest and should be in Canton. That would be Otis Taylor of the Kansas City Chiefs. He played on 2 championship teams, including the Super Bowl IV champs, has deserving career stats and was also a devastating downfield blocker which helped the Chiefs’ running game succeed.

Lionel Taylor (left) and Otis Taylor.

 There are a lot of honorable mention type players in the receiver category also, and those would include Del Shofner of the 1960s NY Giants, Henry Ellard, who had a brilliant 16 year NFL career and has deserving numbers, Harold Jackson, similar to Ellard in numbers (he played almost 20 years), Roy Green of the Cardinals, Gary Collins of Cleveland, who starred on teams in the 1960s that featured the running game with Jim Brown and then LeRoy Kelly (both hall of famers) and also played opposite HOFer Paul Warfield, Isaac Curtis of Cincinnati and Boyd Dowler of the 1960s Green Bay Packers. There are surely others who I am overlooking, but this is definitely the most competitive position as far as getting considered for immortality in Canton.

Gary Collins (left) and Isaac Curtis.

Above from left: Roger Craig, Don Perkins, Bo Jackson, Timmy Brown.

Running back is a position that is well represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but there are still a few players who aren’t in yet that deserve consideration. The most glaring of the omissions has to be Roger Craig, who played for the San Francisco 49ers in their Super Bowl years. Craig, to me, was one of the finest all-around backs of all time, taking into consideration his running, receiving and blocking skills. He was overlooked on the 49er roster because of players like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark and Steve Young but he was an integral part of the success of the “West Coast” offense that coach Bill Walsh’s teams ran. In fact he may have been THE key player, outside of Montana.  

Chuck Foreman was a workman-like back for the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970s, and another overlooked player when it comes to Hall consideration. He was NFL Rookie of The Year in 1973, and a 5 time Pro Bowl selection, and scored 51 touchdowns over a 3 year period from 1974 to 1976. Like Craig, he had tremendous pass-catching ability for a back. 

If winning Super Bowls is supposed to be a fast track to Canton, then Terrell Davis deserves serious consideration. “T.D.” played for the Denver Broncos in the mid-to-late ’90s, and is their all-time career rushing leader. It’s no coincidence that the Denver franchise, known for not being able to “win the big one”, wrapped up 2 Super Bowl titles after they added Davis to their roster to complement QB John Elway. Davis’ career was shortened by injuries or I feel he would be an automatic choice for enshrinement.

Ricky Watters was known for being an ornery presence, with the media and in the locker room, when he played in both Philadelphia and San Francisco. But no one can deny Watters’ skill on the field. Like Craig, he was the straw that stirred the 49ers’  West Coast offense drink in the Steve Young era, and scored 3 touchdowns in the Niners Super Bowl XXIX victory. With over 15,000 career all purpose yards and 91 touchdowns for his career, statistically Watters belongs in the Hall.

Don Perkins played for Tom Landry’s early Dallas Cowboy teams in the 1960s, before they gained notoriety as “America’s Team”. He led the Cowboys in rushing 6 of his 8 seasons with the team, but the fact that he never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season hurts his chances for induction to the Hall. His career best season was 945 yards in 1962, but he also played in an era when gaining 1,000 yards was a much tougher accomplishment than it is now. He was an outstanding blocking back also, but unfortunately, players from by-gone eras like Perkins rarely get any consideration without overwhelming numbers.

The fact that Gale Sayers is in the Hall helps make the case for 2 other players to warrant some votes. Sayers’ career was shortened by injury, but he made such an impact, running the ball and in the return game, that he was elected despite not having played long in the league. Using the Sayers yardstick, Bo Jackson, who played only 4 seasons with the L.A. Raiders (while also playing major league baseball) before breaking his hip in a playoff game,basically ending his football career, is deserving. He made many dynamic plays in that shortened career. He had a 5.6 yards per carry average for his career, and scored 16 touchdowns. He would have to be a Joe Namath-type choice, being considered more for his impact on the game rather than numbers, to have a chance to get in. Sayers’ kick return abilities were a big part of why he waltzed into Canton, and if those skills are taken into account, then Timmy Brown, who played in Sayers’ era for the Philadelphia Eagles, should be considered also. He was a 3-time Pro Bowler who excelled in the return game, while also being a productive running back. Like Perkins, he never had a 1,000 yard rushing season, but was a terrific all-around back who excelled as a pass receiver also, with two 50+ reception years on his resume. He was undeniably one of the top all-purpose yardage backs of his era, ranking right up there with Sayers.

Above, from left: John Brodie, Jim Plunkett, Ken Stabler, Below: Charlie Conerly, Jim Hart.

The 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony is coming up soon, with 2 slam dunk picks for the hall, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith, going in this season, among others. There is always a debate about players who belong in Canton who can’t seem to get in, and I’d like to highlight some of these players over the next few days, starting with quarterbacks today. The measuring stick for quarterbacks seems to be something that’s tough to get your arms around. Winning championships carries a lot of weight – that’s why Joe Montana, Otto Graham, Bob Griese and Terry Bradshaw are undisputed choices. Statistics count heavily also – Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino, Sonny Jurgenson and Dan Fouts are examples of QBs getting in with big numbers but no titles. Using the “winning championships” argument, a case can be made for 2 former Oakland Raiders, Jim Plunkett and Ken Stabler. The Raiders being the bad boys of the NFL, and owner Al Davis constantly feuding with the league, seems to affect the Hall voting for one. Plunkett’s early-career perception of being a top draft choice bust while playing in New England works against him also, but he guided the Raiders to 2 Super Bowl titles and had a decent enough career after his Patriot debacle to warrant inclusion in the Hall. Stabler also had a reputation of being a rag-tag type of player in his time, but no one can dispute the winning he did while quarterbacking the Raiders. “The Snake” is a member of the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1970s, but isn’t good enough for the Hall? Two former New York Giants also fit this category. Charlie Conerly was a Giants’ mainstay in the late 1940s and 1950s, guiding the G-men to 3 NFL title games, beating the powerhouse Bears in 1956 to win it all. He was rookie of the year in 1948, league MVP in 1959 and a 2-time Pro Bowl selection, yet is not in Canton. Phil Simms was underappreciated his whole career, and this continues now as he has not gotten serious consideration by Hall voters either. Part of Simms’ problem is he was highly touted as a high draft choice and early in his career struggled to meet expectations. But once he figured it out, Simms was a key reason why New York won 2 Super Bowls (even though he was injured and didn’t play in one, he was instrumental in getting the team there). His career statistics are comparable to Griese’s, and he still holds the Super Bowl record for completion percentage. Frank Ryan, who quarterbacked the Browns in the 1960s, was a top signal-caller of that decade but lost a lot of playing time due to injuries. He led the Browns to the title game in 1964  and 1965, winning in ’64, but battled injury after that. He still compares statistically to Joe Namath, but lacks the flash and “legend” that Broadway Joe rode into Canton. Some forgotten players who had great careers but were stuck on losing teams include Ken Anderson, John Brodie, Jim Hart, John Hadl and Archie Manning. Anderson was the QB in Cincinnati when the Bengals offensive guru at the time, Bill Walsh, was tweaking Sid Gillman’s mad passing attack offense into what would become the “West Coast” offense, and rang up great numbers in that system. There is a groundswell of support for him and he may get in at some point. Brodie and Hart battled hard in the 1960s on mediocre teams in San Francisco and St. Louis respectively, and their lack of winning has worked against them. Hadl is an interesting case. Most of his work was done in anonimity in the American Football League, where he orchestrated Gillman’s wide open offense. Near the end of his career he had an MVP season with the L.A. Rams, leading them to a 12-2 season, and is a worthy HOF candidate, but it’s rare when players whose careers were mostly in the AFL get elected. Manning  had the bad luck of playing most of his career with an expansion team, the New Orleans Saints, and even though he is still appreciated and beloved in the Big Easy, he may only get to Canton to see his sons Peyton and Eli get inducted.