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Troy Aikman and 16 others who don't belong in the Hall of Fame
1. Troy Aikman
Yeah, I said it. Zero All-Pro teams. Five of 12 seasons at .500 or below. Barely more touchdown passes (165) than interceptions (141). His approximate value on pro-football-reference ranks No. 167 overall, behind Warrick Dunn, Ricky Watters, Steve McMichael, Henry Ellard, Randall Cunningham, Boomer Esiason, Drew Bledsoe, London Fletcher, Dave Krieg, Donovan McNabb and so many other ridiculous names. Brad Johnson has more touchdown passes as does Jon Kitna, Chris Chandler and Jim Everett and, well, so many other ridiculous names. His passer rating is 49th in league history. He has three Super Bowls? Great. That’s one more than Eli Manning. Aikman was a fine NFL quarterback. He was a very fine NFL quarterback. At points he was a superb NFL quarterback. He was not a Hall of Fame quarterback.
2. Cris Carter
Carter had a lot of catches in an era in which receivers caught a lot of balls. (Right, Herman Moore?) All he did was catch touchdowns, but he led the league in receptions just once and in receiving touchdowns three times. Like Aikman, Carter was a great NFL player. Unlike Aikman, Carter didn’t excel in the playoffs, averaging 4.5 catches per postseason game and scored six of his eight touchdown in losses. He also never played for a team that made the Super Bowl, which is only a small strike. Carter is a lot like Rafael Palmeiro (before the steroid thing) — a great player who never felt like a Hall of Famer during his career. But, hey, who knows. Maybe he’ll one day get in for his stellar announcing career.
3. Ray Guy
I have no beef with a punter making the Hall, I just have beef with an average punter making the Hall.
4. Warren Moon
The “Pro Football” part helps out Moon, as he amassed some big numbers in Canada. And sure, he put up some 4,000-yard seasons in the NFL, but that’s because he was throwing the ball 600 times per year before such passing frequency became en vogue. (Moon once held the record for most attempts in a season with 655. That now ranks No. 10 on the all-time list.)
5. John Stallworth/6. Lynn Swann
The two Steelers 1970s greats come as a package deal. Apparently there’s some unwritten language in the Hall’s bylaws that state skill players on four-win Super Bowl teams must gain entry into the Hall. (Good news for you, Julian Edelman!) Sure it was a different era, but Swann had career highs of 61 receptions for 880 yards, which is mediocre in any time period. He also only played until he was 30! Stallworth was a little more prolific, but was only 15th in career catches when he retired (he’s 104th now) and seemed to get into the Hall based solely on that amazing Super Bowl catch. (Good news for you, David Tyree!) Overall, it took a total of 20 votes for the Steelers’ receivers to get into Canton.
7. Paul Hornung
In 1963, Hornung was suspended for an entire season, along with future Webster star Alex Karras, for betting on football. Back then, it was considered a “boys will be boys” thing and Hornung was let back in after a year and eventually elected to the Hall. Meanwhile, Pete Rose can only get into Cooperstown with a ticket.
8. Joe Namath
This is a tough one. If Namath’s numbers were held by a guy named Bill Jenkins who played in Houston, they wouldn’t have been enough to get him in the Hall. But Broadway Joe, the handsome, charismatic king of New York who guaranteed a Super Bowl win feels like a Hall of Famer, even if he probably wasn’t. His QB rating — an imperfect stat, sure — is a less-than-pedestrian 65.5 behind so many mediocre quarterbacks that it’s not even worth reciting.
9. Richard Dent
I asked a buddy of mine who’s a die-hard Bears fan about Dent’s Hall worthiness. After laughing, he said, “Dent was a ‘play when he wanted to’ guy who disappeared for long stretches. Totally pedestrian against the run, which he could luckily afford because everyone else on Buddy Ryan’s defense bailed him out. His Superbowl XX MVP award could just as easily gone to five or six other players on the dominating Bears defense.” And then he recalled a story about Dent talking smack about Doug Flutie all the way back when Flutie was with the Patriots in his first NFL stint before being exiled to Canada. The Bears were 7-1 and the Pats were 3-5 and Flutie was Flutie, so this wasn’t exactly trash talk that was needed or necessary. Then Flutie went out and threw four touchdown passes in a dominating win, a fact which should forever disqualify Dent from the Hall.
10. Curtis Martin
I love Curtis Martin. I think Curtis Martin was a beast on the football field. He’s the type of player I’d want on my team every year. But count him in the Carter/Palmeiro group: At no point in his career was Curtis Martin (who, to be fair, was underrated) considered one of the NFL’s best running backs. When that happens, a Hall bid is a gift.
11. Andre Tippett
If four years of dominance was enough to get you in the Hall, then Terrell Davis would have a bust in Canton.
12. Bob Hayes
Bullet Bob is in more for his two gold medals at the 1964 Olympics than his on-field exploits. We’re talking about a guy who only led the league in receptions three times. Oh, did I say league? I meant his own team. Yes, Hall of Famer Bob Hayes only led the Dallas Cowboys in receptions three times. Hardly the stuff of a HOFer.
13. Bob Griese
Going undefeated in 1972 was kind to the Dolphins QB, even if he split time with Earl Morrall. He had a great career, but it’s not the Hall of Great. A voter should ask, what would happen if this quarterback was put on another team, in this case one without the No-Name Defense. I doubt he’d have had a 92-56-3 record.
14. Harry Carson
Sometimes players are elected based on their contributions to historic defenses. Carson is one of those beneficiaries. His official Hall bio mentions that he recovered 14 career fumbles, which doesn’t even rank him close to the top 300 in NFL history. Granted, many of the men ahead of him are offensive players who recovered their own fumbles, but there are plenty of defenders well above him on the list too. Like all players on this list, Carson was once a dominant player in the NFL, but not for long enough to merit induction. But, hey, putting on a security jacket and basically inventing the Gatorade dump deserves all the kudos.
15. Marcus Allen
Prepare to be blown away. Look at Allen’s career stats, courtesy pro-football-reference.com, the greatest site for football fans in the universe (besides FTW, of course):
You got that right, my friend! Allen only had over 1,000 yards in a season three times. He averaged 55.1 YPG for his (admittedly) long career. When he retired, he was fifth on the list of rushing yards. But, again, don’t get bogged down in stats. This isn’t baseball. Allen was a college star who was spectacular in his first four NFL seasons. He rode that reputation to the Hall.
16. Marv Levy
A 154-120 record is nice. Four straight Super Bowls is nice. Losing 139-73 in those Super Bowls (with a lot of those points coming in garbage time) is less nice.
17. Bud Grant
See (Levy, Marv).
18. O.J. Simpson
A lot of people want O.J. out of the Hall and his bust tossed in a dumpster somewhere. I get their point. I don’t disagree either. But the Hall is about on-field exploits and, more importantly, I think it’s good to have O.J. in there as a lesson, so parents can pass by it and tell their kids, “see, you can have it all one day and be a hero, then — poof — it can all be gone the next.”
Troy Aikman and 16 others who don’t belong in the Hall of Fame | For The Win
Troy Aikman and 16 others who don't belong in the Hall of Fame
1. Troy Aikman
Yeah, I said it. Zero All-Pro teams. Five of 12 seasons at .500 or below. Barely more touchdown passes (165) than interceptions (141). His approximate value on pro-football-reference ranks No. 167 overall, behind Warrick Dunn, Ricky Watters, Steve McMichael, Henry Ellard, Randall Cunningham, Boomer Esiason, Drew Bledsoe, London Fletcher, Dave Krieg, Donovan McNabb and so many other ridiculous names. Brad Johnson has more touchdown passes as does Jon Kitna, Chris Chandler and Jim Everett and, well, so many other ridiculous names. His passer rating is 49th in league history. He has three Super Bowls? Great. That’s one more than Eli Manning. Aikman was a fine NFL quarterback. He was a very fine NFL quarterback. At points he was a superb NFL quarterback. He was not a Hall of Fame quarterback.
2. Cris Carter
Carter had a lot of catches in an era in which receivers caught a lot of balls. (Right, Herman Moore?) All he did was catch touchdowns, but he led the league in receptions just once and in receiving touchdowns three times. Like Aikman, Carter was a great NFL player. Unlike Aikman, Carter didn’t excel in the playoffs, averaging 4.5 catches per postseason game and scored six of his eight touchdown in losses. He also never played for a team that made the Super Bowl, which is only a small strike. Carter is a lot like Rafael Palmeiro (before the steroid thing) — a great player who never felt like a Hall of Famer during his career. But, hey, who knows. Maybe he’ll one day get in for his stellar announcing career.
3. Ray Guy
I have no beef with a punter making the Hall, I just have beef with an average punter making the Hall.
4. Warren Moon
The “Pro Football” part helps out Moon, as he amassed some big numbers in Canada. And sure, he put up some 4,000-yard seasons in the NFL, but that’s because he was throwing the ball 600 times per year before such passing frequency became en vogue. (Moon once held the record for most attempts in a season with 655. That now ranks No. 10 on the all-time list.)
5. John Stallworth/6. Lynn Swann
The two Steelers 1970s greats come as a package deal. Apparently there’s some unwritten language in the Hall’s bylaws that state skill players on four-win Super Bowl teams must gain entry into the Hall. (Good news for you, Julian Edelman!) Sure it was a different era, but Swann had career highs of 61 receptions for 880 yards, which is mediocre in any time period. He also only played until he was 30! Stallworth was a little more prolific, but was only 15th in career catches when he retired (he’s 104th now) and seemed to get into the Hall based solely on that amazing Super Bowl catch. (Good news for you, David Tyree!) Overall, it took a total of 20 votes for the Steelers’ receivers to get into Canton.
7. Paul Hornung
In 1963, Hornung was suspended for an entire season, along with future Webster star Alex Karras, for betting on football. Back then, it was considered a “boys will be boys” thing and Hornung was let back in after a year and eventually elected to the Hall. Meanwhile, Pete Rose can only get into Cooperstown with a ticket.
8. Joe Namath
This is a tough one. If Namath’s numbers were held by a guy named Bill Jenkins who played in Houston, they wouldn’t have been enough to get him in the Hall. But Broadway Joe, the handsome, charismatic king of New York who guaranteed a Super Bowl win feels like a Hall of Famer, even if he probably wasn’t. His QB rating — an imperfect stat, sure — is a less-than-pedestrian 65.5 behind so many mediocre quarterbacks that it’s not even worth reciting.
9. Richard Dent
I asked a buddy of mine who’s a die-hard Bears fan about Dent’s Hall worthiness. After laughing, he said, “Dent was a ‘play when he wanted to’ guy who disappeared for long stretches. Totally pedestrian against the run, which he could luckily afford because everyone else on Buddy Ryan’s defense bailed him out. His Superbowl XX MVP award could just as easily gone to five or six other players on the dominating Bears defense.” And then he recalled a story about Dent talking smack about Doug Flutie all the way back when Flutie was with the Patriots in his first NFL stint before being exiled to Canada. The Bears were 7-1 and the Pats were 3-5 and Flutie was Flutie, so this wasn’t exactly trash talk that was needed or necessary. Then Flutie went out and threw four touchdown passes in a dominating win, a fact which should forever disqualify Dent from the Hall.
10. Curtis Martin
I love Curtis Martin. I think Curtis Martin was a beast on the football field. He’s the type of player I’d want on my team every year. But count him in the Carter/Palmeiro group: At no point in his career was Curtis Martin (who, to be fair, was underrated) considered one of the NFL’s best running backs. When that happens, a Hall bid is a gift.
11. Andre Tippett
If four years of dominance was enough to get you in the Hall, then Terrell Davis would have a bust in Canton.
12. Bob Hayes
Bullet Bob is in more for his two gold medals at the 1964 Olympics than his on-field exploits. We’re talking about a guy who only led the league in receptions three times. Oh, did I say league? I meant his own team. Yes, Hall of Famer Bob Hayes only led the Dallas Cowboys in receptions three times. Hardly the stuff of a HOFer.
13. Bob Griese
Going undefeated in 1972 was kind to the Dolphins QB, even if he split time with Earl Morrall. He had a great career, but it’s not the Hall of Great. A voter should ask, what would happen if this quarterback was put on another team, in this case one without the No-Name Defense. I doubt he’d have had a 92-56-3 record.
14. Harry Carson
Sometimes players are elected based on their contributions to historic defenses. Carson is one of those beneficiaries. His official Hall bio mentions that he recovered 14 career fumbles, which doesn’t even rank him close to the top 300 in NFL history. Granted, many of the men ahead of him are offensive players who recovered their own fumbles, but there are plenty of defenders well above him on the list too. Like all players on this list, Carson was once a dominant player in the NFL, but not for long enough to merit induction. But, hey, putting on a security jacket and basically inventing the Gatorade dump deserves all the kudos.
15. Marcus Allen
Prepare to be blown away. Look at Allen’s career stats, courtesy pro-football-reference.com, the greatest site for football fans in the universe (besides FTW, of course):
You got that right, my friend! Allen only had over 1,000 yards in a season three times. He averaged 55.1 YPG for his (admittedly) long career. When he retired, he was fifth on the list of rushing yards. But, again, don’t get bogged down in stats. This isn’t baseball. Allen was a college star who was spectacular in his first four NFL seasons. He rode that reputation to the Hall.
16. Marv Levy
A 154-120 record is nice. Four straight Super Bowls is nice. Losing 139-73 in those Super Bowls (with a lot of those points coming in garbage time) is less nice.
17. Bud Grant
See (Levy, Marv).
18. O.J. Simpson
A lot of people want O.J. out of the Hall and his bust tossed in a dumpster somewhere. I get their point. I don’t disagree either. But the Hall is about on-field exploits and, more importantly, I think it’s good to have O.J. in there as a lesson, so parents can pass by it and tell their kids, “see, you can have it all one day and be a hero, then — poof — it can all be gone the next.”
Troy Aikman and 16 others who don’t belong in the Hall of Fame | For The Win
