http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-class-of-2016-breaking-down-whos-in-whos-out
Timeout! No T.O.?
The surprise this year for most fans had to be the exclusion of
Terrell Owens. Sure, wide receivers have traditionally had to wait. But this guy is second all-time in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns. You could argue that in order of importance, yards and then touchdowns should outweigh receptions. Therefore, you could sell Owens as a more viable candidate than Harrison, who trailed the former
49ers,
Eagles,
Cowboys,
Bills and
Bengals wide receiver.
But perhaps this was the issue with Owens: He was often a distraction to teammates, which, it could be argued, affected performance on the field. Harrison was the quiet pro, who was the most consistent receiver in the game, even if he wasn't as dynamic as Owens. My take is that all wide receivers, save for maybe Randy Moss, will have to wait in this pass-happy era, and Harrison's turn came up first.
Shorter careers still get short shrift
Terrell Davis was a
Hall of Fame running back. I don't care if he played only seven seasons. So did
Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, and Davis was more consistent. Fellow
Hall of Famer Doak Walker played six, and he wasn't the feature back Davis was. One difference between those players and Davis is the fact that even the great careers were of shorter duration in the 1950s and '60s than they are now. Moreover, Sayers and Walker were quite famous in their college days.
Davis was a defensive end in high school who split time at running back while at Georgia, so his entry into the NFL was less than heralded. But there is one line of thinking that is the biggest B.S. when it comes to keeping the greatest postseason running back in league history out of the Hall: the "Mike Shanahan system running back" garbage. Yes, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell saw success in Denver under Shanahan. They didn't rush for 2,000 yards. They weren't named NFL MVP. They weren't
Super Bowl MVP.
Davis >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all other Shanahan RBs.
Here's my best college try at calling the
Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2017:
1) LaDainian Tomlinson
2) Terrell Owens
3) Kurt Warner
4) Brian Dawkins
5) Terrell Davis
LT will breakdance his way into the Hall. Owens' wait will be over. Warner's two MVP awards will scream for his inclusion. Dawkins, who will be eligible for the first time, was a safety. That's normally a kiss of death for making it into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame, but unless fellow safety John Lynch beats him, the
Eagles legend will cement his place in NFL history. And I think (hope), next year is the year for Terrell Davis.
