(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); After looking over all the stats for these great receivers, Ive come to the conclusion that Lynn Swan should not be in the HOF before quite a few of these other receivers. Moss? NFL Trade Rumors: Could Dalvin Cook, Austin Ekeler, or DeAndre Hopkins Get Moved This Week? That's good. That hurts Brown, who was a dazzling punt returner (3,320 yds, 10.2 avg, 3 TDs). Receiving statistics are exploding, and their numbers don't look as glorious now that guys like Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens have played full careers. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson) Cliff Branch 1972-85, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 501 receptions, 8,685 yards, 67 TD. They were both great players, but Ellard was more exceptional. Jun. It's useful to me, in thinking about these issues, to break them down by era. Thereafter, he was out-gained every year by either Jake Reed or Moss. HOF Qualifications: POOR. What are some wide receivers that are currently in the hall of very By and large, Smith who retired as the seventh-most-prolific pass-catcher ever was at the vanguard of the productive receivers who would follow, not the other way around. All members of our Hall of Pretty Damn Good Players brought value to their teams in an underappreciated way its sort of a requirement for enshrinement, after all. He probably shouldn't be in. Hall Of Good (13). But debates that take place the moment a good-not-great player retires are not really healthy. A much different narrative builds around a player who always leads the league in an important stat like that. But do all 15 of these receivers belong in the Hall of Fame, plus Edelman and your personal favorite whom I might have omitted? A wide receiver who was the 5th- or 6th-best of his generation is a player I'm okay leaving out of Canton. Swann: 336 rec, 5,462 yds, 51 TD. Best Wide Receivers Not in the HOF: 1970s - Sports Central That said, Boldin played second fiddle to Larry Fitzgerald in his signature seasons and was perceived as more of a gritty veteran than a playmaker in his final seasons. If a guy was the best receiver besides Jerry Rice, that's the sort of player I feel is a legitimate snub. He caught two touchdowns in Super Bowl XV and could easily have been named the games MVP. But I think the voters have been reluctant to enshrine him partly for the same reason Art Monk had to wait so long. Irving Fryar In his final season, Rison became just the seventh player in history with 700 receptions, 10,000 yards, and 80 touchdowns. For Washington in the '80s and early '90s, that was Gary Clark, not Monk. Two: Carmichael. Congratulations on your retirement, Julian Edelman. But Smiths career was already halfway over when the 1999 Greatest Show on Turf St. Louis Rams began to revolutionize the modern passing game; he hung up his cleats for good two seasons before the 2007 New England Patriots further accelerated that trend. In this article, I count down the Rams' top five wide receivers of all time. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns twice, and in receiving yards in 1974. 1975-84: Charlie Joiner, Steve Largent, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann It's difficult to compare players across eras at any position, and this is particularly true in the passing game, because the rules and statistics have changed so much. More, Subscribe to the Sports Central Feed Follow Sports Central on Twitter, "There is a reason he is a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, because he pushes us over the top in moments like this. For years, it was Lynn Swann or Art Monk. I know, they won in '83, but that's a different team: Marcus Allen, Howie Long, Mike Haynes the '70s Raiders already have an awful lot of Hall of Famers for a team that only won its own conference twice. R.Smith: 849 rec, 11,389 yds, 68 TD Defenses fear the deep threat, the guy who can burn you on any given play. 1972-85, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders They play in high-efficiency pass-oriented offenses, as opposed to the exciting but reckless bomb-it-down-the-field passing games of the past, when running was a way of life and throwing a sneaky change of pace or a mark of desperation. His Hall of Fame candidacy came up just as the committee was flailing to clear an embarrassing Art Monk-Andre Reed-Tim Brown logjam. Jimmy Smith Smith looks terrible on that list. All rights reserved. 1965-74: Fred Biletnikoff, Bob Hayes, Charley Taylor, Paul Warfield 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk This is an era in which the phrase "other than Jerry Rice" comes up often. Fryar was a late bloomer. Cliff Branch Four-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion who was exceptional in his prime. He lacks Johnsons best seasons and Smiths image. Morgan was one of the greatest deep threats in NFL history. Jerry Rice has 1549 receptions, 22895 receiving yards, 197 touchdown catches when playing wide receiver. In 1968, the Eagles finished 14th in the 16-team NFL in passing yardage, and 15th in scoring, with just 14.4 points per game. 1960-69: Lance Alworth, Don Maynard Of course, Rison doesn't nearly equal Irvin in the postseason, but that's a gap of opportunity as much as talent. 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk 1991-2002, Detroit Lions, New York Giants Sharpe was one of the best players in the NFL from 1992 to 1994. If I look down the line at some of the best wide receivers to play in Green Bay, guys like . He probably doesn't need to be in. But few are outright forgotten in the way that former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith has been since his retirement in 2006. Gary Clark - Washington Redskins/Phoenix Cardinals/Miami Dolphins -. Many fans identify the HOF plights of Cliff Branch and Pearson together. Eagles great Harold Carmichael finally gets his Hall of Fame enshrinement Now the real work begins., [Related: Our Hall Of Pretty Damn Good Players]. zack howard on Twitter: "Imagine growing up with a hall of fame qb as But the truth, I think, is that he falls a bit short, maybe as much by bad luck as anything. My frenemies in analytics circles may have missed the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Tom Brady in exchange for money and won a Super Bowl as a result. And that line is inevitably blurry. That debate quickly ended when everyone who doesnt own a closet full of old Mike Vrabel and Danny Amendola jerseys scoffed, No way, Get real, and LOLZ.. NFL News and Rumors: Dalvin Cook to Dolphins, C.J. Comparing Smith to Keenan McCardell is just silly, which I guess leaves Herman Moore and maybe Rod Smith. Brohm was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Association Hall of Fame in Lexington. Visual Edge IT Logo. He led the league in both receptions and receiving yards in 1973. To keep the statistics from skewing, I used top-five rankings (instead of top-10) for seasons before 1970, when the leagues were 8-16 teams rather than 26-32. And Smiths best set of seven straight seasons (1996 through 2002) earns him sole possession of seventh place since 1960, trailing only Rice, Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin, Alworth and Moss. Carter had eight 1,000-yard seasons, six years with double-digit receiving TDs, led the NFL in a major receiving category four times and at one point set the single-season record for receptions. Hill is an instant-impact player, and voters typically prefer that sort of player to someone who just accumulates lots of stats by being a cog in a machine. But Branch was only an exceptional player for those three seasons. James Jones: Julian Edelman had a very good career, but there's no way he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Smith retired when he was still a good player; his final season yielded 70 catches, 1023 yards, and 6 TDs. Edelmans strongest Hall of Fame argument his only Hall of Fame argument, really is that he ranks second to Jerry Rice on the all-time lists of both playoff receptions (118) and yards (1,442). Between playing in one of the NFLs smallest markets during his career and fighting a tough battle with addiction afterwards both of which likely prevented him from the kind of second act in broadcasting enjoyed by many of his receiving contemporaries most fans dont remember just how great Smith was in his prime. The same thing happened to Brown with receiving yardage. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s, Tim Brown Hall of Fame Wide Receivers. The Hall of Fame also generally wasnt kind to receivers who played during the transition to the 16-game season era, unless they played for the Steelers. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); As you watch this years selection you have to scratch your head and wonder. Vincent Frank. The guys who peaked a little later have a stronger case. To me, no one from that group left a Hall of Fame legacy. How many Pro Football Hall of Fame players went to Ohio State? Fryar's career numbers are great for when he played, and he obviously was a good player for a long time. But seven players had more (Brown, Carter, Ellard, Fryar, Irvin, Rice, Rison), and so far only two of them are in the Hall of Fame. He was a team leader on a three-time Super Bowl champion. 5. Branch, Carmichael, and Pearson were all very good receivers, and all had great seasons and unbelievable moments. "The Marks Brothers" have better numbers than some of the receivers in the Hall of Fame. Pearson made three Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams, and from 1974-79, he was consistently among the top receivers in the NFL. Whether you like Rison for Canton probably depends partly on how much weight you give to those factors, and whether you're more interested in career accomplishments, or you're focused on the player's prime. When you think about someone who was maybe the 2nd-best receiver of the decade, certainly no lower than 4th it's a different perception than right now. Here's how I rank the best non-HOF receivers of the '70s: 1. 1968-83, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks In 1974, Pearson set career-highs in a 14-game season, no less for receptions and receiving yards. Maybe it's a by-product of Irvin's fame and flamboyance, but Carter isn't exactly low-profile, either. Below, I've organized HOF receivers by the decade in which they most established their greatness. This is a Game 7 I will forever remember as the Steph Curry game." New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman announced his retirement from the, Lets start by running through five obvious cases of overly-qualified receivers who have not yet been enshrined. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis concerning the 2021 season and beyond. 1973-83, Dallas Cowboys Projecting his '82 season to 16 games, Carmichael reaches 618 catches, 9,405 yards, and 81 TDs. This doesn't really tell you anything. Best Wide Receivers Not in the HOF: 1960s - Sports Central Lets start by running through five obvious cases of overly-qualified receivers who have not yet been enshrined. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and made three All-Pro teams as a starter (more than Cris Carter and Tim Brown combined). For Minnesota, it was Randy Moss, not Carter. My silly side is insisting that Jimmy Smith should obviously make the Hall of Fame, because he's incomparable! NFL Draft Day 2: Best defensive players available. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s Hall will be the 48th player and 52nd individual inducted into the Chiefs . The late '80s and early '90s, meanwhile, have no one but Jerry Rice in the Hall of Fame. 1971-84, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys Here are ten worthy wide receivers who are about to become Hall of Fame nominees, were snubbed or lost in the shuffle in the past, or (in our first two cases) wont be eligible for at least a decade. Hopkins, like Edelman, made a little news on Monday when the folks at the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference named Hopkins acquisition by the Arizona Cardinals as the Best Sports Transaction of the Year. He remained a good player for years afterwards, but there are lots of good receivers. In the '70s, Jackson gained 7,724 receiving yards, far ahead of 2nd-place Ken Burrough (6,343), and even farther ahead of celebrated players like Harold Carmichael (6,080), Drew Pearson (5,713), Cliff Branch (5,520), and Lynn Swann (3,982). Branch made four Pro Bowls, was four times first-team All-Pro, and played on three Super Bowl winners. He shared receiving chores with Keenan McCardell for a team just good enough to reach AFC Championship games, which means his stats were a little low and he never enjoyed any Super Bowl glory. @Neil_Paine, NFL (976 posts) He probably shouldn't be in. Jimmy Smith Made five Pro Bowls, gained 1,000 yards in every full season as a starter, caught 110 passes twice. Moore is remembered largely as a good player who was very productive in his system for about three years, and I believe that is a fairly accurate representation of his career. He was 31 when he made his first Pro Bowl as a receiver, a 10-year veteran. These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. 579 receptions, 10,372 yards, 76 TD. Based in Charlotte, NC, we specialize in intelligent sports fan commentary and colorful interpretation. Andre Rison You can probably win a bar bet with that, by the way. Looking just at the 70s, Gray ranks 17th in receptions, 9th in yardage, and 11th in TDs. He played for four teams in three years, his girlfriend alleged that he was abusive, he went to the Raiders of course he went to the Raiders and Rison even played for the Toronto Argonauts after his NFL career ended (winning a Grey Cup in 2004). Reggie Wayne is still years away, and it's too early to even make predictions about guys like Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. 1950-59: n/a I view Fryar much the same way I viewed Rafael Palmeiro (before the positive test for PEDs). Thats what makes healthy Hall of Fame debates fun. That player would be michael irving popular has rings and of course on the cowboys. Top 25 Best NFL Wide Receivers of All Time - bolavip.com Tyreek's 2K Target; He's Not Playing Around Or Is He? Julio Jones: Hes a Hall of Fame lock. Super Bowl rings well sure the does matter. The players listed below are the top 250 HOFm-rated players who played WR starting in 1955 or later for at least 50 career games. One is that his production was largely limited to seven seasons. It's about his peak. Smith in 2004 gained the third-most receiving yards ever by a 35-year-old (1,172), and he and Rice are the only players ever to gain over 1,000 yards in a full season after turning 36. That means consistency and durability. 600-700 receptions At least 5 Pro Bowls At least 2 all pros Or 1 all pro and a Superbowl MVP All this just to be considered. The off-field stuff isn't supposed to factor into HOF voting, but Rison's uneven career and locker room impact are fair game. The counter-argument is that Rison only had six or seven seasons in which he provided real value for his team. Joiner's best seasons came in the early '80s and the others all reached stardom in the '60s, whereas Jackson's career is truly centered in the '70s. Rather than three years finishing second and one tied for first, he's got two seasons alone at the top and another tied for the lead. Holt still has better numbers, but he played on a wild offense. PRO COMPARISON: Amon-Ra St. Brown. NFL's top 20 players not in the Hall of Fame: Torry Holt, Zach Thomas, Ken Anderson headline all-time list These greats are still waiting for their call to Canton By Bryan DeArdo Aug 18,. It's true that Harrison, Moss, Owens, and Isaac Bruce have caught Brown and Carter on the all-time lists, and it's true that Brown and Carter played at a time when receiving statistics exploded, to unheard-of levels. Ward is a better-than-his-stats guy who made an impact for some great teams, but the Hall of Fame hurdle is so high that he may never clear it. Carter was more productive in the 1980s, and Irvin didn't even play in the 2000s, so if Carter was even close in the '90s, it stands to reason he's ahead for their careers. 1990-99: Michael Irvin. From 1996 through 2002, Smith may have been the best receiver in football. Ten Worthy Hall of Fame Receivers (Not Named Julian Edelman) We all believe that Calvin Johnson is one of the greatest of all time. 1945-54: Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch, Dante Lavelli, Pete Pihos Despite his qualifications, hes probably not getting in on the first ballot. I would point out, though, that if we're trying to decide which potential HOF snub is most worthy of induction, we're arguing about who is the 5th-best receiver of the late '70s and early '80s. Various/Getty Images. More, Subscribe to the Sports Central Feed Follow Sports Central on Twitter, "There is a reason he is a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, because he pushes us over the top in moments like this. The same is true for Brown. Great receivers of the mid-late '70s, played on terrific teams, had a few brilliant seasons but didn't keep it up, mentioned often as Hall of Fame snubs but never enshrined. Sharpe simply got lost in the shuffle. Between 1988-94, you've got Andre Rison ('89) Herman Moore ('91), Keenan McCardell ('91), and Smith. There are other 70s Bengals who are greater Hall snubs (cough - Ken Anderson, Ken Riley) but Curtis should at least be in this conversation. He may be over-qualified, but Sharpe is not the most overqualified receiver on our list. His first 1,000-yard season came in 1991, when Fryar was 29 and playing his eighth year in the NFL. Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, and Carter are the only players in history with five straight years of double-digit receiving touchdowns. It was institutes in 1974 and allowed dbs only one chuck of a receiver after 3 yards and was instigated by the mauling of Curtis by the Pittsburgh secondary in their 1973 playoff matchup with Cincy. To me, they're both great players, but probably not Hall of Famers. He is ranked 15th in NFL history with 13,777 yards, but he is not in the Hall of Fame, though he was nominated in . Top Golf Logo. He was a showboat in Atlanta, but you can get away with that when you're performing at a high level. Today's wide receivers play 16-game schedules. The expanded 16-game season and increased offensive levels also made Branchs 46-to-60 catch stat lines look like something any receiver could accomplish.
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