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. 5 NFL Wide Receivers that WILL BE in the Hall of Fame and 5 That WON'T I have a strange theory: the 1982 strike kept Carmichael out of Canton. 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. Most importantly, he has accumulated a sizzle reel full of memorable moments, and signature plays can be as important to a Hall of Fame case as stats or rings. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis concerning the 2021 season and beyond. Four time pro bowler and 3 time 2nd team all-pro. July 16, 2020 8:00 am ET. . Now that we shooed in the shoo-ins, lets sink our teeth into some of the tougher cases. Raider fans want Branch and Ken Stabler and Ray Guy and maybe a couple others in, as well. They can't be bumped more than five yards downfield. Choosing between the two, I'd go with Ellard. Julio Jones: Hes a Hall of Fame lock. Who is the best wide receiver eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but not yet enshrined? *JAWS is an average of a players career and seven-year peak Approximate Value. Pro Football WR Hall of Fame Monitor NFL Career: Clayton played from 1983 to 1993. The first overall pick in the 1984 draft, Fryar quickly made his mark on special teams he was a Pro Bowl returner, with 3 punt return TDs in his first three seasons but didn't emerge as a major receiving threat until he left New England to play for the Dolphins and Eagles. He probably doesn't need to be in. Published: Apr. The line has to be drawn somewhere. Like Cris Carter and Tim Brown, Jackson was seen more as steady than exceptional. Hill has already accumulated the kernel of a Hall of Fame portfolio. My silly side is insisting that Jimmy Smith should obviously make the Hall of Fame, because he's incomparable! Greg Brohm inducted into the KHSAA Hall of Fame February 14, 2012 by Brad Oremland Print Story. Rank'Em: Cowboys Now Have 20 Hall of Famers - Dallas Cowboys The Hall of Fame argument in Rison's favor is that he has good career stats for his era, and he was a remarkable player in his prime, with five 1,000-yard seasons and four years of double-digit TDs. 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. For Washington in the '80s and early '90s, that was Gary Clark, not Monk. The same thing happened to Brown with receiving yardage. Wonder how they come up with the ones in and the one not. I know you probably don't think Moore belongs on this list. Now, it's guys like Andre Reed and Cliff Branch. Top 25 Best NFL Wide Receivers of All Time - bolavip.com If a guy was the best receiver besides Jerry Rice, that's the sort of player I feel is a legitimate snub. The bar for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is incredibly high, and even a player of Johnsons caliber can end up in a bin with four or five other guys a few seasons after his retirement. His Hall of Fame candidacy came up just as the committee was flailing to clear an embarrassing Art Monk-Andre Reed-Tim Brown logjam. Of course, Rison doesn't nearly equal Irvin in the postseason, but that's a gap of opportunity as much as talent. A much different narrative builds around a player who always leads the league in an important stat like that. Which is a shame, because he was secretly one of the greatest pass-catchers in NFL history. Smith is an unlikely first-ballot Hall of Famer, but hell get in some time in the next few years. Pearson made three Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams, and from 1974-79, he was consistently among the top receivers in the NFL. Branch emerged from Fred Biletnikoff's shadow and starred in two Super Bowl wins, while the Cowboys' dynasty began to decline and Pearson was surpassed by Cowboy teammate Tony Hill. 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. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1990s Visual Edge IT Logo. These NFL wide receivers, 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, Smith, like Andre Johnson, becomes Hall of Fame eligible next season. He literally changed the game as the first of the series of liberalized passing rules which the 1970s would see was called the Isaac Curtis rule. Oh, you thought this was some Patriots Hater troll piece? From 1998-2000, Carter caught 34 TD passes, more than anyone except Moss, who had 43. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns twice, and in . He probably doesn't need to be in. NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1980s - Pro Football Hall of Fame Behind The Mask Podcast: STEVE SMITH, FORMER CAROLINA PANTHER ALL-PRO Ron Wolf, the GM for the Packers in the '90s, told Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman, "When [the Vikings] got in close, it was Carter you had to worry about. All Rights Reserved. Players at the other stat positions quarterbacks and running backs are elected to the PFHOF with much higher frequency than wideouts. Jerry Rice has 1549 receptions, 22895 receiving yards, 197 touchdown catches when playing wide receiver. 1960-69: Lance Alworth, Don Maynard HOF Qualifications: POOR. The Best Damn Receiver Who Wont Make The Hall Of Fame, passing game grew to take over the modern sport, remains the Jags all-time franchise leader in AV, Partisan Gerrymandering Is Legal Again In North Carolina. Newest Colts WR Josh Downs is excited to work with WRs coach Reggie He has a well-deserved tough-guy personality, a high television profile (all voters try to tune that sort of thing out, and a few succeed), and several signature plays, including the broken-arm catch and some unforgettable playoff performances. Jacksonville Jaguars (30) Ranking Tom Brady's 41 best receivers during his 18-year, 9-Super Bowl 13. Known for his durability, Carter played full 16-game seasons in 13 of his 16 years in the NFL. Can a guy be a Hall of Famer even if he was never the best at his own position? But Harrison, Moss, Owens, Bruce those are all great players. Well this days i think so. He had three tremendous seasons, yes, but so did all the others, and they were effective players for much longer. His three-year yardage and TD totals are the highest for any receiver in the 1970s, including the later years with a 16-game schedule. The Pro Football Hall of Fame voters are the same people who select All-Decade Teams. Several years ago, Chase Stuart introduced a stat-based system that ranked Moore as the 23rd-most valuable wide receiver in history, ahead of players like Ellard (26), Reed (35), Art Monk (36), Gary Clark (46), Sterling Sharpe (48), Rison (72), and Fryar (unrated). Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, and Carter are the only players in history with five straight years of double-digit receiving touchdowns. Sports Central is the longest-running independent sports fan publication online, established in 1998 and featured by the BBC, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, and more. I don't buy that, for either one. 2023 NFL Draft: Pro comparisons and analytical team fits for top wide From 200-2006, Hall became one of the premier playmakers for the franchise, gaining . Aggie Football: Chiefs to induct Dante Hall into their Hall of Fame How does a guy who didn't stand out in his own era deserve Hall of Fame recognition? But in totality, it's . Fryar's career numbers are great for when he played, and he obviously was a good player for a long time. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s Tim Brown 1988-2004, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1,094 receptions, 14,934 yards, 100 TD The Hall of Fame voters, in recent years, have almost entirely ignored special teams contributions. He displaced Andre Rison (743 receptions for 10,205 yards and 84 TDs). 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.. Chiefs announce Dante Hall to be 2023 inductee into team Hall of Fame What about the Cardinals Mel Gray? Jackson's record wasn't tied until Tim Brown in 2003, and finally broken by Terrell Owens and Tony Gonzalez almost 30 years later. Please note that WRs of the late '80s and early '90s, like Reed and Sharpe, are in next week's column. How does Moore get that high in a statistical analysis? But those guys had a lot of other really good seasons, too. Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl LIII and Tom Bradys favorite target for many seasons, deserves a place in the Patriots Ring of Honor (which is gonna get really crowded) and a cherished place in our hearts. Anything that causes a player's career to be broken up usually dampens the perception of his greatness. The 2023 NFL Draft has wrapped -- but the team-building process continues with the signing of undrafted rookie free agents. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); As you watch this years selection you have to scratch your head and wonder. Maybe it's a by-product of Irvin's fame and flamboyance, but Carter isn't exactly low-profile, either. "The Marks Brothers" have better numbers than some of the receivers in the Hall of Fame. Each NFL team's biggest Hall of Fame snub | Sporting News The top 18 players in all-time sacks are either in the Hall of Fame or will be soon except for O'Neal, who ranks No. Despite his qualifications, hes probably not getting in on the first ballot. He probably shouldn't be in. Art Monk<br>1980-1995. 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. Cause is stats cant be the reason. And then theres Jimmy Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL with 116 receptions in 1999. 5. His receiving TDs ranked 4th, 4th, 11th, 11th, and about 40th (actually a bazillion-way tie for 37th). Comparing Smith to Keenan McCardell is just silly, which I guess leaves Herman Moore and maybe Rod Smith. @Neil_Paine, NFL (976 posts) HOF Qualifications: POOR. I suspect it is here that Jackson's consistency has worked against him. 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. Seventh, 9th, and 14th. Their quarterbacks are protected in ways Y.A. PRO COMPARISON: Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was a team leader on a three-time Super Bowl champion. He played his entire career for the. There is one clear answer when it comes to who is the greatest receiver in 'Skins history: Art Monk. THE 2,000-YARD CHALLENGE FOR A WIDE RECEIVER. Some of those assignments are close calls. 1965-74: Fred Biletnikoff, Bob Hayes, Charley Taylor, Paul Warfield Keep in mind, this was during the career of Jerry Rice as well. Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin Draymond Green, Sports Central / Original Sports Fan Commentary Since 1998, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1990s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s, Risers, Fallers of the 2022-23 NFL Season. Jackson made five Pro Bowls and was remarkably steady, with over 500 receiving yards for 13 consecutive seasons, breaking Raymond Berry's record of 11. Just play along. But we can certainly compare these players to their peers. Morgans career was in decline by the time the Patriots got hammered by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. Not counting people like Calvin Johnson because they're not retired.All of the videos belong to another YouTube video/ None of the footage is mineNot Mention. But that makes it even more impressive that Smith stayed so hyper-productive lining up across from another Pro Bowl-level target. Super Bowl rings well sure the does matter. Swann and Stallworth were legendary postseason performers. 1950-59: n/a He may be over-qualified, but Sharpe is not the most overqualified receiver on our list. Top 25 Best NFL Wide Receivers of All Time 4. He signed for 1995 and spent the season working his way up the new teams depth chart. Fryar never caught 90 passes in a season, was never first-team All-Pro, only caught double-digit TD passes once. Finally, the Seniors Committee and the Centennial Committee appear determined to enshrine just about every 1970s receiver, ) to stay in the loop on all things around the NFL. We all believe that Calvin Johnson is one of the greatest of all time. Here's my list of 25, ranked by the number of times they were among the top 10 in their league in receiving yards: Seven: Powell That hurts Brown, who was a dazzling punt returner (3,320 yds, 10.2 avg, 3 TDs). HOF absurd. HOF Qualifications: POOR. Branch made four Pro Bowls, was four times first-team All-Pro, and played on three Super Bowl winners. Chiefs announce Dante Hall to be 2023 inductee into team Hall of Fame. HOF Qualifications: EXCELLENT. For this project, we'll examine in depth 25 eligible wide receivers with strong backing for the Hall of Fame: Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Harold Carmichael, Cris Carter, Wes Chandler, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, Charley Hennigan, Harlon Hill, Billy Howton, Harold Jackson, Herman Moore, Stanley Morgan, Drew Pearson, Art Powell, Andre Reed, Andre Rison, Sterling Sharpe, Del Shofner, Jimmy Smith, Mac Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Otis Taylor, and Billy Wilson. But playing on so many bad Eagles teams delayed his entry into the Hall of Fame. But you can't really compare Jimmy Smith to Rison, because Rison was basically finished by the time Smith became a starter. Draymond Green, Sports Central / Original Sports Fan Commentary Since 1998, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1970s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s, Risers, Fallers of the 2022-23 NFL Season. Beyond the overall numbers, he led the league at various times in all of those categories, actually led in yardage twice (1969 and 1972). The Cowboys now have 20 Hall of Fame members, thanks to three more additions last weekend. Essentially, Carter is battling the notion that he usually wasn't even the best receiver on his own team, that he was a system player who seldom had to deal with double-teams and caught a bunch of short passes. All HOFm Positions: QB RB WR TE G T C DT DE ILB OLB DB K P WR HOFm Leaders Bold indicates HOF player See full explanation here Share & Export For what it's worth, neither has ever reached the Finalist stage of voting. But Smith's. He should be in. Grays not in the same statistical neighborhood as anyone except Swann, who was perhaps the most graceful and visually stunning receiver in history, a clutch legend and playoff hero, and who is widely regarded as a poor choice for Canton (see Tims comment above). at Pearson caught the pass that gave the play now known as a "Hail Mary" its name. Of course, Brown is most remembered as a receiver who was among the best at his position for a decade. Is it stats some times wonder maybe but not really. I don't even know whether to group him with the '90s guys or the best of the early 2000s. Neil Paine was the acting sports editor at FiveThirtyEight. 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. And you can't compare Smith to Isaac Bruce, because Bruce played until 2009. Think again. 2. When football fans cry "snub", there's a good chance they're talking about a wide receiver. He has a Super Bowl ring, played in a second Super Bowl, has already caught 61 postseason passes, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame all-2010s team. He had nine consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and ranks 4th all-time in receiving yards. Four: Branch, Ellard, Fryar, Hennigan, Howton, Moore, Sharpe, Otis Taylor HOF Qualifications: GOOD. 851 receptions, 12,785 yards, 84 TD. If you're here for another era, check out our other articles in this series: Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s I believe only about five of those players deserve induction, but there's a case to be made for all of them. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s Rison was better, at his best, than Fryar, and that matters quite a lot. But let's review each player's rsum, beginning this week with receivers of the 1990s. For all of his successes as a player, Smith has fought more than his share of battles with personal demons over the years. 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. Harrison is one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, currently ranked fourth all-time in career receptions and fifth all-time in receiving yards. Picked out of Division I-AA Jackson State by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1992 draft, Smith struggled with medical setbacks a broken leg, an appendectomy even as the Cowboys dynasty was flourishing. Copyright 2019-2023. Look at the man's career stats. 7101 yards, 53 tds. 1,101 receptions, 13,899 yards, 130 TD. Sharpe was better than any of them, but the others had long careers and lots of postseason glory. During his NFL career, Rison caught touchdown passes from Jack Trudeau (4), Chris Miller (25), Scott Campbell (2), Billy Joe Tolliver (6), Wade Wilson (3), Bobby Hebert (11), Jeff George (9), Vinny Testaverde (1), Eric Zeier (2), Mark Brunell (2), Brett Favre (1), Elvis Grbac (7), and Rich Gannon (11). But Smiths Canton case hasnt gotten much more traction than making the preliminary lists of candidates. Cris Carter | Pro Football Hall of Fame - pfhof For years, it was Lynn Swann or Art Monk. Effectively, Jackson stands alone atop his era, leading all players in the '70s in every major receiving category receptions, yards, and TDs. Shortly before Jackson retired, the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule and made several rules changes to substantially open up the passing game. Looking just at the 70s, Gray ranks 17th in receptions, 9th in yardage, and 11th in TDs. For instance, it might be tempting to write off Smiths lifetime stats 862 receptions, 12,287 yards, 67 TD catches as a product of the modern pass-heavy era. 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. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s. The only stain on Jones' resume has been the lack of touchdown. Branch is almost obscenely overqualified for the Hall of Fame. Hall will be the 48th player and 52nd individual inducted into the Chiefs . Carter, in his third-best season, led the NFL in receiving touchdowns. Folks appear to have forgotten just how great and groundbreaking those early Jaguars teams were. Fourth all-time in both receptions and receiving TDs, Carter joined Jerry Rice as the starting wide receivers on the 1990s NFL All-Decade team. 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. 489 receptions, 7,822 yards, 48 TD. Holt and Wayne are still log-jammed ahead of him, and Steve Smith has a slightly better overall portfolio. 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. His 2010 season is sort of underrated -- imagine a 33-year-old Hall of Fame wideout coming off a year where he led the league in touchdown receptions and went over 1,000 yards suddenly being . Rison was a great player basically all the same years as Irvin, and if touchdowns are a big deal to you, you could easily regard them as more or less equal. Stallworth: 537 rec, 8,723 yds, 63 TD 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,. . That's a much different rsum, particularly on the touchdowns. Some of those assignments are close calls. Ten Worthy Hall of Fame Receivers (Not Named Julian Edelman) These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. Carmichael begins this exercise in a hole, as the only player on the list who ranked among the top 10 in receiving yardage fewer than three times. Andre Rison Touchdown machine in the early '90s who revived his career with a 54-yard TD in the Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl with the Chiefs. Brohm was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Association Hall of Fame in Lexington. Didnt make it trouble past comes up yet cant use that no rings yes probably. A score of 100 is around the average modern-era inductee. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson) Charley Hennigan 1960-66, Houston Oilers 410 receptions, 6,823 yards, 51 TD Probably no one's HOF case is more hindered by disrespect for the early AFL than Charley Hennigan. He was 31 when he made his first Pro Bowl as a receiver, a 10-year veteran. Yeah, he had a bunch of good seasons, a nice prime, but so did all the others. Look at that empty 1970s slot in the list of Hall of Fame receivers. That averages out to about 14th. 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. Top 20 Receivers | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site Although Rice played in only five seasons during the decade of the 1980s, he was regarded by many to be on the path to be called the greatest receiver of all-time. 3. His Hall of Fame candidacy came up just as the committee was flailing to clear an embarrassing Art Monk-Andre Reed-Tim Brown logjam. Sharpe, unfortunately, suffered a neck injury at the end of the 1994 season, and that was that. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and made three All-Pro teams as a starter (more than Cris Carter and Tim Brown combined). 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. This doesn't apply to Jackson. 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk Gary Clark - Washington Redskins/Phoenix Cardinals/Miami Dolphins -. So in Smith you have one of the best old receivers ever, a guy who had a lot of good seasons, including five years over 1,200 yards and two seasons catching more than 110 passes. (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. 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 led the NFL in yards per reception for three straight years from 1979 through 1981. In his 17-year career, Brown made the Associated Press All-Pro team just once, as a second-team selection in 1997. That means consistency and durability. Anyway, three All-Pro berths and four 100-yard seasons form the backbone of what is becoming an impressive Hall of Fame rsum for Hopkins. NFL Draft Rumors: Latest on Cardinals, Titans, DeAndre Hopkins, and Potential Trade. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson), Cliff Branch
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