What the NFL Hall of Fame gets wrong…
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It is no longer about who were the most dominant players at their position in their era, and is strictly based on numbers these days. This is really problematic for some truly deserving players…
Take Hines Ward for instance… He is simultaneously one of the most loved and most hated players to ever play at WR. I’m sure that @Mik would call him one of the dirtiest players in the history of the game while @Jolly might have a more favorable view. Personally? He is my all-time favorite player. Hines Ward was one of the most prolific WRs in the game in his era, but he wasn’t one of the two best 2-3 most prolific receivers during that period. Marvin Harrison (HoF) beats him by about 2000 yards… however compare and contrast…Those 2000 yards translates to 10 yards per game. Marvin Harrison also played on a team that threw the ball 20-30% more than the Steelers. As a result, he was targeted over 200 more times than Hines… But what happens on plays where they aren’t the targeted receiver?
Compare:
Link to video Link to videoWide Receivers are divas. They love the attention that comes with their position, they love gaudy stats, but they don’t generally like the contact that comes with the game. Flag football would probably be preferred by most of them, but not Hines. WR are targeted by Defensive Backs. DB’s love to lay the big hit on the receiver but not Hines. He would take the hit, get up and grin at you, come back and knock you out the next play. DBs HATED Hines, and called him the dirtiest player in the game. for giving back exactly what the DBs normally dish out..
Link to videoFor the dirtiest player in the league, he was penalized very little, because his plays were not actually against the rules, until the NFL changed the rules because of him…
Marvin Harrison was a great WR but he didn’t change the game. Hall of Fame defenders weren’t scared to play him. They were scared of Hines - https://vault.si.com/vault/2003/12/15/hines-anxiety-defenders-dread-the-sight-of-steeler-hines-ward-the-afcs-leadingand-hardesthittingreceiver
I’ll guarantee that Hines hits and blocks had a bigger impact on the games he played than the extra 10 yards Marvin Harrison had in receptions, but one is in the Hall and one is not, and likely never will be.
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If Michael Thomas could have avoided the injury bug, he would be a first ballot HOF. He could run those middle crossing routes, be covered tight as a tick, still catch the ball and hang on to it as the safety tried to knock his cleats off. It takes a big, physical wide receiver to do that. Brees would literally point at him when he needed a 5 yards for a first down and everybody in the stadium knew where the ball was going.
What Thomas was very good at and what receives no recognition by the casual fan, is his ability to block, especially downfield. That's where the dirty work happens that changes 4 yard runs into 10 yard runs. Or more.
That's a complete player. Hines Ward was a complete player. Able to make a big play, better able to make a play when needed and quietly able to make players around him better.
The difference between Hines and Thomas was durability. Hines did it year in, year out, for a long time.
