Jay C. Brandriet
12/4/17
The old saying has often been “too many guy’s get into the Hall of Fame”. The new truth is, not enough players are getting that call. We have so much more information about today’s athletes and the history of the NFL than ever before. An average of six men per year have been inducted over the past 20 seasons. That comes across as a reasonable number. If you look behind the curtain, a log jam is taking place. Looking at the category of receiver only, I think this group of retired players all have a compelling case to be in.
RETIRED RECEIVERS THAT DESERVE TO BE IN THE HALL:
RANDY MOSS: “Freak”. Legend. His go up and get it, and ball skills were a ten. Many fans would say Moss is the most talented wide receiver they have ever seen.
TERRELL OWENS: His initial power off the line of scrimmage was intense. It’s obvious T. O. is a Hall of Famer( just ask him)! Owens work ethic, skill, and level of dominance attained are all top shelf historically.
CALVIN JOHNSON: Johnson was the ultimate specimen to ever play wide receiver. I remember a few late game situations where “Megatron” was triple covered by Cowboys players. Each time the ball was in the air, it felt like the odds were 60 percent in his favor…. Calvin caught all three of them.
DREW PEARSON: Pearson was the NFC’s best receiver in the 1970’s. He is widely considered one of the greatest clutch players in football history.
CLIFF BRANCH: An elegant yards per catch guy, Branch is the only Raider to play on all three title teams. At the time of his retirement he ranked number one in total post season catches and yardage.
HINES WARD: His Pittsburgh Steelers team records speak volumes. Ward has two rings and a Super Bowl MVP. His niche of being an all time great blocker helps get him in.
ISAAC BRUCE: His 80 yard TD grab was the go ahead score in Super Bowl 34. Bruce does not have near the name he should for how awesome he was. He’s like his generations Art Monk.
STERLING SHARPE: Sharpe did not miss a game in his seven years. His career ended after a serious neck injury following a season where he scored 18 times. At his best, Sharpe was in the same class as Irvin, Carter, Reed, and Tim Brown.
TORRY HOLT: His routes were precise and his hands were like football magnets. From 2000-2009 Holt’s 868 receptions and 12, 594 yards are the highest totals, for any decade in league history.
REGGIE WAYNE: Reggie was a steady pro who likely left a HOF resume on the field. He played in 21 post season games. At the time of his retirement, no player had more receiving yardage versus Bill Belichick led teams.
ANQUAN BOLDIN: I watched every snap of his first pro game at Detroit. He had 217 beast like yards. Boldin was eventually the go to guy on a world champion. He played a month after having seven plates and 40 screws put in his face.
STEVE SMITH: Nobody wore that chip on the shoulder better than Steve Smith. He was so fierce, and was one of the top playmakers of his generation. He’d catch it, pivot the other direction and it would look like he was part of the field.
ANDRE JOHNSON: Some guys should simply be awarded in the category of “what was your level while you played”? Johnson was elite at his job. Three times he had 1, 500 plus yard seasons.
RECEIVERS THAT STILL DESERVE A LOOK:
Chad Johnson
Rod Smith
Gary Clark
Harold Carmichael
Henry Ellard
Otis Taylor
Wes Welker
Larry Fitzgerald will be a first ballot guy when he’s done. Guys like Antonio Brown can think ahead to how the yellow jacket may fit them. The game will continue to be full of volume passing totals. More receivers are getting in this long line to be recognized. Who else deserves to be on my list?
#25– PAU GASOL If you’re rooting against him he seems very irritating. Pau is one of the nicest, smartest people in the NBA. The skill he brings to the game makes up for any “soft” labels. My reason for becoming a bigger Gasol fan are his contributions to helping Kobe. It was obvious Gasol was going to be the perfect with Bryant.
#24– JASON WITTEN Jason has always been an easy player to be proud of as a Cowboys fan. He is farm boy tough, with finesse receiving skills. He is also a great leader. Witten is a player that fans of other teams say is a stud, No matter how big the Cowboys hater, they all respect Jason Witten.
#22- TERRANCE NEWMAN Terrance looked and dressed like the model football player every Sunday. He looked going out to dinner clean, much like Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders did on the field. Newman had 32 interceptions and four touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 16 games six times and was a two time pro bowler. I thought Cowboys fans turned against him too quickly. Years later, he is the oldest active starter in the NFL.
#19 JOHN STOCKTON He was so good at making decisions and executing it forced me to see the game in a new way. John was all business all the time and could not be phased. In a late 1980’s game in Houston, the Jazz were down by one with seconds remaining. My parents and I were watching on TV and rooting for Utah. Stockton rimmed out a 20 footer as the clock hit zero. I remember clapping my hands with some satisfaction for several seconds. My mom said, “why are you clapping”? I said, “John Stockton, wide open 20 footer with the game on the line? You will take that 82 times mom.”
#21- DEION SANDERS No player has ever exuded more of a swagger. Deion was the ultimate walk it talk it player. He would dance and make sure the entire football world could see him before taking a punt return in the biggest of games and situations. Sanders made him self so vulnerable and excelled at the highest level.
#15-MIKE TYSON He’s not just a great actor. Mike was on top of the boxing world when I was a teenager. As I’ve gotten older I’ve heard boxing pundants almost diminish him on an all time level and focus on his lack of “all around tools.” I’m not a boxing expert. There was a window of time where my peers saw Tyson on that Michael Jordan, Gretzky, level in his dominance. He was also the best draw. He was so good at knocking guys out it often became how quickly would it happen? I would pay to watch Tyson fight a garden snake. The night he bit Holyfields ear was a big blow. It was hard to accept him being human at his craft. Extra human I guess you could say. I was at a party defending Tyson to the bitter end. The group let me know I was an ass clown.
#13-JAMES WORTHY I graduated in the same high school class with Derek Smith. As he dominated the high school football scene in Utah, I wrote a story about him in the school newspaper. The biggest thing I remember taking away was Derek was humble but not in awe. He believed in himself. He went on to dominate at Snow College, went to Arizona State to build the momentum, and was eventually the 80th player taken in the 1997 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He started at Linebacker for his career and led his Skins and 49ers in tackles many times. It was so fun to follow someone you know challenge himself against the best players in the world, and succeed. I gushed the first time I heard John Madden say, “I tell ya what, that Derek Smith can tackle.” Everyone from American Fork High School class of 1993 is so proud of Derek. He made us feel like we all made it.
#2- HERSCHEL WALKER was like a super hero to me. In a rough era of Cowboys football he was the lone star. His trade to Minnesota was a huge deal to me. I followed Herschel everywhere he played.
#1- EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON November 7th, 1991 was the day Earvin Johnson announced he had the “HIV virus” and would have to retire from the game. I could not move my legs for 45 minutes. This was a moment in a young mans life where you realize you care too much about sports. I loved Magic. I went back to my high school and defended him to the core as we started to get into heavier issues as a group while further educating ourselves along the way. I admired the player and his personality to the point that I naturally took on his criticisms. I acted like I was defending close Uncle. People did not sign my name when writing in my yearbook that Spring. Instead they called me “Magic”.