Later today, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct wide receiver Bob Hayes, guard Randall McDaniel, defensive end Bruce Smith, linebacker Derrick Thomas, owner Ralph Wilson, and defensive back Rod Woodson. It’s a very worthy class. Expect a lot of Bills and Steelers fans there to support Smith, Wilson, and Woodson.
Last year’s induction ceremony was great. Redskins fans filled the place, as Art Monk and Darrell Green were enshrined along with several others. For my recap of last year’s ceremony in Canton Ohio, see http://myredskinsblog.com/2009/07/29/art-monk-and-darrell-green-inducted-in-nfl-hall-of-fame-class-of-2008/.
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8/9 update: I saw the speeches yesterday. They were great, especially the one by Rod Woodson. The Buffalo Bills now have four Hall of Famers in from their four Super Bowl teams — Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and James Lofton. The first three obviously deserve it but Lofton is questionable. It highlights the bias that there is against the Redskins – the fact that the Bills have more players in than the Skins. From the Skins’ last four Super Bowl teams (three of them wins), they only have three players in the HOF — John Riggins, Art Monk, and Darrell Green, and before last year they only had one (and Riggins was only on the first of those four teams). Gary Clark deserves it — his stats are virtually identical to Michael Irvin’s, plus Clark played without a HOF QB and played several years before Irvin when passing stats were lower. Clark will not get in, though.
By the way, I’m so sick of all the Dallas Cowboys talk. All Sirius NFL Radio did the other day was interview former Cowboys, then today I turn on the NFL Network and there is a special on about the Cowboy “triplets” (I don’t feel like mentioning their names). Not only that, but whenever the NFL Network runs old games, they always replay Cowboys or Packers (with Favre) games, and never Redskins games.
Back to the anti-Redskins HOF bias. The team that glamorized the offensive line position and had linemen running to the opposite side of the field leading running plays has no offensive linemen in the HOF? This is a travesty. Either Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, or Jim Lachey should be in.
Tags: Art Monk, Bob Hayes, Bruce Smith, Canton, Darrell Green, Derrick Thomas, induction ceremony, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ralph Wilson, Randall McDaniel, Rod Woodson
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