We’ll get to Hines Ward in a moment. What a shame that such a legendary player still has not been enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s now a semifinalist (one of 25) for the eighth time.
Some claim Ward does’t have the numbers. I guess that’s correct, if you ignore the fact he had 1,000 catches (one of 14 in NFL history to have that many), 88 touchdown catches (one of 19, tied with Hall of Famers Paul Warfield and Lance Alworth) and 12,083 yards — and we haven’t even talked about the best part of his statistical resume: the postseason.
OK, I have to talk about Ward right now. I’m that passionate about the topic.
He doesn’t have the stats, eh?
Check this out: In 16 playoff starts (18 games overall), Ward had 88 catches. Only six people in league history have more. Ward had 1,181 yards. Eight people in league history have more (Ward appears just ahead of Tyreek Hill and Hall of Famers Fred Biletnikoff, Warfield, Drew Pearson and Art Monk on that list). Ward had 10 playoff touchdown catches. Four have more. Ward is tied for fifth all-time, sandwiched between Hall of Famers Andre Reed, Randy Moss and Lynn Swann.
Did I mention that Ward was the Super XL MVP? I watched every game of Reed’s career. Fabulous receiver. Love him. Ward was the superior player.
Mike Tomlin on Tuesday made an eloquent case for Ward, saying, “Hines is like (ex-Bucs safety and Hall of Famer) John Lynch to me. I coached both guys. Stats don't tell their story. Ask the men that played football against them — their impact on the game, how the game is played and in some instances how the game is officiated. Hines was a football player first and a receiver second, and I used to say that to describe him all the time because of just the ridiculous consistency of his toughness in the passing game, the running game or after the catch or blocking.”
Thank you. I’ll stop now.
Let’s get to Harrison, a semifinalist for the second time, because his is a different case. It’s a lesser case, in my not-so-humble opinion, but a solid one based on who’s already in — namely, a lot of very-good-but-not-great players and a lot of players whose greatness lasted five or fewer seasons. I don’t have a problem with the latter category, especially if one of those players was Gale Sayers.
The Hall also has welcomed Broncos running back Terrell Davis based on four years, Jags tackle Tony Boselli based on five years, Swann based largely on postseason heroics, Chiefs kicker Jan Stenerud ... wait, why is Jan Stenerud in the Hall of Fame?
Can we even have a Hall of Fame that includes Jan Stenerud and eschews James blankin’ Harrison?
Others, such as Oilers defensive end Elvin Bethea, Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour and Saints linebacker Sam Mills were really good players but not ones I think of when pondering the all-time greats. Harrison, in his prime, was more dominant (albeit at a different position).
Harrison was an intimidating force who made the NFL change in its rules on “flagrant” hits. He was borderline unblockable for a good five years (2007-11). He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, and he made the greatest play in Super Bowl history (in my not-so-humble opinion) — the 100-yard interception odyssey against the Cardinals.
If an epic Game 7 home run helped catapult Bill Mazeroski into the Baseball Hall of Fame, why shouldn’t such an all-time play clinch Harrison’s case?
The problem, of course, is that every case is relative to the others — and once you start opening the doors to the very good, and to very short primes, where do you stop?
Look at this list of semifinalists: Antonio Gates had more touchdown catches than any tight end in history; Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis were five-time first-team All-Pros; Darren Woodson and Jared Allen were four-time first-teamers; Devin Hester had the most non-offensive touchdowns in league history; Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith Sr., Dwight Freeney and others should all at least be in the Hall of the Very Good.
Once those doors open, they cannot be shut.
As I always say, it wouldn’t make for much of an enshrinement show if the Hall was reserved for only the greats of the greats. So I get it. But we’ve reached a point where virtually every candidate has a case based on precedent.
James Harrison is no different — and eventually, that Super Bowl play should put him over the top.
Joe Starkey: jstarkey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @joestarkey1. Joe Starkey can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan
First Published: November 29, 2023, 2:49 p.m.
Updated: November 29, 2023, 5:42 p.m.
