Tasker, Reed semifinalists for HOF

[l< j]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/11/30/football-hall-of-fame-semifinalists.ap/index.html

[mrags]

Great. They will lose out again to some guy that played in the same era but has lessor stats.

 

Tagliabue, Parcells, Atwater, Haley, and Strahan. That's my guess.

[dhg]

Boy, I look at that list and am thinking this has to be Reed's year. I don't think any of the first year eligible players are worthy of being inducted in their first year, let alone worthy at all. Reed's biggest competition is going to once again be Tim Brown and Cris Carter. Maybe Tasker surprises and gets in this year too.

[boyst]

Carter does not deserve it. He was good on a bad team but he was not HOF'er.

[dhg]

Carter does not deserve it. He was good on a bad team but he was not HOF'er.

 

And he's a D-bag

[ganesh]

And he's a D-bag

 

Unfortunately, Cris Carter is regularly on TV and good buddies with many of these voters. His chance is always better every time

[Rob's House]

Chris Carter is & was one of the greatest WRs to play the game & he did it consistently, often w/o the best QBs throwing to him. I don't understand how they keep him out.

 

HOF is GAY IMO.

[Mark Vader]

I think these individuals should be the 15 finalists.

 

Defensive Linemen - Warren Sapp, Michael Strahan

Offensive Linemen- Jonathan Ogden, Will Shields

Cornerbacks - Aeneas Williams

Linebackers - Charles Haley

Running Backs - Terrell Davis

Wide Receivers - Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Andre Reed, Steve Tasker

Coaches - Don Coryell, Bill Parcells

Commissioners - Paul Tagliabue

Owners - Edward DeBartolo Jr.

[Best Player Available]

Boy, I look at that list and am thinking this has to be Reed's year. I don't think any of the first year eligible players are worthy of being inducted in their first year, let alone worthy at all. Reed's biggest competition is going to once again be Tim Brown and Cris Carter. Maybe Tasker surprises and gets in this year too.

Reed will get in someday. It's time to start hoping Tasker will also get in sooner rather than later too.

[Rico]

Yeah, if they ever open a Hall of Good, then Cris Carter can get in... not even close to being worthy of the HOF though.

 

My picks:

Charles Haley

Larry Allen

Jonathan Ogden

Mike Strahan

Andre

Curley Culp

 

Tuna has to wait a year... not sure if anyone else on that list is truly worthy, maybe T Davis.

[MaineMoxie]

not sure if anyone else on that list is truly worthy, maybe T Davis.

 

Really? I can't believe he's even on the list. He had four - FOUR - good seasons. Yes, he rushed for more than 2000 yards once, but he was playing for the Broncos! As Greg Easterbrook once said of the Denver running game, "insert back, gain 1000 yards." Recall that they once had two guys do it in the same season! Seems more like the product of a great OL and fantastic scheme.

 

Not that he was a bad back or anything. And maybe deserving eventually, but to be on the list in his first year?

[boyst]

Why do they even vote on commissioners?

[Nitro]

Unfortunately the glut of WR from that era reduces the chances of Reed getting in the hall of fame. The voters are focusing on linemen. Look for Larry Allen and Michael Strahan to make it in a small class.

[boyst]

I never really cared much for Stranahan. He is like Howie Long. Both very good but just not that great that they were HOF. They have been highly visible after football so that has helped greatly. The same goes for CC. Reed is forgotten. Tasker has a better chance.

[Fezmid]

Chris Carter is & was one of the greatest WRs to play the game & he did it consistently, often w/o the best QBs throwing to him. I don't understand how they keep him out.

Without good QBs throwing to him, are you insane?

 

He had Randall Cunnginham, Warren Moon (HOF), Brad Johnson, and Dante Culpepper. While they're not all superstars, they were almost all very pass happy QBs, which is one reason his stats were so good.

[Quester74]

Cris Carter: 234 games played, 1101 Rec., 13899 yds., 130 TDs

Andre Reed: 234 games played, 951 Rec., 13198 yds., 87 TDs

 

Why does Reed deserve to be in and NOT Carter, exactly?

 

Steve Tasker even being on the ballot is laughable, in my opinion. You know what, Steve? You were pretty good at covering kicks and returning the occasional kickoff or punt.. but, that's a pretty minute portion of the game. You'd have to be OTHER WORLDLY at it to even get a sniff of the Hall of Fame. But, of course the Hall of Fame has this ridiculous rule that a certain number of people HAVE to be inducted every year.. whether they are worthy of the honor or not. Talk about watered-down.

[mrags]

Cris Carter: 234 games played, 1101 Rec., 13899 yds., 130 TDs

Andre Reed: 234 games played, 951 Rec., 13198 yds., 87 TDs

 

Why does Reed deserve to be in and NOT Carter, exactly?

 

Steve Tasker even being on the ballot is laughable, in my opinion. You know what, Steve? You were pretty good at covering kicks and returning the occasional kickoff or punt.. but, that's a pretty minute portion of the game. You'd have to be OTHER WORLDLY at it to even get a sniff of the Hall of Fame. But, of course the Hall of Fame has this ridiculous rule that a certain number of people HAVE to be inducted every year.. whether they are worthy of the honor or not. Talk about watered-down.

While I agree with you 100% on Reed vs Carter. There is no way Reed ever makes it in before or at least at the same time as Carter. Carter is just better 100% hands down.

 

As far as Tasker goes.... I do agree that he'll probably never get in because his "minute" portion of gameplay. I disagree 1,000,000% with the fact that he's "other worldly". Tasker changed the game as far as Special Teams is concerned. He IS the best special teams cover guy to ever play the game. The return games most likely evolved because of his contributions to the game. Not quite sure how old you are or how much you watched him, but he WAS the best there ever was, hands down.

[Tcali]

carter has better stats slightly than andre..but that in itself isnt an argument. reed had better stats than lance alworth,lynn swann...but they were both better than reed---not by much.

problem with reed in this voting was that he was a verrrry steady,verrry good WR who could run after the catch etc and goo over the middle with no fear.he was,however,unspectacular.-I think art Monk is a borderline HoF guy.I rate him the same as reed.

carter was spectacular. NO ONE had a better sense of the sidelines or the back line of the endzone.he was magnificent pulling down passes

that othe rreceivers just couldnt--and with an otherworldy sense of where he was on the field. That gives him the edge over reed.

It wouldnt be an injustice if reed gets in. But Carter was better.

[KRC]

Yeah, if they ever open a Hall of Good, then Cris Carter can get in...

 

He needs a few more years before he is eligible, but...

 

http://www.profootba...rs.org/HOVG.htm

[Rob's House]

Without good QBs throwing to him, are you insane?

 

He had Randall Cunnginham, Warren Moon (HOF), Brad Johnson, and Dante Culpepper. While they're not all superstars, they were almost all very pass happy QBs, which is one reason his stats were so good.

Randall Cunningham, Brad Johnson, Duante Culpepper, and Jeff George are hardly considered in the upper echelon of the NFL. I'm not saying the guy had garbage QBs, but it's not like he had Montana and Young throwing to him. How anyone discounts his accomplishments is beyond me.

 

Cris Carter: 234 games played, 1101 Rec., 13899 yds., 130 TDs

Andre Reed: 234 games played, 951 Rec., 13198 yds., 87 TDs

Because people don't like Carter as an analyst.

[Fezmid]

Randall Cunningham, Brad Johnson, Duante Culpepper, and Jeff George are hardly considered in the upper echelon of the NFL. I'm not saying the guy had garbage QBs, but it's not like he had Montana and Young throwing to him. How anyone discounts his accomplishments is beyond me.

My point is that he had pass-happy quarterbacks throwing to him -- that's going to inflate your stats. Isn't it telling that Reed has only 700 yards less on 150 fewer catches? That's more than 1ypc difference. In addition, Reed had Beebe, Lofton, and Thomas taking away catches from him -- who did Carter have?

 

 

Steve Tasker even being on the ballot is laughable, in my opinion. You know what, Steve? You were pretty good at covering kicks and returning the occasional kickoff or punt.. but, that's a pretty minute portion of the game. You'd have to be OTHER WORLDLY at it to even get a sniff of the Hall of Fame.

He WAS other worldly at it. The NFL actually had to CHANGE RULES, based solely on Tasker's play. He was even the MVP of a Pro Bowl, which is crazy considering nobody plays defense in those.

 

carter was spectacular. NO ONE had a better sense of the sidelines or the back line of the endzone.he was magnificent pulling down passes

that othe rreceivers just couldnt--and with an otherworldy sense of where he was on the field. That gives him the edge over reed.

So Carter gets in because he ran routes close to the sideline, and Andre was used over the middle instead? Seems like silly logic to me.

[Alaska Darin]

Carter does not deserve it. He was good on a bad team but he was not HOF'er.

[Quester74]

While I agree with you 100% on Reed vs Carter. There is no way Reed ever makes it in before or at least at the same time as Carter. Carter is just better 100% hands down.

 

As far as Tasker goes.... I do agree that he'll probably never get in because his "minute" portion of gameplay. I disagree 1,000,000% with the fact that he's "other worldly". Tasker changed the game as far as Special Teams is concerned. He IS the best special teams cover guy to ever play the game. The return games most likely evolved because of his contributions to the game. Not quite sure how old you are or how much you watched him, but he WAS the best there ever was, hands down.

 

I'm 38.. so the Super Bowl runs were my 4 years in highschool.. It's just my opinion that the Hall of Fame should be reserved to THE VERY BEST players from their generations. A special teamer should never get in, in my opinion.. this game is about offense and defense. Sure, sure.. someone can try to make the arguement that Special Teams is 1/3 of the game. To me, guys like Ray Guy, Steve Tasker.. and hell, probably someday Devin Hester should never make the HoF unless you made a significant contribution to either offense or defense. This is the Hall of Fame.. not the Hall of "Well, He Was Pretty Important To Our Success Too."

 

With that being said.. I think the HoF is pretty watered down already. So, I'm sure these guys will make it, someday.. To me, if there is ANY arguement as to whether or not someone is worthy of enshrinement, then you shouldn't be in. It should be reserved for the best of the best, period. In my opinion, no one outside of Buffalo is ever going to remember Steve Tasker as "All-Time Great".

[Alaska Darin]

My point is that he had pass-happy quarterbacks throwing to him -- that's going to inflate your stats. Isn't it telling that Reed has only 700 yards less on 150 fewer catches? That's more than 1ypc difference. In addition, Reed had Beebe, Lofton, and Thomas taking away catches from him -- who did Carter have?

Jake Reed (far more consistantly productive than any BILLS' opposite receiver during Reed's time), Randy Moss, and Robert Smith - to name a few.

 

Beebe never caught more than 40 balls in a season. Lofton had 2 pretty productive years in Buffalo and that's about it.

 

Carter played in a more pass heavy offense and more than half of his games indoors, so his stats are better. Both are HoF worthy.

 

As far as which guy is a bigger douche bag, that's up for debate.

[Rob's House]

My point is that he had pass-happy quarterbacks throwing to him -- that's going to inflate your stats. Isn't it telling that Reed has only 700 yards less on 150 fewer catches? That's more than 1ypc difference. In addition, Reed had Beebe, Lofton, and Thomas taking away catches from him -- who did Carter have?

I never said Reed didn't deserve to get in too.

[boyst]

Cris Carter: 234 games played, 1101 Rec., 13899 yds., 130 TDs

Andre Reed: 234 games played, 951 Rec., 13198 yds., 87 TDs

 

Why does Reed deserve to be in and NOT Carter, exactly?

 

Steve Tasker even being on the ballot is laughable, in my opinion. You know what, Steve? You were

pretty good at covering kicks and returning the occasional kickoff or punt.. but, that's a pretty minute portion of the game. You'd have to be OTHER WORLDLY at it to even get a sniff of the Hall of Fame. But, of course the Hall of Fame has this ridiculous rule that a certain number of people HAVE to be inducted every year.. whether they are worthy of the honor or not. Talk about watered-down.

You know nothing of Tasker, his body of work, or football.

 

Teams had to scheme around Tasker. Entire game plans were devoted to him. He helped change the game. Before him, arguably, special teams were nothing. Just a play in between others. A lot of professionals think he belongs and cite his improvement to the game as such example.

 

As far as Reed over Carter. I think its a lot to do with the QB's he played with. Reed was one player on a high powered offensive unit. Carter was the only option for a long time.

[KD in CA]

With that being said.. I think the HoF is pretty watered down already. So, I'm sure these guys will make it, someday.. To me, if there is ANY arguement as to whether or not someone is worthy of enshrinement, then you shouldn't be in. It should be reserved for the best of the best, period. In my opinion, no one outside of Buffalo is ever going to remember Steve Tasker as "All-Time Great".

 

This. I also think Tasker is wildly overrated by Bills fans and not at all close to a HOF level. The amount of weight placed on an 'MVP' award in a meaningless exhibition game played at 3/4 speed is absurd. Yes he was an oustanding gunner, but was he really that much better than guys like Mark Pike or Bill Bates?

 

And Carter is every bit as deserving as Reed.

[boyst]

 

 

This. I also think Tasker is wildly overrated by Bills fans and not at all close to a HOF level. The amount of weight placed on an 'MVP' award in a meaningless exhibition game played at 3/4 speed is absurd. Yes he was an oustanding gunner, but was he really that much better than guys like Mark Pike or Bill Bates?

 

And Carter is every bit as deserving as Reed.

The honor has lost a lot of meaning. The HOF is diluted. The constant NFL feed of today changes the perspective of every fan. How many Jets/Chargers fans want LT in? How many Pittsburgh fans want LeBeau in? How many Pats fans Welker will get in? Its all a matter of perspective. They deserve in and revisionist history makes these guys immortal.

[KD in CA]

The honor has lost a lot of meaning. The HOF is diluted. The constant NFL feed of today changes the perspective of every fan. How many Jets/Chargers fans want LT in? How many Pittsburgh fans want LeBeau in? How many Pats fans Welker will get in? Its all a matter of perspective. They deserve in and revisionist history makes these guys immortal.

Yes, the HOF is diluted. And I would prefer for that to stop rather than be exacerbated by inducting guys who don't deserve it, regardless of what team they played for.

[dhg]

The honor has lost a lot of meaning. The HOF is diluted. The constant NFL feed of today changes the perspective of every fan. How many Jets/Chargers fans want LT in? How many Pittsburgh fans want LeBeau in? How many Pats fans Welker will get in? Its all a matter of perspective. They deserve in and revisionist history makes these guys immortal.

 

LeBeau is already in as a player. No doubt that LT will get in someday.

[boyst]

LeBeau is already in as a player. No doubt that LT will get in someday.

Ask a lot of Broncos fans who think Terrell Davis should be in over him, or ask Saints fans who want Deuce... just another perspective.

[l< j]

Cris Carter: 234 games played, 1101 Rec., 13899 yds., 130 TDs

You'd have to be OTHER WORLDLY at it to even get a sniff of the Hall of Fame.

 

OTHER WORLDLY is probably a good description of his game. All caps are appropriate here too.

 

kj

[TakeYouToTasker]

Carter does not deserve it. He was good on a bad team but he was not HOF'er.

Chris Carter was one of the very best receivers I've ever seen play. Freakishly good hands.

[Rico]

He needs a few more years before he is eligible, but...

 

http://www.profootba...rs.org/HOVG.htm

That is pretty cool... so if Curley Culp makes it into the HOF this year, will he get kicked out of the HOVG?

 

ETA: Oh, I see he gets an asterisk next to his name.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Rico

[Rico]

 

 

Really? I can't believe he's even on the list. He had four - FOUR - good seasons. Yes, he rushed for more than 2000 yards once, but he was playing for the Broncos! As Greg Easterbrook once said of the Denver running game, "insert back, gain 1000 yards." Recall that they once had two guys do it in the same season! Seems more like the product of a great OL and fantastic scheme.

 

Not that he was a bad back or anything. And maybe deserving eventually, but to be on the list in his first year?

Longevity is definitely an issue... but he is a huge reason why the Broncos have 2 rings... plus he was the best RB in the league (or at least close) during those years when healthy. Like I said, maybe... probably not.

 

My point is that he had pass-happy quarterbacks throwing to him -- that's going to inflate your stats. Isn't it telling that Reed has only 700 yards less on 150 fewer catches? That's more than 1ypc difference. In addition, Reed had Beebe, Lofton, and Thomas taking away catches from him -- who did Carter have?

Drew Bledsoe... still waiting for that call.

[KRC]

That is pretty cool... so if Curley Culp makes it into the HOF this year, will he get kicked out of the HOVG?

 

ETA: Oh, I see he gets an asterisk next to his name.

 

Yup. Asterisk.

[jjmac]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/11/30/football-hall-of-fame-semifinalists.ap/index.html

 

Haven't we seen this in prior years?

[BRH]

I agree that to make the HOF as a ST you have to be "other-worldly," but I don't think the people dissing Tasker on this basis really saw him play. He was all that and more. Covering kicks, he stopped the likes of Deion Sanders, Tim Brown, Tamarick Vanover and Vernon Turner in their tracks. He blocked kicks, and on big stages too. He could return kicks with the best of them when he had the chance. Kelly repeatedly lobbied to have him in the game on offense because, he said, he was their best receiver....and I remember one play where he scored a TD to beat Kansas City in a game we had to have, on a pattern that Kelly literally drew up in the dirt in the huddle. He changed games. He changed THE game, as people have pointed out. He was on the NFL's 75th anniversary all-time team. The only way you can argue for his exclusion is to say that STs should never under ANY circumstances be in the Hall. If you believe otherwise, then he belongs.

[mrags]

I agree that to make the HOF as a ST you have to be "other-worldly," but I don't think the people dissing Tasker on this basis really saw him play. He was all that and more. Covering kicks, he stopped the likes of Deion Sanders, Tim Brown, Tamarick Vanover and Vernon Turner in their tracks. He blocked kicks, and on big stages too. He could return kicks with the best of them when he had the chance. Kelly repeatedly lobbied to have him in the game on offense because, he said, he was their best receiver....and I remember one play where he scored a TD to beat Kansas City in a game we had to have, on a pattern that Kelly literally drew up in the dirt in the huddle. He changed games. He changed THE game, as people have pointed out. He was on the NFL's 75th anniversary all-time team. The only way you can argue for his exclusion is to say that STs should never under ANY circumstances be in the Hall. If you believe otherwise, then he belongs.

Correct Sir. The only way to eliminate Tasker from the conversation is to say that no STer should ever make it in ever. And that's not going to happen. Tasker was absolutely the best STer to ever play the game. Hands down. No contest. Revolutionized the game. Most likely the reason why STs is as big of a part of the game as it is today. Teams saw his impact on the game and drafted, and trained players to do only STs. Hester, Parrish, Hall, Heck, even Brad Smith is a direct impact of what Tasker did for the game on STs.

[Drop Kick Flutie]

IMHO Tasker should be in, he revolutionized special teams. Parcells said he had to game plan around him, he truly elevated his position. The matter of fact is that special teams is 1/3 of the game. On a side note, Tasker's son is a senior at Cornell, projected to be a late round draft pick this spring.