HOF Bills want Tasker in next

[thewildrabbit]

As do I, as do I.

 

Steve Tasker wasn't just a special teams player that got noticed. Just like all the kick returners over the years, or all the kickers.

 

Lil Stevie was a "gunner", meaning he lined up outside the formation to be the first one down to try and tackle the KR, PR.

 

What made Tasker so special is that at 5'9'' 183 lbs he was a tackling terror that needed to be accounted for on every opponents kick off, punt return.

 

Then you need to realize the guy was usually double teamed at the line, and he still beat those blocks to run down the field and be the first to tackle the ball carrier. He was also a feared hitter as his hits would cause a fumble.

 

Tasker was the very first player to be recognized as a star at his position while not being a kick returner = punt returner. Which at that time was unheard of!

 

Seven pro bowls, and the only special teamer to be named the MVP of the pro bowl.

 

Whats really sad about this is that Tasker was listed on the depth chart as a wire receiver and was so good as a receiver that in his later years when the Bills needed an extra WR on the field. That Steve reminded me so much like Wes Welker as he caught everything thrown to him, and made plays. Tasker was just so valuable to the team as a "gunner" that he didn't play WR very often. He caught 5 passes for 108 yards in a playoff game against the Dolphins.

 

What makes me as a Bills fan love this guy is the fact that a lot of NFL receivers are big mouth jerks who always want the ball thrown to them, and openly say as much. Tasker unselfishly stayed as a "gunner", and didn't demand more playing time as a receiver. Kelly wanted Tasker as a receiver and Levy wouldn't let him.

 

In 2011 Tasker was a semifinalist in balloting for the Pro Football HoF.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkb13w4fpuE

 

 

If ya still don't "billeve", the kid could change the fortune of the game in an instant. A blocked punt in the SB, and he often ran reverses, caught passes.

 

Just go to youtube, and type in "Steve Tasker highlights" or

Steve Tasker pt 4 The Receiver/Reverse Runner

 

and watch!

Edited February 5, 2014 by FeartheLosing

[Prickly Pete]

 

 

Seven pro bowls, and the only special teamer to be named the MVP of the pro bowl.

 

 

WRONG!

 

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson - 1975

[thewildrabbit]

:worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKc2EeIdzPE

[Prickly Pete]

He will deserve to be in, if he gets in...cool? Do you think Ray Guy does not belong? I suspect you don't think Reed belongs either.

 

There is no set standard for who goes in and who does not...

 

Any hall of fame argument that is framed with "this guy should get in, before that guy gets in" is stupid. Including one guy, doesn't preclude somebody else from getting in. Each guy should be judged on the merits of their career, not somebody elses. I agree that Don Coyell should be in the HOF, but that doesn't mean Marv Levy does not. Neither guy won a Super Bowl ring (as a head coach), but each made a unique positive contribution to the game, during their time. For whatever reason, Levy's positive contribution seems to be appreciated more...at least by most non-Bills fans.

 

We are a self loathing bunch, it seems, so no big surprise that so many would be upset to see the best, most successful players/coaches in our teams' history to be honored. Somebody who doesn't even know who Billy Shaw is, is doubting whether he should be in the HOF or not...these threads always bring out the worst in fans...not sure why exactly.

 

I consider Reed borderline, but am VERY happy he got in.

 

Ray Guy....I really haven't given it much thought, but he is measured by his ability to execute a particular act. It really wouldn't matter much who else was on the field. Tasker on the other hand, was competing directly against other people on the field. There is a big difference (though I'm not sure how clearly I explained it).

 

 

I loved Tasker, and it's not self-loathing, it's a little perspective.

 

WRONG!

 

He was named to the 1976 pro bowl

 

 

I should have stated the only "gunner" to ever be MVP of the pro bowl as Tasker made 4 tackles, caused a fumble, and blocked a FG. This pro bowl also went into overtime.

 

WRONG-a-WRONG WRONG, WRONG!

 

I got it here.

 

http://en.wikipedia....rican_football)

 

And here

http://www.pro-footb...975/probowl.htm

 

 

He was NAMED (your words) to the 1975 Pro Bowl team that was PLAYED in 1976. Get your facts straight, man!

 

"The 1976 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 26th annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1975 season. The game was played on Monday, January 26, 1976, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana in front of a crowd of 32,108.^[1] The final score was NFC 23, AFC 20."

 

 

So sorry.

 

Frankly, by the time Tasker was playing in Pro Bowls, NOBODY CARED. Bravo to his competitive spirit, but most guys just didn't want to get hurt.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Marauder'sMicro

[thewildrabbit]

WRONG!

 

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson - 1975

I should have stated Tasker made MVP in the pro bowl as a "Gunner"! Any other NFL player ever accomplish this?

 

To me Tasker is as deserving as any for his 7 pro bowls, 11 seasons on the Bills roster at a position where most players only last three years.

[Prickly Pete]

I should have stated Tasker made MVP in the pro bowl as a "Gunner"! Any other NFL player ever accomplish this?

 

To me Tasker is as deserving as any for his 7 pro bowls, 11 seasons on the Bills roster at a position where most players only last three years.

 

The actual Pro Bowl game is a joke. Most players were probably annoyed that he would take the game so seriously. "Chill out Rudy! We are here for the party!"

 

And another thing... None of the other guys at the Pro Bowl play special teams (well, 1 other guy, and he probably had a real job on his team too).

 

So he was going up against a bunch of elite guys, that gave exactly zero $***s about the game, many that probably stayed up all night with hookers and blow, forced to play "special teams" for maybe the first time in their lives. You really think they were putting out for THAT? You think Bruce Smith was "leaving it all on the field"...for special teams plays...at the Pro Bowl.....ya.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Marauder'sMicro

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Buffalo's Hall of Famers from the AFC title teams believe Steve Tasker is the next player from their early 90's teams who deserves strong consideration for enshrinement. Tasker himself is uncertain that his career is worthy of Hall of Fame induction.

 

http://www.buffalobi...f1-69aa4a269cb3

 

As a special teamer, he should go in hands down.

[thewildrabbit]

The actual Pro Bowl game is a joke. Most players were probably annoyed that he would take the game so seriously. "Chill out Rudy! We are here for the party!"

 

And another thing... None of the other guys at the Pro Bowl play special teams (well, 1 other guy, and he probably had a real job on his team too).

 

So he was going up against a bunch of elite guys, that gave exactly zero $***s about the game, many that probably stayed up all night with hookers and blow, forced to play "special teams" for maybe the first time in their lives. You really think they were putting out for THAT? You think Bruce Smith was "leaving it all on the field"...for special teams plays...at the Pro Bowl.....ya.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and being named to the pro bowl isn't quite the big deal it was back then. I can tell you for a fact that it was a huge deal back then as the player got a free trip to Hawaii, and that started in 1980.

 

The players back then wanted to win the game because the payout for the losers was 10k and the winners received 20k which was a good deal of money back then. They did want to win it, even if you don't believe it. Average NFL salary's were only around 200k at that time. The average salary is now 1.4 million.

 

Today's players make $22,500 for losing and $45k for winning which is considered chicken feed for the super stars that don't want to suffer an injury in a meaningless game.

 

The super star players of today might take the game lightly, but they still want to be named to go to it, as many contracts have incentives in to give a bonus if the pro bowl roster is made. Plus, once a player is named to the pro bowl its like a badge of honor, and immediately they start thinking that they have made it to the upper echelon of the sport and need to be compensated for it.

 

Why not ask Kiko how he feels about not being named to the pro bowl. So many good NFL players playing in obscurity on bad teams would love to be voted to the pro bowl.

 

 

I need to learn to never trust wiki poop http://en.wikipedia....i/1976_Pro_Bowl

 

As a special teamer, he should go in hands down.

Edited February 5, 2014 by FeartheLosing

[Prickly Pete]

It's all good, I'm just messin' around. I don't really take any Halls of Fame very seriously. I know it can mean some good money for the player, but I never intend to go to any of those places, they are like wax museums to me. And the more years that pass by, and the more players that go in, it means less and less to me.

 

I wish Steve Tasker well, and consider him a great special teams player, but I'm more impressed by the guys on the other units, who are catching their breath while the special teams exchange the ball.

[Buftex]

It's all good, I'm just messin' around. I don't really take any Halls of Fame very seriously. I know it can mean some good money for the player, but I never intend to go to any of those places, they are like wax museums to me. And the more years that pass by, and the more players that go in, it means less and less to me.

 

I wish Steve Tasker well, and consider him a great special teams player, but I'm more impressed by the guys on the other units, who are catching their breath while the special teams exchange the ball.

 

I understand where your coming from, I really do. I sort of come from the same place, but that makes it easier for me to think Levy, Reed and Tasker (all guys who have somehow become "overrated" by a fair number of Bills fans here), should be in the HOF. I am a fan of the team, and those guys (along with the other Bills HOF, except for Ralph Wilson ) gave me plenty of reasons to be happy while they were part of the team, and I consider their accomplishments pretty impressive. I also think it was a better game, a better leauge back then...

 

Unrelated, but not...I know we will all be delriously happy if the Bills ever win a Super Bowl...but I just can't help but feel like it would have been better had they won it back with one of those early 1990's teams, as opposed to the 2014, or 2015 Bills. Maybe I am just getting old, and those teams were pretty special to me...but man, not 24 hours after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, sports talk radio and television is just dominated by topics like "will they repeat in 2014?"...."where do they rank all-time", etc etc etc... just doesn't seem like we ever take time to enjoy anything anymore. I guess that is why I get po'd when people (Bills fan people) bad mouth those 90's players, or say they are "overrated"... would kill to have a team like those to root for now.

[MarkyMannn]

I think Tasker has a good argument for the HOF. Just the same I think it is hard for him to get in.

 

I also always thought Cornelius Bennett should have an opportunity, but yet you never hear his name. Bennett was a five time Pro Bowler, being elected in 1988, and 1990-93, and won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award twice (1988 and 1991). Plus is it 5 Super Bowls for him, one with Atlanta?

Edited February 5, 2014 by MarkyMannn

[Prickly Pete]

I understand where your coming from, I really do. I sort of come from the same place, but that makes it easier for me to think Levy, Reed and Tasker (all guys who have somehow become "overrated" by a fair number of Bills fans here), should be in the HOF. I am a fan of the team, and those guys (along with the other Bills HOF, except for Ralph Wilson ) gave me plenty of reasons to be happy while they were part of the team, and I consider their accomplishments pretty impressive. I also think it was a better game, a better leauge back then...

 

Unrelated, but not...I know we will all be delriously happy if the Bills ever win a Super Bowl...but I just can't help but feel like it would have been better had they won it back with one of those early 1990's teams, as opposed to the 2014, or 2015 Bills. Maybe I am just getting old, and those teams were pretty special to me...but man, not 24 hours after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, sports talk radio and television is just dominated by topics like "will they repeat in 2014?"...."where do they rank all-time", etc etc etc... just doesn't seem like we ever take time to enjoy anything anymore. I guess that is why I get po'd when people (Bills fan people) bad mouth those 90's players, or say they are "overrated"... would kill to have a team like those to root for now.

 

Believe me, I am grateful to have been around for those seasons, and those players were a big part of my youth. They were woven into Bills fans lives for about 10 years.

 

The Bills don't mean as much to me anymore (and I no longer live in Buffalo), so a SB victory won't mean as much to me either. But I am one of the people that would rather have all those great seasons, than one SB victory. It's more about the ride, and we saw game after game of incredibly exciting football.

 

I can't imagine that the fans too young to have been a part of that, could really understand. It was great!

[#89]

I hope he gets in while I'm still alive. He is a very humble person.

[Dean Cain]

Steve Tasker could have been a "Wes Welker" type of WR if someone ever thought to develop him. The amazing thing with Tasker was, he could run fast, get off the press / jam on punt coverage. He could easily out run pass coverage, as well as deploying Welker-like quickness as a slot WR to get open.

[Buftex]

Steve Tasker could have been a "Wes Welker" type of WR if someone ever thought to develop him. The amazing thing with Tasker was, he could run fast, get off the press / jam on punt coverage. He could easily out run pass coverage, as well as deploying Welker-like quickness as a slot WR to get open.

 

I remember when Wes Welker signed as a FA from the Dolphins to the Patriots... I said to anyone who would listen "oh ****, the Patriots just got the second coming of Steve Tasker!" Welker was a fantastic special teamer as well, while with Miami.

[Buftex]

Believe me, I am grateful to have been around for those seasons, and those players were a big part of my youth. They were woven into Bills fans lives for about 10 years.

 

The Bills don't mean as much to me anymore (and I no longer live in Buffalo), so a SB victory won't mean as much to me either. But I am one of the people that would rather have all those great seasons, than one SB victory. It's more about the ride, and we saw game after game of incredibly exciting football.

 

I can't imagine that the fans too young to have been a part of that, could really understand. It was great!

 

I have lived away from WNY since 1989 (great timing on my part!), but I think I appreciate them more now, than I did then. I would still very much appreciate a Super Bowl victory, but I just don't think in this day and age, a championship resonates as much as it would have been, back then. Now, you gotta repeat, and then you have to win 3 in 4 years, be a "dynasty"...the bar just gets higher and higher. The only one of "my teams" that has ever won a championship that I am old enough to remember (I was less than a year old when the 1965 Bills won their last AFL title), were the 1981, 1984, 1986 and 2008 Boston Celtics. I enjoyed the hell out of the 2008 Celtics win...but it just wasn't quite the same as those 1980's titles. The 2008 Celtics weren't reigning champs for 24 hours before their championship was framed with "what do the Lakers have to do to win it all next year?"

 

I remember too, when the Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1999...I was living in the middle of Texas...Stars country for anyone who cared about hockey (not many)...I just remember, going into those finals, gettting really melancholy because there was possibiltiy that one of my teams was going to finally win a championship, and absolutely nobody but me would care...but the Sabres saw to it that I didn't have to suffer!

Edited February 5, 2014 by Buftex

[Prickly Pete]

 

 

I remember too, when the Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1999...I was living in the middle of Texas...Stars country for anyone who cared about hockey (not many)...I just remember, going into those finals, gettting really melancholy because there was possibiltiy that one of my teams was going to finally win a championship, and absolutely nobody but me would care...but the Sabres saw to it that I didn't have to suffer!

 

haha, Yeah, I have often wondered what kind of letdown there would be if the Bills win a Super Bowl. Would it just be "so this is it"? So much expectation involved that it could never match the anticipation.

 

Maybe we have been the luckiest fans? Maybe winning would ruin it?.....nah.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

haha, Yeah, I have often wondered what kind of letdown there would be if the Bills win a Super Bowl. Would it just be "so this is it"? So much expectation involved that it could never match the anticipation.

 

Maybe we have been the luckiest fans? Maybe winning would ruin it?.....nah.

 

[BADOLBILZ]

I still don't understand Bills fans (and I know that, surprisingly, there are a lot of them out there) who don't think Marv should be in the HOF. I really hope you/they read my entire

post even though it is long.

 

 

First of all, if it weren't for Marv (who was a former ST coach and focused a lot of practice time and know how to Special Teams) Tasker wouldn't have been the player he was.

 

And as they always say, leadership starts at the top...if it is a major feat/accomplishment for a team to reach 4 Superbowls in a row, does the head man not get credit for that too?

Any of his players will tell you that his talks and quotes from other great leaders, poetry, or just straight up Marvisms were totally motivating to the team. He was like Vince Lombardi in

that sense (without the hardware of course). He helped build that family mentality and the perseverance that allowed that team to keep coming back and never give up. From most

accounts, Marv was right in there in the planning of the K-Gun, but even if he had nothing to do with it concept-wise, he still made the decision to run it and run with it. He allowed

his QB to call the plays. That was innovation.

 

But, I know, it always comes down to the Superbowls though doesn't it? First of all, if Norwood's kick is two feet to the left he would have a ring. But, ok that didn't happen...yet, they lost by

1 point to two HOF coaches (in Parcells and Belicheck) and the NYG defensive game plan for that game is actually in the HOF...acknowledging that it was one of the greatest game plans ever...and still

they only lost by 1 point. Superbowl XXVI, I still don't understand what happened against the Redskins, but once again the game was against another HOF coach. The 3rd and

4th Superbowls that team just willed themselves there...but they just weren't as good of a team at that point and lost to a bigger, better team with a coach who will also probably make the

HOF. I mean Gibbs and Parcells are two of the greatest coaches ever. And let's not forget that just 5 weeks before that first Superbowl in week 15, the Bills beat that same Giants (Parcells/Belechick)

team in the Meadowlands in a similarly hard-fought 17-13 win. So, it's not like he was out of his league (as some like to claim) being badly out coached. Against two HOF coaches

that year, a 4 point win and a 1 point loss.

 

The other excuse is that he was just lucky to have good players. What Lombardi, Gibbs, Parcells, Belechick, Shula, Landry, Knoll, Stramm, Walsh, etc. didn't have good players?

Not only did he reach 4 Superbowls in the NFL, he also took his Montreal team to the CFL Grey Cup 3 times (out of only 5 years), winning two of them (with an entirely

different team of course). Yes, he actually won two championships. I know the CFL doesn't count for the NFL HOF, but if you are saying he only won because

of the players, his CFL wins say he could still win with different players.

 

People may point to his unsuccessful run in Kansas City. He took over a horrible 2-12 team and they improved their record every year under Marv to a 9-7 record in his

4th year. His 5th and last year in KC was the strike of 1982 where half the season was cancelled and Marv was fired at the end of that year. The Chiefs, as an organization, were simply a mess at

that time. Regarding that point, over the next 7 years (post Marv) the team only had 1 winning season (4 years after Marv was gone) and that stretch also included two 4 win seasons and two

6 win seasons. So, he didn't do that bad with what he had in KC.

• Marv had a 17-6 record against the winningest coach in NFL History (Shula)
  
• One of only 14 coaches to have more than 100 wins with one team
  
• One of only two coaches to appear in both a Superbowl and a Grey Cup (Bud Grant was the other)
  
• The only coach to guide his team to 4 Super Bowls in a row
  
• Even ESPN, who we hate, right? have him ranked as the 17th best NFL coach ever
  
• His 204 wins (NFL/CFL) ranks 7th all-time; when he retired he was the 10th winningest coach (NFL wins only)
  
• In a 9-year span, he had a record of 97-47, with 6 Division titles, 8 playoff appearances, and 4 AFC titles
  
• He was NFL Coach of the Year once and AFC Coach of the Year 3 times
  

"Where would you rather be than right here, right now?

 

"When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us!"

 

"Fight on, my men, Sir Andrew said. A little I'm hurt but not yet slain. I'll just lie down and bleed a while and then I'll rise and fight again." (from a Scottish ballad)

 

 

Marv is and deserves to be a Hall of Famer...no question in my mind.

 

 

I am aware of all of those numbers.

 

I am also of the belief that during the 6 year stretch from 1988-1993 the Bills were far and away the most talented team in the AFC.

 

I don't think there has ever been a longer period of time since the merger where the talent gap was so vast between the best team and the rest in an individual conference.

 

As a result.......Marv accumulated a lot of wins and 4 SB appearances.

 

Were his teams consistently ready to play and motivated every week? No.

 

Were they unprepared and outcoached in all 4 Super Bowls? Yes.

 

Marv wasn't an elite HC, he was along for a ride. There has never been a good team where the lunatics ran the asylum the way and for as long as those Bills players did.

 

The tragedy is that they didn't win one of those SB's in spite of him the way the Cowboys did with Barry Switzer.

Edited February 5, 2014 by BADOLBEELZ

[BADOLBILZ]

I think Tasker has a good argument for the HOF. Just the same I think it is hard for him to get in.

 

I also always thought Cornelius Bennett should have an opportunity, but yet you never hear his name. Bennett was a five time Pro Bowler, being elected in 1988, and 1990-93, and won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award twice (1988 and 1991). Plus is it 5 Super Bowls for him, one with Atlanta?

 

Biscuit should have been a HOF'er but he was the Bills greatest underachiever. He never appeared to be as intense or as driven to achieve personal goals as a Bruce Smith and when the AFC presented itself with an opportunity to be had with a minimal effort, he only gave the effort he felt like giving from week to week. Full size LB's with 4.4 speed are rare in any era. He had immense talent but he didn't maximize his skills. He consistently took the path of least resistance.....the long way around.....to the QB and that cost him a whole lot of sacks and QB hits because never developed a pass rush repertoire. They eventually came around to the idea that they could get better results from lesser talented pass rushers who played with better technique and moved Biscuit inside and let him run to the ball and the numbers don't show a crazy spike because they put a lot of talent in front of him but he was a MUCH better player because of it. Losing him to Atlanta at that point was a blow. I love Spielman and what he brought during his short run here when they signed him to replace Cornelius but Biscuit in the middle made the Bills defense ridiculously dynamic.

Edited February 5, 2014 by BADOLBEELZ