Big Turk Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I hear the discussion about wether Patrick Willis deserves HOF consideration and honestly I don't want to hear about that until Sterling Sharpe gets serious consideration...he might have been the best WR in the league when he was forced to retire due to injury, and if not was a 1B to Jerry Rice's 1A... The man averaged 90 catches, 1223 yards and 10.6 TDs in the 6 years following his rookie season and was literally uncoverable. Double coverage, triple coverage...didn't matter, dude always got open. Before people talk about Patrick Willis and if he played long enough to be in the HOF, they need to talk about Sterling Sharpe because I guarantee most people who watched him and played against him would say he should be in it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Not unless Steve Busby gets in before both of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 id say they are in similar boats and both warrant discussion about whether or not they deserve final consideration. neither likely get there though, honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Different sport, and was only a 2 time all star with decent stats... Sharpe was a 5 time probowler and 3 time 1st team all pro, led the NFL in receptions 4 times, and in TDs twice... Shannon Sharpe said he can honestly say he's the only person in the pro football HOF that is the second best player in his own family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Not a HOF IMO. No championships, only played until age 30. What records does he have? He was a really good player but not HOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) Not a HOF IMO. No championships, only played until age 30. What records does he have? He was a really good player but not HOF7 consecutive pro bowls, 5 1st team all pro, 1 2nd team all pro, led NFL in tackles twice, defensive rookie of the year, 3 time NFL Alumni LB of the year... Championships should have Zero bearing on HOF discussion. One player cannot control how good an entire team is unless its a QB Other than that, not much I guess Edited March 14, 2015 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 7 consecutive pro bowls, 5 1st team all pro, 1 2nd team all pro, led NFL in tackles twice, defensive rookie of the year, 3 time NFL Alumni LB of the year... Championships should have Zero bearing on HOF discussion. One player cannot control how good an entire team is unless its a QB Other than that, not much I guess Sounds like a really good player to me. Does he have the records for tackles or sacks? How many super bowls has he won? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Sounds like a really good player to me. Does he have the records for tackles or sacks? How many super bowls has he won? Again, super bowls or playoff appearances should have zero bearing on HOF discussion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ontario51 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Must be a very slow news day? Good player that is all, did he do something really special? IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffwagonscircled Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 How long do retired players contracts take to expire when they retire? Just wondering in case we wanted to coax him back out of retirement to play for us. Would SF be able to put a stop to it or no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Must be a very slow news day? Good player that is all, did he do something really special? IMHO I'm pretty sure people who watched him play extensively would disagree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I hear the discussion about wether Patrick Willis deserves HOF consideration and honestly I don't want to hear about that until Sterling Sharpe gets serious consideration...he might have been the best WR in the league when he was forced to retire due to injury, and if not was a 1B to Jerry Rice's 1A... The man averaged 90 catches, 1223 yards and 10.6 TDs in the 6 years following his rookie season and was literally uncoverable. Double coverage, triple coverage...didn't matter, dude always got open. Before people talk about Patrick Willis and if he played long enough to be in the HOF, they need to talk about Sterling Sharpe because I guarantee most people who watched him and played against him would say he should be in it... I totally agree that Sharpe deserves to be in the HOF. However, your concern about Sharpe doesn't really impact the questions being asked as to whether Willis deserves consideration for the HOF. It is a valid issue as to when Willis deserves consideration but not as to whether he deserves consideration at all. The only relevant question about the HOF as between Willis and Sharpe is which one deserves to get in the HOF first? As for the specific question regarding Willis and his "short" career, I think that he deserves to make it at some point. I may be a bit biased though as he was my hope for our first round pick in 2007. I still remember pacing around my living room as our pick came closer and closer and he was still on the board. The 'Niners had the last pick before the Bills and sure enough, they took him. We took Lynch and then traded up in the second round to take Poz. I have always believed that we would have taken Willis instead of Lynch if he had been available given that we traded up for much less talented LB in the very next round. It was one of those near misses with long term consequences that you look back on and just shake your head. Both Lynch and Poz were soon playing for someone else while Willis has been a beast for 8 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Willis ain't getting in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 7 consecutive pro bowls, 5 1st team all pro, 1 2nd team all pro, led NFL in tackles twice, defensive rookie of the year, 3 time NFL Alumni LB of the year... Championships should have Zero bearing on HOF discussion. One player cannot control how good an entire team is unless its a QB Other than that, not much I guess Willis was a probowler every year he started, something only accomplished by Ogden, Brown, Sanders, Doak Walker and two other guys I'm forgetting. All of them are HOFers. He probably won't be a first ballot, but I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurlyBurly51 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I never think Willis and HOF in the same sentence. Frankly I'm surprised people are considering him Hall worthy. How many players in the history of the NFL are enshrined, and Willis should be considered one of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Willis, what 'choo talkin' 'bout? Brian Urlacher deserves it a ton more than Willis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Willis was an amazing football player no doubt about it. Its tough in his case though because his career was cut short by his own choice versus suffering a career ending injury like Sharpe or Terrell Davis. I think not having the longevity does hurt his case, it becomes a debate when great players careers are cut short by circumstances they can't control, but that card can't be played in Willis' case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flomoe Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Willis, what 'choo talkin' 'bout? Brian Urlacher deserves it a ton more than Willis. THIS Willis was a very good, if not great player BUT he was not a game changer. He wasn't the type of player to change the course of a game week in and week out. I am sure teams gameplanned for him but not around him like they did for Urlacher and those like him. The Hall of Fame should be reserved for special people that set themselves above the rest, that had a long lasting impact on the game and were the very best at their position for their career. (See Tasker) I liked Willis but the HOF standards should be set a little higher than what he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 THIS Willis was a very good, if not great player BUT he was not a game changer. He wasn't the type of player to change the course of a game week in and week out. I am sure teams gameplanned for him but not around him like they did for Urlacher and those like him. The Hall of Fame should be reserved for special people that set themselves above the rest, that had a long lasting impact on the game and were the very best at their position for their career. (See Tasker) I liked Willis but the HOF standards should be set a little higher than what he did. This isn't true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis in NC Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Willis was good, but not HOF material, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Willis was good, but not HOF material, IMO. 7 year career. 7 pro-bowl selections. 5 times 1st team all-pro. 1 time 2nd team all-pro. Mike Singletary said he is one of the best MLB of all time. I definitely think he is HOF material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 7 year career. 7 pro-bowl selections. 5 times 1st team all-pro. 1 time 2nd team all-pro. Mike Singletary said he is one of the best MLB of all time. I definitely think he is HOF material. If he doesn't get into the HOF, he'd be the only player ever not to get there after reaching the pro bowl each year he started in the league. It's rarified air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedyardCTbillsfan Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Playing a couple more years would have solidified his spot IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Playing a couple more years would have solidified his spot IMO. Absolutely, and that may ultimately be what keeps him from being admitted to the hall in the first few attempts. But I'll be pretty shocked if he doesn't end up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggerdaddynj Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I still remember how heartbroken I was when the Niners took Willis right before our pick... . imagine how much fun it would have been watching him in the middle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niagara Dude Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I hear the discussion about wether Patrick Willis deserves HOF consideration and honestly I don't want to hear about that until Sterling Sharpe gets serious consideration...he might have been the best WR in the league when he was forced to retire due to injury, and if not was a 1B to Jerry Rice's 1A... The man averaged 90 catches, 1223 yards and 10.6 TDs in the 6 years following his rookie season and was literally uncoverable. Double coverage, triple coverage...didn't matter, dude always got open. Before people talk about Patrick Willis and if he played long enough to be in the HOF, they need to talk about Sterling Sharpe because I guarantee most people who watched him and played against him would say he should be in it... Part of the process of making the HOF is staying healthy, so no Absolutely, and that may ultimately be what keeps him from being admitted to the hall in the first few attempts. But I'll be pretty shocked if he doesn't end up there. Talley should be elected in before this guy, he was part of 4 super teams and stayed healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 HoF in my eyes. The best Lb in the nfl for 5 years or so IMO. Willis was good, but not HOF material, IMO.Willis was good. He was great. 2 completely different things. Dude was an absolute monster. If you don't think so, you didn't watch him enough. I watched almost every game he played as my best friend is a niner fan. If he would've played 3 more years, he'd have been a first ballot HoFer. Minus 3 year of playing, I think he's a 2nd-3rd ballot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 This is a really interesting topic. It has that Terrell Davis feel to it. Willis was a great player. He was one of the best defensive players in football throughout his career. Was his prime long enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 This is a really interesting topic. It has that Terrell Davis feel to it. Willis was a great player. He was one of the best defensive players in football throughout his career. Was his prime long enough? That's all it'll come down to in my opinion. That's the only thing holding him back from being a sure fire first ballot guy. Five years is a long time to wait, maybe longer now than ever if you consider the collective shrinking of our national attention span. There's a good chance he will fade from some people's minds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) That's all it'll come down to in my opinion. That's the only thing holding him back from being a sure fire first ballot guy. Five years is a long time to wait, maybe longer now than ever if you consider the collective shrinking of our national attention span. There's a good chance he will fade from some people's minds. It actually reminds me of Sam Cowart kind of. If Cowart would have stayed healthy he was a HOF player. That 1 or 2 years with the Bills were as good as any Bills defensive player ever not name Bruce Smith. Cowart was unbelievable. Edited March 15, 2015 by Kirby Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 ait actually reminds me of Sam Cowart kind of. If Coeart would have stayed healthy he was a HOF player. That 1 or 2 years with the Bills were as good as any Bills defensive player ever not name Bruce Smith. Cowart was unbelievable. I'll drink to that, I think you're right. I loved watching him play. He got robbed by the fates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Not a HOF IMO. No championships, only played until age 30. What records does he have? He was a really good player but not HOF Pretty much this. Very good player that falls short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I've never understood the longevity aspect of the Hall of Fame. I think a guy who dominated the league at his position for 4-5 years is far more impressive than a borderline pro-bowler who plays at a high level for 10+ years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I've never understood the longevity aspect of the Hall of Fame. I think a guy who dominated the league at his position for 4-5 years is far more impressive than a borderline pro-bowler who plays at a high level for 10+ years. Neither sounds like a HOFer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Neither sounds like a HOFer If that's true then the HOF is lame IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 If that's true then the HOF is lame IMO. When has a player had only 4 or 5 completely dominant years and gotten in? Gayle Sayers maybe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 When has a player had only 4 or 5 completely dominant years and gotten in? Gayle Sayers maybe... My point is that if someone dominates the sport for 4-5 years and that doesn't get them in then that kind of exclusivity makes me think less, not more, of the hall itself. You could be the greatest player who ever lived but not make it because your career didn't pick up until after a few years or because it got cut short early. That's lame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddenboy Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) I still remember how heartbroken I was when the Niners took Willis right before our pick... . imagine how much fun it would have been watching him in the middle? Me too. Vividly. He is my Haloti Ngata (even though we actually had a chance at Ngata. Just a player I wanted so bad, the way most of you guys wanted Ngata). But I think "no" to the HOF. Hall of famous, sure. He's a household name. And a very good player. But no HOF for me. Edited March 15, 2015 by maddenboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 If that's true then the HOF is lame IMO. Agreed. When has a player had only 4 or 5 completely dominant years and gotten in? Gayle Sayers maybe... 4 years, you'd have a strong argument. I'm not sure why, I know it's an arbitrary number. But in this case Willis was a seven time Pro Bowler -- seven times in a row, every year he started -- and a six time All Pro... that's more Pro Bowls than Ronnie Lott. I've said it a few times so I'll stop after this last time, but if he doesn't make the HOF he'll be the only player on a very short list to have accomplished those feats and not been elected. I know the Pro Bowl voting has rightly been devalued because of the fan voting, but Willis wasn't getting elected on reputation alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 7 year career. 7 pro-bowl selections. 5 times 1st team all-pro. 1 time 2nd team all-pro. Mike Singletary said he is one of the best MLB of all time. I definitely think he is HOF material. Well, he was his coach so he might have been a wee mite biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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