What do you think ... Does Tasker desrve HOF status?

[BuffaloBill]

Recently debated with coworker who is huge Browns fan .. his opinion is that no way does a non-kicker/ punter get in. Even then a P/K would be a very rare election. He argued even a return specialist should be a "one in a billion" shot at getting in. As Bills fans we know Tasker had to be game planned for. He was a force in any game. He redefined the definition of a special teams player. Tell me in todaay's world of free agency that Tasker would not be highly sought after. So should he be a HOF candidate that gets real consideration?

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

Absolutely. He changed the game. They added a Pro Bowl position just for him. The HOF voters need to learn the lesson the league learned from Levy - Special Teams are 1/3 of the game.

[JimmyPage]

Yes he does.

And I wonder how tasker would have done if they had used him in the passing game earlier in his career because he was effective when they finally let him play some WR.

[Taro T]

Absolutely. He changed the game. They added a Pro Bowl position just for him. The HOF voters need to learn the lesson the league learned from Levy - Special Teams are 1/3 of the game.

Yeah, what he said.

[lets_go_bills]

They discussed this on NFLN a few weeks back. We had a good thread going on it too. I certainly think Tasker belongs in the HoF. He changed/won games.

[Steely Dan]

Obviously yes. I seem to recall Marv Levy saying on the Bob Matthews radio show that Bill Parcells told him that when they played them Tasker was the guy they most gameplanned for. I also recall an NFL film about something where this very question came up and one of the Dallas Cowboys ST coaches from the past said they should start a new wing of the HOF and make Tasker the first inductee. Tasker was the MVP of one of his 7 pro-bowls. That was back in the day when only NFL players voted for the pro-bowl players. 'Nuff said.

 

Biased opinion piece.

 

ESPN

Article by our articulate friend Timmy.

 

Kent Hull Award For Tasker

 

Kansas City.com Sports

 

"Someone dust off Steve Tasker’s Hall of Fame resume. Pressuring the quarterback on third down is very, very important. But so is downing a punt inside the 10 or tackling a return man inside the 20."

 

Standard Examiner

 

Steve Tasker may never get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's considered the best special-teamer ever to play the game, but the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee tends to look down on specialists.

That doesn't mean Tasker doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame -- and the Buffalo Bills gave him his due Sunday. The Bills enshrined Tasker on their Wall of Fame in halftime ceremonies of the opener against Denver. He increased the number of team inductees to 24.

 

The love of Sports

 

Living Prime Time Great, Great bio piece.

 

SF Gate.com

 

Read the entire article. Tasker is talked about at the beginning and end.

 

Highlights

 

Preliminary ballots for the Pro Football Hall of Fame arrived in the mail this week, and the first name marked on mine was Steve Tasker, the longtime special-teams star of the Buffalo Bills.

 

______________________________________________________

 

"You had to know exactly where he was," said Mike Westhoff, who, as special- teams coach of the Miami Dolphins during Tasker's 12 years in Buffalo, had to prepare game plans to account for him. Westhoff, now coaching special teams for the Jets, was one of the first opponents to assign three players to try to block Tasker on kick returns.

 

"He wrecked more returns than anyone," Westhoff said this week. "There were more times we would basically have to fair catch a ball where we would block everybody else, and he would beat us."

 

___________________________________________________

 

In a key 1990 game against the Raiders, he forced a Tim Brown fumble on a punt return in the second quarter to set up the first Buffalo touchdown. In the fourth quarter, he blocked a punt for the go-ahead touchdown, the big play in a 24-point outburst. Without that victory, Buffalo would not have won the AFC East title, would not have had home-field advantage in the playoffs, and might not have started its run of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

 

You're friend is a moron of the highest levels of morondom.

[Pete]

Absolutely!

[Dwight Drane]

I look at Tasker like a lot of people probably look at OJ. While he was great on the field and redefined the position.....his life after football makes me want to cringe every time i see him or hear his name.

 

He makes plenty of money by pimping himself out for every commercial gig out there and by talking 300 words per minute on CBS. He doesn't need a yellow jacket.

 

Take him off the Wall of Fame too. OJ only hurt two people. Tasker makes millions of peoples' ears bleed on a weekly basis.

[DrDawkinstein]

I look at Tasker like a lot of people probably look at OJ. While he was great on the field and redefined the position.....his life after football makes me want to cringe every time i see him or hear his name.

 

He makes plenty of money by pimping himself out for every commercial gig out there and by talking 300 words per minute on CBS. He doesn't need a yellow jacket.

 

Take him off the Wall of Fame too. OJ only hurt two people. Tasker makes millions of peoples' ears bleed on a weekly basis.

 

[Steely Dan]

I look at Tasker like a lot of people probably look at OJ. While he was great on the field and redefined the position.....his life after football makes me want to cringe every time i see him or hear his name.

 

He makes plenty of money by pimping himself out for every commercial gig out there and by talking 300 words per minute on CBS. He doesn't need a yellow jacket.

 

Take him off the Wall of Fame too. OJ only hurt two people. Tasker makes millions of peoples' ears bleed on a weekly basis.

 

Congratulations! You have just won the dumbest post of the year award! The trophy is waiting for you in the closest septic tank and must be picked up only by you.

[Tcali]

Recently debated with coworker who is huge Browns fan .. his opinion is that no way does a non-kicker/ punter get in. Even then a P/K would be a very rare election. He argued even a return specialist should be a "one in a billion" shot at getting in. As Bills fans we know Tasker had to be game planned for. He was a force in any game. He redefined the definition of a special teams player. Tell me in todaay's world of free agency that Tasker would not be highly sought after. So should he be a HOF candidate that gets real consideration?

I think Tasker deserves to be in. He was by far the best special teams player in the history of the league.

[Tcali]

Yes he does.

And I wonder how tasker would have done if they had used him in the passing game earlier in his career because he was effective when they finally let him play some WR.

I agree with that.They shoulda let him play WR when he was in his prime. No one could cover the guy.

[bartshan-83]

I mentioned this in another thread, but is Tasker, as arguably the best ST specialist of all-time, more deserving than say, Ray Guy, arguably the best punter of all-time? Along the same lines, Jan Stenerud is the only kicker to ever make it.

 

I'd say vote him in, but just food for thought...

[Dibs]

I mentioned this in another thread, but is Tasker, as arguably the best ST specialist of all-time, more deserving than say, Ray Guy, arguably the best punter of all-time? Along the same lines, Jan Stenerud is the only kicker to ever make it.

 

I'd say vote him in, but just food for thought...

There is quite a solid argument against Guy being the best punter of all-time.......there is no argument as to who the best STer of all time was.

 

Tasker should have been inducted the first year he was eligible.......there was never anyone better.

[bartshan-83]

There is quite a solid argument against Guy being the best punter of all-time.......there is no argument as to who the best STer of all time was.

Fair enough, I just used Guy because I believed he was the closest thing to a consensus.

 

I guess the larger scope of my point is that was Tasker's impact on special teams greater than any punter who ever played and all but one kicker?

 

Again, devil's advocate...I'd vote him in.

[BillsWatch]

ABSOLUTELY!

[Dwight Drane]

Congratulations! You have just won the dumbest post of the year award! The trophy is waiting for you in the closest septic tank and must be picked up only by you.

 

I'm too big to fish it out of there.....maybe Tasker can fit one of his little midget hands down there and get it for me. I'm sure I'd have to pay him $50 to do it, and his agent would take $10 for getting him such a great gig, and he'd have to fit it in-between a bar-mitzvah and a voice-over for a carpet store...but he's a gamer.

[Pyrite Gal]

Another thing that impresses me about Tasker is not simply did he have to be gameplanned for but he actually forced the NFL to change a rule to deal with an innovation he developed and pulled off because opponents game planned a way to stop his kick coverage. It is illegal for a player to cover a kick by running out of bounds and essentially behind his team off the field to cover kicks. Tasker was quick enough and understood the game well enough that he could run down outside of the field of play and get back onto the field to make the tackle. Simply phenomenal.

 

I understand when some argue that a player needs to be good enough that his team puts him on the field as a position player. Tasker was forced to "fill-in" as a WR due to injuries and it became clear that he was on ST not because he was not good enough to be a position player, but in fact he was such a productive ST player that the Bills chose to sacrifice his productive position play to have him be gameplanned for and revolutionize the ST game. While his relatively minimal but impressive WR stats in no way qualify him for the HOF they do show strongly how those who argue that no ST player can be considered a good enough player to get the HOF, Tasker was a skilled player by any measure.

[jester43]

I'm too big to fish it out of there.....maybe Tasker can fit one of his little midget hands down there and get it for me. I'm sure I'd have to pay him $50 to do it, and his agent would take $10 for getting him such a great gig, and he'd have to fit it in-between a bar-mitzvah and a voice-over for a carpet store...but he's a gamer.

wow. i don't think he belongs in the hall either, but geez...did you catch him banging your wife or something?

[Dwight Drane]

wow. i don't think he belongs in the hall either, but geez...did you catch him banging your wife or something?

 

My Uncle

[KRC]

I think he deserves to be inducted, but it ain't gonna happen. The selection committee will never vote him in (don't get me started on them).

[thewildrabbit]

Heck yeah!

 

Tell your brownie fan friend that Steve Tasker was no kick returner, this little guy made the pro bowl as a GUNNER!!!!

 

 

As a Bills fan and season ticket holder from 1988 to 1995 I attended every home game, playoff game and super bowl .Of course I want to see all the Bills mentioned make it into the hall someday.

The one player that stands out the most to me will probably never make it into canton,bcause the news writers who do all the voting have no clue as to what a hall of famer should be!

Seven time pro bowl and pro bowl MVP Steve Tasker. Never before in the history of the game has one player stood out and defined a position as a special teamer. No other special team player has been selected as the pro bowl MVP! No other special team player has ever been to the pro bowl 7 times. Just like Bruce Smith gave opposing OC's nightmares. Steve Tasker gave opposing special team coaches nightmares like no other player ever has, or ever will.

He didn't make it by returning kicks for TD's either. He made it to 7 pro bowls as the fiercest hitter / gunner in the NFL, He did this all at 5’ 8” & 183 lbs.

 

In the movie "Invincible" Vince Papale (who played only 3 seasons as a special teamer) his claim to fame came on the fact that he was a "walk-on' after the Eagles held open tryouts, although a great story that someone made a pro football team as a walk-on at age 30.He lasted the NFL average, 3 years.

 

Anyone who has ever watched the movie "Rudy" can get a moderate understanding of what this undersized hero did for so many seasons. With the avg lifespan of three years in the NFL... this player spent 12 years as a special team’s ace and wide receiver. He not only made the team,he redefined an NFL position!

 

What is really amazing is that he never really was able to show his ability as a wide out because he was so valuable on S.T. When he finally was used as a wide-out he played very similar to the way Wes Welker plays now.

 

He is not one in a million, He is the one and only

[thewildrabbit]

I'm too big to fish it out of there.....maybe Tasker can fit one of his little midget hands down there and get it for me. I'm sure I'd have to pay him $50 to do it, and his agent would take $10 for getting him such a great gig, and he'd have to fit it in-between a bar-mitzvah and a voice-over for a carpet store...but he's a gamer.

 

 

 

wow. i don't think he belongs in the hall either, but geez...did you catch him banging your wife or something?

 

 

rofl

 

Funny stuff,sour grapes and ya gotta wonder why...

[K-9]

If the universally accepted principle that special teams is considered a truly important aspect on ANY team means anything at all, as touted over the years by HCs around the league as well as the advent of designating special teams coaches dedicated only to that highly touted aspect, then Tasker should be in the HOF on that basis alone.

 

Otherwise it's all bullsh*t lip-service and/or the writers on the voting committe don't understand what these coaches have been saying all these years.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[thewildrabbit]

Let me ask a few questions to all those Bills fans out there.

 

Has any other special teams players ever made it to the pro bowl seven times as a gunner?

Has any other special teams player been named as pro bowl MVP

 

He was the first player to establish himself as a major star almost exclusively through special teams play without being either a kicker or a return man.

 

Can anyone even think of another special team player who lasted 14 years in the NFL,2 with Houston and 12 with the Bills

[KD in CA]

I think the standards for the HOF in all the major sports have become way too lenient. So given that, I can see how people might think he belongs.

 

However, I don't. His primary job was covering punts -- sure he was great at that and I loved his energy as a player but come on, the HOF for impacting field position by 5 yards? I can't see it.

 

I would argue that a great return man like Brian Mitchell was more impactful and more deserving of HOF consideration.

 

 

 

Can anyone even think of another special team player who lasted 14 years in the NFL

Bill Bates

[Chandler#81]

In a word, Yes!

 

Will he? Sadly, probably not...

[Steely Dan]

Let me ask a few questions to all those Bills fans out there.

 

Has any other special teams players ever made it to the pro bowl seven times as a gunner?

Has any other special teams player been named as pro bowl MVP

 

He was the first player to establish himself as a major star almost exclusively through special teams play without being either a kicker or a return man.

 

Can anyone even think of another special team player who lasted 14 years in the NFL,2 with Houston and 12 with the Bills

 

How many players have forced rule changes?

[murra]

I'm too big to fish it out of there.....maybe Tasker can fit one of his little midget hands down there and get it for me. I'm sure I'd have to pay him $50 to do it, and his agent would take $10 for getting him such a great gig, and he'd have to fit it in-between a bar-mitzvah and a voice-over for a carpet store...but he's a gamer.

 

I must say, that is one of the mightiest message board comebacks I've read in a while. Of course I think it was better for me personally because I read it as if you were telling it to him in a todd barry voice.

[thewildrabbit]

Bill Bates

 

Good point but!, Bill Bates was more of an outstanding special teams "ace" later in his career.He started as a safety / linebacker and made the Pro bowl once in 1984 as a safety. He played only for the Cowboys from 1983 to 1997 and mostly as a safety over half his time with Dallas.

 

 

I would argue that a great return man like Brian Mitchell was more impactful and more deserving of HOF consideration.

 

I agree, Brian Mitchell should also get consideration for the HoF based on his return stats. He made the pro bowl once in 1985

 

He was well known as a kick returner, and is the NFL's second all time leader in total yardage (23,330), thanks in large part to his 14,014 yards from kickoff returns and his 4,999 punt return yards. Both are NFL records. He also rushed for 1,967 yards on 388 carries (avg. 5.1 rushing yards), caught 255 passes for 2,336 yards, recovered 20 fumbles for 14 return yards, and scored 29 touchdowns (4 kickoff returns, 9 punt returns, 12 rushing, 4 receiving). His 13 special teams touchdowns are also an NFL record. His 9 punt return touchdowns are 2nd behind Eric Metcalf (10). He is also one of only four players to record four seasons of over 2,000 total yards, (the others being Marshall Faulk, Dante Hall and Tiki Barber) and missed out on a fifth by only five yards.

 

 

Steve Tasker made it to the pro bowl SEVEN TIMES!!! He was named MVP in one of those pro bowl appearances. AS A GUNNER!!!

 

NOBODY has done it better,EVER!

Special teams ace Steve Tasker of the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills earned the Dan McGuire Trophy as the game's most valuable player for making four tackles, forcing a fumble and blocking a field goal. His block came at a crucial point with just 8 minutes left and the game tied at 13. Los Angeles Raiders Terry McDaniel scooped up the ball and raced 28 yards to give the AFC a 20-13 lead.

[murra]

Good point but!, Bill Bates was more of an outstanding special teams "ace" later in his career.He started as a safety / linebacker and made the Pro bowl once in 1984 as a safety. He played only for the Cowboys from 1983 to 1997 and mostly as a safety over half his time with Dallas.

 

 

 

 

I agree, Brian Mitchell should also get consideration for the HoF based on his return stats. He made the pro bowl once in 1985

 

He was well known as a kick returner, and is the NFL's second all time leader in total yardage (23,330), thanks in large part to his 14,014 yards from kickoff returns and his 4,999 punt return yards. Both are NFL records. He also rushed for 1,967 yards on 388 carries (avg. 5.1 rushing yards), caught 255 passes for 2,336 yards, recovered 20 fumbles for 14 return yards, and scored 29 touchdowns (4 kickoff returns, 9 punt returns, 12 rushing, 4 receiving). His 13 special teams touchdowns are also an NFL record. His 9 punt return touchdowns are 2nd behind Eric Metcalf (10). He is also one of only four players to record four seasons of over 2,000 total yards, (the others being Marshall Faulk, Dante Hall and Tiki Barber) and missed out on a fifth by only five yards.

 

 

Steve Tasker made it to the pro bowl SEVEN TIMES!!! He was named MVP in one of those pro bowl appearances. AS A GUNNER!!!

 

NOBODY has done it better,EVER!

Special teams ace Steve Tasker of the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills earned the Dan McGuire Trophy as the game's most valuable player for making four tackles, forcing a fumble and blocking a field goal. His block came at a crucial point with just 8 minutes left and the game tied at 13. Los Angeles Raiders Terry McDaniel scooped up the ball and raced 28 yards to give the AFC a 20-13 lead.

 

I'm confused. Was your argument to talk Mitchell up and then at the end explode with a Steve Tasker comparison making us all believe that Tasker is more deserved? Because, honestly all you did was sell me on Mitchell.

[stuckincincy]

Recently debated with coworker who is huge Browns fan .. his opinion is that no way does a non-kicker/ punter get in. Even then a P/K would be a very rare election. He argued even a return specialist should be a "one in a billion" shot at getting in. As Bills fans we know Tasker had to be game planned for. He was a force in any game. He redefined the definition of a special teams player. Tell me in todaay's world of free agency that Tasker would not be highly sought after. So should he be a HOF candidate that gets real consideration?

 

It's a long shot. Good as Tasker was, there are a lot of good players eligible...for some time. Reed for one. Also Hershel Walker. At the risk of being mawkish - when I watched him play, I thought of Secretariat. What an absolute specimen he was...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker

[thewildrabbit]

I'm confused. Was your argument to talk Mitchell up and then at the end explode with a Steve Tasker comparison making us all believe that Tasker is more deserved? Because, honestly all you did was sell me on Mitchell.

 

I agree that Brian Mitchell was worthy of HoF consideration by showing his stats,not just mentioning his name. I also wanted to point out as good as he was he only made the pro bowl ONCE!

 

If you can't see the significance between being voted to a pro bowl once and being voted in seven times

 

Also,that was back in the day where the players were the only ones allowed to vote, I thinks its pretty amazing that Tasker was voted in 7 times and not as a KR/ PR which makes it even more amazing.

 

Thurman Thomas 5x PB

Bruce Smith 11x PB

Andre reed 7x PB

Jim Kelly 4x PB

Kent hull 3x PB

Will Wolford 3x PB

Ruben Brown 8x PB

[murra]

I agree that Brian Mitchell was worthy of HoF consideration by showing his stats,not just mentioning his name. I also wanted to point out as good as he was he only made the pro bowl ONCE!

 

If you can't see the significance between being voted to a pro bowl once and being voted in seven times

 

Also,that was back in the day where the players were the only ones allowed to vote, I thinks its pretty amazing that Tasker was voted in 7 times and not as a KR/ PR which makes it even more amazing.

 

Thurman Thomas 5x PB

Bruce Smith 11x PB

Andre reed 7x PB

Jim Kelly 4x PB

Kent hull 3x PB

Will Wolford 3x PB

Ruben Brown 8x PB

 

So by your genius logic, Ruben Brown belongs in the Hall of Fame because he was elected to 8 pro bowls?

[Adam]

He was the greatest special teams players ever. He was not one of the greatest players in the history of the league. I have to say no.

[The Dean]

I vote "Yes" to Tasker. I also have to vote "Yes" to Guy (despite not having the best stats, among Punters). In general, I'd like to see great ST players treated just like great player on offense and defense.

[BillsZubaz]

No question about it. If he doesn't make it into the HOF it will be a crying shame. The man was a pioneer of the "gunner" position and a game changer on a consistent basis. Teams were forced to gameplan just for him and he even forced the NFL to adjust some rules due to his "creativity" . Not to mention, Tasker would have made an outstanding receiver (and did later in his career) had Levy decided to keep Kicking game his primary responsibility!

[thewildrabbit]

I'm confused. Was your argument to talk Mitchell up and then at the end explode with a Steve Tasker comparison making us all believe that Tasker is more deserved? Because, honestly all you did was sell me on Mitchell.

Apparently,you put no value on a player being voted into the pro bowl and from your earlier statement you think that stats are the only way to value a player for HoF consideration.That's a one sided view IMO.

 

There are several areas to look at for HoF consideration,length of career-stats-impact on the game-recognized by peers / fans/coaches/sports writers with a PB selection.

So yea, pro bowls mean something to me.Being voted pro bowl MVP is significant.How many Buffalo Bills have been named MVP of the pro bowl?

 

My take is that some players spend their entire career playing their hearts out and never once get recognized for their efforts with a PB vote,the list is endless. The first player that comes to my mind is Daryl Tally.To be voted to the pro bowl 7 times is something special.

[murra]

Apparently,you put no value on a player being voted into the pro bowl and from your earlier statement you think that stats are the only way to value a player for HoF consideration.That's a one sided view IMO.

 

There are several areas to look at for HoF consideration,length of career-stats-impact on the game-recognized by peers / fans/coaches/sports writers with a PB selection.

So yea, pro bowls mean something to me.Being voted pro bowl MVP is significant.How many Buffalo Bills have been named MVP of the pro bowl?

 

My take is that some players spend their entire career playing their hearts out and never once get recognized for their efforts with a PB vote,the list is endless. The first player that comes to my mind is Daryl Tally.To be voted to the pro bowl 7 times is something special.

 

I'm not all about stats. I just don't go goo goo ga ga over the probowl like you.

[BillsWatch]

Also,that was back in the day where the players were the only ones allowed to vote, I thinks its pretty amazing that Tasker was voted in 7 times and not as a KR/ PR which makes it even more amazing.

He was named to NFL's All-Time Team. The team was selected by the 36 voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Players voted in him into ProBowl before there was even such a slot for special teams.

Special teams selection was created due to his performance.

He was even voted in as special teams player when he wasn't even playing special teams.

 

Read my tribute first written in 1996:

http://members.cox.net/billswatch/st_index.html