Fred Taylor - A Hall of Famer or not? (1 Viewer)

[Ghost Rider]

Pros:

-10,715 rushing yards all-time, currently 17th all-time

-6 seasons of 1,200 rushing yards or more

-a lifetime YPC average of 4.7

-6 top 10 finishes in rushing yards

-Went over 100 yards in 3 of his 5 playoff game appearances

Cons:

-Plays in Jacksonville (this will hurt him, for sure)

-Only scored 69 TDs in 127 regular season games

-Only 1 Pro Bowl to his credit now (I think Pro Bowl berths are way overrated, but to many, they are important, so his lack of appearances will hurt him)

-Despite his 6 top 10 finishes, he never finished in the top 5, so you could never really say he was one of the top 3-5 RBs in the NFL

Personally, I think Taylor is close, but not closest enough. However, many put a lot of stock in total rushing yards, so if he can have two more season similar to the one he just had, he will definitely finish in the top 10 all-time in rushing yards, and for some, that might be enough. Not for me necessarily, but for some.

If the Jaguars can win or even just get to a Super Bowl with Taylor being a force in their run, that will help him out tremendously.

 

[King_Kelly]

I wouldn't think so, but they put just about everyone in the NFL hall of fame so he might make it.

 

[gman8343]

no.

 

[Eviloutsider]

He's still got some more good years so the discusssion is incomplete right now. If he ends up top 5-10, hes gotta go in.

 

[Eviloutsider]

I see him going three more years, around 600 yards per year (1,800 yards)

That would put him at around 12,500. That would rank him 8th barring Dunn and LT catching him (LT will).

 

[twitch]

Fred T is still running hard, and this team looks like a playoff team for upcoming years. So, if he can push it another 3 or so years and they get to a Superbowl or 2, you never know. As it stands today, he's not a HOFer. But the final chapters are still yet to be written.

 

[Jiggyonthehut]

I see him going three more years, around 600 yards per year (1,800 yards)That would put him at around 12,500. That would rank him 8th barring Dunn and LT catching him (LT will).

3 more years at a good clip + Pro Bowl invite (starter) + Super Bowl would clinch it IMO. He is signed for the next 3 years for 4 mill, 5 mill, 6 mill respectively (1 mill roster bonus each year). But I don't think the Jags let him go unless he retires. He means a ton to the community.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

no.

 

[Brutis]

I dont see how Fred will ever make it in the HOF, he cant even get a pro bowl.

 

[teamroc]

Pros:-10,715 rushing yards all-time, currently 17th all-time-6 seasons of 1,200 rushing yards or more -a lifetime YPC average of 4.7-6 top 10 finishes in rushing yards-Went over 100 yards in 3 of his 5 playoff game appearancesConslays in Jacksonville (this will hurt him, for sure)-Only scored 69 TDs in 127 regular season games-Only 1 Pro Bowl to his credit now (I think Pro Bowl berths are way overrated, but to many, they are important, so his lack of appearances will hurt him)-Despite his 6 top 10 finishes, he never finished in the top 5, so you could never really say he was one of the top 3-5 RBs in the NFLPersonally, I think Taylor is close, but not closest enough. However, many put a lot of stock in total rushing yards, so if he can have two more season similar to the one he just had, he will definitely finish in the top 10 all-time in rushing yards, and for some, that might be enough. Not for me necessarily, but for some. If the Jaguars can win or even just get to a Super Bowl with Taylor being a force in their run, that will help him out tremendously.

Main Entry: search Pronunciation: \ˈsərch\ Function: verb Etymology: Middle English cerchen, from Anglo-French cercher, sercher to travel about, investigate, search, from Late Latin circare to go about, from Latin circum round about — more at circum- Date: 14th century transitive verb1: to look into or over carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something: as a: to examine in seeking something <searched the north field> b: to look through or explore by inspecting possible places of concealment or investigating suspicious circumstances c: to read thoroughly : check; especially : to examine a public record or register for information about <search land titles> d: to examine for articles concealed on the person e: to look at as if to discover or penetrate intention or nature2: to uncover, find, or come to know by inquiry or scrutiny —usually used with outintransitive verb1: to look or inquire carefully <searched for the papers>2: to make painstaking investigation or examination— search·able \ˈsər-chə-bəl\ adjective — search·er noun — search·ing·ly \-chiŋ-lē\ adverb I seem to remember a Taylor HOF thread in the last week. Lets keep the floating logs to a minimum in the pool.k thx

 

[Eviloutsider]

Pros:-10,715 rushing yards all-time, currently 17th all-time-6 seasons of 1,200 rushing yards or more -a lifetime YPC average of 4.7-6 top 10 finishes in rushing yards-Went over 100 yards in 3 of his 5 playoff game appearancesConslays in Jacksonville (this will hurt him, for sure)-Only scored 69 TDs in 127 regular season games-Only 1 Pro Bowl to his credit now (I think Pro Bowl berths are way overrated, but to many, they are important, so his lack of appearances will hurt him)-Despite his 6 top 10 finishes, he never finished in the top 5, so you could never really say he was one of the top 3-5 RBs in the NFLPersonally, I think Taylor is close, but not closest enough. However, many put a lot of stock in total rushing yards, so if he can have two more season similar to the one he just had, he will definitely finish in the top 10 all-time in rushing yards, and for some, that might be enough. Not for me necessarily, but for some. If the Jaguars can win or even just get to a Super Bowl with Taylor being a force in their run, that will help him out tremendously.

Main Entry: search Pronunciation: \ˈsərch\ Function: verb Etymology: Middle English cerchen, from Anglo-French cercher, sercher to travel about, investigate, search, from Late Latin circare to go about, from Latin circum round about — more at circum- Date: 14th century transitive verb1: to look into or over carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something: as a: to examine in seeking something <searched the north field> b: to look through or explore by inspecting possible places of concealment or investigating suspicious circumstances c: to read thoroughly : check; especially : to examine a public record or register for information about <search land titles> d: to examine for articles concealed on the person e: to look at as if to discover or penetrate intention or nature2: to uncover, find, or come to know by inquiry or scrutiny —usually used with outintransitive verb1: to look or inquire carefully <searched for the papers>2: to make painstaking investigation or examination— search·able \ˈsər-chə-bəl\ adjective — search·er noun — search·ing·ly \-chiŋ-lē\ adverb I seem to remember a Taylor HOF thread in the last week. Lets keep the floating logs to a minimum in the pool.k thx

We were having a pretty good discussion before you showed up. Door is that away if you don't want in.

 

[Anonymous Internet User]

I see him going three more years, around 600 yards per year (1,800 yards)That would put him at around 12,500. That would rank him 8th barring Dunn and LT catching him (LT will).

3 more years at a good clip + Pro Bowl invite (starter) + Super Bowl would clinch it IMO. He is signed for the next 3 years for 4 mill, 5 mill, 6 mill respectively (1 mill roster bonus each year). But I don't think the Jags let him go unless he retires. He means a ton to the community.

he's turning 33 shortly?! he's not gonna produce at age 36 ...

 

[Anarchy99]

We've had this conversation for the past several years and I can't see how anyone could say that he is a HOFer based on the number of RBs that played along side him that have to be considered having better credentials.

Guys that were active when Taylor played include:

ALREADY IN

Barry Sanders

GOING IN

Curtis Martin

Marshall Faulk

Emmitt Smith

Jerome Bettis

LEGIT CANDIDATES

Edgerrin James

Tiki Barber

Shaun Alexander

LaDainian Tomlinson

Clinton Portis

NOT IN BUT MAY BE IN THE CONVERSATION

Ricky Watters

Eddie George

Terrell Davis

Corey Dillon

Warrick Dunn

Ahman Green

Priest Holmes

Historically speaking, only a handful of RB have made it in from any given decade (literally a SINGLE handful). How could anyone justify ranking Taylor above the first three tiers of players above (and maybe not even above some of the others in the last tier)?

 

[chitlins3]

I see him going three more years, around 600 yards per year (1,800 yards)That would put him at around 12,500. That would rank him 8th barring Dunn and LT catching him (LT will).

3 more years at a good clip + Pro Bowl invite (starter) + Super Bowl would clinch it IMO. He is signed for the next 3 years for 4 mill, 5 mill, 6 mill respectively (1 mill roster bonus each year). But I don't think the Jags let him go unless he retires. He means a ton to the community.

he's turning 33 shortly?! he's not gonna produce at age 36 ...

He turns 32 at the end of January. He will be 34 during the 2010 season. Most RBs I'd agree wouldn't be productive at that age, but Taylor averaged 5.4 yards per carry this year, so who knows?

 

[King of the Wolfies]

he's had a lot of good years but no spectacular ones. is that good enough to get in? i'm riding the fence.

 

[nysfl2]

I would think that his career yards per carry of 4.7 would certainly help his case for getting in. Out of the top 30 career rushers, only these guys averaged 4.7 yards per carry or more for their career:

Barry Sanders 5.0

Jim Brown 5.2

OJ Simpson 4.7

Tiki Barber 4.7

Joe Perry 4.8

This compares pretty favorably to some of the 'sure thing' hall of famers

Emmitt Smith 4.2

LT2 4.5

Curtis Martin 4.0

Jerome Bettis 3.9

Marshall Faulk 4.3

Edge 4.1

He may or may not make the hall, but his ypc should definitely get him in the conversation.

 

[Anarchy99]

Of oher concern for Taylor is that many RB on my list above have bettered his total yards output . . .

Emmitt Smith 21,579

Marshall Faulk 19,154

Barry Sanders 18,190

Curtis Martin 17,430

Tiki Barber 15,632

Jerome Bettis 15,111

Ricky Watters 14,891

Edgerrin James 14,733

Warrick Dunn 14,108

LaDainian Tomlinson 13,962

Corey Dillon 13,154

Fred Taylor 12,978

Ottis Anderson, Roger Craig, and Herschel Walker are also ahead of him for now.

Scoring wise, Taylor has scored 69 career TD.

Emmitt Smith 175

Marshall Faulk 136

LaDainian Tomlinson 128

Shaun Alexander 111

Curtis Martin 100

Jerome Bettis 94

Priest Holmes 94

Ricky Watters 91

Corey Dillon 89

Edgerrin James 87

Ottis Anderson 86

Pete Johnson 82

Herschel Walker 82

Terry Allen 79

James Brooks 79

Eddie George 78

Chuck Foreman 76

Bill Brown 75

Chuck Muncie 74

Roger Craig 73

John David Crow 73

Earnest Byner 71

Neal Anderson 71

Mike Alstott 71

Ahman Green 70

IMO, Taylor has a spot for him in the Hall of Very Good, but as far as Canton goes he will have to keep playing at a very high level for several more years to have any real chance.

 

[SSOG]

Big Gators fan, big Fred Taylor fan. He's not even close to the HoF.

 

[walkwithme]

Very good player on some good teams that never went to a Super Bowl. I would say he didn't play on any offensive powerhouse team and he was rarely used as a receiver so that hurts his numbers for total yards and total TD's. I mean look up Jimmy Smith's WR numbers he had some high receptions and yardage years but was never high on the TD's. It will be hard for him to get in the HOF

 

[jbz]

anyone know why Freddie has been removed from goalline situations for practically his whole career? i don't see a lack of power or ability when he runs. his lack of TDs really hurt his chances.

 

[Hairy Snowman]

Big Gators fan, big Fred Taylor fan. He's not even close to the HoF.

 

[TitusIII]

It doesn't matter what we think, current NFL players know he is/has been an elite RB for quite some time. I think he is in...

I know the stats only tell a part of the story, his talent should speak for itself. It's too bad he has been playing in a small market for the past ten years, because there are only a handfull of RB's that have had FT's total package in the history of the NFL...imo

 

[GregR_2]

But Fred Taylor is such a great blocker! I swear, you can't get people on this board to look at anything but stats!

 

[Anarchy99]

It doesn't matter what we think, current NFL players know he is/has been an elite RB for quite some time. I think he is in...I know the stats only tell a part of the story, his talent should speak for itself. It's too bad he has been playing in a small market for the past ten years, because there are only a handfull of RB's that have had FT's total package in the history of the NFL...imo

Then that would explain his seemingless endless Pro Bowl and All Pro selections (in addition to his MVP awards and SB rings).

 

[Tau837]

No, and it's not close.

 

[SSOG]

No, and it's not close.

This is someone to listen to in HoF discussions.

 

[Jayrod]

But Fred Taylor is such a great blocker! I swear, you can't get people on this board to look at anything but stats!

Dude's no Hines Ward, that's for sure.

 

[moleculo]

don't you think that a HOF RB would be able to finish in the top 5 in rushing yards at least once in his career?

Here's a (probably incomplete) list of contemporary RB's who have finished at least 5th in rushing yards:

edgerrin james

jamal lewis

clinton portis

ahman green

shaun alexander

tiki barber

Marshall faulk

corey dillon

deuce mcallister

priest holmes

larry johnson

IMO, these guys are more fit for HOF then FreddyT, in that they have done more with their careers, compiling not withstanding.

Here is a link to the earlier thread.

 

[GregR_2]

don't you think that a HOF RB would be able to finish in the top 5 in rushing yards at least once in his career?

Nope, I think he'd be able to finish there more than once.

 

[MarshallRob]

He had Hall of Fame talent in his prime. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay healthy enough to post more than a couple of Hall of Fame type seasons in those years. Taylor just hasn't done any of the things you look for Hall of Famers to do (i.e All-Pro teams, MVP's, Pro Bowls, rushing titles, 100+ TD's).

To jumpstart his future candidacy I suggest a Riggins-like postseason run leading his team to an unexpected championship.

 

[SSOG]

don't you think that a HOF RB would be able to finish in the top 5 in rushing yards at least once in his career?

Nope, I think he'd be able to finish there more than once.

When last I checked, "more than once" was still "at least once".

 

[GregR_2]

don't you think that a HOF RB would be able to finish in the top 5 in rushing yards at least once in his career?

Nope, I think he'd be able to finish there more than once.

When last I checked, "more than once" was still "at least once".

Touche.

 

[Bill Lust]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

 

[SSOG]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.Is it likely? Of course not. Is it possible? Sure.As another example, pretend that there's some Chinese phenom who comes and plays RB. The Chinese have demonstrated with Yao and Yi that they're going to vote en masse for any Chinese superstars in any online voting (Yi is currently 5th in All Star balloting despite NOT EVEN BEING ON THE BALLOT). What if a superior RB kept missing out on the pro bowl to an inferior RB who happened to get that kind of ridiculous popular support?

 

[mbuehner]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.

Better question- does Fred Taylor belong in that company?The answer is no.

 

[Dought Man]

He and Hines Ward will have to buy tickets like the rest of us do.... very good.. but not all time great.

 

[[scooter]]

Bettis and C-Mart are on the bubble, and Taylor is several notches below those guys. Dillon, Alexander, Priest and Edge will also get in before Taylor will. Even Ricky Watters should be ranked ahead of Taylor.

 

[GregR_2]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.Is it likely? Of course not. Is it possible? Sure.As another example, pretend that there's some Chinese phenom who comes and plays RB. The Chinese have demonstrated with Yao and Yi that they're going to vote en masse for any Chinese superstars in any online voting (Yi is currently 5th in All Star balloting despite NOT EVEN BEING ON THE BALLOT). What if a superior RB kept missing out on the pro bowl to an inferior RB who happened to get that kind of ridiculous popular support?

While I totally understand what you're trying to say in this analogy, it doesn't work for me. If you have those 7 RBs in the same conference at the same time, it's extremely unlikely that you're going to get 7 Hall of Fame CAREERS out of them. That's the problem... there really is no such thing as a HoF RB... there are just RBs who had HoF careers. Plenty of RBs may have been capable of having a HoF career, but didn't.Part of a HoF career is being considered one of the elite players at your position against your peers. If we had those 7 RBs all playing at the same time, odds are 3 or 4 of them would not be considered elite. They would still be very good, but not elite for the time they played.

 

[GreenNGold]

I see him going three more years, around 600 yards per year (1,800 yards)That would put him at around 12,500. That would rank him 8th barring Dunn and LT catching him (LT will).

600 per year is significantly under-estimating his ability, just like everyone has done for the last 2-3 years. Look for Taylor to put up 3 more 1,000+ yard season. Hall of fame: He could very well get snubbed just like he does for the pro bowl, but he has my vote.

 

[SSOG]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.

Better question- does Fred Taylor belong in that company?The answer is no.

Neither does Curtis Martin, but I still that Curtis Martin has a legit HoF candidacy.

 

[Wadsworth]

Bettis and C-Mart are on the bubble, and Taylor is several notches below those guys. Dillon, Alexander, Priest and Edge will also get in before Taylor will. Even Ricky Watters should be ranked ahead of Taylor.

Fred is not a HoF'er currently but he's not done. As far as how he compares to the other guys listed, a lot depends on how you measure greatness. If you break down Fred's performance to a per carry or even per game average he compares very well to the other RBs listed. Like I mentioned in the most recent thread if Fred played 2 more seasons and averaged 500 carries a season he'd still have fewer carries than Bettis or Martin. Fred has only been over 300 carries once in his career. But Fred is top 10 all time for RBs in yards from scimage per game in spite of not being a particularly productive receiver and only averaging about 18 carries and 2 catches a game. His 9 straight 100 yard games in 2000 is the third longest streak ever and he is currently on another streak 5 straight games. He finished 9th in rushing this season less than 300 yard off the league lead in spite of only playing 15 games and averaging fewer than 15 carries a game. So like I said, it depends how you measure greatness. You could look at 2007 and say he finsihed 9th in rushing with just 1,200 yards. Not very impressive. But if you look a little deeper, he had a pretty amazing season.

 

[David Yudkin]

Fred is not a HoF'er currently but he's not done.

Here's the problem I have with this line of thinking for FT and many other players in his category. If he's not in now, are people expecting him to do BETTER as he gets older? The only thing he can really do at this point is pad his career totals, as he likely will not start doing BETTER each year, nor will he start ranking higher in the main categories each year from here on out.As for those saying that Taylor has 3 more 1,000 yard seasons left . . . there were 17 RB that thad 1,000 rushing yards this season (that's the average per year in this era as well). A thousand yards rushing is not that great anymore.One would assume that a HOF RB would have been a Top 5 RB at some point in his career. In 10 seasons, Taylor has ranked in the Top 5:Rushing attempts 1Rushing yards 0Rushing TD 1YPC 3Rushing Yds/Gm 1Total TD 1Yds from Scrimmage 0All Purpose Yds 0And he's had 0 Pro Bowl selections, 0 All Pro selections, 0 SB rings (so far), 0 MVPs (and very little consideration from I can tell).Getting back to Taylor going on to have 3 more 1000 yard rushing seasons. Running backs 32 or older have only rushed for 1000 yards ten times to date. And only two of them were able to have two such seasons (John Riggins and John Henry Johnson).I like Taylor as much as the next guy, but I just don't see how he has much of a chance of being a HOFer.

 

[Wadsworth]

Fred is not a HoF'er currently but he's not done.

...One would assume that a HOF RB would have been a Top 5 RB at some point in his career.

How about despite having only 2285 career carries being 4th all time in runs over 50 yards (behind Sanders, Jim Brown, and LT2) and 5th all time in run over 10 yards (behind E. Smith, Sanders, C. Martin and M. Faulk with a good shot at catching all but Smith). In fact I think Fred Taylor averaging 1 run of 10+ yards per every 7.35 rushing attempts may be the best ratio ever for a RB with a decent amount of carries.I am a Jags homer and big Fred Taylor fan so it's obvious why I enjoy the debate. But I think a lot of NFL fans find Fred's situation interesting because while Fred has displayed a great deal of ability he does lack that one defining season. Yet when you look at his career numbers and factor in a production versus opportunity ratios he stacks up pretty well against almost any NFL RB. For example, though obviously different eras, Fred's career numbers are almost identical to OJ Simpson's. Bettis and Curtis Martin both have more "top 5" finshes than Taylor, but both also have 1,000 more carries. So yea, Fred's not a Hall of Famer right now and it's not likely he'll improve this late in his career. But when he is done he's going to have some very impressive career stats that will compare well with RBs of his era and all time greats. His season stats might never look Hall worthy(due to injury and limited opportunity) and that I suspect will be the topic of much debate in a few years.

 

[Tau837]

Fred is not a HoF'er currently but he's not done.

...One would assume that a HOF RB would have been a Top 5 RB at some point in his career.

How about despite having only 2285 career carries being 4th all time in runs over 50 yards (behind Sanders, Jim Brown, and LT2) and 5th all time in run over 10 yards (behind E. Smith, Sanders, C. Martin and M. Faulk with a good shot at catching all but Smith). In fact I think Fred Taylor averaging 1 run of 10+ yards per every 7.35 rushing attempts may be the best ratio ever for a RB with a decent amount of carries.I am a Jags homer and big Fred Taylor fan so it's obvious why I enjoy the debate. But I think a lot of NFL fans find Fred's situation interesting because while Fred has displayed a great deal of ability he does lack that one defining season. Yet when you look at his career numbers and factor in a production versus opportunity ratios he stacks up pretty well against almost any NFL RB. For example, though obviously different eras, Fred's career numbers are almost identical to OJ Simpson's. Bettis and Curtis Martin both have more "top 5" finshes than Taylor, but both also have 1,000 more carries. So yea, Fred's not a Hall of Famer right now and it's not likely he'll improve this late in his career. But when he is done he's going to have some very impressive career stats that will compare well with RBs of his era and all time greats. His season stats might never look Hall worthy(due to injury and limited opportunity) and that I suspect will be the topic of much debate in a few years.

This won't even be a topic of debate in a few years, for multiple reasons.1. The fact that his season stats will never look Hall worthy, as you admitted, is enough to keep him out.

2. You say he'll have career stats that compare well with RBs of his era and all time greats, but that is clearly not the case barring some resurgence yet to come.

3. HOF worthiness is about what a player accomplished, not what he might have accomplished under different circumstances.

I love how you dismiss the 1000 more carries Martin and Bettis had as if they are irrelevant to the comparison. They are relevant, because those 1000 extra carries were very valuable to their teams. And those extra carries, and the corresponding punishment associated with them, made it that much harder for those players to stay on the field and productive.

Whether it was because he couldn't sufficiently beat out his competition, couldn't stay healthy and on the field, couldn't impress the coaches that he could handle the workload, or some combination of these and other reasons, it is Taylor's own fault that he did not get more carries. He is responsible for his own career and career results. And they just aren't impressive enough for the HOF. Frankly, it's not close.

 

[GregR_2]

If you're going to sit down 30 years from now and tell the story of the NFL to some kid just learning the game... can you adequately tell the story of this era without needing to mention Fred Taylor?

Most definitely you can, which is a good indication he isn't a HoF'er.

 

[switz]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.

Better question- does Fred Taylor belong in that company?The answer is no.

Taylor is a better RB than Emmitt Smith, he just hasn't played on as good a team, except maybe Emmitt's ARI teams.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

It's always fun when these threads pop up for players who don't even deserve consideration for the HOF. (see: Rod Smith)

 

[CalBear]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.

Better question- does Fred Taylor belong in that company?The answer is no.

Taylor is a better RB than Emmitt Smith, he just hasn't played on as good a team, except maybe Emmitt's ARI teams.

Emmitt at age 35 on a horrible team scored more TDs than Taylor has in any season since he (Taylor) was 25. Is there any player in the Hall who never had a Pro Bowl selection? No.

 

[mbuehner]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.

Better question- does Fred Taylor belong in that company?The answer is no.

Taylor is a better RB than Emmitt Smith, he just hasn't played on as good a team, except maybe Emmitt's ARI teams.

There's undoubtedly some guy in Zimbabwe herding goats that would have been a better running back than Walter Payton, had he lived under different circumstances. But we only judge what people have done in their own circumstances, like it or not. Emmitt Smiths credentials are about the gold standard for HOF induction, and I agree he was never as naturally talented as many of the others. Pedigree counts.

 

[redman]

I think Taylor is great, but how can a RB that has never been to a Pro Bowl make the Hall of Fame?

Hypothetical situation: pretend Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Peyton, LaDanian Tomlinson, Thurman Thomas, and Marshall Faulk all played in their primes in the same conference at the same time. That's how.Is it likely? Of course not. Is it possible? Sure.

As another example, pretend that there's some Chinese phenom who comes and plays RB. The Chinese have demonstrated with Yao and Yi that they're going to vote en masse for any Chinese superstars in any online voting (Yi is currently 5th in All Star balloting despite NOT EVEN BEING ON THE BALLOT). What if a superior RB kept missing out on the pro bowl to an inferior RB who happened to get that kind of ridiculous popular support?

Isn't a version of this how FWP got into the Pro Bowl this year over Taylor?