That's like saying, that for awhile, Steve Young wasn't even the best QB on his team.He wasn't even the best RB on his college team.
theThat's like saying, that for awhile, Steve Young wasn't even the best QB on his team.He wasn't even the best RB on his college team.
Temporarily down. Thanks for the heads uptheThat's like saying, that for awhile, Steve Young wasn't even the best QB on his team.He wasn't even the best RB on his college team.meter isn't working?
But it wasn'tSo he followed thatup with..I can't believe people are actually voting no. He SHOULD have been a first ballot hall of famer. If Norwood kicks it two feet to the left Thomas wins the MVP of SBXXV.
Here are the fisrt-time HOF inductees at RB:Hugh McElhennyI can't believe people are actually voting no. He SHOULD have been a first ballot hall of famer. If Norwood kicks it two feet to the left Thomas wins the MVP of SBXXV.
Maybe the Bills allowing 40 points per game over their next 3 Super Bowls impacted what Thomas could do. Give Thomas 30 extra rushing yards each game and would that have made any difference to the outcome?But it wasn'tSo he followed thatup with..I can't believe people are actually voting no. He SHOULD have been a first ballot hall of famer. If Norwood kicks it two feet to the left Thomas wins the MVP of SBXXV.
10 rushes 13 yards
then the next super bowl was
11 rushes 19 yards
followed by
16 rushes 37 yards
that is letting your team down in 3 straight super bowls
that's got to hurt his chances
Not to hijack, but who will be Thomas's main competition next year?Derrick Thomas still, but what new players?Thomas will be in next year.
Again -Eric Dickerson (Craig James) and Franco Harris (Lydell Mitchell) where in rb by commitee situations in college. Who cares if Thomas learned his craft sitting behind Barry Sanders for a couple of years. The resentment towards T. Thomas must stop!
?? He was a very good RB but he wasn't a GREAT RB therefore he shouldn't have gotten in on first ballot. He'll get in eventually but not first ballot, no way.I can't believe people are actually voting no. He SHOULD have been a first ballot hall of famer. If Norwood kicks it two feet to the left Thomas wins the MVP of SBXXV.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060205/3023268.aspThurman deserved football's top honor now, not later
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I heard that Thomas hadn't made the final cut to six, I felt like running all the way to Canton and booing the place.
2/5/2006
By JERRY SULLIVAN
DETROIT - A few days before the 1993 AFC Championship Game, Thurman Thomas flew into one of his patented snits. Thomas had become convinced that some of us in the media were campaigning for Kenny Davis to start in his place. He complained about a lack of respect. He threatened retirement. He said he wanted to hit someone - maybe a reporter.
Then he went out and rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns, carrying the Bills past the Chiefs and into an unprecedented fourth straight Super Bowl. It was a performance for the ages, one of the best games you'll ever see from a running back. That day, as always, Thomas rode the rapids of his own exaggerated resentment and rage.
Thurman wore his anger like an overcoat. He played his entire career with a chip on his shoulder pads. It was part of what made him great. But it's sad to think of him sitting in some hotel room Saturday afternoon, devastated by the news that he had been rejected by the Hall of Fame in his first opportunity.
He probably felt like hitting someone, and I couldn't blame him. Thomas had come to Detroit reluctantly. He told people that he didn't want to sit around waiting, only to be disappointed, as he had on that infamous day in the spring of 1988 when he lasted until the second round of the NFL draft.
When I heard that Thomas hadn't made the final cut to six, I felt like running all the way to Canton and booing the place. This vote is an injustice. Thomas should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. If six men can be voted into the Hall and Thomas not be among them, there's something wrong with the process.
Thomas will get in eventually. That's supposed to soften the blow. All he has to do is be patient, put on a brave face and wait his turn. But that's a pile of malarkey. The knowledge that he'll get in later can't make it easier. It's a blow to Thomas, who always chafed at the notion that he was perceived as a cut below the true greats.
Apparently, Thomas didn't pass what one voter referred to as "the smell test." There's this conceit among some of the 39 voters that says only the greatest players are worthy of induction in their first year. Len Shapiro of the Washington Post said he would vote for Thomas "at some point." He said only the Jim Browns of the sport should go in right away.
I'm sorry, but either a player is a Hall of Famer or he isn't. If I had a vote and thought a guy belonged, I'd vote for him. Why the wait? There's a five-year waiting period built into the process. What do they accomplish by making a great player squirm?
How can they be so discriminating on one hand, and so accommodating on the other? The rules say at least three people have to be inducted every year, and no more than six. Why? Is there a pressing need to regulate the flow into the Hall? What if there aren't three deserving candidates in a given year, which often happens in baseball? What if there are more than six worthy names? Would it be so terrible to put in seven?
But regardless of the system, Thomas should have made it. Maybe I'm biased. I saw him close up for a decade, and I felt he was the greatest Bill of all, the single biggest reason for the Super Bowl run. Thomas was the engine of the no-huddle, a back who made everyone around him better, as tough a football player as I ever saw.
During a two- or three-year period, I felt Thomas wasn't simply the best running back in the NFL, but the best player, period. He's the only back to lead the league in total yards from scrimmage four years in a row. He averaged 1,974 yards during that stretch. He is seventh all-time in total yards with 16,532.
People remember him for losing his helmet before Super Bowl XXVI, and for losing four Super Bowls. But Thomas was a sensational clutch player. He had 2,114 total yards in 21 playoff games, second only to Jerry Rice, and seven playoff games of 150 yards.
Sure, he had his demons. Thomas was moody and unpredictable. He could be boorish and profane off the field. He admitted to problems with alcohol after his retirement. But he was a genuinely engaging character, and boy, was he a gamer.
Thomas wasn't very fast. He didn't have a classic runner's build. His teammates used to tease him by calling him "squatty." But he was a great runner, with great vision and an uncanny ability to read his blockers and avoid the direct hit.
Only one of the six men who were voted in ahead of him Saturday had a stronger case. Reggie White might have been the best defensive linemen of his time. Thomas was a better running back than Troy Aikman or Warren Moon were quarterbacks - and they both were elected in their first year of eligibility. As for Harry Carson, how could voters snub him all these years and suddenly decide he was a Hall of Famer?
Oh well, Thomas will just have to be patient. He waited two rounds for someone to draft him, so maybe it's his destiny to wait two years for the Hall of Fame. His long wait will be unwarranted, same as in '88.
That's why I say I think he'll be in next year. Unless someone is completely slipping my mind, I can't think of a big name first-time for 2007 right now. We are looking for guys that retired after the 2001 season.Derrick Thomas, Michael Irvin, Art Monk, Russ Grimm, and Gary Zimmerman will make decent pushes again.Not to hijack, but who will be Thomas's main competition next year?Derrick Thomas still, but what new players?Thomas will be in next year.
you're delusionalhe should have been a first balloter, and the only reason he wasn't was because of the strength of this year's candidates and the maximum of 6 new enshrinees per year.?? He was a very good RB but he wasn't a GREAT RB therefore he shouldn't have gotten in on first ballot. He'll get in eventually but not first ballot, no way.I can't believe people are actually voting no. He SHOULD have been a first ballot hall of famer. If Norwood kicks it two feet to the left Thomas wins the MVP of SBXXV.
Laid too many super bowl eggs. Note that I did not say his team did, HE did.
1. In case you didn't notice, the Bills pretty much got pounded in the other three super bowls. It wasn't just Thurman Thomas.2. Thurman Thomas was the single most important key to their offense during those years. If any offensive player from those teams belongs in the HOF, it is Thomas. The last time I checked, the HOF was about all-around production, not just the stat line you put up in super bowls. That's why Desmond Howard and Larry Brown aren't in the HOF.But it wasn'tSo he followed thatup with..I can't believe people are actually voting no. He SHOULD have been a first ballot hall of famer. If Norwood kicks it two feet to the left Thomas wins the MVP of SBXXV.
10 rushes 13 yards
then the next super bowl was
11 rushes 19 yards
followed by
16 rushes 37 yards
that is letting your team down in 3 straight super bowls
that's got to hurt his chances
he still should have won the MVP.Anderson: 21 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD, 1 rec, 7 yards (109 yards, 1 TD)Laid too many super bowl eggs. Note that I did not say his team did, HE did.Scott Norwood cost him an Super Bowl MVP award.
Thurman is no doubt a hall of famer. In order to help you further his cause in a more factually correct way, I should point out that you've got it backwards. Thurman was older than Barry. Thurman kept Barry on the bench (to some extent --- Barry played about every third series during his sophomore year).Who cares if Thomas learned his craft sitting behind Barry Sanders for a couple of years.
He had one great game (135 rush yards, 55 rec. yards, 1 TD); one mediocre game (37 rush yards, 52 rec. yards, 1 TD) and 2 sub-par games where he only saw 10 carries due to the fact that Buffalo was playing from behind all game.Overall, he averaged 4.0 YPC in the Super Bowl and 4.3 YPC in 21 playoff games.Laid too many super bowl eggs. Note that I did not say his team did, HE did.
And I once played against each of them and the difference in talent was not even close. Sanders was FAR better than Thomas. Damn shame the coaches could never figure that out, as those teams had some great talent on the offensive side of the football.I once asked the OSU coaches who was the better RB in college Barry or Thurman. They said that Barry was phenomenal but Thurman was their favorite.
It was kind of a weird situation, but it's not hard to see why things worked out the way they did. 1. Thurman was an OSU icon. He had been the man since early in his freshman year. He was a workhorse. He was very explosive. He was a legitmate stud who would eventually be one of the best running backs in NFL history.And I once played against each of them and the difference in talent was not even close. Sanders was FAR better than Thomas. Damn shame the coaches could never figure that out, as those teams had some great talent on the offensive side of the football.I once asked the OSU coaches who was the better RB in college Barry or Thurman. They said that Barry was phenomenal but Thurman was their favorite.
Dr. D coming through on another OSU post. Great stuff.It was kind of a weird situation, but it's not hard to see why things worked out the way they did. 1. Thurman was an OSU icon. He had been the man since early in his freshman year. He was a workhorse. He was very explosive. He was a legitmate stud who would eventually be one of the best running backs in NFL history.And I once played against each of them and the difference in talent was not even close. Sanders was FAR better than Thomas. Damn shame the coaches could never figure that out, as those teams had some great talent on the offensive side of the football.I once asked the OSU coaches who was the better RB in college Barry or Thurman. They said that Barry was phenomenal but Thurman was their favorite.
2. Barry was completely unheralded coming out of high school and was undersized. He came out of nowhere.
The things Barry did were just incredible. Literally incredible. As in, they were literally impossible to believe. Everyone following OSU at the time knew he was good, but nobody really understand how good he was. People just couldn't wrap their minds around Barry. Nobody had ever seen anything remotely like him, so I think he just put people's brains into vaporlock. People simply couldn't process what they were seeing, so they just sort of said, "he's great, but he can't possibly be this great."
Benching Thurman at that time would have been like benching Ron Dayne or Eddie George or Ricky Williams. It would have been like benching Vince Young before this season in favor of a 5'11" walk-on.
So I agree with WhoDat. But on the other hand, I find it hard to blame Pat Jones for the way he handled things.
Bigtime.Thomas >>>> Bettis
Agreed fellow Fin fan. I don't know if I'll ever get over knowing Miami used the 16th pick of the 1988 NFL draft on Ohio State DE Eric Kumerow, instead of Thomas. Kiper immediately called it the reach of the draft. Kumerow was of course a complete bust while Thurman spearheaded numerous Dolphin defeats over the next decade, including three playoff losses.As much as it pains me to say after watching him shred our team for many years in the 90's,he is definitely a HOF RB.He might not have gotten in on the first ballot,but rest assured his time will come.I absolutely loved the way TT played the game.He was the Faulk of his time and outside of Barry Sanders was the most dangerous skill player in the early to mid Nineties...........
Actually in defense of Norwood....it wasn't Norwood that cost him anything. As a Bills fan that has watched that game about a dozen times, the bottom line as much as i hate to say it was coaching. and it wasn't that Levy called a bad game it is that the preperation and game day work of the Giants staff was flawless.Laid too many super bowl eggs. Note that I did not say his team did, HE did.Scott Norwood cost him an Super Bowl MVP award.
this is the fact no one seems to want to consider. these numbers are mind boggling.His combined stats from 4 AFC Championship games:
104 rushes, 492 yds, 4 TDs, 15 rec, 168 yds, 1 TD (total: 119 touches, 660 yds, 5 TDs). Averaged nearly 30 touches and 165 yds/game in Conference championship games.