Wingate1217;2083972; said:
Can somebody enlighten me why this is so? I can't still be from his days in Philly and his addiction, not with the poster boy (Irvin) for bad behavior in the Hall....
osucollegebuck;2083983; said:
Although he's a member now with ESPN he was never friendly with the media as a player, and nobody holds a grudge like the media.
This is part of it, as it is also the reason that Tags will likely not get in for years, if ever, despite his long reign and the exponential growth of the NFL during that time.
Another part is that the HOF voters detest WRs. Many of them have made it known publicly that they view them as mostly interchangable. For example, if you are a player in the top 15 all-time in passing or rushing yards, you are likely bound for Canton. But right now there are only 4 of the top 15 and 6 of the top 20 WRs in the Hall...some because the stats have piled up more in recent years, but some because those players are never going to get in at all (Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, Jimmy Smith, etc.)
Another part is that he never really led the league in anything. Yes, he played at the same time as Jerry Rice, but he only led the league in receptions once, TDs 3 times, and never led in receiving yards. I think this argument is crap, but it's part of it.
Finally, they look at his career in Philly not so much as a character thing, but a lack of production thing. He moved to Minnesota, was a product of an explosive offense, and put up some great years. In the minds of the voters, there are 15-20 receivers who could have done that had they played in Minnesota at the time. Again, not arguing this as valid, just stating what it is.
