Carter's wait for Hall just part of the process
Feb. 3, 2009
By Ray Ratto
CBSSports.com Columnist
Lost in the pre- and post-Super Bowl hoop-de-blah was Saturday's announcement of the latest Pro Football Hall of Fame class, and its lack of Cris Carter.
Oh, a few people have wondered about it, but not that many, which leads us to the following conclusions:
? One, the nation does not agonize over Carter's induction.
? Two, the selectors are wary of anyone who has big numbers without big deeds behind them.
? Three, the backlog of great players still not in the Hall is fairly daunting for any voter.
? And four, the nation might finally understand that if you are not a slam-dunk selection like Joe Montana or Walter Payton, you have to wait, pure and simple.
That last one -- about the nation's understanding -- we frankly doubt, but we thought we'd throw it out there as a gesture of generosity.
In other words, most of the players proclaimed as mortal locks for the Hall of Fame actually aren't mortal locks at all, and the sooner that is made clear, the better.
And there is no better way to point this out than to use Cris Carter.
His numbers are gaudy -- he is third in history in receptions and second in touchdowns -- but he falls into the loose category of "compiler," someone who has big numbers and nothing more. And in the room, there is a clear and historical resistance to "compilers" unless they have a well-developed postseason/Super Bowl/extraordinary moments r?sum? to go with it.