By Casey Reese
Richard Dent. Marshall Faulk. Deion Sanders. Ed Sabol. Shannon Sharpe. Chris Hanburger. Les Richter. What do all of these names have in common? That would be the 2011 NFL Hall of Fame class, led by arguably the best cornerback of the last 30 years, a tight end who revolutionized his position, and a member of the “Greatest Show on Turf.”
A familiar face was also eligible for election to the hall of fame in 2011. A legend in his own time we merely know as “The Bus.” I am referring to, of course, Jerome Bettis, number thirty-six, perhaps the most popular Pittsburgh Steeler in modern memory. The Bus, who currently resides at 5th all time in career rushing yards, seems to have lost the hype surrounding his candidacy for the hall that was so very high when the Steelers embarked upon a quest to Super Bowl XL in his own hometown of Detroit.
We best remember Jerome as the bruising back who would knock defenders to the ground upon impact, who would score the much needed touchdown from the goal line. We do not, however, tend to think of his career in perspective. Jerome is also 10th all time in rushing touchdowns, 4th in attempts and touches, and 18th in total yards from scrimmage. Not bad, especially when you consider the longevity of his career and the number of years he battled to establish those numbers. Keep in mind most running backs are not capable of producing much late in their careers (typically once the back turns 30). Bettis produced until age 33.
Is he worthy of enshrinement in the hall of fame simply based on statistics? Yes, but his case is also helped by the figurative rock Bettis was for the duration of his time in Pittsburgh. With tumultuous quarterback play in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Bettis was still productive, whether it Kordell Stewart or Ben Roethlisberger handing the ball off to him. During the Super Bowl XL campaign, Bettis proved his value even further by continuing to produce 9 touchdowns in the last season of his career.
With his victory in the aforementioned Super Bowl, he also has something other running backs eligible for the hall do not have, such as Curtis Martin or Tiki Barber, and that is a Super Bowl ring. The 6 Pro Bowl selections, in addition to the 3 first or second team All Pro selections, also are a testament to his respect among his peers and journalists of the time, and the fact that he was effective for an extended period of time.
References:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/
http://www.profootballhof.com/default.aspx
Read Also:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/598652-nfl-hall-of-fame-voting-10-reasons-jerome-bettis-is-a-lock-for-class-of-2012#page/1
Casey,
ReplyDeleteI personally do not beleive that it was a snub towards Jerome but it just was not his time yet. There are great football players that are older and have records. I feel they should go before. Age before beauty or in this case...Age before the Bus
Christina Chinchock
I believe there are many peopole who should be placed in the Hall. Whether it was Jerome's time, I would have to say that there are others who need to be looked at first before he gets his place. His career most definitely warrants him a position, the only question is when will it happen. Nice post about the Bus. I liked the statistics you provided about him. I feel it put his acheivements into perspective. Another thing you could have done is compared his stats to others who were elected into the Hall of Fame. I think it would have put things into perspective even more.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points used to support your opinion. I completely agree with you. We all know he deserves a place in the Hall of Fame, it is just a matter of time. Again, excellent points and stats.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteChristina - Yes, I do agree with you on that, but the older players tend to get ignored in large part since players that are retired for 25 or more years have to be selected by the senior committee in order to be elected. Thus, the Hall has a tendency towards recently retired players as opposed to older players. For example, Dick LeBeau was not elected until the 2010 class, despite racking up 62 interceptions in his legendary career as a cornerback in Detroit. The sooner the better for The Bus!!
Alexander - Valid point, and thank you for your input!! I included links to Tiki Barber and Curtis Martins' statistics, however, you are correct, I most likely should have added their actual numerical statistics.
Q - Thank you very much for your input!! :)
- Casey Reese
Casey, you support your point with great details. I agree that Jerome Bettis aka "The Bus" has accomplished many things in his career however, as Christina stated maybe it simply wasn't his time. I still feel he will soon be inducted into the Hall of Fame very soon. Great work!
ReplyDeleteChris Harris
Casey,
ReplyDeleteThis is a good overview of Jerome Bettis. I agree that he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Nice job.
Samantha
Casey,
ReplyDeleteI like how you spot lighted a player from our area, way to support the steelers and pittsburgh, you share good information, I never really understood the hall of fame and why certain people got picked over other's but thanks for clearing that up. good job,
Alison
Casey, I agree with the comments here. I thought this was a nice feature of Bettis. The image and links are great as well and really take advantage of the medium of blogging. I was happy to see that.
ReplyDelete