Measuring Greatness

There is never a perfect system for electing former players to the Hall of Fame. Football has its share of statistics, but it's tough to measure players in such a team oriented sport. A local writer did some analysis of wide receivers with over 800 career receptions.

There are 11 eligible for induction, but only four have made it. Chris Carter was the most recent one this year, but others continue to fall short. Tim Brown (1,094) and Andre Rison (951) all present a strong case, but the remaining players are clustered together.

Steve Largent retired with 819 and as the all-time leader, but is now 21st. Irving Fryar was 5th when he retired with 851 and is now 18th. Keenan McCardell, Rod Smith, Henry Ellard and Keyshawn Johnson all face a similar problem. In future years, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens will be added to the mix.

Some of these players will never be inducted. Lynn Swann had numbers that pale in comparison, but he played on the great Pittsburgh teams of the 1970's. He election was not without controversy because he had a relatively short career.

The same controversy arises when we talk about quarterbacks and their completions and total yards.