View Full Version : Kickers for the HOF
gridiron
07-17-2006, 07:33 PM
I nominate both Mort Andersen and Gary Anderson, and maybe a couple of active kickers once their careers are done--Vinitieri and maybe Vanderjagt.
RE Vinitieri, I'm not only a New Englander--all my life--but I actually saw the first game the Pats played--they lost to Denver--and have followed them ever since, so I might be a bit biased.
ATLFalcons
07-17-2006, 08:02 PM
Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Mike Vanderjagt, and Adam Vinatieri are the only kickers of the last few kickers who will be inducted. It's such a high-pressure position and you don't see many kickers stay around 20 years like Andersen and Anderson.
redbuck
07-18-2006, 09:36 AM
It can be tough to judge. Gary Anderson played much of his career indoors on turf, much easier to kick on than in say Cleveland or Green Bay.
Would definitely say Mort, probably Vinarieri simply because he won the Super Bowl.
webmaster
07-21-2006, 06:32 AM
Why is it that the Hall has only had one (Stenerud (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=203)) in their history? Is it the "designated hitter" equal in the Baseball Hall of Fame or were there just no great kickers of yesteryear?
Sean
Snake
07-21-2006, 11:24 AM
I could be totally off in my thinking here, but I believe one of the reasons there may not be a lot of Kickers in the HOF, is that it is tougher for them to seperate themselves from each other. Usually, when you talk about a HOFer, it someone that has distinguished himself well above the "average joe" at his position for an era. If most kickers are generally scoring around the same, or have similiar percentages, etc, then it will be hard for a few of them to really distinguish themselves from the others.
Of course, it could just be the whole Kicker stigma thing :p What does it matter , he's only a Kicker ;)
gridiron
07-21-2006, 01:25 PM
Part of it is that many kickers until the late 1950s and beyond were also playing other positions--the kicker as specialist was not well received. Think of Blanda and Groza for instance.
I think there should be some pure kickers besides Stenerued, but few euther lasted a long time or were that impressive just as kickers.
gridiron
07-21-2006, 01:26 PM
Part of it is that many kickers until the late 1950s and beyond were also playing other positions--the kicker as specialist was not well received. Think of Blanda and Groza for instance.
I think there should be some pure kickers besides Stenerued, but few neither lasted a long time or were that impressive just as kickers until recently.
tdk1984
07-21-2006, 10:24 PM
Why is it that the Hall has only had one (Stenerud (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=203)) in their history? Is it the "designated hitter" equal in the Baseball Hall of Fame or were there just no great kickers of yesteryear?
Sean
I think it has to do with it being a non-contact position. The position in my opinion is underrated. It's a very high-pressure position- each kick has to potential to decide the outcome. It's not like QB, but still...
Also, there are no punters in the HOF. What about Ray Guy?
Snake
07-22-2006, 01:53 AM
tdk, you just moved up in my book :D
If there ever was to be any punters in the HOF, Ray Guy should be one of the first. He set many of the standards that a great punter is judged by today. A good punter is a very important part of team, ans may be an more underated position than the kicker. A good punter will bury the other team deep in their own territory, thereby helping the defense in keeping the other team from scoring as easily.
Jack the Cat
07-22-2006, 05:32 PM
Yeah, and bad punting had ruined some teams season. The 2002 Miami Dolphins lost their chance because their punter Mark Royals shanked a punt late in the game allowing the Patriots to easily score and force OT. Had the Dolphins won they would have been the AFC's #2 seed I believe.
tdk1984
07-24-2006, 11:39 PM
tdk, you just moved up in my book :D
If there ever was to be any punters in the HOF, Ray Guy should be one of the first. He set many of the standards that a great punter is judged by today. A good punter is a very important part of team, ans may be an more underated position than the kicker. A good punter will bury the other team deep in their own territory, thereby helping the defense in keeping the other team from scoring as easily.
glad to hear it :)
football junkie
08-07-2006, 07:42 PM
Kickers don't belong in the Hall of Fame.
gridiron
08-08-2006, 07:16 AM
Why not--do you want to kick Stenured out? Do you want to neglect the kicking of Hornung and Groza when considering their credentials?
If some players are not eligible for the hall because of their position, then the game is not worth bothering with.
I've always been puzzled why Stenerud got elected his first year eligible, yet hardly any other fulltime kicker has come within a sniff of Canton.
Gary and Morten Anderson have legit shots, and I expect both Jasons (Elam and Hanson) to possibly be finalists (15, not 6). But the position is too transient, both kickers and punters, to really be one that warrants a lot of consideration.
brady_branch
08-15-2006, 02:53 PM
Matt Stover also has a small chance. Of all punters, Ray Guy and Shane Lechler (once he retires) should get in. I don't think Vanderjagt should get in, but Vinatieri maybe. Morton Andersen and Gary Anderson should get in.
KHenry14
08-22-2006, 11:41 PM
I don't see how Ray Guy isn't in the HOF other than some macho type of thing that implies kickers aren't real players. Funny thing, that certainly does not apply to Guy, who Raider players will tell you was just about the toughest player on those great teams.
I think the Anderson's, while the face of it seem to qualify, I bet they don't get in. Gary choked the biggest kick of his life, and that's got to be held against him.
I gotta feel that the next placekicker to get in will be Vinatieri.
football junkie
08-23-2006, 01:02 AM
Why not--do you want to kick Stenured out?[/U]
No I don't want to kick Jan Stenerud out of Canton. And I could accept but probably not support the election of place kickers Adam Vinatieri, Mike Vanderjagt and Jason Elam into the HOF.
As for great punters, nobody has mentioned Sean Landeta yet. If the election committee is going to start admitting punters then Landeta should be very close to the absolute top of the list.
Afterall, Landeta made both the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and the NFL 1990s All-Decade team. He also has Championship rings from Superbowls XXI and XXV. He earned Pro Bowl selections in 1986 and 1990.
In addition, Landeta played 23 years in the NFL -- more than any other punter in the history of the league.
gridiron
08-23-2006, 04:48 AM
Junkie, you say kickers don't belong, but you don't explain why you feel that way. Will you please give your reasons?
RedSoxVT92
08-23-2006, 10:09 AM
Kickers no doubt belong in Canton. By denying entrance you are pretty much ignoring a completley different and unique aspect of Football. I really dont know why kickers/punters get so much disrespect. Kicking carrys alot of pressure, alot of leg strength, and extremley good accuracy. It takes more talent than people give them credit for. Kicking is also not just a meaningless thing as some people make it out to be as it decides countless numbers of games. So I say let in Kickers because one player is not enough in the HoF.
brady_branch
08-25-2006, 05:42 AM
Vinatieri should get in as well. Like David Ortiz in baseball, he's great in the regular season, but what stands out are his clutch performances.
efin98
08-26-2006, 01:29 AM
There is a reason why their position was created- to help their teams win. It's no coincidence that the vast majority of games comes down to where the ball is kicked, how often it is kicked, and to whom it is kicked.
Why ignore the one person on the team that makes that determination game in and game out? If a player does well enough at that position over a long period of time and earns the credentials both in the regular season and in the post season then he should be enshrined alongside other greats of the game.
football junkie
08-26-2006, 08:17 PM
Junkie, you say kickers don't belong, but you don't explain why you feel that way. Will you please give your reasons?
I was being sarcastic. You shouldn't take everything I say so seriously. Did you see the post in which I said Adam Vinatieri, Mike Vanderjagt, Jason Elam and Sean Landeta deserve serious consideration?
jslone
07-23-2008, 08:00 PM
Ill give you all one,Mark Mosely,my man won an league MVP,how many kickers can claim that,plus he was I think 2 super bowl titles,so what do you think of this kicker,plus the last of the straight away kickers.
Galloping Ghost
11-13-2008, 05:30 PM
I never understood why more players don't punt for their team along with there regular roles? Danny White punted while he quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys. Didn't Randall Cunningham once have a 91 yard punt?
efin98
11-13-2008, 09:32 PM
I never understood why more players don't punt for their team along with there regular roles? Danny White punted while he quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys. Didn't Randall Cunningham once have a 91 yard punt?
91 yarder and an 80 yarder...total of 20 punts in a 16 year career with an average punt of 44.7 yards.