HOF game reminds us that these Miami Dolphins are not enshrined
By Brian Miller
Last night the Pro-Football Hall of Fame kicked off the NFL season with the HOF Game in Akron Oh. and it serves as a reminder that some Miami Dolphins players are not enshrined.
The Miami Dolphins watched Jason Taylor get inducted into the Hall of Fame last year but that does not mean the voters for the highest football honor still disregard most of the teams history.
When it comes to the Hall of Fame the voters love the Steelers and Cowboys players but Miami seems to always get the shaft when it comes to voting. Why? Because it is media driven and a lot of people in the media hold grudges and some find excuses for not allowing certain players in.
This is the case with several former Dolphins players who deserve to be inducted and there are others who should at least be mentioned.
Perhaps the biggest snub in HOF history as it relates to the Dolphins is Bob Kuechenberg. Kuech should have been considered as a first ballot Hall recipient. His number for an offensive lineman are more than impressive.
Perhaps the biggest stat that stands out with Kuechenberg his the length of time he played. 14 seasons in the NFL all with the Dolphins. He started 176 of this 196 games and played in the playoffs 19 times starting every one of them.
His playoffs included all three Super Bowls in the ’70’s and the 1982 Super Bowl against Washington. He even played in 1983 with Dan Marino starting 15 of 16 games in his final season.
Kuechenberg was voted to six Pro-Bowls in his career and several all-conference awards.
So why isn’t he in the HOF? Because he spent a lot of years complaining about the media and they found him to be an old curmudgeon. Will he ever get in? It would take a senior committee vote now and that isn’t likely coming any time soon.
Richmond Webb would have already been in the HOF if he’d played with any other NFL quarterback. The stigma that surrounds his name and discussion for election is Dan Marino. There are some, and I have spoken to a few reporters who have the knowledge of the process, believe that Webb’s success was mostly because of Dan Marino’s quick release and his ability to move the offense.
It doesn’t seem to matter that Webb had seven Pro-Bowl and was tasked with blocking the blind side of perhaps the NFL’s greatest pure passing quarterback. They also do not take into consideration that Webb faced one of the best HoF defensive ends twice a year. Bruce Smith.
Even Smith believes that Webb is a Hall of Fame worthy offensive tackle. Throughout the years against each other that spanned a total of 14 games, Webb held Smith to just 3.5 sacks on Dan Marino. One of the best DE’s in NFL history couldn’t get past Webb. Yet Webb doesn’t have the status to get into the Hall?
It’s not like Webb hasn’t been recognized either. He was a member of the NFL’s All-’80’s team, a two-time All-Pro, and won the NFL Rookie of the Year award.
Zach Thomas’ name has been circulating a lot these past couple of months because Brian Urlacher, formerly of the Chicago Bears is a first ballot Hall of Fame player. First ballot.
Looking at the statistics of the two, you would think they were the same player but Thomas actually has better stats than Urlacher in most categories.
Sacks: Urlacher has 21 more sacks than Thomas over their career but as you will see, the margin of difference between the two closes quickly.
Longevity – Both played 13 seasons.
All-Pro’s – Both had 5
Pro-Bowl’s – Thomas was voted 7 times, Urlacher 8
Interceptions – Thomas has 17 while Urlacher has 22
Forced Fumbles – Thomas has 16 to Urlacher’s 11
Tackle assists – Thomas has 627 to Urlacher’s 314
Tackles – Thomas has 1,100 and Urlacher has 1,040
Draft – Urlacher was a 1st round draft pick, Thomas was a 5th
Aside from the sack total which NFL voters put a lot of stock in, Thomas and Urlacher are pretty close statistically. There is no issue with Urlacher being a first ballot Hall of Fame but it is a complete disgrace that Thomas hasn’t been elected in any of years of eligibility.
Could Urlacher’s presence in the Hall of Fame help Thomas next year? Perhaps with the similarities or it could hurt him. We will see in the next year or two what the voters believe.
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