The Miami Dolphins didn't get to put Richmond Webb into the Hall of Fame this year but it was another player that has the ire of Dolphins fans.
The NFL announced this year's class of modern-day Pro Football Hall of Fame class on Thursday, and only four instead of the typical five players are heading to Canton. One of them, former Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe, is making Miami fans cringe with anger over the longtime omission of Dolphins great Mark Clayton.
Clayton has continually been ignored year after year. Like Webb, Clayton likely suffers because of the greatness of Dan Marino, but make no mistake, Clayton had as much to do with Marino's success as Marino was with Clayton's.
Sharpe will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August, but Clayton, who is on the Dolphins Ring of Honor, will likely never get the recognition he deserves. Frankly, the two are not close, and Clayton stands far over Sharpe's shoulders.
The two wide receivers share similar statistics but Clayton stands above the newly HOF elect.
Games Played
Clayton - 158
Sharpe - 112
Receptions
Sharpe - 595
Clayton - 582
Receiving Yards
Clayton - 8,974
Sharpe - 8,134
Touchdowns
Clayton - 84
Sharpe - 65
Rushing Stats
Clayton - 14 attempts for 108 yards
Sharpe - 23 attempts for 72 yards
Pro Bowl Selections
Clayton - 5
Sharpe - 5
All-Pro Selections
Sharpe - 3
Clayton - 1
Why are players with less impressive stats getting into the Hall of Fame before Miami Dolphins players?
Dan Marino is a big reason why some Dolphins players are not making the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and it is flat-out wrong.
Richmond Webb should be in the Hall of Fame, and while he made it to the semi-finals this year, he once again has to wait. Clayton will not get in, and that is an oversight the Hall of Fame won't fix. Why? The Hall of Fame relies too much on the media voters.
Yes, the media controls who gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and considering many are part of the Associated Press, most of them put more stock in the AP All-Pro stats than the Pro Bowl numbers. More importantly, however, they tend to put more stock in players that are media-friendly. Don't agree?
Bob Kuechenberg has better pure numbers than most offensive linemen in the Hall of Fame, but Kooch didn't play the media games and often butted heads with them. It was well known that in his prime years of eligibility, the voters were not putting him in because they didn't like him. Apparently, they don't like Clayton either.