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GRETZ: A Double Dose of Thomas
Aug. 27, 2007
Ever since the word came down last Thursday that one of the two seniors candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year was former Chiefs defensive back Emmitt Thomas, I can’t get the thought out of my mind.
If the stars are aligned correctly and the Hall of Fame voters are of a right mind, the Hall of Fame might welcome in 2008 a pair of former Chiefs named Thomas, both Emmitt and Derrick.
Wouldn’t that be something, to have two different generations of Chiefs defenders enshrined at the same time.
There’s no doubt in my mind that both men are deserving, and I do have a vote. But obviously other voters disagree. Derrick Thomas will be in his fourth season of eligibility this year and Emmitt Thomas never got a shot after his retirement; it will be 30 years since his retirement if he can become a member of the class of 2008.
The chances for both men are enhanced this year. First, the Hall of Fame has made a change this year in the voting procedures and numbers. The maximum size of a Hall of Fame class was increased to seven and the minimum increased to four. That was designed because it was felt the seniors candidates (there are two) were taking up too much of the available spots each year.
The other thing in the favor of Thomas, both Emmitt and Derrick, is the fact they played defense.
For reasons that are tough to understand, defensive players have continually drawn the short straw in Hall of Fame balloting in recent years. The Board of Selectors, which is made up of media members from each league city and other at-large voters, all have extensive backgrounds in covering the pro game. Some have been doing it for decades. But the group has proven its as influenced by offense and gaudy scoring and yardage statistics as the fans are.
There are 164 players from the game’s modern era, with the break coming in the 1950s. Of that group, 105 are offensive players. There’s one special teams player, former Chiefs kicker Jan Stenerud. The other 58 were defensive players.
Do the math: offensive players make up 64 percent of the most recent Hall inductees.
Defense is just 35.4 percent.
Basically that’s two offense to one defense. That’s just not right, given the importance of defense to winning not only single games on any NFL weekend, but championships and Super Bowls.
The imbalance has been noticed, not only by some of the voters, but also the Hall of Fame’s board members. There’s plenty of talk on the Hall grapevine that there needs to be more balance in the yearly classes.
Certainly there’s something out of whack when a cornerback the caliber of Emmitt Thomas was never a finalist in his 20 years of initial eligibility. Whether or not he makes the Hall, Thomas’ career deserves the consideration he will finally get in February. He played 13 seasons and finished with 58 interceptions; he’s still ranked fourth among true cornerbacks for interceptions and again, he retired 29 years ago.
How good was Emmitt Thomas? Here’s one fact: he intercepted a pass in each of the Chiefs victories in the 1969 postseason, including a pair in the AFL championship game against the Raiders and another in the Chiefs victory in Super Bowl IV over Minnesota.
Maybe, just maybe the doubting Thomases among the board of selectors can be convinced in February that a pair of red and gold Thomases are worthy of Hall of Fame induction.
from KC Chiefs.com
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