Chiefs’ Thomas Faces Tough Competition for Hall of Fame
Jan. 31, 2009
From the day he retired as the NFL’s all-time sack leader, Buffalo Bills defensive end Bruce Smith punctuated his autographs with “HOF 2009.”
Today, Smith’s prediction will come true with his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In fact, it could be a big day for pass rushers as several other sack masters are on the final ballot, including the late Derrick Thomas of the Chiefs; former Super Bowl MVP Richard Dent of the Chicago Bears; Minnesota’s John Randle, who holds the all-time sack record for defensive tackles; and Atlanta/Philadelphia defensive end Claude Humphrey, one of the two senior nominees.
A minimum of four and a maximum of seven will be elected today, including no more than five players from the modern era. This is the fifth year of eligibility for Thomas, who had 126 1/2 sacks in his 11-year career, including a league-high 20 in 1990, and a NFL single-game record of seven, also in 1990.
But it won’t be easy for him. There are at least two surefire selections in their first year of eligibility: Smith and Pittsburgh/Oakland defensive back Rod Woodson. Denver/Baltimore tight end Shannon Sharpe is likely to be elected.
So that may leave one of three spots for Thomas, who was a game-changer with his 46 career takeaways (45 forced fumbles, one interception) and a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team.
“I played against him from 1990 to 1999 — 18 times and once in the playoffs — and as far as I’m concerned, he was the best pure pass rusher I ever played against,” Sharpe told The Star before the 2008 election.
“I never got a chance to play against Lawrence Taylor in his prime, and some would argue LT had more of an impact. But if there was more of an impact defensive player when Derrick played … Reggie White is in the Hall of Fame, and you can make a case for Bruce Smith, but you’d be hard-pressed to show me somebody other than that big three who had more of an impact on a game from a defensive perspective than Derrick Thomas did.”
from Kansas City.com
