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Thomas Facing Stiff Competition in Hall of Fame Vote
Feb. 2, 2006
Once again this Saturday, KCFX’s Bob Gretz will stand in front of 38 other Pro Football Hall of Fame voters and make the case for Derrick Thomas.
Thomas is on the list of 15 finalists, and one voter from each player’s market makes the presentation for that player.
“You really don’t change your presentation very much, year to year,” Gretz told me Wednesday. “I will add a few other quotes from players who played against him and know what he was about, but in terms of the numbers and statistics, nothing changes, obviously.”
What has to change is the voters’ attitude toward Thomas’ career. Many voters still perceive that Thomas was one-dimensional — purely a pass rusher. But even if that assertion were true, Thomas was arguably one of the best ever at that dimension, certainly good enough for the Hall.
“The statistic you keep coming back to is 65 turnovers,” Gretz said. “He was responsible for 65 turnovers throughout his career — that’s fumbles forced, recovered and interceptions. That’s an absolutely phenomenal number when you think about it.”
It’s also a hard statistic to research because NFL records for fumbles forced are spotty. So no one really knows for sure how Thomas ranks with Lawrence Taylor.
“I’ve been given numbers about Taylor, but I wouldn’t even repeat them because I don’t know that they’re accurate,” Gretz said. “Fumbles forced is a stat like tackles. It’s a bit subjective, and it’s not well-documented. You don’t get much help from the NFL.
“But in reality it’s one of the most important statistics you can keep. It changes games, and that’s what Derrick was all about. He was a game changer. It’s like what John Elway said about Derrick. Elway said, ‘Derrick wasn’t interested in tearing your head off. He was interested in the ball.’ ”
Thomas’ competition this year is formidable, starting with a lock, Reggie White. Also included on the finalists list is Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Thurman Thomas.
“Reggie is in, obviously,” Gretz said. “There really isn’t a presentation to make there. But of the other candidates, Derrick is right there, I would think.”
After last year’s presentation, Gretz came under attack from Sports Illustrated’s Paul Zimmerman, a Hall of Fame voter who basically suggested that Gretz blew Thomas’ chances. That criticism steamrolled into more Gretz bashing from Kansas City sports talk shows.
Gretz said he won’t change his approach because of that criticism.
“Paul has a right to his opinion,” Gretz said. “The only thing I would take issue with is that what is said in that room is supposed to stay in that room. He violated that principle.
“As for the talk-show guys, hey, they’re not paid to have knowledge of anything. They’re just paid to talk, so they’re just doing what they get paid to do.”
from Kansas City.com
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