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Monk and the Hall Thread,(Including Coach Mike comments and Video). Merged & M.E.T.

Jethrodsp

By Jethrodsp
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Jethrodsp

Jethrodsp

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The reasons for Art Monk's exclusion from the NFL Hall of Fame have baffled many Redskin fans for years now. To us, Monk epitomized the way the game should be played. His hard work and dedication to the team spoke much louder than his words and his numbers at his retirement were among the game's elite. They continue to stand the test of time although due to the increasingly pass-happy nature of the NFL, it wont be long until they become smothered by those of lesser recievers from the 21st century. I could give you all the stats that many think speak for themselves – 940 catches, 12,000+ yards, 68 tds, 183 consecutive games with a catch, but it seems that’s not the issue here. In light of that, let's try and break down the case in another way, one that illustrates his importance to one of the best 10 year runs of any team in NFL history.

Let’s start with this question: Which is more important to a Super Bowl winning team: the head coach or the players? These are the 5 teams who have been fortunate enough to win at least 3 Super Bowls in a ten year span: the Pittsburg Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. Excluding the Cowboys and Patriots, who don’t yet have enough players eligible for the Hall to qualify for this argument, the Redskins have the second most primary Hall of Famers (as defined by the HOF website at http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/teams.jsp) with 15 to the Steelers 17. San Francisco has 11. Out of Pittsburgh’s 17, 10 played or coached during 1970 through 1980, the decade emcompassing 4 of their SB titles. This constitutes 59% of their HOF inductees. For the 49ers, using 1980-1990, 4 out of their 11 inductees were included in at least 2 of their Super Bowl winning teams, with Jerry Rice not having gained eligibility yet. 4 out of 11 is 36%. Adding Jerry Rice (who will surely be a first ballot entry), moves the percentage up to 42% (5/12). The Redskins (using 1982-1992) fall behind both of these teams with only 2 out of 15 for a percentage of only 13%. Add Darrell Green, who hasn’t yet gained eligibility, and the percentage moves up to 19% (3/16).

Obviously all three of these teams have their head coaches in the Hall, so let’s look at who had more to work with. Chuck Noll had 9 hall of famers on his team in the 1970s. Bill Walsh and George Seifert had 4. Joe Gibbs had 2. The Redskins are hurt considerably in this category by not having a standout QB during their decade as the Steelers and 49ers did. In fact, it is well documented that Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different starting QBs, something that no other coach has done in the history of the NFL. Furthermore, each of the Steelers and 49ers have at least one other significant offensive player in the Hall besides their QB (counting Jerry Rice of course). For the Redskins, not only do they have only one offensive player from their decade in the Hall, but he is a running back who played on only one Super Bowl winner (and one loser) and retired in 1985, 7 years before their last title.

Gibbs’ .683 winning percentage during his first stint with the Redskins places him second to only Vince Lombardi and John Madden, both of whom had less than 112 wins to Gibbs’ 124. The logical conclusion from these numbers is that Joe Gibbs did more with less than either of his counterparts. While this may or may not be true, it certainly speaks to the Hall’s viability as a player’s reward for contributing to a winning organization over an extended period of time. Was Joe Gibbs really that much better than Chuck Knoll or Bill Walsh? While Redskins’ fans might say yes, it's hard to say whether the majority of NFL fans would agree.

There were two constants in the Redskins’ decade on the offensive side of the ball: the offensive line and Art Monk. Art Monk’s 16 year career spans the entire period from 1982-1992. In the regular seasons (stats from 1981-1991) during that time, he hauled in 743 passes for 10,187 yards and 57 touchdowns. By comparison, John Stallworth, who played on all 4 Super Bowl winning Steelers teams, had only 537 catches for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns in his 14 year career. Swann falls way behind with just 336 catches for 5,462 yards and 56 touchdowns in his relatively short 9 year career that also spanned all 4 Steelers championships. When you look at the difficult task of just getting to the NFL’s ultimate game, it’s hard to argue that these receivers had more impact than Monk on their team’s consistent success year in and year out. It can easily be argued that Swann owns his place in the hall for his moments in the Super Bowl, and the same, perfectly reasonable argument, can be made for Stallworth. Monk has no "signature catch" in Super Bowl games mostly due to injury and in the case of Super Bowl XVIII, an overall poor effort by the team as a whole. Super Bowl XXVI was a Monk masterpiece. Gibbs ran the entire opening drive through #81, only to have a right big toe cost the team a 7-0 lead.

Throughout his whole career, Monk was the most reliable receiver on the field for a team that won 3 championships and appeared in 4 Super Bowls in 10 years. While the Steelers and 49ers each have wide receivers whose careers are validated because of what they did for a team that won multiple Super Bowls, the Redskins best has not been afforded that validation. Even if he was merely a “possession receiver” throughout his career, how can the importance of moving the chains for a team relying on running the ball and controlling the clock be understated? Furthermore, the argument that Monk was nothing more than a possession receiver belies the grace and skill evident to all those who watched him play. Joe Gibbs will tell you that he sent Monk over the middle to move the chains because he was the best at it, not because that was all he could do. He got his opportunities to get down the field, they were just few and far between; especially later in his career with the additions of Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders to the roster. It’s unfortunate that because of his low national profile, and quiet demeanor during and after his career, some Hall of Fame voters fail to realize how great Art Monk was. Would we recognize more the greatness of Monk if he allowed co-hosts to laud his career on national television week in and week out? Should a man with more career catches than anyone else already in the hall (including receivers who played in the same era) really be excluded from its company? Will the voters exclude Chris Carter, a fine receiver who never helped his team to the Super Bowl, when he comes for election? Does James Lofton, who was once seen as nothing more than trade bait by his own team, really deserve to be in because of his ability as a deep threat and speedster while Monk, perhaps the best “possession receiver” of all time, is left out? Is one more important to a team than the other?

Although this piece speaks mostly to the Art Monk’s impact on 3 Super Bowl winning teams throughout one decade, there are other issues with Redskins players and the HOF. That there are no members in the Hall from perhaps the greatest offensive line group in football is a shame, but one can understand the oversight of positions that have no direct statistical relevance.

Even more shameful for some egotistical and increasingly misguided HOF voters however, is that a man who meant more to a team that won 3 Super Bowls than any quarterback or running back on those teams is not afforded the honor of being recognized among the games greats; this despite the fact that Monk held perhaps the most important record among wide receivers before he retired from the game with 940 catches. He still ranks 6th in catches all time in the NFL. Monk was a prelude to the era ushered in by Jerry Rice at the end of the 1980s. Often overshadowed by his contemporary during and after his career, perhaps Monk is destined to live in the shadows of the NFL’s annals. To Redskins fans however, Monk is and always will be the greatest player not in the NFL’s Hall of Fame; and that honor will continue to hold little significance to them when defining the career of any player. Every year it becomes more and more evident that there should be two Halls: The Hall of Fame and the Hall of Excellence. For Monk, and deserving others whose chances are eroding with every passing year, it seems that the two do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Hail to the Redskins.

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cuchip703

cuchip703

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bump... Ralph Zero. Since we haven't been eliminated are we still allowed to whine about it.

Is this the year he finally gets in. Or are we looking at Chris Carter in the Hall first despite the lack of any rings on his fingers. Of course, all he did is catch TD's.

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