Why Isn't Chris Hanburger in the HOF? (MET)

[Mark The Homer]

It wouldn't be disrespectful to Hanburger to put Butz in first; just a long overdue recognition of Butz's contributions to the game. But, I would love to see them both get in at the same time, how's that?!

Great, but we'd most likely be splitting votes, diluting each player's chances.

My only problem with your argument, and far be it for me to argue against Hanburger, is the number of Pro Bowls. I think they are a joke and should not be used to qualify or disqualify anyone from the Hall of Fame. Lack of Pro Bowls was used against Monk for a while.

There are plenty of other qualifiers - pro bowls is just the most obvious. See the quote below...

I was goin' nuts about this last season during HOF week. Truth is there are several players that should be there who aren't. When Tippett got in I said okay, dominant LB during his time no question... 5x Pro Bowl, 2x All-Pro 1st Team, 11 yr. career with 1 INT, zero TDs, age 49. Then you look at Hanburger, 9x Pro Bowl, 4x All-Pro 1st Team, 14 yr. career with 19 INT, 5 TDs, age 67... something is wrong with that picture. Got nothing against Tippett making it into the HOF... it's the voters. BTW, Tippett had 100 sacks in his career. The NFL never started tracking sack stats until '82, the year Tippett was drafted by the Patriots and 4 yrs. after Christian Hanburger retired. :logo:

Thank-you. Great post, as is Jimbo's above.

I think half the problem is there are too many young fans who don't remember Chris Hanburger and therefore dismiss him in favor of a Hog. To me, playing on a weak defense, as Hanburger did in the 60s, makes it even harder to stand out and this fact should give Hanburger even greater recognition for his ability to do so.

If we're going to make a HOF push, I am not sure if splitting our votes is a wise strategy.

[Enzo]

This is a bad idea.

When we made the case for Art Monk, the argument was made that Monk deserved to be in because of his career, and it was objectively wrong that he is not in there. For years, we fought it, and eventually some people finally changed their minds because it seemed like the argument must have merit given the great weight of support.

If we start to launch a campaign for every single Redskin we like, it diminishes the argument we made for Monk and it makes our future arguments look unmeritorious because to everyone else it will look like we are nothing but a bunch of Redskins fans who these guys in there because they were Redskins and not necessarily because they deserve it.

We undermine ourselves by starting another campaign.

Plus, its an insult to Monk and Green because everyone will start using the same arguments that "The Hall is meaningless without_____ in there." That's a slap in the face of Monk and Green and the rest.

How is it a slap in the face of Monk & Green if we campaign for Redskins to inducted into the HOF if by all rights they deserve to be in there as much as Monk & Green & all the other players. I say it diminishes us more if we don't campaign for players like Chris Hanburger, Jerry Smith, Dave Butz, Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, & Gary Clark.

[Dark Acre]

I would maybe be crazy, but I think Dave Butz deserves at least a good look. I mean really, from I think 1977 or so when he got here until he retired, you DID NOT run up the middle against the Skins. He was a very underappreciated fantastic player.

You're crazy. Being "a very underappreciated fantastic player" is great, but not HOF-worthy. The Skins are a victim of team success. It's not as if Gibbs depended on 1 or 2 guys to have a Hall season so he could win a SB.

[scruffylookin]

The Skins are a victim of team success. It's not as if Gibbs depended on 1 or 2 guys to have a Hall season so he could win a SB.

I'm coming around to this way of thinking.

I do think Hanburger belongs in the Hall based on the recognition he earned. I also agree that Jerry Smith put up some huge numbers in an era when most tight ends did not put up numbers like his. I think it's a crying shame that we have cheerleaders in the media talking up Shannon Sharpe as a HOF player and Jerry Smith is never mentioned. It's as if the pass catching tight end started with Winslow and Newsome in the early 80's.

But back to your point, I've come to think that Gibbs' Redskins were truly a team where the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts. I no longer believe Joe Jacoby is a Hall of Famer. He was a very good player but The Hogs as a unit were greater than any one player.

I think the best player on The Hogs was Jim Lachey and he was a HOF worthy player, except for the fact that injuries really derailed the last 4 or 5 years of his career.

I've come to accept (though still not totally agree) that my favorite Redskin of all time, Gary Clark, is not going to get into the Hall of Fame. Too many receivers with numbers in his ballpark over the last 20 years.

I never viewed Charles Mann as a HOF player.

Dexter had a shot but drugs killed any chance.

Dave Butz is an interesting case. People seem to forget that Butz wasn't always viewed as a monster run stopper. He was viewed as an injury prone bust early in his career. He was viewed as a disappointment in his early years in Washington. It wasn't until the last 6 or 7 years of his career where Butz became this force on the dline. I still think of him as the key cog that made Richie's defense go and thus there is still a part of me that feels he belongs in the Hall, but I do understand why he's not in.

The player that I think deserves consideration, but I think has zero shot to get in, is Ken Harvey. He was a great all around linebacker. He just had the misfortune to play for crappy teams in Arizona and then here in DC and so is largely forgotten.

[Kunia5]

Can somebody set me straight? I looked at the NFL HOF web site and couldn't find any definitive criteria of what constitutes plausible criteria for admission.

Longevity has something to do with it, right? Like at least five years? And is it only Pro Bowls, All Pros; or do they look at numbers and productivity year in and year out? Can you never had been on a Pro Bowl team but still be considered (fallen thru the cracks)?

Obviously, there are many excellent players who will never play in a Super Bowl, so I would assume that would be taken with a grain of salt as a factor of admission.

Not really. As good as Russ was, Chris Hanburger not being in as as much of a travesty as Art Monk not being in.

9 Pro Bowls

8 times All Conference

4 times voted first team All Pro (2x 2nd team)

1972 Player of the Year

How Chris isnt in is beyond me.

[JuicyJ]