Controversial? Yep. But is Terrell Owens a first-ballot hall of famer? No doubt
The blind resume test is undeniable.
He has 1,078 receptions, and only five players in NFL history have more. Only Jerry Rice has more than his 15,934 yards. Only two players have more than his 153 receiving touchdowns, and only four players overall have more than his 156 touchdowns. Of the eight players behind him on the touchdowns list, seven are in the Hall of Fame and the eighth, Marvin Harrison, will be soon. He was a five-time first-team All-Pro, so he wasn’t just a long-time compiler either.
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By almost any measure, Terrell Owens is a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. However, will that perception change once you put the name on top of that amazing resume?
Owens is a Hall-of-Fame nominee for the first time. He’s likely to create a heated debate his first time around. Owens always had that effect on the NFL. His controversial persona and his greatness are almost inseparable.
One problem Owens will have is that he’s not identifiable with any team. He had messy exits in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas. Nobody even really remembers his stints with Buffalo and Cincinnati. Put it this way, whenever Owens goes in, which team is going to have a big halftime celebration that you see every other Hall of Famer get? And often a yes or no vote depends on the player’s presenter, and who is standing on a table for Owens? (Nobody should have to and it’s really weird that the presentation seems to matter so much among the most respected football writers in the business, but that’s a topic for another day.)
A player’s character and off-field issues shouldn’t be considered, but it’s hard to believe that won’t be in Owens’ case. There’s a reason after 983 yards and nine touchdowns with the Bengals in 2010, Owens never got another NFL job. He spent his career as a professional agitator. And the voters have insisted on making some great players wait their turn — how Shannon Sharpe and Cris Carter weren’t first-ballot Hall of Famers boggles my mind, as does Harrison still being on the outside looking in — which might be the case with Owens too.
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That doesn’t make sense, of course. Owens is a first-ballot Hall of Fame player. He deserves that recognition. Maybe you hated him when he played, but it’s hard to imagine anyone not recognizing his greatness. Someone who has been wait-listed the last year or two should be forced to wait again for Owens. Even if you don’t agree with Owens signing a touchdown ball with a sharpie in the end zone or standing on the Cowboys’ star at midfield, his talent was undeniable. So was his attitude, but the amount of former quarterbacks he ripped on his way out the door shouldn’t matter. Owens is one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. Everyone knows that Owens will be a Hall of Famer some day. Nobody with his resume can be denied.
But the answer is that Owens should have the distinction of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He earned that on the field. Leaving him out in his first year would be weird, and we’d all understand why he was snubbed.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
