Who Dey
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
- 1,499
- 0
Getty Images
With the Pro Football Hall of Fame working on a proposal that would expand next year’s class to 20 — in part to clear a backlog with a 10-man seniors class — some of those who slipped through the cracks suddenly have a better chance.
For former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, that just means the annual phone calls come in earlier than normal.
“The only time I ever think about it is that time of year when voting [happens] and somebody calls and says ‘Well what do you think?’,” Anderson said, via Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I don’t know. I know there’s been discussions about me in the past. I know there’s been discussions about me in the senior category. As far as what those discussions are? I don’t know what the feelings of the voters are. There are so many guys out there that are probably very deserving to be in.
“I don’t know if [increasing the class to 20] helps my chances or not.”
Anderson was twice a finalist as a modern-era candidate, and presents an interesting case. He has an MVP award on the shelf, and led the league in passer rating four times and passing yards twice in his 16-year career, as part of an impressive statistical resume. What he lacks is the marker of team success, as the Bengals never won a Super Bowl during his time.
“The one position that they judge you on (a championship) is the quarterback position,” Anderson explained. “That’s how quarterbacks are judged. Did you win it all? There’s the debate who the greatest quarterback is of all time? Is it (Tom) Brady now with the number of times that he’s been there. I keep going back, and everybody keeps forgetting about Otto Graham. He played 10 years in the league and all 10 years he was in the last game of the year. He won seven of those. So I don’t know if anyone stacks up better than Otto Graham.”
Whether his accomplishments are enough to merit consideration this year remains to be seen.