Is Terrell Davis really a Hall of Famer?

Discussion in 'National Football League' started by Jonathan_Vilma, Sep 22, 2017.

  1. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

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    I was looking over some statistics and Terrell Davis making the Hall of Fame just blows my mind. The guy was EXCELLENT for three years and was obviously a huge part of those Super Bowl teams. But him getting in the Hall of Fame should really open up the door for a lot of other players.


    Let's take a look at Priest Holmes three year run...


    Priest Holmes - 3x Pro Bowler, 3x All-Pro

    2001: 1,555 yards on 327 carries (4.8 ypc) with 8 touchdowns, 62 catches for 614 yards (9.9 ypc) and 2 touchdowns

    2002: 1,615 yards on 313 carries (5.2 ypc) with 21 touchdowns, 70 catches for 627 yards (9.6 ypc) and 3 touchdowns

    2003: 1,420 yards on 320 carries (4.4 ypc) with 27 touchdowns, 74 catches for 690 yards (9.3 ypc) and 0 touchdowns



    Terrell Davis - 3x Pro Bowler, 3x All-Pro

    1996: 1,538 yards on 345 carries (4.5 ypc) with 13 touchdowns, 36 catches for 310 yards (8.6 ypc) and 2 touchdowns

    1997: 1,750 yards on 369 carries (4.7 ypc) with 15 touchdowns, 42 catches for 287 yards (6.8 ypc) and 0 touchdowns

    1998: 2,008 yards on 392 carries (5.1 ypc) with 21 touchdowns, 25 catches for 217 (8.7 ypc) and 2 touchdowns


    Holmes played with the better line and a far less superior quarterback during that run.

    He also finished with more rushing and receiving yards and more rushing and receiving touchdowns for his career.

    I just feel like if TD is in we need to start looking at more players whom have good 3-4 year runs for the Hall of Fame. Is he solely in the Hall of Fame for those two Super Bowl runs where he rushed for 581 yards and 8 touchdowns, and 468 yards and 3 touchdowns?

    A bit of a random topic but I figured it was an interesting discussion.
     
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  2. matt robinson 17

    matt robinson 17 Well-Known Member

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    TD didn't have longevity, so I say no
     
  3. jetophile

    jetophile Bruce Coslet's Daughter

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    There have been many discussions over the years over whether Davis should be in or not, as well as on a bunch of other guys, including Namath and Art Monk. In some cases it looks purely like a popularity contest.
     
  4. BacktoQueens

    BacktoQueens Well-Known Member

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    I don't think there's much debate about Namath or Monk, they both should be in there.

    Davis though I don't believe should be.
    To the OP's point, I actually think Priest Holmes was a better back by a narrow margin. But because he wasn't part of a Super Bowl team, or part of the media, he doesn't seem to get the recognition that Davis does.
    Playing RB on a less talented team is even harder if anything.

    If you have only have a short sample size of great play, it should be incredibly special to get into the Hall.
    Guys like Earl Campbell and Gale Sayers had an historical wow factor to their games.
    Davis and Holmes, while both amazing players, just aren't on the level of Campbell or Sayers, and needed more longevity to earn their place in the Hall. Just my opinion.
     
  5. 101GangGreen101

    101GangGreen101 2018 Thread of the Year Award Winner

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    rings will make your argument 10x stronger ... running for 2000 yards also helps
     
  6. Kris 15

    Kris 15 Well-Known Member

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    I think the fact that he accomplished what he did on John Elway's Broncos went a long way to solidifying his place in history.
     
  7. BacktoQueens

    BacktoQueens Well-Known Member

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    why should 'rings' matter in determining individual efforts within a team sport?
    especially at RB....if you are carrying a bad team and still producing HOF numbers against stacked boxes, that's even more impressive.

    Most of the best RBs in history do not have rings...
    Earl Campbell, OJ Simpson, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, Eric Dickerson, Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Bo Jackson...
    Walter Payton got his at the very end of his brilliant career, but he was already the all time best before then.

    The 2000 yds is a great argument and achievement for a RB though..
     
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  8. jetophile

    jetophile Bruce Coslet's Daughter

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    Barry Sanders gave me a migraine that I still haven't recovered from. Does that count?
     
  9. jetophile

    jetophile Bruce Coslet's Daughter

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    I'll never forget Norman Esiason ribbing Marino about getting into the Hall without a ring. Marino got tomato red in the face and almost stormed off the stage. Marino's neck veins were bulging and I thought blood was gonna start shooting out of his nostrils to relieve the pressure. Please, God, let it happen. It didn't; but to any who witnessed the event, please still consider yourselves blessed.
     
  10. 101GangGreen101

    101GangGreen101 2018 Thread of the Year Award Winner

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    I just felt like it always played a role. He had an excellent SB and got Elway a ring. I am sure that counted for something in terms of HOF. You know how these voters can be in terms of accomplishments.
     
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  11. NYJFan10

    NYJFan10 Well-Known Member

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    Well the two Super Bowls (plus playoff performances) and the 2000 yard season are major talking points Priest Holmes doesn't have.

    Sure the PFHOF is a bit cliquish in who it inducts, but you have to have those kind of eye-popping add ons to make the HOF with only a dominant 4-year stretch.
     
  12. Martin&theJETS

    Martin&theJETS Well-Known Member

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    Clinton Portis
     
  13. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

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    Portis really had a great and underrated career. He averaged 1,482.5 rushing yards and 12.25 touchdowns (including receiving) over the first four years of his career.

    Ricky Williams comes to mind as well as a guy who had a great 3 year run although he was only a Pro-Bowler/All-Pro selection in 2002 for the Dolphins.

    Jamal Lewis had over 10,000 yards rushing and has both a ring as the centerpiece of the offense (a bad offense but still a good rushing year) and that 2,000 yard season. Much better longevity than TD.

    Corey Dillon had over 11,000 yards rushing and a ring with 1,600+ yards rushing for the Pats when they won in 2004.

    Fred Taylor had 7 1,000 yard seasons and over 11,000 yards rushing.

    Shaun Alexander is another good comparison for TD's three year run and went to a Super Bowl as their best offensive player.

    Shaun Alexander
    5 seasons with 1,000+ yards rushing.
    2003: 1,435 rushing yards on 326 carries (4.4 ypc) with 16 total touchdowns
    2004: 1,696 rushing yards on 353 carries (4.8 ypc) with 20 total touchdowns
    2005: 1,880 rushing yards on 370 carries (5.1 ypc) with 28 total touchdowns

    Alexander 3 year totals: 5,011 rushing yards, 64 total touchdowns
    TD 3 year totals: 5,296 rushing yards, 53 total
    touchdowns.

    I just see the HOF playing with fire and a lot of these players can easily make a case for the Hall of Fame if TD is in. They don't view it that way though.
     
    #13 Jonathan_Vilma, Sep 22, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2017
  14. 101GangGreen101

    101GangGreen101 2018 Thread of the Year Award Winner

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    I think Alexander gets in one day. Don't forget those All Pro Teams and of course the 2005 MVP.
     
  15. FJF

    FJF 2018 MVP Joe Namath Award Winner

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    jamal lewis is a really good comp. as much credit as the d gets, he was all they had on o. he just wasn't flashy and the d stole the spotlight.
     
  16. Red Menace

    Red Menace Well-Known Member

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    I think the WOW factor is something to consider, when you see a player like Dickerson, OJ, Campbell, there was never a doubt that those guys were special.

    If Terrel had another 3 years of that WOW factor I could see him being a HOF candidate but any player who is a compiler or having a short sample of what could have been should not in itself be a shoe in for HOF eligibility.

    In order for a player to have HOF eligibility, they need to have had a special career as a RB regardless if they had won a SB or not.
     
    #16 Red Menace, Sep 22, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2017
  17. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

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    He was only a one time All-Pro. That offense really fed off him though. He was a really good runner before he lost the little bit of speed he had.

    Yeah man. He's all the Ravens had. He accounted for 31.3% of their yards from scrimmage that year and 20% of their offensive touchdowns.

    Did all that with an absolutely dreadful passing attack too. Only averaged 193.9 yards per game, 1.25 touchdowns and 1.2 interceptions per game as well.

    Interesting to note that Priest Holmes was the backup runningback and change of pace for that team with 588 rushing yards and 221 receiving yards.

    Sidenote: That defense had 4 shutouts and gave up less than 10 points 12/20 gamesincluding the playoffs. Gave up 10 or less points 15 out of 20 games. Absolutely incredible. Gave up more than 20 points 3 friggain times (ironically one was the Jets in week 17.. go figure)!

    I doubt we'll ever see that again. Some teams can go a decade without pitching a shutout.
     
    #17 Jonathan_Vilma, Sep 22, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2017
  18. slimjasi

    slimjasi Well-Known Member

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    I definitely consider TD a hall-of-fame guy. His prime was cut crazy short by injuries, but in that three year span, he was one of the most dominant running backs I have seen. He was the key cog in a historically great Broncos team, had huge playoff games (including Super Bowls), and was a rare combination of aggressiveness, deceptive speed, and deceptive power. He also had such a unique running style - He consistently cut the ball up-field as fast as any running back I have ever witnessed.
     
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  19. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

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    Another good comparison is Tiki Barber's three year run at the end of his career where he finished with 5,040 rushing yards (5.0 ypc) and 31 total touchdowns. 1x All-Pro and 3x Pro-Bowler. He also had 3,000+ more career rushing yards.

    There's no doubt that Terrell Davis was really really really good. But does three years as a really really really good player qualify you for the Hall of Fame?

    He was dominant but he also played with a Hall of Fame quarterback, Hall of Fame tightend and two to three excellent Pro-Bowl offensive lineman during that span. I imagine Shanahan will probably get in as well, and he revolotionized the zone blocking scheme that made Davis so successful.
     
  20. slimjasi

    slimjasi Well-Known Member

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    You make a lot of great points.

    But personally, I tend to value guys who exhibit sheer dominance over guys who compile good to very good numbers over many seasons. Obviously, the rare guy who does both is a no-brainer. But, for the HOF, I want the guy in question to have truly dominated the league for some amount of time.

    When comparing guys, I usually like to look at player X at his best vs player Y at his best. When doing that comparison, Davis does very well in my book. At his best, I think he was better than Shaun Alexander, Clinton Portis, Corey Dillon, Jamal Lewis, Fred Taylor, or Ricky Williams were at their respective bests.
     
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