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With Tony Boselli in, which Jags should be next for the Hall of Fame? | Gene Frenette
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- With Tony Boselli in, which Jags should be next for the Hall of Fame? | Gene Frenette
With the Tony Boselli induction Saturday finally giving the Jaguars a presence in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the logical curiosity is when can fans of the franchise look forward to seeing No. 71 possibly having black-and-teal company in Canton?
The reality is it could be a few more years, maybe a decade. Possibly longer.
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Regardless of perception, it's not a slam dunk for three people with Jaguars ties — head coach Tom Coughlin, running back Fred Taylor and wide receiver Jimmy Smith — who merit consideration to be enshrined any time soon.
While Coughlin's two Super Bowl title victories with the New York Giants over the New England Patriots dynasty of Bill Belichick would seem plenty sufficient to gain him entry, a mostly unpredictable process means there's no telling how long he might wait for a bust.
Getting into the HOF is a long, arduous road for many elite players and coaches.
As much as Jaguars fans stewed about Boselli getting rejected as a finalist five times, there are 20 Hall of Famers who were turned away from the final 15 candidates more often, including Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann for a record 13 consecutive years before his election in 2001.
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For 49 voters asked to judge so many deserving candidates, just cutting the list of finalists from 15 to 10, then 10 to 5, is almost always an agonizing decision.
Here's how tough it is to be fitted for a gold jacket: there are still 31 All-Decade players, not including special teams, from 1960-99 who are not in the Hall of Fame. In 2019 alone, six All-Decade players who were finalists didn't get into Canton.
Remember, Boselli was considered one of the game's greatest left tackles and didn't get elected until his 16th year of eligibility. He waited nine years just to become one of 25 semifinalists, so buckle up for a potentially long ride before the next Jaguar enters the Hall of Fame.
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For Taylor, Smith and Coughlin, the road to Canton has varying obstacles, some much harder to overcome than others. Here's a breakdown of the positive factors and numerical challenges facing the Big Three, all of whom were instrumental in the franchise's early success.
Fred Taylor – The Highlight Reel
He was one of the most underrated players of his generation, and in the 12 years since his retirement, nothing much has changed for Taylor in terms of having to fight for his rightful place in the NFL running back hierarchy.
Though unquestionably one of the most productive backs in any era, Taylor had the misfortune of playing at a time when his position was loaded with greatness.
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With the likes of Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis, Corey Dillon, Priest Holmes and Jerome Bettis all starring in AFC backfields during Taylor's prime, the Jaguars back who put together seven 1,000-yard seasons only managed to get to one Pro Bowl.
That damning stat may give voters a lot of pause if Taylor, an HOF semifinalist the past three years, ever gets to the finals and has his resume discussed among the electorate.
With Jacksonville a small-market team and Taylor being somewhat underappreciated for his vast accomplishments, he occasionally feels compelled on social media to remind people that a lot of his numbers are HOF-worthy.
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"I've seen where some guys [not in the Hall of Fame] are disgruntled, and maybe they do have an argument that's not being heard," said Taylor. "At times, I feel that way about my numbers not being validated.
"In those moments, I sort of feel an obligation to remind people. It's not a message to the selectors because they're going to do their homework anyway. It's for myself and the fans. I have to remind myself sometimes that I was pretty good."
More accurately, Taylor was very good and quite often showed himself to be a true definition of greatness. His combination of size (6-foot-1, 228 pounds), speed and elusiveness got him on a lot of highlight reels.
Fred Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars (28) outruns Brock Marion of the Miami Dolphins on his iconic 90-yard touchdown during a 62-7 victory over the Dolphins in an AFC playoff game in 2000.
Time still on his side
Pro Bowl snubs aside, Taylor's numbers still kept company with plenty of Hall of Fame backs, and in many instances, surpassed them.
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Taylor's 11,695 rushing yards are better than any running back currently eligible for Canton, though he acknowledges when Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson become eligible in five or six years, they deserve to get in the HOF line in front of him.
"I don't think there should be another back inducted before they go in, but I'm optimistic there's not another back to push me out," Taylor said.
He ranks 17th on the all-time yardage list, less than 600 yards behind Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, James and Marshall Faulk. Of the 32 running backs in Canton, only 14 have more rushing yards than the University of Florida product.
Taylor's most impactful number is probably averaging 4.6 yards per carry, a number achieved by only two backs in NFL history with a minimum 2,500 carries — Barry Sanders and Peterson. Those are also the only two backs with more 1,000-yard seasons than Taylor.
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The dilemma for Freddy T. and getting to Canton is how so many important measuring sticks for elite status eluded him. He never won a rushing title, never made All-Decade and failed to win a Super Bowl, all distinctions that elevated the cases of so many at his position.
"It's really stacked against Fred in that regard," said longtime voter Rick Gosselin, a Dallas-based writer and a numbers guru when it comes to Hall of Fame statistics. "I put stock in those honors."
Still, that's no reason for Taylor supporters to lose hope. When it comes to a push for the Hall of Fame, momentum matters. Boselli and fellow HOF inductee LeRoy Butler, a Jacksonville native and Green Bay Packers safety, waited about a decade to become semifinalists. Taylor got there in his fifth year of eligibility.
A huge step for Taylor would be becoming a finalist, where almost 90 percent of the players reaching that stage since 1970 have eventually been enshrined.
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The good news is Taylor has 18 years of eligibility left as a modern-era candidate. If voters can get past him going to one Pro Bowl (2007), he's got a puncher's chance of making it to Canton.
Jimmy Smith – A bolt of lightning
No skill player in a Jaguars uniform burst into stardom quite like Smith. He wasn't even guaranteed a roster spot on the 1995 expansion team, having been cut by two teams and almost dying from a post-surgical appendectomy infection while a member of the Dallas Cowboys in 1993.
Three years later, Smith emerged as a franchise cornerstone by putting together the first of nine 1,000-yard seasons. From 1996-2001, the pairing of receiver Keenan McCardell and the speedy Smith produced one of the NFL's greatest nicknames, "Thunder and Lightning."
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During that six-season stretch, Smith looked every bit like a Hall of Famer. He compiled 562 catches for 7,972 yards and 41 touchdowns, numbers that were better or near equal to the best six-year run of Michael Irvin and Tim Brown, both Hall of Famers and second-team, All-Decade receivers in the 1990s.
One of Smith's most electrifying performances came in the Jaguars' 39-36 road loss in 2000 to the Baltimore Ravens, the eventual Super Bowl champion and considered one of the best defenses in league history. In that game, Smith caught 15 passes from Mark Brunell for 291 yards and three touchdowns. It remains the most single-game receiving yards by any NFL receiver in a losing cause.
Jimmy Smith, who is the top receiver in Jaguars history, caught 862 passes for 12,287 yards in his Jacksonville career.
Shockingly, in 12 years of Hall of Fame eligibility, Smith has yet to be among the 25 semifinalists, which doesn't bode well for his chances of being a threat to get into Canton.
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Despite being a five-time Pro Bowler, Smith's career totals of 862 catches, 12,287 yards and 67 TDs are not viewed as impressive a body of work as it might have been a decade ago.
A total of 10 receivers and two tight ends have surpassed Smith in total yardage, where he currently ranks 25th all-time, since his retirement. With the NFL relying more on the passing game as time goes on, it's hard to imagine Smith's numbers will suddenly start resonating with voters in the future. His low touchdown rate, in comparison to most elite receivers, could also be an impediment.
Gosselin assessed Smith's chances for entry into the Hall this way: "The line in front of Jimmy is longer than it is for Fred [Taylor]."
Being the greatest deep threat in Jaguars' history made Smith an NFL household name for about a decade. His speed and sure hands were a sight to behold.
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Unfortunately, with the way inflated receiver numbers are going, it's working against Smith trying to gain any HOF traction.
Tom Coughlin — The Builder
It'd be an egregious oversight if the first head coach in Jaguars history (1995-2002) didn't get a bust in Canton, but dozens of players and several coaches also have strong cases and they've waited an inordinate amount of time to be enshrined.
Unlike the modern era player candidates, a coach as accomplished as Coughlin might wait longer than his resume suggests because revised HOF bylaws allow just one nominee in the coach/contributor category to be presented for enshrinement.
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Every candidate in that category has their fate in the hands of a 12-person committee. During the summer, they vote on 25 semifinalists, then 12 finalists, before submitting one name to the 49 voters, who usually give the 80 percent approval necessary to put that candidate in Canton.
The challenge for Coughlin or any coach/contributor nominee is there's currently only one spot available each year, with that process up for review after 2024. Among the current 12 finalists for the Class of 2023 are coaches Don Coryell, Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer, Buddy Parker and two-time Super Bowl champion Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos.
George Seifert, who won two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, was a semifinalist, but didn't make the cut to the finals. Among the contributors who made the finals are New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney, Jr.
That's quite a powerhouse lineup of names for Coughlin or any candidate to break through to earn a place in Canton.
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Coughlin has been eligible for enshrinement the past two years, but has yet to even make a preliminary list of candidates for HOF consideration. He's on the list for 2024. Coughlin, Shanahan and Seifert are the only coaches to win two Super Bowls that are not in Canton.
Working in Coughlin's favor is that his eight-year stint with the Jaguars was far more successful than Shanahan at his non-Super Bowl stops with the Raiders or his four-year stint with the Washington Commanders. The same goes for Seifert, who was 16-32 in three seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
But in terms of overall win percentage, Coughlin (.537, 182-157) still lags behind every coach who recently made the semifinals, a list that also includes Dan Reeves, who took his teams to four Super Bowls without winning one.
However, when you compare the cases of two-time Super Bowl championship coach Tom Flores (Oakland Raiders) and Dick Vermeil (St. Louis Rams/Philadelphia Eagles) — the most recent HOF inductees among coaches — Coughlin's win percentage is slightly higher.
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So, as voters analyze the credentials of each coach given HOF consideration, it's subjective as to which factor they might give the most credence. The fact Coughlin had control over personnel and built the Jaguars from scratch and took them to two AFC title games should raise his stature in the eyes of voters.
Tom Coughlin (R) winning two Super Bowls as head coach of the New York Giants makes him a strong candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but what he did building the Jaguars' expansion franchise in the 1990s should elevate his case.
Taylor wants Coughlin enshrined first
Gosselin, the statistical gatekeeper among Hall voters, is careful to pay respect to accomplished players and coaches throughout league history, not just the five decades he covered the game.
He considers Coughlin "in a pretty select group" of coaches because of his two Super Bowl rings, but also believes a figure from a bygone era — the late Buddy Parker — might be the most deserving coach not enshrined in Canton.
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Parker won an NFL championship as a fullback with the Detroit Lions in 1935, then served as the Lions' head coach when they won back-to-back NFL Championships in 1952-53. Parker also had a winning record over eight seasons coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing with a career winning percentage of .580 (107-76-9).
Coughlin's two Super Bowl triumphs over Belichick, the first of which ruined the Patriots' bid for a perfect record in 2007, are impressive just by themselves. But in taking the expansion Jaguars to remarkable glory in their first five years, that should elevate his case and warrant eventual entry into the Hall of Fame.
"I'd actually prefer it to be Coach Coughlin [to get into Canton] over myself or whoever else in the Jaguars' organization that might be considered," Taylor said. "He should get credit for not just beating the Patriots twice, but what he built in Jacksonville and how fast he did it."
But since the path to get into Canton for a coach/contributor is so narrow, it's a crapshoot as to when the 75-year-old Coughlin will be immortalized at the highest level for his amazing career.
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If Boselli needing 16 years of eligibility before getting his gold jacket is any indicator, it could be a long wait before anybody else connected to the Jaguars is welcomed into that exclusive club.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com
Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Put Jaguars Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith, Tom Coughlin in Hall of Fame
