Russ Grimm deserves to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The Washington Redskins guard won three Super Bowl rings, exiting his career after beating Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVI. He was the best of the Hogs, one of the NFL’s dominant offensive lines. Grimm was named to the All-80s team.
But, it’s a numbers game as always. Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are locks for the first two of five slots when 44 media members vote. Charles Haley, John Randle and Richard Dent will be favored for the remaining three openings while Dick LeBeau should earn the seniors category selection.
That leaves Grimm on the outside — maybe.
Rice and Smith easily will receive the needed 80 percent approval from writers. Rice was the best receiver in the game, with more trophies than a career pageant contestant. Smith is the NFL’s career leading rusher with four rushing titles and three Super Bowl rings.
But then it gets messy. Haley, Randle, Dent and Grimm are all worthy. Don’t dismiss Tim Brown and Cris Carter, either.
Personally, I’d take Grimm, Haley and Carter.
Haley was on five Super Bowl winners. When he moved from San Francisco to Dallas in 1992, the NFL balance of power went with the pass rusher. Carter departed as the career receptions leader with Philadelphia and Minnesota. His election snub last year was a shocker.
Redskins fans were long bewildered over the team’s Canton snub. Aside coach Joe Gibbs and running back John Riggins, Washington was blanked despite winning three titles while Pittsburgh and San Francisco dynasties ran scores past the Hall panel. The election of Darrell Green and Art Monk in 2008 finally ended that blackout. Now it’s Grimm’s turn.
Grimm’s biggest drawback was that he played only 11 years. Hall of Fame offensive linemen tend to play 15 seasons. However, my former Washington Times colleague and Hall voter David Elfin, whom Monk credited with greatly pushing his induction, has assembled a Ph.d-like thesis on Grimm’s credentials compared to the guard’s competitors.
This may be Grimm’s best chance for induction. Next year, Deion Sanders and Jerome Bettis are locks while Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin will be favored.
The longer a player waits, the more his accomplishments are forgotten. Grimm hasn’t played in 19 years. Only Redskins fans remember his departure well. It was the last time they cheered for a champion.
Maybe they’ll cheer again on Saturday.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or
e-mail [email protected].
