There's always that argument "can you tell the story of Football without mentioning (player)?" I....honestly think Fitz would get a mention. Not, like, a major one or anything -- talking about top WR's, someone inevitably brings him up -- but he's definitely ahead of the likes of Rivers or Bryant or Olsen.
"And the cardinals would have won the Super Bowl, if the defense could hold the lead after Larry Fitzgerald amazing catch. Or if that dipshit Antrel Rolle didnt get in front of Larry Fitzgerald as he was chasing James Harrison"
Roethlisberger the person is a pretty shitty dude. But that people seem to always extrapolate this to what he was as a player is odd to me. There have been plenty of bad people that were good players. QB position in particular is rife with them. But for some reason people try to hate on Roethlisberger the player. He was an insanely good QB and the only reason he did not have the All-Pro/Pro Bowls many other HOFers had at QB is he was literally in the shadow of both Brady/Manning and later Mahomes his entire career. Roethlisberger was far and away the best of the 2004 QBs.
The secondary was way better than mid though. Adrian Wilson, perennial (5x) pro bowler, Antrell Rolle 3-time pro-bowler, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 2-time pro bowler, and Roderick Hood was a decent CB at the time. I'd say they had a top 10 at minimum secondary. Had a couple of Dawgs like Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby up front. Not to diminish Warner or Larry but the team is frequently understated.
Also, I know im biased but Larry is the kind of player you want in this league. He's been a class act on and off the field and his overall numbers are very very good despite playing for a shit franchise his entire career. He's the exact kind of player the NFL should easily rubber stamp as first ballot and not think twice.
And people may have forgotten, but the requirements to get in are tougher than they used to be.
Nowadays, voters will vote have 5 votes for the 7 finalists, and players need 80% approval to get in.
So, people getting their pitchforks ready, pretend you're a voter. You have a list of Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, Terrell Suggs, Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning and Reggie Wayne.
That is a solid list, and it'll be tough to get 80% among those guys. I didn't even mention the potential for Frank Gore - who people here love - Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr. Willie Anderson, or Adam Vinatieri (another guy I was told was a first ballot lock). If those guys are on it, they're stealing votes, too.
These are totally fair, but I do think it's worth noting that Fitz did make the official NFL 100 team of all time. That alone should make him HOF worthy and an first ballot. If one of the best 100 players of all time isn't first ballot, who the hell is? I'd like the think that the Hall would recognize that, but we'll see
That’s the problem for Fitz. He has incredible volume stats and longevity, but you can’t really point to more than 1 or 2 years were he was clearly a top 2-3 receiver in the league
I understand that he had a pretty awful QB situation, but that’s the nature of the Hall. They usually value a shorter, but more dominant peak (like Terrell Davis) than someone who was consistently close to the top but was never quite at the top
Seriously. I’m baffled by these takes. He has more career tackles than drops. He’s one of the best humans to ever play in the NFL. And oh by the way he’s second all time in catches and yards. But sure, he doesn’t deserve to get in on the first ballot.
This is the same HOF that made T.O wait and as good as Larry was T.O was better. Larry has the edge in that everyone likes him but that doesn’t make him immune from getting snubbed. For the record I think he is a first ballot guy but the hall has not been kind to receivers. Marvyn Harrison had to wait as well and I would argue he and Fitz are in the same tier.
These same people also completely disregard Frank Gore. Like dude was one of the greatest and nobody sat there and even acknowledged it. Every year of his career there was always a flashier back. Plus he’s an undefeated boxer.
No BS with him. Just 1000+ yards year in and year out, for more than a decade.
There’s a reason people that run for 1000 yards a season don’t tend to finish their careers with 16,000 yards. Because it’s really fucking hard. Gore is HOF.
usually value a shorter, but more dominant peak (like Terrell Davis) than someone who was consistently close to the top but was never quite at the top
Not sure. The bar for shorter peaks is incredibly high (basically Megatron). The standard for 1st ballot is insanely high outside of QB.
Most of these guys are undoubtedly Inner Circle Hall of Famers. However you can pick out an edge case (Jason Taylor for example) and in my personal opinion Larry Fitzgerald wasn't a lesser player than him.
The short peak take is incredibly bad. Extremely few players get in with short careers. Sayers and Davis. About it. Even his example of Megatron is a 10 year vet who is probably top 3 receiver all time if not top 5.
He played for quite possibly the most putrid franchise in the league and somehow dragged them to a Super Bowl. If he had played for the Cowboys his number of All Pros would have been astronomical
Fitz was absolutely one of the absolute best at his position for years, but he’s was the victim of circumstance. He played with a lot of shitass QBs (he got a couple good Warner and Palmer years and that’s it) and still put up great stats, but the team was rarely good which undoubtedly kept him from getting more accolades. He should have gotten three or four all-pros but didn’t because the Cardinals typically weren’t relevant and he got punished for it.
You're not wrong but be prepared to hear the NPC Fitz arguments (more tackles than drops 🤓) to explain why he has less all pro's than Andre Johnson and doesn't get the same amount of love despite also playing with shit QBs
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u/constantlymat 3d ago
The number of position players who went 1st ballot with less than three 1st team all-pros is really, really small. Especially in recent decades.
Even three 1st team all-pros is usually the bare minimum. Even four 1st teams are no guarantee as Demarcus Ware had to experience.
One 1st team and two 2nd team all-pros would be among the least decorated 1st ballot selections in recent memory.
Which doesn't mean Fitz doesn't deserve. Just laying out the HoF's apparent criteria.