ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — This is bigger than Randy Gradishar.
This is about the iconic Orange Crush defense continuing to have ZERO members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Because Gradishar for whatever reason has been unable to get into the Hall of Fame, the candidacies of Louis Wright, Tom Jackson and Billy Thompson can’t be considered.
Karl Mecklenburg, whose career spanned the 1980s and early 1990s and therefore not an Orange Crusher, is another Hall of Fame-worthy former Broncos’ defensive player who seems blocked from consideration while Gradishar finds such crushing disappointment year after year.
Still, it’s not time to shuffle the deck.
"Out of everyone you mentioned in that group, Randy is the most deserving to go in," Mecklenburg said Wednesday after learning Gradishar did not make the cut from 12 senior player finalists to three nominated for final election into the Hall of Fame. "I got to play with him for one year (1983) and his preparation, the way he played, the professionalism he brought every single day – he was special."
It was Dallas Cowboys’ outside linebacker Chuck Howley, New York Jets’ defensive lineman Joe Klecko and Cincinnati Bengals’ cornerback Ken Riley who got the HOF senior committee’s nod Tuesday (but waited until Wednesday to announce). All are deserving; that’s not the gripe.
Riley was my No. 1 choice from the 12-player senior finalist pool. I thought he was already enshrined. His 65 interceptions are still ranked No. 5 all-time. He had 8 picks and two pick-sixes in his 15th and final season of 1983. By way of comparison, Champ Bailey, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and deservedly so, had 52 career interceptions.
While Howley deserves the Hall of Fame, his bust should not have been bronzed before Gradishar’s. Howley made five consecutive All Pro teams, six Pro Bowls and was MVP of the worst Super Bowl ever played, Super Bowl V. Gradishar was a five-time All Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.
Even if you call this a tie, the breaker is Howley’s Cowboys already had three defenders from his era in the Hall of Fame – Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro and Cliff Harris. That makes Howley the fourth-best Cowboys defensive player in the late-1960s, early 1970s.
Gradishar is the best from the Orange Crush defense of the late 1970s.
It’s also a bit puzzling Klecko went in ahead of Gradishar. Klecko was a great Jet but he only had four Pro Bowls, three All Pros and two double-digit sack seasons.
And so Gradishar, who was first eligible for Hall of Fame election in 1989, must wait a 34th year. The Hall of Fame will continue to nominate three senior players next year and in 2024. Then it may expand the coach and contributor pool Gradishar made it inside the top six seniors from the 12 finalists this time, a source told 9NEWS, so give him another year or two to make it.
It’s imperative for Gradishar to get in so the path can be cleared for other deserving Bronco defenders from yesteryear. Wright and Mecklenburg should be the next two for consideration, followed by Jackson and Thompson. (Von Miller will be a modern-era inductee, probably on the first ballot, five years after he retires).
Wright was a 6-foot-2 shutdown cornerback for 12 seasons before Deion Sanders came along to inspire the term, “cover corner.”
"Ahead of his time," Tom Jackson said of Wright for the book ‘50 Greatest Players in Denver Broncos History.’ “Ahead of his time not only in his skill set, but his size, his speed, his ability to cover. As complicated as the Orange Crush was, we went into a game with, ‘You 10 guys have to be totally coordinated with everything you do -- Louis you take their best receiver. You take Lynn Swann, you take Steve Largent, John Jefferson and you shut him down and we’ll win.’’’
Mecklenburg may be the only defensive player in NFL history to have eight seasons of at least 7.0 sacks and eight seasons of at least 97 tackles. He played inside linebacker for roughly 60 percent of the snaps, but defensive coordinator Joe Collier moved Meck to edge rusher in nickel situations. And if the Broncos played against a run-and-shoot offense, Mecklenburg would shift down to the defensive tackle or nose tackle positions.
Mecklenburg’s incredible versatility may be a curse, though, to his Hall of Fame chances, though, because voters don’t have a point of positional comparison. Here’s a comparative stat: In 1988, the Denver D allowed 18.0 points per game in the 9 games Mecklenburg played. In the seven games he was sidelined with injury, the Broncos’ allowed 27.1 points per game. How many already immortalized football players were worth 9.1 points a game?
Jackson should be a Hall of Fame combination candidate of player – 14 seasons with the Broncos with three Pro Bowls – and contributor – 29 years as an NFL analyst with ESPN.
Thompson played 13 seasons as a cornerback and safety and started all but 11 games. He had 40 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, 7 defensive touchdowns, three Pro Bowls and as a rookie in 1969 led the AFL in both kickoff and punt returns.
But with 31 other NFL teams also having Hall of Fame-caliber players who do not have a place reserved in Canton – Cecil Isbell and Tommy Nobis were two others from the 12 senior finalists I thought had a chance – the cases for Wright, Mecklenburg, Jackson and Thompson won’t be considered until Gradishar clears the way by getting in.
Wait till next year.
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