The Case For Shannon Sharpe: Tight End Comparison

by John Bena on Feb 3, 2011 8:25 AM MST in Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame website has an interesting look at the candidates for the Hall of Fame Class of 2011 and how they compare to current Hall of Famers at their position. So I thought it would be interesting - albeit obvious - to see how Shannon Sharpe compares to the other Tight Ends in the Hall of Fame. Take a look:

		Receiving			Rushing			Punt Returns			Kickoff Returns			Scoring
Player	Yrs.	No.	Yds.	TD	No.	Yds	TD	No.	Yds.	TD	No.	Yds.	TD	TD	PAT	FG	TOT
Shannon Sharpe	14	815	10,060	62	3	9	0	-	-	-	1	0	0	62	0	0	372
Tight Ends in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Dave Casper	11	378	5,216	52	6	27	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	53	0	0	318
Mike Ditka	12	427	5,812	43	2	2	0	-	-	-	3	30	0	45	0	0	270
John Mackey	10	331	5,236	38	19	127	0	-	-	-	9	271	0	38	0	0	228
Ozzie Newsome	13	662	7,980	47	18	135	2	2	29	0	-	-	-	49	0	0	294
Charlie Sanders	10	336	4,817	31	4	-6	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	31	0	0	186
Jackie Smith	16	480	7,918	40	38	327	3	-	-	-	5	103	0	43	0	0	258
Kellen Winslow	9	541	6,741	45	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	11	0	45	0	0	270

Sure, it is unfair to really compare Sharpe to the group since the nature of the position has changed so much - mainly because of Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez. A deeper look, however, at what the selection committee looks for makes Sharpe even more of a slam dunk.

1. STATS - Obviously Sharpe led all Tight Ends in receptions, yards, touchdowns, et al when he retired so this is a no-brainer. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact Sharpe was the leading receiver on two different Super Bowl Championship teams. Not only was Sharpe a pass-catching tight end, but he was the main target on two teams that won the Super Bowl!

We all know you can't run the ball if your tight end or wide receivers don't block. We all know the story that Mike Shanahan told Sharpe early on that if he didn't block he wouldn't be on the field. During Sharpe's time with the Broncos, Denver rushed for more yards than any team in the NFL - by far.

2. Longevity - You know, the reason Terrell Davis isn't in the Hall of Fame? We hear the same about Randy Gradishar too. If there is something I cannot stand it is hypocrisy. By keeping Sharpe out of the Hall, the selection committee are being hypocrites. Sharpe spent 14 years in the NFL - and was still at the top of his game when he retired. Only Jackie Smith played longer - and I have a feeling Smith didn't have a deal in TV motivating him to retire. Sharpe played a long time and was effective up until the day he retired.

Let's compare Sharpe to the other Hall of Famers in terms of Honors:

					Championship Teams
Player	Yrs.	All Pro	All Conf	Pro Bowls	Div.	Conf.	League
Shannon Sharpe	14	4	4	8	3	3	3
Tight Ends in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Dave Casper	11	4	4	5	3	1	1
Mike Ditka	12	4	5	5	4	2	2
John Mackey	10	3	3	5	3	2	1
Ozzie Newsome	13	2	2	3	5	0	0
Charlie Sanders	10	2	3	7	0	0	0
Jackie Smith	16	0	2	5	3	1	0
Kellen Winslow	9	3	4	5	3	0	0

Again, this is a no-brainer. While you can debate if comparing stats is relevant, comparing honors - both individual and team - is definitely in play. Sharpe's 4 All-Pro Awards is tied with Dave Casper and Mike Ditka. Sharpe's 8 Pro Bowls is tops. His 3 Super Bowl rings are also tops. What am I missing?

I think we can all agree that Shannon Sharpe will get into the Hall of Fame. It is just a question of when. The argument that "there are so many great players this year" is BS! If we all agree that Shannon Sharpe is a Hall of Famer, put him in the Hall... NOW! That goes for any player. Make the class sizes bigger, do whatever it takes, but quit with the excuses!!

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Comments

The fact that he has been passed over a couple of times is beyond ridiculous. Of course, I thought for sure Cris Carter would be in by now too, and he’s not even a finalist.

Who’s “the lock” this year? Deion? Other than Deion, Sharpe is the biggest, most recognizable name on the list. This should definitely be the year.

"Life's tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne

by wtnelson on Feb 3, 2011 8:39 AM MST reply actions

Why

does everyone hate the Broncos so much. What have we ever done to anyone. Shannon Sharpe deserves to be in the HOF and he earned it on the field.

You can't win in this league with 53 choirboys, and the last time I checked, they weren't holding parades for 4-12 teams full of Boy Scouts.

by grind_core on Feb 3, 2011 8:39 AM MST reply actions

We are

in the Rocky Mountains and have a rabid fanbase. The Easterners are jealous

Brad James

Follow me on Twitter

With Coach Zorro on our side, we will slice opponents to ribbons. Tim Tebow gives me hope and I already have faith and charity in my heart! I see a propitious future rife with Lombardis for our Broncos!

by the new Bradfather on Feb 3, 2011 5:32 PM MST up reply actions

I couldn't agree more.

When the MHR HOF Committee was emailing the voters, the overwhelming majority of voters believed that Sharpe was going to be a Hall of Famer. When asked why he isn’t in already, they stated that because this was a strong class, he probably wouldn’t get in but he would get in eventually. I call foul…

I’m with you. I don’t understand why they can’t just do it now. If he’s a Hall of Famer, he’s a Hall of Famer. The 5 slots for recent retirees is pretty ridiculous, especially when you have 8 or 9 names that are worthy of the Hall of Fame in one season.

I think they should change the rule from “you have to get an 80% vote and if more than 7 (2 senior finalists) people reach the 80% then only the top vote getters will be in” to “just get 80% of the vote”.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Feb 3, 2011 8:40 AM MST reply actions

Every other broncos candidate that is not in I can understand

But Sharpe not being in is a complete joke. They always say, if this guy hadn’t played, would the game be different? Did the player revolutionize the game? There is NO QUESTION that sharpe did that. Of course you guys already know this but I just needed to get it out again.

by black_knight101 on Feb 3, 2011 8:48 AM MST via mobile reply actions

Every other broncos candidate that is not in I can understand

Not me. Gradishar, imo, is the biggest snub in NFL HoF history.

My fantasy hockey team sucks. But at least I'm not a Red Wing sellout.

by Bob in Boulder on Feb 3, 2011 12:39 PM MST up reply actions

THIS

Bringing you hopeful optimism and irreverent naivité, 24/7. GO BRONCOS!

by broncosmontana on Feb 3, 2011 1:32 PM MST up reply actions

+1000000000000

I've been bleedin' orange and blue since Floyd Little in '71-'72 and will 'til the day I die!
Bring back the Orange Crush!

by WyoBronco on Feb 4, 2011 7:31 AM MST up reply actions

Can we compare "any" position stats to those in the past?

TE, as noted, has changed so much that the only comparison for Shannon should be with his immediate peers. Doing this, he was the dominant TE of his generation, hands down. For how the game was being played while he played, no other player could claim his dominance.
I agree with grind_core, and it’s just not being paranoid, I finally have to say I agree that there is a bias toward Denver players and I don’t understand it. Gradishar is a great example of it and of course so is TD. No running back dominated during his career like TD did…. league mvp, super-bowl mvp, 2-time superbowl winner, 2k rusher…. if Gayle Sayers is in, then there is no logical reason for TD to be excluded.

"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."

by rubincarterrocks on Feb 3, 2011 8:52 AM MST reply actions

Can we compare “any” position stats to those in the past?

That’s a great question. Along those same lines, we received a few comments that suggested that some HOF voters were trying to compare Sharpe with wide receivers, not tight ends. Apparently, due to the fact that Shannon Sharpe was used more like a receiver than a blocker, some are trying to compare him to his brother and other wide receivers in the league.

Which is ridiculous…. but that’s how it is.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Feb 3, 2011 8:55 AM MST up reply actions

That simply shows

that yes, he did change what people can think of a position. Is that not one of the qualifications.

You can be dumb... that's ok! There are many dumb people.
You can be an %&*hole... that's ok! There are many of these as well.
Unfortunately you cannot be both...
Ok... prove me wrong.

by BeachBronco on Feb 3, 2011 8:59 AM MST up reply actions

I agree with you.

I don’t think they have a set of qualifications. It’s just based on a vote and each voter has different criteria that a player must meet. Some just use the eye test. Some go off of stats. Some go off of the players impact on the game.

Regardless of the criteria they use, all of them are influenced by their own personal bias.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Feb 3, 2011 9:14 AM MST up reply actions

True true

You can be dumb... that's ok! There are many dumb people.
You can be an %&*hole... that's ok! There are many of these as well.
Unfortunately you cannot be both...
Ok... prove me wrong.

by BeachBronco on Feb 3, 2011 9:26 AM MST up reply actions

Very much so

It’s an amazing exercise talking to the voters about what constitutes a worth candidate. You get as many responses to that question as you do voters. For example, some guys feel like because there are more HOFers who played offense, that we should focus more on enshrining guys who played defense.

Bringing you hopeful optimism and irreverent naivité, 24/7. GO BRONCOS!

by broncosmontana on Feb 3, 2011 1:08 PM MST up reply actions

I hope Sharpe gets in this time

But the comparison needs to be a little more complicated. As Bena notes, reference is made to how strong the class is. So, the comparison should reflect how Sharpe compares to other HOF tight ends against how each other finalist compares to other HOFers at their positions. Nevertheless, I think he gets in this time.

by opinion8r on Feb 3, 2011 8:53 AM MST reply actions

Man .. Remembering him .

He was so strong DBs could not tackle him 1on1 he would catch an elway pass , turn
to run , and when the pursueing tackler came to meet him BAM He just shrugged
guys off him like it was nothing over and over again game after game . the power this
guy had was amazing.

by broncosfaninphilly on Feb 3, 2011 10:02 AM MST reply actions

Shannon shoulda been a lock the minute he hung 'em up.

Travesty! I dunno what the reason is he hasn’t been inducted already, but whatever.

I went last year for Lloyd, I’ll prolly go back to Canton again this year for the greatest TE in the history of the game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

WWTTD?

by SinDonor on Feb 3, 2011 10:15 AM MST reply actions

"Mr. President, call in the National Guard"

Force the HOF Committee to surrender!

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
My ship finally came in, but it was the Kobayashi Maru.
Follow me on Twitter @MHR_KaptainKirk

by KaptainKirk on Feb 3, 2011 10:16 AM MST reply actions 2 recs

this

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Feb 3, 2011 10:57 AM MST up reply actions

+2

"I always believe there's a reason why you go through everything." - John Elway

by Pmoreno95 on Feb 3, 2011 11:25 AM MST via mobile up reply actions

from the HOF site

First notification of the makeup of the newest class of enshrinees is made when the Deloitte & Touche representative presents a sealed envelope to Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry at the press conference held immediately after the selection meeting.

Okay. I think I might have an idea where the disconnect is.

Bringing you hopeful optimism and irreverent naivité, 24/7. GO BRONCOS!

by broncosmontana on Feb 3, 2011 1:41 PM MST up reply actions

lol

You can't win in this league with 53 choirboys, and the last time I checked, they weren't holding parades for 4-12 teams full of Boy Scouts.

by grind_core on Feb 3, 2011 2:44 PM MST up reply actions

I'm pretty sure he's getting in this class

He’s got plenty of face time with his job, and I’m almost 100% sure he’s in, and with how great this class is, that’s awesome.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Feb 3, 2011 11:12 AM MST reply actions

Shannon needs to get in

more Broncos need to get in period.

Brad James

Follow me on Twitter

by the new Bradfather on Feb 3, 2011 12:39 PM MST reply actions

Shannon Sharpe

Get him in there, its the right thing to do

by broncobum on Feb 3, 2011 1:04 PM MST reply actions

The only reason he isn't in yet is because some of the voters say he was really

a WR. That’s crap. Sure, he was more a receiver then a blocker but he revolutionized the position. They say the true greats are the ones who revolutionize the game like Joe Montana and Deacon Jones. I think Sharpe did that for TE’s. He was a consistent mismatch: too big for CB’s and too fast for LB’s and safeties, and now we are seeing the true value of that kind of TE in today’s game in Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates.

by DBroncs1414 on Feb 3, 2011 1:55 PM MST reply actions

i hate this yearly quota thing. either you are a hall of famer or you are not.

by mikebirty on Feb 3, 2011 2:54 PM MST reply actions

He absolutely crushes

anyone else’s stats.

"It's all over fat man!"
-Tom Jackson

by Calikula on Feb 3, 2011 5:26 PM MST reply actions

Minus Tony Gonzalez

But you are right, he has every thing he needs to get in, and he likely will.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Feb 3, 2011 5:33 PM MST up reply actions

Yes

minus tony

"It's all over fat man!"
-Tom Jackson

by Calikula on Feb 3, 2011 7:01 PM MST up reply actions

Oh nostalgia

I miss the days when our offense had him and all the other pieces needed in it. Elway, Sharpe, Davis, McCaffery, Smith, Griffith, Zimmerman, and Im sure Im forgetting a few others on our O from the 96, 97, 98 seasons. Not hard to win back to back SB’s with a cast like that

"It's all over fat man!"
-Tom Jackson

by Calikula on Feb 3, 2011 7:06 PM MST up reply actions

Agreed

You don’t have to have great success at the quarterback position when a team is that solid. Elways two most conservative seasons were the Super Bowl ones, hopefully Fox brings back the idea that teams win games, not one player.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Feb 4, 2011 12:07 AM MST up reply actions

Right, but at this point he is facing players from other positions.

There’s no doubt that he deserves to be in as a TE, but is he in the top 5 out of this year’s class? That’s the big question.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Feb 3, 2011 5:38 PM MST up reply actions

I doubt the HOF commitee doesn't take into account position

The media might.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Feb 3, 2011 5:57 PM MST up reply actions

You'd be surprised....

Here’s an excerpt from one of the response that we got from a HOF voter.

So which five would you pick for the Class of 2011? In making your selections, remember that the gap continues to widen between offensive and defensive players in Canton. In the game’s modern era, there have been 113 players enshrined on offense and only 68 on defense.
I’m of the belief that at the end of the day, when they close the doors on the Hall of Fame for good, the numbers need to add up. Right now they do not.

According to at least one voter, they’ll be pushing defensive players through as hard as they can.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Feb 3, 2011 6:10 PM MST up reply actions

Well Sharpe's name better be on the list Saturday

I just can’t believe that being the all-time leader in TEs when he retired that he isn’t in by now. The HOF is a joke. I mean players can’t improve their stats after they retire so either they are in or not. No reason to make them wait a long time. I mean if he gets in before Rice and Smith then big freakin deal, he retired before they did.

I don’t care what others say. There is no logical reason that the Broncos franchise only has 3 guys in the HOF…..NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER!

Floyd Little: HOF Class of 2010.

2009-10 back-to-back NBA Champions L.A Lakers
2009-10 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant

by weazel on Feb 3, 2011 6:50 PM MST reply actions

Ever Since My Work on the MHR HOF Committee

I’ve had a better grasp on the HOF and its process. Given that, I have the following things to say:

1) Sharpe totally deserves to get in.
2) Sharpe totally will get in.
3) It may not be this year.
4) Somebody will get in this year that will make you angry. Maybe it’s Andre Reed, maybe it’s Richard Dent.
5) It’s a strong class again this year, and Ed Sabol is gaining a lot of momentum.

If I were to predict a HoF class?
1) Deion Sanders
2) Marshall Faulk
3) Ed Sabol
4) Richard Dent
5) Cris Carter

Although Andre Reed may inexplicably work his way into the class. I also sure hope Dent, Bettis, or Haley make it.

Tweeting via @jtkimbell

by studbucket on Feb 3, 2011 9:46 PM MST reply actions