Reason #5: What is a hall of famer? Terrell Davis

What is a hall of famer?

When the question is asked, there is no right or wrong answer. There is no codex to lay out how you know for certain. What you have is the facts and your own judgment. There is no doubt that some criteria carries more weight, or at least should. But that’s also why this process is so maddening. It always seems the goalposts move. Is this really that difficult?

This is where the presentation of Terrell Davis starts and stops. There are other reasons the Denver Broncos running back should (already) have a bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But this should make even the most ardent of Davis’ critics realize they’re full of shit.

The No. 5 reason Davis is a hall of famer: When the games mattered most, Davis stood alone. He was the Michael Jordan of the NFL. To put this another way: Davis is the greatest playoff running back. Ever.

For the umpteenth time in our countdown of the 30 reasons in 30 days TD is a hall of famer, here are his numbers in the playoffs.

Terrell Davis Career Playoff Stats - 8 games total

• 204 Carries
• 1,140 Yards
• 5.60 yards per carry
• 12 TDs
• 142.5 yards per game

Compare those numbers to Hall of Famers Emmett Smith, Franco Harris and Thurman Thomas, to name a few. They have similar numbers to Davis, only it took them well over 10 games to get them. That takes care of the “longevity” nonsense. Davis did in eight games what they did in double the amount. That shows the impact he had.

Davis also accomplished what he did against the best. He faced an above average defense in all but one of his starts. Five times, he faced a top five defense, where his numbers improved to 145 yards and 1.625 touchdowns per game. Twice he faced the NFL’s No. 1 defense, averaging 150 yards and two touchdowns.

You know who can’t touch Davis in the playoffs? Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin.

We have all the regular season statistics and awards. But what seals the deal is against the best, in the most important games, Davis is the best. He’s the greatest in the history of the sport to ever play running back in the playoffs. When Davis was called upon, and everyone in the stadium knew what was coming, he was unmatched and unstoppable.

When the question is asked, what is a hall of famer, the answer is simple.

Terrell Davis.