On Hall calls, and the future

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Darin, were you as shocked as I was that Steve Smith Sr. wasn’t a finalist for the Hall of Fame? He’s better than the receivers that made the list, and belongs in Canton. I mean, I’m excited about Sam Mills, but I can’t get over Smith not making the cut. — Larry, Lancaster, SC

A little, to be honest with you. And to your next two points, I agree, and I agree. And to your fourth point, absolutely.

Before we wade into the Smith debate, it’s worth taking a second to sing the song of Sam Mills. (And we will again.) This is his third year as a finalist, and his final chance as a modern candidate. From talking to some fellow voters, there’s some real momentum for him, though he’s far from a lock. He’s absolutely deserving from a football perspective alone, but hearing people he worked with here, and in New Orleans talk about what he meant to the organizations drives home how special he was.

In short, he created something out of nothing, in a couple of places. A too-small shop teacher became the centerpiece of defenses that made the Philadelphia Stars a USFL power, the woebegone Saints one of the best defenses in the NFL, and the expansion Panthers a factor in just their second year. Even if you take away his “Keep Pounding” inspiration to the first Super Bowl team, his legacy is vast. But you wouldn’t take “Keep Pounding” away — because it’s the part of the mythology of this franchise, a thing that binds players and fans alike together through the years. Last week when we crowd-sourced part of the mailbag, there were multiple references to Mills. Shaq Thompson referenced him last week. Mills is part of the fabric of this city, woven into everyone who was played, cheered, or covered games here.

As for Smith, yeah, some of this stuff is hard to figure. But the first thing you have to remember is getting in the Hall of Fame is supposed to be really hard. And it is. Some of the best receivers in the history of the game have had to wait years for their ticket to Canton.

It took Terrell Owens three years. It took Isaac Bruce four years. It took Cris Carter and Tim Brown six. It took Andre Reed and Art Monk eight. So this isn’t a sign of disrespect, or a slight to the players’ legacy.

But I remain a little confounded by some of the choices. Before we dig in, let’s compare the three receivers who made the list of finalists this year (Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Torry Holt), along with two semifinalists who didn’t (Smith and Anquan Boldin). I’m not including semifinalist Hines Ward, because let’s be serious.

Games played: Smith 219, Wayne 211, Boldin 202, Johnson 193, Holt 173.

Receptions: Boldin 1,076, Wayne 1,070, Johnson 1,062, Smith 1,031, Holt 920.

Receiving yards: Smith 14,731, Wayne 14,345, Johnson 14,185, Boldin 13,779, Holt 13,382.

Receiving touchdowns: Boldin 82, Wayne 82, Smith 81, Holt 74, Johnson 70.

Super Bowl rings: Boldin 1, Wayne 1, Holt 1, Smith 0, Johnson 0.

Another not-inconsiderable factor is Hall of Fame quarterbacks played with. Wayne and Holt have a colossal edge there, catching balls from Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner instead of Jake Delhomme. (And Delhomme himself noted this difference to me the other day, when he too was in disbelief that Smith fell short.) That matters, and if 89 had the chance to play with Manning, I can’t imagine what the back of his football card would look like.

There are a number of ways to slice up the stats, and I understand the cases for each of the other receivers, to a certain point. But I can’t come up with a justification that Torry Holt is a better candidate, or a better receiver than Steve Smith. I just can’t. Otherwise, each of the other four has not just a reasonable, but an outstanding Hall of Fame resume.

So does Smith. Assuming he eventually becomes a finalist, and if I’m still there to present his case, the first words out of my mouth that day will be: “Steve Smith is the toughest little so-and-so I’ve ever seen play football.” Because it’s true. His achievements would merit selection if he was 6-foot-2 and played at Southern Cal. Of course, that would have made him a first-round pick, too.

But he wasn’t. He was this little 5-10-ish runt out of Utah who went in the third round and never let anyone forget it. He was supposed to top out as a good return man and maybe a gadget player. Instead, he became one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history, through the force of his own stubbornness and will, and well, anger. He stayed pissed off, at enemies real and imagined. And it drove him. He out-fought people, and he out-worked people.

He’s calmer now. That is not always the same as calm. And his visible role on NFL Network will keep him in the public eye, and hopefully in the minds of voters.

He should eventually get his chance. He deserves that. The fact it wasn’t this year might be a surprise to many, but not necessarily Smith. He’s used to being overlooked. He’s also used to changing people’s minds, over time. That should happen in the coming years.