How many punters can you name that have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? There is a reason you can’t name one, because there aren’t any in there.
I think it is an absolute travesty that there is a whole position with no representation in the Hall of Fame. That is like not having any catchers in Cooperstown, it just doesn’t make any sense.
I think about this topic every year during the Hall of Fame inductions, and it bothered me even more this year. I talked to Sean Landeta a couple weeks ago and it sounds to me like he’s ready to call it a day. He made it clear that he’s leaving the door open, but that life after the NFL could have arrived. He was signed for a day with Giants last year, which would make him eligible for the Hall in 2011. There’s just a teeny problem: The Hall doesn’t show any love for punters.
Before Sean gets in, Ray Guy will have to get in. This guy was a monster, plain and simple. If you don’t remember Ray Guy, who punted with the Raiders from 1973-1986, please Google him and check his stats. He was the first and only punter ever to be selected in the first round of the Draft. There are many stories of him hitting the roof of domed stadiums. The term “hang time” is because of Guy.
This is what I don’t get, players who were not as good at their positions as Guy was at his, have made it into the Hall of Fame. You will never convince me that John Stallworth was as good of a wide receiver as Guy was a punter. Look at fellow WR Lynn Swann’s stats. He never had more than 880 yards in a season, and never more than 11 TD’s. We all know that Swann is in for his big-game ability and I’m not knocking that. But despite his somewhat pedestrian career stats, Swann is in.
I was talking to Richard Caster, a former NY Jet that played in the league at the same time as Guy. I brought up the topic of how there aren’t any punters in the Hall of Fame and he replied, “really? Ray Guy isn’t in?!” The man was so good that many people just assume that he’s already been inducted. Well, he hasn’t, and that has to change.
Ray Didinger, please help me out here. You’ve forgotten more about NFL history than just about everyone else knows combined. I don’t know anyone that can hang with you in terms of NFL history knowledge. Peter King, you are a football guru as well, please see what you can do. I don’t have a Hall of Fame vote, so there definitely isn’t anything I can do. I’ll just continue to shout from the mountain tops that Guy and Landeta are football immortals that should be treated and acknowledged as such.
G's Take – I agree whole heartedly with Micah that Ray Guy should be in the Hall of Fame. I think this is a case of lack of representation. There aren't any punters on television broadcasting games and I don't think there are any sportswriters trumpeting their case. Punting plays an important role in a football game because field position has been the difference in many big games. It's not fair that you have no punters in the Hall Of Fame despite the fact that they play a huge role in which team wins and which team loses.
