With the announcement of Curt Schilling’s retirement this week, this Philadelphia fan got to thinking about another Philadelphia great, Randall Cunningham.
Curt Schilling and Randall Cunningham. Two ex-Philadelphia athletes whose career numbers put them on the cusp of the Hall of Fame.
Being this is a football site, let's focus on Cunningham…
Cunningham had brief stints in Minnesota, Baltimore, and Dallas, but he made his mark with the Philadelphia Eagles. Say #12 to an Eagles' fan and they say Randall Cunningham.
Cunningham was a four time Pro Bowler and a four time All Pro selection. Even more remarkable were Cunningham’s three MVP awards and his ranking as the NFL’s all time leading rusher at the QB position.
The HOF case for Cunningham begins to unravel when you look at the success of his teams.
As a QB you are (fairly or unfairly) judged by the success of your team. With the Eagles, Cunningham could never carry his Eagles past the second round of the playoffs. As a Viking his team crumbled in the NFC Championship Game against the Falcons.
Even though it wasn't Cunningham missing the FG against Atlanta for Minnesota, or wasn't him dropping the go ahead TD in the end zone during the Fog Bowl, the end result was still an L for Cunninghams' teams.
What about the Warren Moon argument? Moon never achieved great playoff success but was enshrined into Canton.
A closer look at the numbers shows 49,325 passing yards and 291 touchdowns for Moon. Cunningham’s career numbers are 29,979 yards and 207 touchdowns. Moon ranks fourth all time in passing yards and sixth in touchdown passes. In the same categories, Cunningham ranks 30th and 24th all time. The numbers support Moon being in the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately the numbers do not support a similar fate for Cunningham.
In a fate similar to what McNabb is currently experiencing, the Eagles failed to surround Cunningham with the offensive talent to match the teams' defensive talent until it was too late. When one of your top supporting talents is Keith Byars you as a QB are in trouble. When #12 finally got some help (Barnett and C. Williams) the Defense was no longer formidable.
The talent, the awards, the scrambling numbers (Cunningham revolutionized the QB position) say there is a HOF chance. I just think Cunningham's lack of team success (no Super Bowl appearances and a 5-7 playoff record) and his pure passing numbers will unfortunately keep him out of Canton.
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