Frank Gore for HOF?

[conace21]

He was never the best player at his position, but honestly, how many HOF players ever are?

Here's the RB's who's careers overlapped (played at least one season during Bettis' career) who are in the HOF:

Marcus Allen
Eric Dickerson
Marshall Faulk
Curtis Martin
Barry Sanders
Emmitt Smith
Thurman Thomas

All of them can say they were the best RB at one point. Next level, 6 of the 7 not only can say they were the best at their position but they can say they were the best player at any position at one point in their career (or at least we can say 6 of them won MVP/Player of the Year awards).

If we're in agreement Tomlinson will be in the HOF then you can add another name to that list and to the MVP list.

Terrell Davis has been a finalist so maybe for him, if ever gets in then that's another that was the best at his position and another that can say not only the best RB, not only the best offensive player, but the best player overall.

So the question, how many HOF players are ever the best at their position? Well, in this specific case the answer is all of them. Except Bettis, of course.

Off the top of my head: Franco Harris, Tony Dorsett, Floyd Little, and John Riggins all played in the Super Bowl era and were never "the best" at their position. I would argue that Martin never was, but the position is debatable. (He won the rushing title by one yard over Shaun Alexander, who had more TD's and a better YPC average.)

At QB: Aikman, Moon and Elway. (Montana was better than Elway was in 1987.)

WR: Biletnikoff, Joiner, Reed, Monk.

OL and defenders: that's a longer project that will have to wait.

[L.C. Greenwood]

I'm not surprised Jerome Bettis waited a few years before being elected. As mentioned already, his peak (being best in the league) was minimal -- his reputation rests almost entirely on being a long-career compiler. He was also pretty much a non-factor as a receiver, had a fairly low average yards per rush, played on run-heavy offenses which helped him compile, and wasn't necessarily elite at scoring TDs or avoiding fumbles. Have seen some folks even question whether he belongs in, though I wouldn't go that far. For me, Bettis is a reasonable big-hall/second-tier HoF choice.

Agree about Bettis being an outer circle Hall of Famer, definitely below the likes of Barry Sanders, and I would also rate Franco Harris ahead of him as well. It's worth noting Bettis has the same yards per carry average as John Riggins, who was much faster. For me, the term "compiler" describes someone who is hanging on, like a Vinny Testaverde. Late in Jerome's career, the wear and tear finally was taking its toll, and Duece Staley was the lead back for the first half of the 2004 season. But when Staley went down, Bettis ripped off six 100 yard games in his eight as a starter, that doesn't sound like someone going out with a whimper. In his 2005 final season, Bettis agreed to a pay cut, in order to go for a title in a reserve role. As I mentioned earlier, when called upon, Bettis delivered a big game in the huge regular season win versus Chicago.