Vikings begin push to put Jim Marshall in Canton

[JohnTurney]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... in-canton/


Vikings begin push to put Jim Marshall in Canton

The Vikings hope that a player who once ran the wrong way with the football will end up running right into Canton.

Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf told PFT Live on Tuesday that the team has embarked on an effort to get defensive end Jim Marshall, a key member of the Purple People Eaters, into the Hall of Fame. Marshall would be eligible for consideration by the Senior Committee.

[bachslunch]

Have posted this before, but will do so again -- Jim Marshall does not belong in the HoF. His postseason honors of 0/2/none is awful and would be the worst of anyone from the Pro Bowl era if he got in, even worse than Dick LeBeau. Not sure how he looks on film, but I remember hearing or reading somewhere that he was vulnerable against the run because he was undersized.

His only apparent argument is the consecutive game streak, but if that alone were enough you'd have to consider folks like Jeff Feagles, London Fletcher, and Bill Romanowski too as well as Everett Scott, Miguel Tejada, and Steve Garvey for the BBHoF. Wasn't he essentially a part time player his last several years anyway? If so, that cheapens the streak.

For most of his career, he was the third best DL on his own team -- and the second best, Carl Eller, took 13 tries to make it. Marshall actually was a finalist once, in 2004, and wasn't elected then.

I think part of the issue here is that the Vikings had no other perceived Senior snubs when Mick Tingelhoff was rightfully inducted. Joey Browner (4/6/80s) just dropped into the Senior pool and he's to my thinking much more deserving.

No idea where the popular notion of him being such an egregious snub came from.

[BD Sullivan]

His only apparent argument is the consecutive game streak

Even that's tainted considering the last few years (at least), Bud Grant would play him during the first series, then sit him on the bench the rest of the game to keep the streak alive.

[SixtiesFan]

i recall a piece by long-time columnist Larry Felser on the HOF stressing how hard it was (then) to get into it. Felser wrote that an active campaign for someone turned off the voters. It made them more likely to reject a candidate. That was in the late 70's.

[ChrisBabcock]

Joey Browner (4/6/80s) just dropped into the Senior pool and he's to my thinking much more deserving.

One of my HOVG nominees this year.

[JohnTurney]

Have posted this before, but will do so again -- Jim Marshall does not belong in the HoF. His postseason honors of 0/2/none is awful and would be the worst of anyone from the Pro Bowl era if he got in, even worse than Dick LeBeau. Not sure how he looks on film, but I remember hearing or reading somewhere that he was vulnerable against the run because he was undersized.
.

As a rusher he was good on film, but he had warning track power in terms of sacks. The Vikings records show he had 127 sacks in his 19 years. Nick and I are pretty sure he had some in 1960, but we've been unable to come up with a season total. I good guess is maybe 2-5 or 6 or so.

But his final years were iffy, he had only 29 from 1972-79 with half of those coming in 1973 and 1975. So in the other 6 seasons he averaged about 2.5 sacks.

he had 2 in 1977, both coming in same game. (he did have 2 in playoff game vs Dallas) so 4 in 15 games...

He's an ideal HOVG guy but does not seem to merit HOF.

[JohnH19]

I don't feel strongly about Marshall being elected to the HoF but I don't think his wrong way run should be held against him. It's not like it cost the Vikings a win in an important game. For those who may not be aware, Minnesota won the 1964 game 27-22 over the 49ers.

[JohnTurney]

I don't feel strongly about Marshall being elected to the HoF but I don't think his wrong way run should be held against him. It's not like it cost the Vikings a win in an important game. For those who may not be aware, Minnesota won the 1964 game 27-22 over the 49ers.

I honestly don;t think thaat has anything to do with him not being in. It's the lack of all pros (none) and only 2 pro bowls, IMO

[SixtiesFan]

I don't feel strongly about Marshall being elected to the HoF but I don't think his wrong way run should be held against him. It's not like it cost the Vikings a win in an important game. For those who may not be aware, Minnesota won the 1964 game 27-22 over the 49ers.

I honestly don;t think thaat has anything to do with him not being in. It's the lack of all pros (none) and only 2 pro bowls, IMO

IMO the wrong-way run made him famous, which didn't hurt him.

[JohnTurney]

Saw another post on another board that Marshall is being punished for the 4 SB losses

Again, not it. I do think those losses DID cause delays to many of the Viking players who got in. I've even seen the "What did Alan Page ever win" line to not include him among the top DLmen, which I think is silly. Page was, in some ways, like JJ Watt in that he was often in the mix for DPOY, though Watt has won, but Page won somre form of "NFL/NFC Def MVP/Poy in 1971, 74, 74 and maybe even 1975. Even in early 1980s we'd still talk about Alan Page, by "we" I mean guys on our HS team...we'd watch him and try emulate him, though I was a DE I still liked watching him play and use his quickness to best blocks...even though he was older at the time...in his last couple of years. Anyway, the "Viking losses" did delay some players...maybe all of them but they all got in eventually.

On Marshall, he's not in because of his merits, which fall short.