Jason Hanson and the NFL Hall of Fame

Recently, noted Oakland Press sports columnist Pat Caputo penned an article laying out many reasons why newly retired Detroit Lions' place kicker Jason Hanson should not be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Caputo makes a compelling argument.

Jan Stenerud, once of Kansas City Chiefs fame way back in yesteryear, is the sole "kicker only" to have ever been enshrined. Though he played for a long time, and was amongst the first of the soccer-style place kickers which unanimously reign in the NFL these days -- his career kicking stats weren't so hot by modern standards. He only made 67% of his field goal attempts over his 19 years in the league, two out of three. Nowadays, 2 out of 3 will get a place kicker a quick ticket out of town. Not good enough. So whether Stenerud righfully belongs in Canton is certainly open to debate. But he's there, and it is what it is.

As Caputo further pointed out -- what about Ray Guy -- arguably the best punter to ever play the game? He's not in the Hall of Fame. And indeed, where was the clamor in Detroit for Morten and Gary Anderson, the two place kickers ahead of Jason Hanson on the NFL's all-time scoring list, to be enshrined? Surely, this is purely a local knee-jerk reaction that will soon pass. Worse yet, what about the likes of Alex Karras, Caputo rightfully asks. Karras was a dominant Lions defensive tackle for a very long time, but along with a few other notable players over the years, he's not in Canton either. And who cares whether Jason Hanson is a scratch golfer and a nice guy? What's that's got to do with the Hall of Fame? Again, Caputo made a compelling argument for keeping Hanson out.

However...

One might consider comparing Hanson to another "specialist" by the name of Mariano Rivera, the long time "closer" for the New York Yankees.

Over 20 or so year careers with the same team, Hanson has made 36 tackles in all -- an average of less than two every season. Still, he actually hit somebody every once in a while. Rivera has batted a grand total of 3 times in the last two decades. Zeroes across the stat sheet. The only thing he ever hit, besides a few batters he was pitching to, was an outfield wall in warm-ups, which put him out for a year.

On a busy day, a mere kicker like Jason Hanson might only be on the field for a dozen plays or so? True enough. But on a normal day, Mariano Rivera couldn't be counted on to throw many more than a dozen pitches before he was maxxed out.

Hanson could be called on at any time during the course of a game for various kicking functions. If the game went into overtime, Hanson might well decide the outcome. Rivera didn't even need to get to the stadium until the 8th inning or so and his only function was to throw a cut-fastball and get a few guys out. If the game went into extra innings -- he was long gone.

As Caputo also noted, Jason Hanson was a player that spent his entire career with a bad team, who enjoyed the luxury of kicking indoors at all his home games under ideal conditions. Point well taken.

Then again, Mariano Rivera was a player that spent his entire career with a competitive club, who enjoyed the luxury of his teammates typically providing him with a lead going into the 9th inning, or else he wouldn't have been in the game in the first place. Ever remember Rivera being summoned from the bullpen when the Yankees were behind by 5 or 6 runs?

It was further stated that players such as Hanson are "specialists". The core of the game are those that can pass, run, catch, block, and tackle. Though he never had to display it during a game, Hanson could throw a football 70 yards, run with the flow, and make an occasional tackle or block. He was never called on to catch much.

Yet likewise, in baseball, the core of the game are those that can hit, run, field, and throw. Nobody knows how fast Rivera could run, or how well he might have fielded a regular positon -- because he never had to attempt it. His only skill was throwing from 60 feet, 6 inches, for about 5 minutes per outing.

But between Hanson and Rivera, one of them is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame -- and the other will likely never make it. Two specialists indeed.

It all depends on how one wants to look at it.