KRC Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 I think he deserves to be inducted, but it ain't gonna happen. The selection committee will never vote him in (don't get me started on them).
thewildrabbit Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 Heck yeah! Tell your brownie fan friend that Steve Tasker was no kick returner, this little guy made the pro bowl as a GUNNER!!!! As a Bills fan and season ticket holder from 1988 to 1995 I attended every home game, playoff game and super bowl .Of course I want to see all the Bills mentioned make it into the hall someday. The one player that stands out the most to me will probably never make it into canton,bcause the news writers who do all the voting have no clue as to what a hall of famer should be! Seven time pro bowl and pro bowl MVP Steve Tasker. Never before in the history of the game has one player stood out and defined a position as a special teamer. No other special team player has been selected as the pro bowl MVP! No other special team player has ever been to the pro bowl 7 times. Just like Bruce Smith gave opposing OC's nightmares. Steve Tasker gave opposing special team coaches nightmares like no other player ever has, or ever will. He didn't make it by returning kicks for TD's either. He made it to 7 pro bowls as the fiercest hitter / gunner in the NFL, He did this all at 5’ 8” & 183 lbs. In the movie "Invincible" Vince Papale (who played only 3 seasons as a special teamer) his claim to fame came on the fact that he was a "walk-on' after the Eagles held open tryouts, although a great story that someone made a pro football team as a walk-on at age 30.He lasted the NFL average, 3 years. Anyone who has ever watched the movie "Rudy" can get a moderate understanding of what this undersized hero did for so many seasons. With the avg lifespan of three years in the NFL... this player spent 12 years as a special team’s ace and wide receiver. He not only made the team,he redefined an NFL position! What is really amazing is that he never really was able to show his ability as a wide out because he was so valuable on S.T. When he finally was used as a wide-out he played very similar to the way Wes Welker plays now. He is not one in a million, He is the one and only
thewildrabbit Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 I'm too big to fish it out of there.....maybe Tasker can fit one of his little midget hands down there and get it for me. I'm sure I'd have to pay him $50 to do it, and his agent would take $10 for getting him such a great gig, and he'd have to fit it in-between a bar-mitzvah and a voice-over for a carpet store...but he's a gamer. wow. i don't think he belongs in the hall either, but geez...did you catch him banging your wife or something? rofl Funny stuff,sour grapes and ya gotta wonder why...
K-9 Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 If the universally accepted principle that special teams is considered a truly important aspect on ANY team means anything at all, as touted over the years by HCs around the league as well as the advent of designating special teams coaches dedicated only to that highly touted aspect, then Tasker should be in the HOF on that basis alone. Otherwise it's all bullsh*t lip-service and/or the writers on the voting committe don't understand what these coaches have been saying all these years. GO BILLS!!!
thewildrabbit Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Let me ask a few questions to all those Bills fans out there. Has any other special teams players ever made it to the pro bowl seven times as a gunner? Has any other special teams player been named as pro bowl MVP He was the first player to establish himself as a major star almost exclusively through special teams play without being either a kicker or a return man. Can anyone even think of another special team player who lasted 14 years in the NFL,2 with Houston and 12 with the Bills
KD in CA Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 I think the standards for the HOF in all the major sports have become way too lenient. So given that, I can see how people might think he belongs. However, I don't. His primary job was covering punts -- sure he was great at that and I loved his energy as a player but come on, the HOF for impacting field position by 5 yards? I can't see it. I would argue that a great return man like Brian Mitchell was more impactful and more deserving of HOF consideration. Can anyone even think of another special team player who lasted 14 years in the NFL Bill Bates
Chandler#81 Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 In a word, Yes! Will he? Sadly, probably not...
Steely Dan Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Let me ask a few questions to all those Bills fans out there. Has any other special teams players ever made it to the pro bowl seven times as a gunner? Has any other special teams player been named as pro bowl MVP He was the first player to establish himself as a major star almost exclusively through special teams play without being either a kicker or a return man. Can anyone even think of another special team player who lasted 14 years in the NFL,2 with Houston and 12 with the Bills How many players have forced rule changes?
murra Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 I'm too big to fish it out of there.....maybe Tasker can fit one of his little midget hands down there and get it for me. I'm sure I'd have to pay him $50 to do it, and his agent would take $10 for getting him such a great gig, and he'd have to fit it in-between a bar-mitzvah and a voice-over for a carpet store...but he's a gamer. I must say, that is one of the mightiest message board comebacks I've read in a while. Of course I think it was better for me personally because I read it as if you were telling it to him in a todd barry voice.
thewildrabbit Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Bill Bates Good point but!, Bill Bates was more of an outstanding special teams "ace" later in his career.He started as a safety / linebacker and made the Pro bowl once in 1984 as a safety. He played only for the Cowboys from 1983 to 1997 and mostly as a safety over half his time with Dallas. I would argue that a great return man like Brian Mitchell was more impactful and more deserving of HOF consideration. I agree, Brian Mitchell should also get consideration for the HoF based on his return stats. He made the pro bowl once in 1985 He was well known as a kick returner, and is the NFL's second all time leader in total yardage (23,330), thanks in large part to his 14,014 yards from kickoff returns and his 4,999 punt return yards. Both are NFL records. He also rushed for 1,967 yards on 388 carries (avg. 5.1 rushing yards), caught 255 passes for 2,336 yards, recovered 20 fumbles for 14 return yards, and scored 29 touchdowns (4 kickoff returns, 9 punt returns, 12 rushing, 4 receiving). His 13 special teams touchdowns are also an NFL record. His 9 punt return touchdowns are 2nd behind Eric Metcalf (10). He is also one of only four players to record four seasons of over 2,000 total yards, (the others being Marshall Faulk, Dante Hall and Tiki Barber) and missed out on a fifth by only five yards. Steve Tasker made it to the pro bowl SEVEN TIMES!!! He was named MVP in one of those pro bowl appearances. AS A GUNNER!!! NOBODY has done it better,EVER! Special teams ace Steve Tasker of the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills earned the Dan McGuire Trophy as the game's most valuable player for making four tackles, forcing a fumble and blocking a field goal. His block came at a crucial point with just 8 minutes left and the game tied at 13. Los Angeles Raiders Terry McDaniel scooped up the ball and raced 28 yards to give the AFC a 20-13 lead.
murra Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Good point but!, Bill Bates was more of an outstanding special teams "ace" later in his career.He started as a safety / linebacker and made the Pro bowl once in 1984 as a safety. He played only for the Cowboys from 1983 to 1997 and mostly as a safety over half his time with Dallas. I agree, Brian Mitchell should also get consideration for the HoF based on his return stats. He made the pro bowl once in 1985 He was well known as a kick returner, and is the NFL's second all time leader in total yardage (23,330), thanks in large part to his 14,014 yards from kickoff returns and his 4,999 punt return yards. Both are NFL records. He also rushed for 1,967 yards on 388 carries (avg. 5.1 rushing yards), caught 255 passes for 2,336 yards, recovered 20 fumbles for 14 return yards, and scored 29 touchdowns (4 kickoff returns, 9 punt returns, 12 rushing, 4 receiving). His 13 special teams touchdowns are also an NFL record. His 9 punt return touchdowns are 2nd behind Eric Metcalf (10). He is also one of only four players to record four seasons of over 2,000 total yards, (the others being Marshall Faulk, Dante Hall and Tiki Barber) and missed out on a fifth by only five yards. Steve Tasker made it to the pro bowl SEVEN TIMES!!! He was named MVP in one of those pro bowl appearances. AS A GUNNER!!! NOBODY has done it better,EVER! Special teams ace Steve Tasker of the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills earned the Dan McGuire Trophy as the game's most valuable player for making four tackles, forcing a fumble and blocking a field goal. His block came at a crucial point with just 8 minutes left and the game tied at 13. Los Angeles Raiders Terry McDaniel scooped up the ball and raced 28 yards to give the AFC a 20-13 lead. I'm confused. Was your argument to talk Mitchell up and then at the end explode with a Steve Tasker comparison making us all believe that Tasker is more deserved? Because, honestly all you did was sell me on Mitchell.
stuckincincy Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Recently debated with coworker who is huge Browns fan .. his opinion is that no way does a non-kicker/ punter get in. Even then a P/K would be a very rare election. He argued even a return specialist should be a "one in a billion" shot at getting in. As Bills fans we know Tasker had to be game planned for. He was a force in any game. He redefined the definition of a special teams player. Tell me in todaay's world of free agency that Tasker would not be highly sought after. So should he be a HOF candidate that gets real consideration? It's a long shot. Good as Tasker was, there are a lot of good players eligible...for some time. Reed for one. Also Hershel Walker. At the risk of being mawkish - when I watched him play, I thought of Secretariat. What an absolute specimen he was... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker
thewildrabbit Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 I'm confused. Was your argument to talk Mitchell up and then at the end explode with a Steve Tasker comparison making us all believe that Tasker is more deserved? Because, honestly all you did was sell me on Mitchell. I agree that Brian Mitchell was worthy of HoF consideration by showing his stats,not just mentioning his name. I also wanted to point out as good as he was he only made the pro bowl ONCE! If you can't see the significance between being voted to a pro bowl once and being voted in seven times Also,that was back in the day where the players were the only ones allowed to vote, I thinks its pretty amazing that Tasker was voted in 7 times and not as a KR/ PR which makes it even more amazing. Thurman Thomas 5x PB Bruce Smith 11x PB Andre reed 7x PB Jim Kelly 4x PB Kent hull 3x PB Will Wolford 3x PB Ruben Brown 8x PB
murra Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 I agree that Brian Mitchell was worthy of HoF consideration by showing his stats,not just mentioning his name. I also wanted to point out as good as he was he only made the pro bowl ONCE! If you can't see the significance between being voted to a pro bowl once and being voted in seven times Also,that was back in the day where the players were the only ones allowed to vote, I thinks its pretty amazing that Tasker was voted in 7 times and not as a KR/ PR which makes it even more amazing. Thurman Thomas 5x PB Bruce Smith 11x PB Andre reed 7x PB Jim Kelly 4x PB Kent hull 3x PB Will Wolford 3x PB Ruben Brown 8x PB So by your genius logic, Ruben Brown belongs in the Hall of Fame because he was elected to 8 pro bowls?
Adam Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 He was the greatest special teams players ever. He was not one of the greatest players in the history of the league. I have to say no.
The Dean Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 I vote "Yes" to Tasker. I also have to vote "Yes" to Guy (despite not having the best stats, among Punters). In general, I'd like to see great ST players treated just like great player on offense and defense.
BillsZubaz Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 No question about it. If he doesn't make it into the HOF it will be a crying shame. The man was a pioneer of the "gunner" position and a game changer on a consistent basis. Teams were forced to gameplan just for him and he even forced the NFL to adjust some rules due to his "creativity" . Not to mention, Tasker would have made an outstanding receiver (and did later in his career) had Levy decided to keep Kicking game his primary responsibility!
thewildrabbit Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 I'm confused. Was your argument to talk Mitchell up and then at the end explode with a Steve Tasker comparison making us all believe that Tasker is more deserved? Because, honestly all you did was sell me on Mitchell. Apparently,you put no value on a player being voted into the pro bowl and from your earlier statement you think that stats are the only way to value a player for HoF consideration.That's a one sided view IMO. There are several areas to look at for HoF consideration,length of career-stats-impact on the game-recognized by peers / fans/coaches/sports writers with a PB selection. So yea, pro bowls mean something to me.Being voted pro bowl MVP is significant.How many Buffalo Bills have been named MVP of the pro bowl? My take is that some players spend their entire career playing their hearts out and never once get recognized for their efforts with a PB vote,the list is endless. The first player that comes to my mind is Daryl Tally.To be voted to the pro bowl 7 times is something special.
murra Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Apparently,you put no value on a player being voted into the pro bowl and from your earlier statement you think that stats are the only way to value a player for HoF consideration.That's a one sided view IMO. There are several areas to look at for HoF consideration,length of career-stats-impact on the game-recognized by peers / fans/coaches/sports writers with a PB selection. So yea, pro bowls mean something to me.Being voted pro bowl MVP is significant.How many Buffalo Bills have been named MVP of the pro bowl? My take is that some players spend their entire career playing their hearts out and never once get recognized for their efforts with a PB vote,the list is endless. The first player that comes to my mind is Daryl Tally.To be voted to the pro bowl 7 times is something special. I'm not all about stats. I just don't go goo goo ga ga over the probowl like you.
BillsWatch Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Also,that was back in the day where the players were the only ones allowed to vote, I thinks its pretty amazing that Tasker was voted in 7 times and not as a KR/ PR which makes it even more amazing. He was named to NFL's All-Time Team. The team was selected by the 36 voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Players voted in him into ProBowl before there was even such a slot for special teams. Special teams selection was created due to his performance. He was even voted in as special teams player when he wasn't even playing special teams. Read my tribute first written in 1996: http://members.cox.net/billswatch/st_index.html
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