Andre Tippett - the forgotten super star
This guy was one of the elite but people forget because everyone was so focused on LT down in NYC.
Here is probably the best thing Borges has ever written:
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/articles/2004/10/24/making_a_case_for_tippett?mode=PF
Making a case for Tippett
By Ron Borges | October 24, 2004
Andre Tippett belongs. He may not end up in Canton, Ohio, at a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as he should, but he belongs there. The preliminary list of 89 nominees for the Hall of Fame was released last week, and it included three names of local interest: Tippett, ex-Patriot tackle Leon Gray, and Waltham High and Boston College product Fred Smerlas, a five-time Pro Bowl selection at nose tackle during his long career in Buffalo.
Tippett is in a tough class with several near-locks for election, including first-year candidate Dan Marino, offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman, and two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson. With the likelihood of at least one of the senior pool nominees -- Fritz Pollard and Benny Freidman -- being elected, that may leave only two slots after the list is pared to 25 semifinalists and then 15 finalists.
There are many other deserving candidates on the list, so the odds are long against any player, but they are far longer on ones like Tippett and Smerlas, who played the bulk of their careers on poor teams.
It is not surprising to note that of the 221 members of the Hall, 75 percent played on at least one league championship team, an implication by omittance that there are few great players on bad teams.
Yet to those who saw Tippett play or did battle with him, there is little quarrel that he deserves to be the third Patriot elected.
Tippett played 11 years, started 136 games, is in the top 25 all-time with 100 sacks, forced 15 fumbles and recovered 17 (two for touchdowns), and in 1984 had one of the greatest defensive seasons in NFL history, producing 18 1/2 sacks, 118 tackles, and being selected NFL defensive player of the year.
From 1982-93, only Lawrence Taylor was a consensus All-Pro at outside linebacker more often than Tippett. Tippett went to the Pro Bowl five times and was selected All-AFC by one or more organization seven times. Again, only Taylor had the honor more often.
When Tippett played, two Linebacker of the Year awards were given, one by the NFL Players Association and the other by the NFL Alumni Association. Tippett won the award three times (1984, '85, and '87). Only Taylor won it more (five times).
There are two major differences between Taylor, who played 13 years and finished his career with 142 sacks and 9 fumble recoveries, and Tippett. First, Taylor played in New York on two Super Bowl champions, while Tippett played in Foxborough on mostly poor teams, only three of which reached the playoffs.
More important, Taylor rushed from the weak side, Tippett from the strong side, meaning Tippett always had to contend with a tight end as well as an offensive tackle. He also often shifted to defensive end on third down, which Taylor seldom did.
Taylor made the Pro Bowl every year from 1981-90. In his 13 seasons, the Giants reached the playoffs seven times. In contrast, Tippett made the Pro Bowl five times in 11 years, but his team made the playoffs only three times.
Tippett also played his entire career without having a single defensive lineman from his team make the Pro Bowl, and only two other Patriot linebackers were selected. Taylor had at least one other linebacker or defensive lineman selected with him in nine of his 10 Pro Bowl seasons. In his best years, 1985-87, he had at least two members of the Giants front seven at the Pro Bowl with him.
In 1986, Taylor was the league's MVP and had 20 1/2 sacks, perhaps the greatest season ever by a linebacker. That season, two of the linemen in front of him and a fellow linebacker were also Pro Bowl selections. In Tippett's best season, he had one, linebacker Steve Nelson.
Hall of Fame running back Eric ****erson, who played against both, said, "I think Tippett entering the Hall of Fame is long overdue, to be sure. Lawrence is a friend of mine. We play golf together quite often. He was a great, great player. But I think Andre Tippett was as great a linebacker as LT.
"Lawrence got all the media attention because he was in New York playing on Super Bowl teams while you never got to see Tippett. The sad thing is, a lot of being elected to the Hall is about notoriety."
Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure, who played 13 years in the NFL, is adamant about Tippett's candidacy.
"A lot of guys thought he was better than Lawrence," DeLamielleure said. "He's definitely one of the best outside linebackers who ever played.
"Everyone knows what a great pass rusher he was, but he also played the run as well as anybody I ever faced. He was one of the dominant defensive players in the game. You couldn't knock him off his feet.
"I understand why Tippett hasn't gotten his due. I played on bad teams most of my career, too. Some guys get forgotten. It would be a travesty if Andre Tippett is forgotten. I think he was every bit as good as LT. No question."
