OT: TO Declines to Attend Hall of Fame Ceremony

[maust]

Yeah, well, who actually likes to wait for things? I want my gratification now! NOW, I tell you!!!

 

[Tony2046]

Maybe Ray Lewis, Michael Irving or Warren Sapp could give TO some high-character advice. Or maybe Chris Carter could help TO find a fall guy to take his place.

That's what the HOF should do. Get Donovan McNabb to speak on his behalf. I would even tune in to see that. haha

 

[Tony2046]

Ahhh, the good ole days.

 

[mb6592]

Because it was an overblown controversy. Since 1970 a total of 5 WR’s went in the HOF first ballot. The only modern ones were Jerry Rice and Randy Moss who were both better than TO.

Once the 90’s hit there was a big issue with WR’s numbers inflating and with a backlog of older guys still waiting their were too many debates about older guys with lesser numbers having to wait longer etc. That meant it was an outright rarity for a WR to go in first ballot. Rice basically had to and until this year was the only guy of the modern era too.

To give an example the day Cris Carter retired he was 2nd all time in receptions and TD’s to Jerry Rice and he was 4th in yards. He was also First Team All Decade for the 90’s along with Rice. He waited longer than TO. In the grand scheme of things TO didn’t wait that long and it was pretty par for the course for everyone but Rice and Moss.

So there’s that. The other thing was, one of the most sited reasons for keeping TO out was that he wasn’t a team player, caused controversy wherever he went, was a massive distraction, and impeded in team’s ability to win. Then TO spent the last few years throwing a tantrum on national television for not getting in and then he finally got what he wanted and now he gets to be the only player in history who is too cool to show up. Which is a huge slap in the face to the voters who did argue for him and the players that said he deserved to experience the honor. Also the HOF players consider that a lifetime team to be part of. So once again TO is showboating and being a diva and trying to get attention and being a distraction to his new team. He’s validating the concerns everyone had with him.

So it’s part that the controversy was overstated in the first place and part that he’s justifying every reason people gave for making him wait.

When you look at the list, only Moss is comparable to TO, in that both were perceived as less than ideal (rising to downright distractions) teammates for (at least) parts of their careers. For many, it all comes down to your formula for HOF. Some dinosaurs haven’t adjusted the team chemistry builder/team leader/good teammate portion of their formula. Other’s place less emphasis on this portion of the formula, others seem to have completely removed this part of the equation. I suppose, in the era of the diva wide receiver this debate was bound to happen. It’s not dissimilar to the baseball steroids HOF debate in that the “everyone was doing it” defense allows for discounting previously established criteria.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Because it was an overblown controversy. Since 1970 a total of 5 WR’s went in the HOF first ballot. The only modern ones were Jerry Rice and Randy Moss who were both better than TO.

Once the 90’s hit there was a big issue with WR’s numbers inflating and with a backlog of older guys still waiting their were too many debates about older guys with lesser numbers having to wait longer etc. That meant it was an outright rarity for a WR to go in first ballot. Rice basically had to and until this year was the only guy of the modern era too.

To give an example the day Cris Carter retired he was 2nd all time in receptions and TD’s to Jerry Rice and he was 4th in yards. He was also First Team All Decade for the 90’s along with Rice. He waited longer than TO. In the grand scheme of things TO didn’t wait that long and it was pretty par for the course for everyone but Rice and Moss.

So there’s that. The other thing was, one of the most sited reasons for keeping TO out was that he wasn’t a team player, caused controversy wherever he went, was a massive distraction, and impeded in team’s ability to win. Then TO spent the last few years throwing a tantrum on national television for not getting in and then he finally got what he wanted and now he gets to be the only player in history who is too cool to show up. Which is a huge slap in the face to the voters who did argue for him and the players that said he deserved to experience the honor. Also the HOF players consider that a lifetime team to be part of. So once again TO is showboating and being a diva and trying to get attention and being a distraction to his new team. He’s validating the concerns everyone had with him.

So it’s part that the controversy was overstated in the first place and part that he’s justifying every reason people gave for making him wait.

I can't take the HOF seriously.

If they finally, belatedly induct Gino Cappelletti, then, Corey Dillon...there are still lots of others more worthy than those being inducted [who is Terrell Davis?]

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I understand your drift but it had no bearing on where I was going with it. Purely from a football standpoint, Coryell revolutionized the pro game, Flores and Johnson won 2 apiece. Flores doing it with an uneven roster and while Johnson's roster was stacked he had to deal with some outsized personalities, in particular his owner's. Dungy had two allstar laden rosters and only managed one ring.

Tony who?

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Yeah, well, who actually likes to wait for things? I want my gratification now! NOW, I tell you!!!

 

[LaterGator]

I can't take the HOF seriously.

If they finally, belatedly induct Gino Cappelletti, then, Corey Dillon...there are still lots of others more worthy than those being inducted [who is Terrell Davis?]

You could Gino put in for being an exceptional PK, a good WR and a superb announcer. He and Gil were a great tandem.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

You could Gino put in for being an exceptional PK, a good WR and a superb announcer. He and Gil were a great tandem.

Gino Cappelletti - Wikipedia

Um, all Gino did was:

Cappelletti was out of pro football in 1959, back in Minnesota. With the launch of the American Football League in 1960, he joined the Boston Patriots and was initially a kicker and defensive back. He switched to offense late in that season and teamed up with quarterback Babe Parilli to form a tandem nicknamed "Grand Opera Twins", due to their Italian surnames. Cappelletti won AFL MVP honors in 1964, led the league in scoring five times and was a five-time AFL All-Star. He holds the professional football record for points over a six-year period (9.5), points over an 11-year period (7.5) and percentage of his team's total points over an eight-year period (34%). One of twenty AFL players active during the entirety of the league's ten-year existence, Cappelletti was also among just three players who played in every one of his team's AFL games. He played with the Patriots all eleven years in Boston, from 1960 through the 1970 NFL merger season, and retired in late August 1971 at age 37; he was the AFL's all-time leading scorer with 1,130 points (42 TDs, 176 FGs and 342 PATs) and among the AFL's top ten all-time receivers in yards and in receptions. Cappelletti had two of the top five scoring seasons in pro football history, with 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961 (14-game seasons). His Patriots team scoring record lasted until it was broken by Adam Vinatieri on December 5, 2005. To date, Cappelletti is the Patriots' third all-time leading receiver with 292 catches for 4,589 yards, and has the most field goal attempts (334) in team history.

During Cappelletti's pro career, he also returned punts and kickoffs, played defensive back and even had one pass completion for a touchdown. Cappelletti was just the second AFL player to record three interceptions (of Tom Flores) in a regular-season game, holds the professional football record for most touchdowns in Saturday games (10), scored 18 points or more in a game ten times and scored 20 or more points in a game eight times. He set the AFL single-game record by scoring 28 points in the Patriots' 42–14 rout of Houston on December 18, 1965. Cappelletti is the only player in professional football history to run for a two-point conversion, throw for a two-point conversion, catch a pass, intercept a pass, return a punt and return a kickoff in the same season. He kicked six field goals (without a miss) in a 39–10 win at Denver on October 4, 1964, and became one of only two AFL kickers with at least four field goals per game for three consecutive games. Cappelletti kicked the longest field goal in the AFL in consecutive seasons and led the AFL in field-goal percentage in 1965.

Okay, someone explain to me why he's not in the HOF.

...for the same reason hometown boy Vince Lombardi was never going to be hired as the Giants' head coach? Because he's Italian?

I think it's clear that the real reason is that he is a Patriot.

 

[Boogs]

This is how you do a Hall of Fame speech.



TO can't speak as well as Singletary, but it would be nice if he could make himself show up there that day. It's pretty weird.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

This is how you do a Hall of Fame speech.



TO can't speak as well as Singletary, but it would be nice if he could make himself show up there that day. It's pretty weird.

That's so nice, almost as good as Gino Cappelletti's acceptance speech...


...oh, wait...

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

This whole thing is a mess when it seems so obvious?

They should be able to put in as many or as little in every year.

TO is broke & borderline crazy. Can't wait to see him flip his lid.

 

[Clonamery]

That's what the HOF should do. Get Donovan McNabb to speak on his behalf. I would even tune in to see that. haha

Get this first though....

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Having lived in Philly since moving from Boston eons ago, I got to see the TO sh*tshow close up and while he was a talented great player when he wanted to be one (e.g. his SB performance while recovering from injury) he was a distraction that wasn't worth it in the long run.. He was an egotistical narcissist and we should have seen that he would pull a stunt like this... He will probably call a press conference on Sunday after HOF or live tweet the Saturday night ceremonies to keep the attention on himself.....

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

I still think he will change his mind. He might regret not doing it in the future.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

What TO needs is an adult in his life to tell him to sit up straight and mind his manners!

Obviously he doesn't have a sane voice in his choir. Go to the hall of Fame, enjoy people saying good things about you. How could that possible be a bad thing?

On the other side, I think the HOF is being petty too! They should have said that the President of the HOF will go onstage and reveal Owen's bust. Maybe show the usual career highlight video and then move on. The "then I'm just going to take my ball and go home" attitude that the HOF is showing is disgraceful. Me, personally I would have had Jeff Garcia unveil Owen's bust. Did he even sit for his bust?

At the very least, he should see if that Indian girl that Marlon Brando sent to accept his Oscar is available.

 

[maust]

(sigh) The train kept a rollin'...

Terrell Owens triggers 10-day clause, indicating interest in CFL - 3DownNation

 

[Off The Grid]

He's arguably the 3rd best WR of the modern era. Yes, without question, he's a first ballot HOFer.

I can't stand the man, but I can still agree to the obvious.

Yeah, it's not as if FootBall's a team sport or anything.

 

[Off The Grid]

TO is woke af rn tryna come up w something he can respond w.

Don't speak with your mouth full, young man.

 

[Off The Grid]

No matter his motivation, he is doing everyone attending a favor. Anyone that might be watching at home could change the channel when he got to the that's my QB equivalent of the speech, the folks in the audience not so much. T.O. had a tremendous amount of talent, unfortunately it came attached to a 50¢ head Like everyone's Owens' talent faded over time but that 50¢ head is still there.

This is still the slyest way of throwing a teammate under the bus I've seen. He laid out why Romo should be criticized (going on vacation during the playoff bye week) and then pretended to defend him. Lol.

Great point...And wasn't this just a year or two after he'd gotten a lot of flack for implying that his QuarterBack ~ Garcia ~ was gay, or something? Back in Frisco?

I'm foggy on the details, because my recall sucks, but I've always thought that TO's infamous "that's my QuarterBack, man" outburst was fake ~ an attempt to mitigate the PR damage that he'd taken because of his earlier attack on his previous QB.