Is Andre Johnson a HOFer?

[Tk3]

1 hour ago, ET80 said:

This seems pretty definitive, so next question - Is Andre Johnson a First Ballot HoFer?

My thought is - No. He's getting in, but the position pretty much has a waiting list, some all time greats had to wait in line before getting in. 

A MUCH better question - and while my first instinct was "probably not", once I thought about it, I think its actually quite plausible

So.. who is he competing with?

These are the 2021 finalists who did not get the votes (*** I'm including Patrick Willis, who was only a semifinalist, simply because I think his career quality is enough to jump him the entire way to a 2022 contender)

• Jared Allen
• Ronde Barber
• Tony Boselli
• LeRoy Butler
• Torry Holt
• Clay Matthews
• Sam Mills
• Richard Seymour
• Zach Thomas
• Reggie Wayne
• Patrick Willis***

These are the 2016 retirees (I did this at a quick glance. Lmk if I missed anyone of note)

• Andre Johnson
• Steve Smith
• Nick Mangold
• Vince Wilfork
• DeMarcus Ware

That's about it. And I think Mangold and Wilfork are BIG stretches. 2016 was a LIGHT retiring year, so the guys being added is slim. My conclusion? 2022 is going to be a comparatively weak class

To me the questions are

1. Will more than 1 WR make the Hall in 2022?
2. How do you stack up the WR on the ballot, because it is by FAR the strongest position on the 2022 ballot?

I think Zach Thomas punches his ticket. I think Patrick Willis does also, despite being snubbed for the final ballot last year. His resume is just too good with 5 all pro in just 7 seasons. LeRoy Butler, Richard Seymour, and DeMarcus Ware all have strong arguments on defense, with a lowkey argument for an underlooked guy like Tony Boselli on offense. But ultimately, this is a defense heavy class - which his refreshing.

But I think this will leave just 1 spot for WR, so it comes down to who gets it - and it's a tough call

Reggie Wayne has a ring, but only 1 all pro, and got fed by Peyton Manning for essentially his whole career. Steve Smith has a couple all pros and did it with much worse QBs. Andre Johnson is similar to Smith - lacks the ring, but had a HOF career. I'll push him ahead of the other two because his peak was higher and for a longer period than either of the others. But Torry Holt has been rotting on the ballot for FAR too long. He had the shortest career of any of them (11 years vs 14, 16, and 14, respectively) and still managed to have comparable stats. He also has a ring and an all pro.

A long way of say I think Andre is a longshot to be first ballot, but I think he's somewhere in the 5-8 range, which means he will be VERY close

[JAF-N72EX]

2 hours ago, ET80 said:

This seems pretty definitive, so next question - Is Andre Johnson a First Ballot HoFer?

My thought is - No. He's getting in, but the position pretty much has a waiting list, some all time greats had to wait in line before getting in. 

Pretty much my thoughts as well.  The only thing that should stop him is the backlog at WR.  Players like Andre Rison have been waiting for ~15 years.  
 

 

[BlaqOptic]

On 3/16/2021 at 9:53 AM, JoshstraDaymus said:

Side note: Chad Johnson should be in.

I think they have overall comparable careers.

Andre Johnson was the best WR in the NFL for a 1 or 2 year period. Chad Johnson NEVER had an argument for this. 

[BayRaider]

Yes.

[BayRaider]

5 hours ago, BlaqOptic said:

Andre Johnson was the best WR in the NFL for a 1 or 2 year period. Chad Johnson NEVER had an argument for this. 

Chad Johnson was easily a Top 4-5 WR in the NFL from 2003-2006. And had another resurgence in 2009. One of the best route runners in NFL History. Honestly, they are both Hall of Famers imo. Although Andre > Chad for sure. 

[JAF-N72EX]

6 hours ago, BayRaider said:

Chad Johnson was easily a Top 4-5 WR in the NFL from 2003-2006. And had another resurgence in 2009. One of the best route runners in NFL History. Honestly, they are both Hall of Famers imo. Although Andre > Chad for sure. 

I don't disagree that he wasn't a top receiver for a good stretch but he was never considered the best.  In fact, I would argue that he benefited alot from playing opposite of TJ Housh (before he became a bit of a nutcase) and that a couple of Jonson's pro bowls should've gone to Housh. 

Ocho (I hate calling him that) thought he was better than he actually was, and I've maintained this stance since the early 2000's and nobody can tell me different.

He would go into interviews and blame the staff, refs, scheme, and the QB not throwing him the ball, etc. Blaming everyone but himself. The problem was, his ego. He felt he could beat all the best corners in the league and he couldn't, which is why he avoided them if he could.  Meanwhile, Housh is just over the there being quiet, playing ball, getting separation, and putting up numbers against some of the best corners in the league with no problem. And Housh didn't line up in the slot very often....he stayed on the outside to better utilize his size....whereas Ocho would switch around just to avoid the top defenders just to pad his stats. 

He didn't care about the "team".  He cared more about his legacy than anything else.

And then he had the nerve to go into interviews and talk about "he was all about the team"....."I'll move in Carson Palmer if it helps us win" (paraphrasing --it's been a long time but I'll never forget it).  Get the eff outta here with that.  Chad Johnson was all about himself.

He was a fun guy to watch. Very entertaining, flamboyant, and I enjoyed his antics.  But he was not as good as HE (and many others) thinks he was.  HOF, yes.  But years down the line. 

Edited March 29, 2021 by JAF-N72EX