Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has finally gotten his just due, being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It has long been one of the most serious cases of injustice that LeBeau was not already in the hall.
LeBeau set a record for defensive backs with 171 consecutive games played and also had 62 career interceptions in 14 NFL seasons. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, LeBeau was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1959 and released in training camp. He went on to sign with the Detroit Lions and has spent the past 51 years as a player or coach in the NFL.
Also inducted were former Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm, linebacker Ricky Jackson, running back Floyd Little, defensive tackle John Randle, wide receiver Jerry Rice and running back Emmitt Smith.
12 comments:
I'm sorry to see Dermonti Dawson's name drop off of the list of inductees once again but the list of remaining candidates is hard to argue with. My best wishes to Coach/Cornerback LeBeau. Well deserved and overdue!
SK
This was a tough year for Dermontti. From the electors that I've talked to, he'll get in eventually. I was a little surprised by Rickey Jackson's election. I'm guessing the Saints being in the Super Bowl had an effect there.
Just getting Lebeau in is great. Dawson can wait for a while, Lebeau had to wait 30 years!
Fill the hall with Steelers!
I was a little surprised by Ricky Jackson too. I think you may be right about the superbowl connection. he was a great player but HOF is a quesiton mark. I think Dawson may just be plagued by the large number of Steelers who have come before him. It won't be too long before Jerome creeps up behind him so hopefully he'll be inducted soon.
SK
Tough year for Dirt to try and get in with Emmitt and Rice. Grimm is long overdue, I can't argue with Ricky Jackson or John Randle either. Randle was a dominant force. I remember those Saints LBs with great fondness. They truly were a great group and Jackson was the best of them. Dirt will get there eventually, he was the best Center of his generation but you only have to look at how long it's been for Grimm to get in despite being the best player on one of the most vaunted OLs in NFL history. Unless you have 15 consecutive probowls to your name the Road to Canton is long and windy for Offensive Linemen.
As a player, Lebeau falls short of a Hall of Famer. He wasn't even the best cornerback on his team. Lem Barney was far better than Lebeau.
Who are you kidding? LeBeau started with Night Train Lane at the other corner. LeBeau is still sixth or seventh in all time interceptions and he retired nearly 40 years ago.
Add to that, during his career, offenses didn't chuck the ball around like they do today.
Okay, so the Saints win. They should get the NFL Season Opener Game. The Steelers play the Saints next year on the road. Any chance we don't have to wait til all the other Sunday games for the next Steeler game?
Yeah, but playing that game would be walking into a freaking buzzsaw. I'd take a pass.
"LeBeau started with Night Train Lane at the other corner."
Thanks for making my point. At no point in LeBeau's career was he ever the best cornerback on his team. He was the third-best corner the Lions had during his playing days - Lane and Barney were much, much better - and was never a first team all-pro. That's not Hall of Fame credentials.
And anyone who has watched football for more than 10 years knows that interceptions are way down from 40 years ago because of the rules (you could mug receivers downfield when LeBeau played) and passing back then was almost all 7-step drops and throw deep instead of the low-risk quick two-yard outs in today's football.
LeBeau was just another cornerback in his playing days.
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