Assuming Smitty never gets a ring...

[Sapper]

1 ring (as a contributor).

4 more productive years.

0 off-field incidents

=

2nd ballot.

[h0llywood]

I've been following Smitty's numbers closely for a few years now and the numbers that I always thought would work in his favor are his YPC, his best overall season (2005), number of 1,000 yard seasons, # of Pro Bowls and All Pros and lastly........... his height.

He will finish somewhere 25 overall after the end of the season. I look at a few players ahead of him and players like Cris Carter, Hines Ward, Derek Mason, Keenan Mcardell, Rod Smith, and Tim Brown too me are either even or a notch below Steve's career.

Look at players behind him who are considered "locks" in Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, the only difference between Smitty and these two is that Smitty is way shorter and averages more yards per catch. Pro Bowls and All Pros are identical.

[CRA]

Double post

[chef17]

I've been following Smitty's numbers closely for a few years now and the numbers that I always thought would work in his favor are his YPC, his best overall season (2005), number of 1,000 yard seasons, # of Pro Bowls and All Pros and lastly........... his height.

He will finish somewhere 25 overall after the end of the season. I look at a few players ahead of him and players like Cris Carter, Hines Ward, Derek Mason, Keenan Mcardell, Rod Smith, and Tim Brown too me are either even or a notch below Steve's career.

Look at players behind him who are considered "locks" in Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, the only difference between Smitty and these two is that Smitty is way shorter and averages more yards per catch. Pro Bowls and All Pros are identical.

In 3 less seasons Fitz has 15 more TDs, that is a much bigger difference than the 1 yard per catch Smith has over him.

[CRA]

Look at players behind him who are considered "locks" in Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, the only difference between Smitty and these two is that Smitty is way shorter and averages more yards per catch. Pro Bowls and All Pros are identical.

Only difference?

Fitzgerald is 4 yrs younger..

Smith has only 6 more receptions, 778 rec yards, and 15 LESS TD rec. Fitzgerald is on pace to statistically blow him out of the water.

Not easy for WRs to get in.....while Smitty waits all the guys whose career will fully take place in the passing era will leap frog him. Mike Wallace for example....guys like that should finish with better stats.

Smiths only hope would be at least a ring and setting some type of postseason records in the process.. e was off to a good start if he wanted to have the best postseason resume but that IMO is what he would have to build to have a shot.

[pepaw]

Problem is half is career is in the passing era.....guys now are going to have much better numbers. Which will make it near impossible for a ringless Smith.

True and breaks my heart.

The leap in the pass attack of this decade has been ridiculous and I do not trust the HOF board to look at that transition even if Steve does get 3000 more yards.

[Ruff]

You don't have Tim Brown as a HoFer? WTF?

[philw5289]

take it game by game. right now im hoping smitty can at least pass up moose

[rayzor]

not going to read any of this thread mainly because i'm not going to assume that smitty doesn't get a ring.

[h0llywood]

Only difference?

Fitzgerald is 4 yrs younger..

Smith has only 6 more receptions, 778 rec yards, and 15 LESS TD rec. Fitzgerald is on pace to statistically blow him out of the water.

Not easy for WRs to get in.....while Smitty waits all the guys whose career will fully take place in the passing era will leap frog him. Mike Wallace for example....guys like that should finish with better stats.

Smiths only hope would be at least a ring and setting some type of postseason records in the process.. e was off to a good start if he wanted to have the best postseason resume but that IMO is what he would have to build to have a shot.

I am not disputing the numbers between Larry, Andre and Steve, I am just saying that over the course of their careers, if they started at the same time, Steve would actually have accrued more yards, albeit less touchdowns thus justifying Steve as a HOF caliber player. Assuming played his first year and didn't miss 2004 with a broken leg, if you averaged his yards and added it for his career, he would be just below 13,000 yards and with a few years left to play. The fact is Larry has never had a better season that Steve's 2005 season.

As I previously mentioned, a lot of that has to deal with his height. The fact that he would be able to attain more yards over the same amount of time speaks volumes to his game. His weakness would be the lack of being a redzone target.

Let's look at Hines Ward and Cris Carter. They are both HOF locks down the road. Hines Ward has had only 6 1000 yard seasons and reached over 1,200 yards just once. Statistically he is not near Steve Smith's capabilities. Hines has never led the league in any major statistical category in his career. Yes he has 2 super bowl rings is the reason why he will go to the HOF.

I would argue that Cris Carter was a product of consistency and a beneficiary of having Randy Moss towards the end of his career. Carter amassed 8 straight seasons of 1,000 yards but only went over 1,300 yards once. In those seasons he has never lead the league in receiving. He had a career 12.6 YPC.

If Derek Mason is a consideration for HOF, Steve Smith should be in before him. The stats just don't add up for Mason. He has never lead the league in any catergory, (yards, yards per game, yards per catch, touchdowns, receptions). While Steve has done so in four different categories in his career.

I think Steve's contemporaries are Reggie Wayne and Chad Johnson. Reggie Wayne should finish on around 13,000 yards for his career and that just might be enough to get him into the HOF. If Steve can get around the same, I do not see why he should not be in either.

[chef17]

I am not disputing the numbers between Larry, Andre and Steve, I am just saying that over the course of their careers, if they started at the same time, Steve would actually have accrued more yards, albeit less touchdowns thus justifying Steve as a HOF caliber player. Assuming played his first year and didn't miss 2004 with a broken leg, if you averaged his yards and added it for his career, he would be just below 13,000 yards and with a few years left to play. The fact is Larry has never had a better season that Steve's 2005 season.

This doesn't even make sense. Smith has less than 800 more yards than Fitz with an extra three years. How do you figure Smith would have more yards if they started at the same time? That would give Fitz 3 years to get 800 yards.

Doing what you did with Smith (taking his average and adding to his career) Fitz would have 13,220 yards if he started in 2001 like Smith. I'm curious how you got that Smith would have more yards?

[CRA]

I am not disputing the numbers between Larry, Andre and Steve, I am just saying that over the course of their careers, if they started at the same time, Steve would actually have accrued more yards, albeit less touchdowns thus justifying Steve as a HOF caliber player. Assuming played his first year and didn't miss 2004 with a broken leg, if you averaged his yards and added it for his career, he would be just below 13,000 yards and with a few years left to play. The fact is Larry has never had a better season that Steve's 2005 season.

As I previously mentioned, a lot of that has to deal with his height. The fact that he would be able to attain more yards over the same amount of time speaks volumes to his game. His weakness would be the lack of being a redzone target.

Let's look at Hines Ward and Cris Carter. They are both HOF locks down the road. Hines Ward has had only 6 1000 yard seasons and reached over 1,200 yards just once. Statistically he is not near Steve Smith's capabilities. Hines has never led the league in any major statistical category in his career. Yes he has 2 super bowl rings is the reason why he will go to the HOF.

I would argue that Cris Carter was a product of consistency and a beneficiary of having Randy Moss towards the end of his career. Carter amassed 8 straight seasons of 1,000 yards but only went over 1,300 yards once. In those seasons he has never lead the league in receiving. He had a career 12.6 YPC.

If Derek Mason is a consideration for HOF, Steve Smith should be in before him. The stats just don't add up for Mason. He has never lead the league in any catergory, (yards, yards per game, yards per catch, touchdowns, receptions). While Steve has done so in four different categories in his career.

I think Steve's contemporaries are Reggie Wayne and Chad Johnson. Reggie Wayne should finish on around 13,000 yards for his career and that just might be enough to get him into the HOF. If Steve can get around the same, I do not see why he should not be in either.

Yeah, but that logic won't work....

What you are saying is people should just pencil in imaginary production for when he was hurt or was a young player and not a full time WR....

Yeah, Fitzgerald never had a 2005 regular season....but he had some that were close and has a more consistant resume year to year. He also has the post season year to add to it in 2008.

Reality is Fitzgerald if he stays healthy will shatter Smitty's numbers across the board.....

Guys like Wayne and Smith aren't going to get in.....bc when they are eligible to be voted in....passing era WRs like Mike Wallace will have jumped them statistically. What hurts Smitty is a good chunk of his career will of also been played in the passing era....which won't seperate him as much different than these younger guys

[Toundra]

He is married, he got one, a better one.

[Way Truth Life]

Smith wasn't even a full time WR the first couple years in the league. His PR/KR stats are very impressive though and should be included in his HOF considerations.