Again they have cheated Joe Jacoby.
On Wednesday, the senior committee announced it had reduced its list of finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 to 12.
Yes, there are some great football players on the list. Sterling Sharpe was dominant until a neck injury shortened and ended his career. In addition, Ken Anderson was a very good quarterback who had to play the Steelers twice each season in an age when only four teams from each conference made the playoffs.
Looking at the rest of the list, I am old enough to ask, “Were every one of those guys clearly better than Washington’s offensive tackle Joe Jacoby?” Seriously, every one of them better than Jake?
Jacoby has faced not being respected more than once in his NFL life. Why was he only a four-time Pro Bowler and only two-time NFL All-Pro? The huge, mobile offensive tackle who brought fame to Joe Gibbs’ “Counter Trey,” was not even drafted in the 1981 NFL draft.
Jacoby was an average defensive lineman at Louisville, but Washington converted the unknown rookie to the offensive line. Learning to play not only a new position, but entirely on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Jacoby ended up starting 13 games his first year in the NFL!
By his second season, Jacoby and Russ Grimm formed a powerful left side that led the way for John Riggins’ huge rushing numbers in the 1982 playoffs. Riggins rushed for 119 yards (4.7) against Detroit, 185 against Minnesota (5.0), 140 (3.89) against Dallas, and 166 in the Super Bowl against Miami (4.37).
Did anyone voting actually realize that the biggest play in Washington NFL history was a 4th and 1 in a Super Bowl that was run directly behind Joe Jacoby? Washington trailed 17-13 in the final quarter, facing a fourth-and-one from the Miami 43. Joe Gibbs called for the ball to go to Riggins and behind Jacoby.
Lawrence Taylor has gone on the record saying Jacoby was one of the best he ever faced. Jacoby started on four Super Bowl teams, three Super Bowl champions.
Jacoby and the offensive line led Riggins to set a Super Bowl record 166 yards in Super Bowl XVII. In Super Bowl XXII Timmy Smith set a new SB rushing record of 204 rushing yards (9.27).
If that isn’t enough, the 1991 Washington offensive line permitted Washington quarterbacks to be sacked only 9 times in 16 games, on their way to winning Super Bowl XXVI over Buffalo. Jacoby started and starred in each of those accomplishments.
Do any of the voters think that is coincidental?
Jacoby not being elected to the Hall of Fame, words like ridiculous, ludicrous, preposterous, and absurd first come to mind. But do they seem to do it justice?
Foolish, insane and stupid aren’t as elevated vocabulary, but perhaps in this instance, might they simply be closer to describing this reality and injustice towards Jacoby?