Comments on: Ranking the Receivers of ’96 http://larrybrownsports.com/football/ranking-the-receivers-of-96/25 Brown Bag it, Baby Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Matt Miller http://larrybrownsports.com/football/ranking-the-receivers-of-96/25/comment-page-1#comment-4433 Matt Miller Thu, 24 May 2007 21:28:53 +0000 http://larrybrownsports.com/wordpress/?p=25#comment-4433 Only the '83 quarterback draft surpasses it, and even that's close. The '96 receivers certainly have more depth. ( Remember '83 first-rounders Ken O'Brien and Todd Blackledge?). But it's hard to argue against the '83 draft's hall-of-fame creds. Remember that Jim Kelly was in that class, even though he took a detour through the USFL. Add him to Elway and Marino, and you've got a Canton trio that cement's the classes dominance(One notable bit of depth here is Tony Eason, a high-accuracy passer who did lead a team to the superbowl during an above-average career) Of course, the '96 receivers aren't finished yet, and still have a chance to add some HOF gravitas. Harrison is a shoo-in, but it doesn't look good for the rest of the class. Johnson will be on a few final ballots, but his retirement makes it unlikely that he'll make it through to the end. Owens might accumulate the stats and championship necessary, but his attitude will always poison him with voters. If one of the others finds themselves in a leadership position on a team that wins a champioship or two, and can manage the longevity necessary to garner more bountiful stats, they might get a bronze bust beside Harrison's. Only the ’83 quarterback draft surpasses it, and even that’s close. The ’96 receivers certainly have more depth. ( Remember ’83 first-rounders Ken O’Brien and Todd Blackledge?). But it’s hard to argue against the ’83 draft’s hall-of-fame creds. Remember that Jim Kelly was in that class, even though he took a detour through the USFL. Add him to Elway and Marino, and you’ve got a Canton trio that cement’s the classes dominance(One notable bit of depth here is Tony Eason, a high-accuracy passer who did lead a team to the superbowl during an above-average career)

Of course, the ’96 receivers aren’t finished yet, and still have a chance to add some HOF gravitas. Harrison is a shoo-in, but it doesn’t look good for the rest of the class. Johnson will be on a few final ballots, but his retirement makes it unlikely that he’ll make it through to the end. Owens might accumulate the stats and championship necessary, but his attitude will always poison him with voters. If one of the others finds themselves in a leadership position on a team that wins a champioship or two, and can manage the longevity necessary to garner more bountiful stats, they might get a bronze bust beside Harrison’s.

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