From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
While Monk, former Vikings and Broncos offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman and four others in this year's class celebrated the news on Saturday, Carter was experiencing the disappointment of not making the final cut in his first year of eligibility.
"I'm just not willing to talk about it right now," Carter said while declining a phone interview.
Carter and former Vikings teammate Randall McDaniel survived the cut from 15 modern-era finalists to 10, but were eliminated when the field was cut to five.
You know what, Cris? I don't blame you for not wanting to talk about it. . .because the fact that Cris Carter was somehow deemed not good enough to be a mortal lock for the Hall of Fame is nothing short of a complete fucking joke.
Let's review, shall we? As of this moment, 9:25 PM Central time on 2 February 2008, Cris Carter currently has
-More receptions than any receiver in NFL history not named Jerry Rice
-More receiving yards than all but 5 other receivers in NFL history (Rice, Tim Brown, Isaac Bruce, James Lofton, and Marvin Harrison)
-More receiving touchdowns than any receiver in NFL history not named Jerry Rice
-More TOTAL touchdowns than all but 4 players in NFL history (Rice, Emmitt Smith, Marcus Allen, and Marshall Faulk)
-Led the NFL in receiving touchdowns on three different occasions, and finished in the Top 10 in that category eight times overall
-Scored double-digit touchdowns in 6 different seasons, including five seasons in a row from 1995-1999.
And this guy can't get into the Hall in his first year of eligibility? Seriously?
Yes, Carter will get in eventually. . .but he deserved the recognition that comes with being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
McDaniel not already being in is just as big a joke. McDaniel had a fourteen-year career, and was selected as an All-Pro eleven times. Eleven CONSECUTIVE times, starting with his rookie year of 1988. For a solid stretch of a decade, there was no player in the NFL that was as dominant from the left guard position as Randall McDaniel. Nobody was even close.
Maybe McDaniel will get in someday. . .or maybe the folks that run this sort of thing will just keep bending him over the table for the next decade and a half until his eligibility runs out like they did with Jim Marshall. It's really quite sad that neither of those outcomes would surprise me.
That's all for now, folks. . .back to studying for me. Continue enjoying your weekend!