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TAMPA, Fla. – This morning in the Super Bowl media center, I spotted Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy chatting with a couple of members of the media who are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors. A little bit of eavesdropping revealed that Levy was lobbying on behalf of some of his players, and the Bills' longtime owner.One of Levy's old players, Bruce Smith, is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year. Smith is one of the greatest defensive ends in history, and he is virtually assured of being selected on Saturday. So Levy doesn't have a lot of work to do there.
But Levy has some more difficult lobbying to do on behalf of a couple of other men. This year's Hall of Fame finalists include another one of Levy's Bills players, Andre Reed, as well as the man who has owned the Bills for the franchise's entire 49-year history, Ralph Wilson.
I think Reed will have a very hard time getting in. As I previously noted, Cris Carter will have a close call in Saturday's voting. Carter appeared in more Pro Bowls and had more catches for more yards and more touchdowns than Reed, so if Carter is going to have a tough time getting in, Reed's path to the Hall of Fame is much tougher. As pro football continues to evolve, wide receivers are putting up bigger numbers, and Reed's look less impressive by comparison. Levy is going to have a hard time pressing his case for Reed.
Wilson's candidacy is a tough one to gauge. There's no question that he's been an extremely influential figure in pro football history, from getting the American Football League off the ground in 1960 to hosting the first regular-season NFL game in Canada in 2008. But Wilson will be judged on Saturday against 15 former players on the ballot. How do you compare an owner's accomplishments to those of a defensive end or a wide receiver? My guess is Wilson won't get in.
I also heard Levy lobbying for one of his old players who isn't among the finalists up for consideration on Saturday, center Kent Hull. Levy was pointing out that in the fast-paced, no-huddle, shotgun offense that the Bills ran in the 1990s, Hull had just about the hardest job any offensive lineman could have: He had to sprint to the line of scrimmage after a play, make the line calls quickly, and then deliver an accurate shotgun snap.
Levy makes a good case for Hull. It's disappointing that he's so far been overlooked in Hall of Fame voting, and I think if people like Levy continue to argue for his enshrinement, he's the type of player whose career might look more impressive over time, and some day he could get in. But for now, Smith is probably the only Buffalo Bill who will be part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
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