Nick Buoniconti is the only Miami Dolphins defensive player from our Super Bowl winning teams, that is currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The eight other Dolphins who are in, were offensive players, and Coach Shula. Who else on those championship winning defenses deserves to be in? Obvious choice for me is Manny Fernandez (no brainer IMO) and possibly Bob Matheson, Vern den Herder, Jake Scott and Dick Anderson. Hard to believe that a team that went to 3 straight SBs, and was 32-2 over 2 years, has but one defensive player in the Hall.
SB Defense Missing From HOF
- Thread starter 'Deep
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ether79
Down but not out!
IMO you are CORRECT, especially Fernandez not being in.Goin` Deep said:
Charles
Practice Squad
Yeah, odd, but its ok, good things come to those who wait... well they should in this case, but I bet Bears are feeling the same way, if Im correct they had an ok team in 85, I think thats the year, they lost one game to none other than the Dolphins..... If Im correct...
CrunchTime
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Buonoconti was the leader of the no-name defense so it is fitting that that defense would be represented by him.If you start adding one or another guy then you take away from the other players who are equally deserving.
ether79
Down but not out!
CrunchTime said:
Nice point. I guess when you think about it in that way you are right. I'd still like to see Fernandez in there though.
Roman529
Moon Runner / The 3 AM Crew
It is because they were the "No name Defense" that many of these guys never got the publicity or honor they deserve...unlike these young clowns like Deion Sanders who are all hype, but NEVER made a tackle in their lives. :yell: :fire:
dolfanmark
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Bill Stanfill was a dominant DE. But, he's a little underrated because sacks were not an official stat back then, and he only had an 8 year career. He was selected to 5 Pro Bowls.
Dick Anderson and Jake Scott were elite safeties. Along with Ken Houston, they were the best safeties in the NFL at the time, and had 8 Pro Bowl appearances between them.
Manny Fernandez is certainly a fan favorite, and deservedly so. But, he was never selected for a Pro Bowl. Without at least 1 on his resume, it's hard to argue he deserves to be in the HOF.
Dick Anderson and Jake Scott were elite safeties. Along with Ken Houston, they were the best safeties in the NFL at the time, and had 8 Pro Bowl appearances between them.
Manny Fernandez is certainly a fan favorite, and deservedly so. But, he was never selected for a Pro Bowl. Without at least 1 on his resume, it's hard to argue he deserves to be in the HOF.
Exactly right, dolfanmark
No chance Manny Fernandez warrants Canton consideration. He was hardly a dominant player, not even close to the best DTs of that generation like Joe Greene, Bob Lilly, etc. Fernandez was very quick and given the right matchup he could have a big game here and there, disrupt the backfield frequently. But the best offensive linemen could neutralize him.
Stanfill and Anderson are the two other defenders from that era who had Hall of Fame ability. I mentioned that last week in a thread regarding Dolphins who had injury shortened careers. Anderson blew a knee in the Pro Bowl and Stanfill had the neck injury. Frankly, I think both of them were better defenders than Nick Buoniconti. No question about it, in fact. Buoniconti had a big name coming out of Notre Dame and with the Patriots, long before he joined the Dolphins. Plus his broadcast career and good guy image (other than representing the tobacco industry briefly, including a disastrous interview with 60 Minutes) probably contributed to his enshrinement along with the lengthy career.
Based on the Dolphin message boards I have sampled the past few years, Bill Stanfill is by far the most underrated player in Miami history. Like you wrote, he made 5 Pro Bowls in 8 years, in an era with great DEs and smaller Pro Bowl rosters than today. Yet Stanfill is barely mentioned here. He was quick, rangy, instinctive and had a mean streak.
We seem to do very well with SEC linemen. Stanfill, Duhe, Baumhower, Stephenson. I'm sure there are others. Yeah, and Eddie Blake. One poster here has a mock draft with an all-SEC lineup for us. That's what made me think about that.
dolfanmark said:
No chance Manny Fernandez warrants Canton consideration. He was hardly a dominant player, not even close to the best DTs of that generation like Joe Greene, Bob Lilly, etc. Fernandez was very quick and given the right matchup he could have a big game here and there, disrupt the backfield frequently. But the best offensive linemen could neutralize him.
Stanfill and Anderson are the two other defenders from that era who had Hall of Fame ability. I mentioned that last week in a thread regarding Dolphins who had injury shortened careers. Anderson blew a knee in the Pro Bowl and Stanfill had the neck injury. Frankly, I think both of them were better defenders than Nick Buoniconti. No question about it, in fact. Buoniconti had a big name coming out of Notre Dame and with the Patriots, long before he joined the Dolphins. Plus his broadcast career and good guy image (other than representing the tobacco industry briefly, including a disastrous interview with 60 Minutes) probably contributed to his enshrinement along with the lengthy career.
Based on the Dolphin message boards I have sampled the past few years, Bill Stanfill is by far the most underrated player in Miami history. Like you wrote, he made 5 Pro Bowls in 8 years, in an era with great DEs and smaller Pro Bowl rosters than today. Yet Stanfill is barely mentioned here. He was quick, rangy, instinctive and had a mean streak.
We seem to do very well with SEC linemen. Stanfill, Duhe, Baumhower, Stephenson. I'm sure there are others. Yeah, and Eddie Blake. One poster here has a mock draft with an all-SEC lineup for us. That's what made me think about that.