The Case for Ray Guy

The Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled its list of semifinalists today, and of the 26 guys on the list, about 20 of them deserve to be in Canton.  The rules dictate that only between 4 and 7 guys can get in every year, and a maximum of five can be modern-era candidates (although not an official rule, it does seem to be some sort of requirement that both senior nominees get in, even though 99.6 percent of football fans have never heard of them).  Because the Football Hall of Fame also feels the need to induct at least one offensive lineman every year (I'm not really sure why), that leaves four spots for everybody else.  Take out the first-year guys who are locks to make it (this year that's Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk) and there aren't really many spots left.  With all that being said, it's once again time for me to make the case for somebody who I know won't get in: Ray Guy.

Punter is a position.  In the modern game, it's a very important one.  Yet, there are no punters in the Hall of Fame.  In fact, the only specialist in the Hall of Fame at all is former Chiefs/Saints kicker Jan Stenerud.  Why?  I understand that these guys are in for about 15 plays a game max, but how important can those 15 plays be?  How many games are won on last-second field goals?  That's an argument for another day, but my point remains: Ray Guy should be in the Hall of Fame.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the committee should suddenly start looking at punters the same way they do skill position guys and defensive players, but Ray Guy is NOT your average punter.  Ask anybody who knows a thing about the game (or has watched it in the last 30 years), and they'll all agree: Ray Guy is the best punter in history. 

A quick look at the resume:

• drafted in the 1st round in 1973 (still the only punter ever taken in the 1st round)
• won three Super Bowls with the Raiders (XI, XV, XVIII)
• named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and All-Decade Team for the 70s
• seven-time Pro Bowler (1973-78, 1980)
• selected First Team All-Pro every year from 1973-78, then Second Team All-Pro in 1979-80
• played in 207 consecutive games
• 1,409 career punts for 44,493 yards (42.4 average)
• never had a punt returned for a touchdown
• once had a streak of 619 consecutive punts without having one blocked
• had 210 punts inside the 20 and just 128 touchbacks
• owner of every major NFL punting record

And I know the popular argument is that kickers and punters aren't that athletic, but Guy's play in Super Bowl XVIII (where the snap was about three feet over his head, but he went up and grabbed it with one hand, then still got the punt off) is one of the most athletic plays I've ever seen.  He's the only punter ever to be even nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he deserves a bust in Canton.  So do Cris Carter and Shannon Sharpe, but I'll save that discussion for when they announce the list of 15 finalists, which they'll both be on.  Sadly, Ray Guy probably won't.