Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tim Brown has to get in

Once again, Raiders wide receiving great Tim Brown finds himself as a finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  This has to be his year.

For the sixth straight year, wide receiver Tim Brown finds himself in a familiar place: a finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

For the sixth straight year, Raider Nation is ready to celebrate the career of the face of the Raiders for over a decade.

However for the sixth straight year, Brown has competition to get in.

Besides, you can almost get the feeling that if Tim Brown doesn’t get in, Raider Nation will riot.  (No, seriously, that is a thing.)

Along with Brown, Colts wideout great Marvin Harrison was also named a finalist as well and considering the fact that Harrison made the final 10 last year, Brown has quite a ways to climb up.

There’s no question that Tim Brown will end up in Canton soon enough, hopefully before the apocalypse, the second-coming of Jesus and before Derrick Rose gets injured for another year again.  (You get the idea.)

Brown is fourth in all-time receptions with 1,094 and in receiving yards with 14,934 and has 100 career receiving touchdowns.  Of his near 1,100 receptions, 1,070 of them came in Oakland along with 99 of those touchdowns.  He played in Tampa with former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden in his last year playing in 2004, catching 24 balls for 200 yards and a touchdown.

He recorded over 1,000 yards receiving in nine straight seasons from 1993-to-2001, led the NFL in receptions in 1997 with 104, his only 100-reception year, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Second-Team All-1990’s Team.

“Mr. Raider” was a nine-time Pro Bowler during his 16-year career in Oakland but only got to play in one Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXXVII vs. Tampa Bay) in which the Raiders lost.  Brown only caught one ball for nine yards in his lone Super Bowl appearance.

So why should Tim Brown get in over Marvin Harrison?

Harrison’s numbers speak for themselves (1,102 receptions, 14,580 yards, 128 touchdowns) and he helped lead the Colts to five division titles, two AFC Championship appearances and one Super Bowl ring (Super Bowl XLI vs. Chicago).  He had at least 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in eight straight seasons and was also an eight-time Pro Bowler and a six-time All-Pro.  When he retired in 2008, he was second in league history in receptions.

Safe to say there’s competition and it’s pretty much unlikely that there will be two receivers getting inducted in this class.

So what has Brown done for us?

Numbers wise, Harrison’s stats and accolades outdo what Tim Brown did with the Raiders.  However, where Brown proves he the better player is that Brown achieved his stats with sub-par quarterbacks.

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From 1993-2001, Brown’s 1,000-yard-plus receiving years came behind the arms of Jeff Hostetler, Jeff George, Donald Hollas, and Rich Gannon (the only Hall of Fame candidate of that group).  His career includes catching balls from Jay Schroeder and Steve Beuerlein early on and Kerry Collins in the very end.

Marvin Harrison had Peyton Manning.

In ways, you have to give the benefit of the doubt to Brown.  To achieve what he did with numerous sub-par quarterbacks with the Raiders in their time in Los Angeles and even after they returned to Oakland is a feat in itself.

There’s no question that soon enough, the former Heisman winner from Notre Dame Tim Brown will end have a bust in Canton.  But will the sixth time be the charm?

All stats provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com

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