Mark Gastineau and Hall of Fame criteria

I recently watched 30 For 30's "The New York Sack Exchange." Some follow-up reading has made me wonder if Mark Gastineau is worthy of the Hall of Fame.

I recall hearing radio host Derrick Pearson mention two things to consider for the Hall of Fame:

1. Can the history of football be told without mentioning him?

2. Can the story of his position be told without mentioning him?

On a separate occasion, I heard Mike Lombardi, a football executive and media personality, mention a third thing to consider: 

3. Did opposing coaches have sleepless nights when preparing for him?

I heard Pearson and Lombardi say these things in the context of wide receivers who had been very productive on very good teams for many years. I will respectfully not name them, but Pearson and Lombardi didn't think they belonged to the Hall of Fame. And now I have those same questions whenever I think of other potential Hall of Fame candidacies.  

I was a child and teenager when Gastineu played and watched him only a handful of times each year. I'm not in a position to evaluate how good he was. Critics say he was one-dimensional and played selfishly, often being out of position on running plays as he focused on rushing the quarterback.

Nevertheless,I think we know the answers to these questions.

1. Can we tell the story of the NFL without Gastineau, as famous as anyone in the league in the early-to-mid 1980s? It seems like the NFL started counting the sack as an official statistic only because he and teammate Joe Klecko had so many of them.

2. Can we tell the story of the defensive end, or edge rusher, without discussing Gastineau?

3. Did opposing coaches have sleepless nights when preparing for him?

I think Gastineau checks Pearson's and Lombardi's boxes. Perhaps, however, there are other boxes to qualify for the Hall of Fame that he doesn't check: in addition to the aforementioned criticisms of his play, his run of dominance lasted only five seasons. 

Nevertheless, I find the criteria from Pearson and Lombardi quite helpful. They may explain why Ken Stabler is in the Hall of Fame while Ken Anderson, who was better statistically, is not. Stabler, the most accurate deep-ball thrower of his era, probably caused more sleepless nights.

 NFL MVP Chase

The MVP Chase is about making signficiant contributions to victories. Instead of looking at season-ending stats and season-ending win totals, the MVP Chase looks at each game each week so that:

• Playing very well in a victory counts toward earning the MVP.

• Playing just okay or poorly in a victory doesn't count.

• Playing great - even six touchdowns great - in a loss doesn't count. 

There are other awards and All-Pro selections for those who play great even when their teams lose. The MVP should be about who helped their teams win the most often. That's the "value" in "most valuable."

Even after last week's loss, Saquon Barkley is still in the lead. There are eight other players who are technically still alive to overtake him and they are listed here.The final standings of the MVP Chase will determine how I would fill out my official MVP ballot, if I had one. 

James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.