Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001

Collins, Dilfer in the Hall? C’mon!

When one of these QBs strings together several Super Bowl victories and MVP seasons, then we’ll talk about their induction

By Andy Hanacek, Associate editor

Which brings me to an interesting topic: "unknown" quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. I appeared on a Los Angeles sports-talk radio show this morning, and the host brought up an interesting question: What if (I just love questions that begin this way) Trent Dilfer goes on to win this Super Bowl and wins two more? Does he receive Hall of Fame consideration? Troy Aikman won three, Joe Montana won three, John Elway won two and they are all headed for the Hall of Fame. Current Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls.

So, what would that mean about Trent Dilfer, or Kerry Collins, for that matter? If either of these guys goes on to win several Super Bowls, does that make him a Hall of Fame candidate?

The answer is, "No, unless …"

On the L.A. radio show, I said no way. Just because a quarterback wins a few Super Bowls doesn’t mean he belongs in the Hall of Fame. We all know about the trials and tribulations that both Dilfer and Collins have endured over the last few years. Now, if they should suddenly turn their careers around and win a few Super Bowls, well, you start to think maybe they deserve some consideration. But then you have to look at the way their teams made the Super Bowl(s), and the careers the quarterbacks had.

If Dilfer and Collins suddenly become top-flight quarterbacks who dominate games and set the standard for quarterbacks league-wide year after year, then yes, they deserve some sort of consideration. Heck, even before John Elway won a Super Bowl, I would’ve voted him into the Hall easily. He set standards and dominated. But Collins and Dilfer have a lot of bad years previous to this season to overcome. Collins had one really good year — his rookie year when Carolina went to the NFC championship game. That’s about it. I’d say it would take MVP seasons and several Super Bowl wins to force voters to overlook their early careers.

Also, the reason these two teams are in the Super Bowl is because of their defenses. Dilfer and Collins didn’t do anything consistently this season but avoid making mistakes. Dilfer more so than Collins. Dilfer did win a game or two for the Ravens, but for the most part, the Ravens’ success is a result of their defense. For this point, take Jim McMahon and the mid-'80s Bears for instance. Let’s say they would’ve won two or three Super Bowls in a row with McMahon at the helm and the Monsters of the Midway on defense. Would you then consider McMahon for the Hall of Fame just because of that? I wouldn’t, because it was the defense and Walter Payton that carried that team. McMahon just didn’t make mistakes. He did win some games for the Bears, but he was hurt a lot and didn’t set the quarterbacking world on fire.

I don’t believe that not making mistakes should get you into an esteemed club of football players who were considered the best at their positions. So unless Dilfer and Collins become MVP quarterbacks for the rest of their careers and one of their teams wins a few Super Bowls, you can’t even think about putting these guys in the Hall. Let me put it simply: Would you vote for Trent Dilfer over Troy Aikman or John Elway? I sure wouldn’t.

The Archives
2000 - 2001 Season