Bill Polian apparently isn’t a fan of wide receivers with big egos, even if they’re two of the best ever at their position.
The former Indianapolis Colts general manager and Pro Football Hall of Famer spoke recently with Talk of Fame Network’s Clark Judge and was asked to settle a debate: Would he give his Hall of Fame vote to Randy Moss or Terrell Owens?
It’s a valid question, as Moss will become eligible for the first time in 2018, and voters only can choose one of the wideouts. But Polian’s answer was a bit perplexing.
“I take neither,” Polian told Judge. “First of all, here’s my position: (I want players who) contribute both individually and to the team. T.O.’s situation, T.O.’s temperament, his ability to contribute to the team was well known up front. He was going to be a problem. We did not want to deal with problem children. Others may. We didn’t.
“That’s number one. Number two, every year in Indianapolis we said the following: ‘The price of admission is 100 percent effort all the time in everything we do.’ Well, how can we take Randy Moss when we make that statement? It’s that simple.”
In short, Polian doesn’t think Owens and Moss deserve Hall of Fame votes because they weren’t very nice guys and didn’t try hard all the time. That’s a pretty shallow argument. Both players undoubtedly had character and effort issues, but that didn’t stop T.O. and Moss from finishing their careers with the second- and third-most receiving yards of all time, respectively, behind only Jerry Rice. Besides, there are plenty of other players with similar red flags — Michael Irvin and Cris Carter, to name only two — who earned a place in Canton.
Polian admitted it was likely Owens and Moss get in eventually, but that their reputations as team “cancer(s)” should mean more than their incredible individual achievements.
“Part of the motto of the Hall of Fame is (to) support the values of the game,” Polian added. “How did (Owens) support the values of the game? It’s a team game. It’s not an individual game.”
But the Hall of Fame honors individuals, and Owens and Moss rank among the NFL’s best.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
