Inducting the Vikings Hall of Very Good Team
Players who won't ever be in Canton but deserve to be considered all-time greats
*Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
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One of the best parts of starting Purple Insider is that I can take conversations with subscribers and turn them into articles and posts that we can all discuss. I was chatting with my pal Josh Smith, who is Sports Editor at The Frederick News-Post, and he was making the case for Chuck Foreman as a Hall of Famer. We agreed that there are a large number of former Vikings who are right on the borderline of the Hall or that had a short HOF-level stretch but won’t ever make it because their peaks or careers weren’t long enough.
So I decided to hunt through Pro-Football Reference in search of the players most deserving of the Hall of Very Good… (Leave additional nominations in the comments)
Quarterback
Randall Cunningham — One of the NFL’s “Hall of Very Good” players. While he wasn’t a Viking for very long, the story of his 1998 season is iconic and his role in the rise of Randy Moss puts him in a unique all-time category in the franchise’s history.
Daunte Culpepper — From 2000 to 2004, few QBs were better. One of the most exciting players to ever step on a field. If not for injury, might have eventually landed in the HOF.
The Vikings have such a unique history of quarterbacks with flashes of excellence like Wade Wilson, Case Keenum, Brad Johnson etc. but only Culpepper falls into the category of being good enough for a long enough time to have been considered “very good.”
Tommy Kramer is a tough one to leave off. Old school Vikings fans will often talk about how fun he was to watch and his ‘86 season was terrific but it’s hard to make a case that his peak was as good as Culpepper’s.
Running back
Chuck Foreman — Ahead of his time as a pass catcher and the 26th most valuable Viking in history by Pro-Football Reference’s “Approximate Value,” only five spots behind Adrian Peterson.
Robert Smith — Barry Sanders and Jamaal Charles are the only running backs past the AFL/NFL merger who played for more than seven seasons and averaged more yards per rush than Robert Smith.
Without pouring salt in any wounds, the fact that Herschel Walker only ranks 15th all-time in Vikings history in rushing yards is wild. Players like Chester Taylor, Terry Allen and Michael Bennett are ahead of him. Dalvin Cook needs about 160 yards to pass Walker.
Bill Brown has an argument to be on the list. He made four Pro Bowls and scored 75 touchdowns. Also you have to appreciate a man that was 5-foot-11, 230-pounds in the 60s.
Receiver
Anthony Carter — From 1985 to 1995, put up the 14th most yards, 10th most touchdowns and 11th best yards per reception.
Jake Reed — Before Moss showed up, Reed averaged 74 receptions for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns per season from 1994-1997. Despite the post-Moss dip, he still finished fourth in team history in yards.
Sammy White — From 1976 to 1985, White had the 11th most catches and 10th most yards.
Ahmad Rashad — Went to four straight Pro Bowls from 1978 to 1981.
There’s a pretty large gulf between these four and anybody else. Hassan Jones had some moments but topped out at 51 catches. We’ve gotten used to receivers averaging 11 or 12 yards per catch. Jones’s 16.7 yards per reception is a reminder that teams used to either hand it off or huck the ball deep.
Tight end
Steve Jordan — Made six Pro Bowls in a row from 1986 to 1991 in an era in which tight ends rarely put up his type of numbers. Made three more Pro Bowls than Ozzie Newson.
Think about how good Kyle Rudolph has been and for how long and consider that Jordan has 2,000 more yards receiving. Sometimes we lose sight with guys like Jordan what the landscape of the position looked like during their career. How many tight ends could go down the field like him?
Offensive line
Bryant McKinnie — Considered to be an underachiever but PFF grades (which started in 2006) showed he wasn’t given enough credit. Ranked 11th in pass blocking grade in ‘09.
Grady Alderman — Started 178 games through the 60s and early 70s, made the Pro Bowl six times and All-Pro once.
Tim Irwin — Never made a Pro Bowl but started 187 games through the 80s and early 90s.
Matt Birk — Six-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro.
David Dixon — Starting guard on some of the best offenses in history.
By far offensive line is the toughest of the positions to figure out how the players compared to the rest of the league at the time. You wonder how many greats on the O-line went under the radar because there weren’t resources like game tape and PFF to highlight their skills.
Defensive line
Jim Marshall — The fourth most valuable player in franchise history by PFR’s “Approximate Value.”
Henry Thomas — Few nose tackles have ever rushed the passer as effectively. Total of 93.5 career sacks, 56.0 came with the Vikings.
Kevin Williams — Being a five-time All-Pro usually puts you in the Hall of Fame but Williams seems to get overlooked. Was one-half of the most impressive interior D-line duo of the era.
Keith Millard — Put him in the Terrell Davis wing of the Hall for short-lived excellence. Picked up 51 sacks from 1985 to 1989.
There’s probably another four or five players who could have a case throughout the team’s history. Marshall is an all-time “Hall of Very Good” player whose claim to fame now is that he’s the best player in history who isn’t in the Hall. Maybe someday history will look back at Kevin Williams’s excellence and reward him. And how many players in Vikings history are just like Millard? Great but not for long enough.
Linebackers
Matt Blair — Another six-time Pro Bowler. Started 130 games and picked off 16 passes.
Roy Winston — Starting linebacker from the early 60s to early 70s. Ranks 13th in franchise history in Approximate Value.
Scott Studwell — Two-time Pro Bowler, 17th in franchise history in AV, started 160 games.
One of the toughest things about the linebacker position is finding stats that give us an indication of someone’s value. As we know from recent Viking snubs, Pro Bowls aren’t always a great indicator but Blair making six of them probably tells an accurate story. Games played also tells us something when guys like Winston and Studwell kept their jobs forever.
Cornerback
Antoine Winfield Sr. — Pound for pound, one of the great tacklers in NFL history. Made three Pro Bowls as a Viking.
Bobby Bryant — His 51 interceptions are 32nd all time. Started from 1968 to 1980.
Carl Lee — Started 152 games, made three Pro Bowls and was All Pro in 1988 with eight interceptions.
These are really the only three with a case. Winfield’s value in the slot was vastly underrated at the time but we now understand the power or versatility. This exercise also shows you how long it was between great corners for the Vikings until Xavier Rhodes showed up.
Safety
Joey Browner — Surprising that a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro wouldn’t have gotten more attention for the Hall.
Robert Griffith — Picked off 17 passes as a Viking. Had five picks on the 1998 defense, which ranked sixth in points against.
There’s going to be a longer article about this at some point but you have to wonder if Harrison Smith someday ends up in the Hall of Very Good as opposed to making the Hall of Fame, which is what he will ultimately deserve.
Specialists
Ryan Longwell — We all agree he would have made the kick against the Saints in ‘09, right? For a team that didn’t always have stability at kicker, Longwell was consistently elite.
Mitch Berger — Averaged 43.5 yards per punt and doubled as Vikings kickoff specialist.
Percy Harvin — Five touchdown returns, tied with Cordarrelle Patterson for most in franchise history. Hands down a HOF-level talent.
Honorable mention
QB, Tommy Kramer
FB, Bill Brown
CB, Ed Sharockman
LB, Chad Greenway
DT, Gary Larsen
LB, Wally Hilgenberg
K, Fred Cox
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I'd add EJ Henderson to this list. He was a very good MLB for a while there.
How about Jared Allen? Is he on his way to the actual HOF or will he have to settle for the HOVG?