04/20/24
August 27, 2002
Is Randall Cunningham a Hall of Famer?: "The NFL MVP award is given out annually by three different entities. Cunningham won the award in 1988, 1990, and 1998—only Jim Brown, Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas, and Brett Favre have been honored in as many years, and they're all in Canton or headed there."
Yes. I think he helped redefine what a quarterback can be and what a quarterback can do. Cunningham was a human highlight reel of amazing plays. His running posed enough of a threat to defenses that quite often a middle linebacker would be used to just shadow him and minimize any rushing and scrambling gains Cunningham would have. I think Cunningham is a huge influence on multi-faceted young star QBs of today such as Michael Vick and Daunte Culpepper.
posted by msacheson at 03:19 PM on August 27, 2002
Don't forget that he holds the record for longest punt (or did). 92 yards, I think. Even so, I'd be hard-pressed to say he's a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer. (I had a bunch of hyphens lying around, so I thought I'd write)
posted by yerfatma at 03:22 PM on August 27, 2002
Let's do a criteria check: 1) Does he hold any significant records? His rushing yards (season/career) by a quarterback might not really be THAT significant, but it's a true stat and not something wholly made up (like passing yards by a running back). 2) Did he redefine the position that he played, or made a contribution to the sport? Yes. His scrambling style and rushing potential added a new dimension to the sport. He might not have been the first, but he was definitely the best at rushing. 3) Was he considered the best player at his position during his career? No. He wasn't the best quarterback over the length of his career, but he might have been ONE of the best during any single season in his career. That's probably close enough (being 2nd/3rd/4th best every year for a significant length of time is still HOF worthy in my books). 4) Did he help win reach/win many championships? No. But neither did Dan Marino so that's really not a black mark AGAINST Cunningham. It's just not a positive mark in his favour. 5) Would he be out of place in the HOF beside other players at his position that are currently in the HOF? Probably not. I'm sure there are quarterbacks in the HOF that are worse than Cunningham and there are quarterbacks that are better than him. His addition would not diminish the standard of the HOF.
posted by grum@work at 04:54 PM on August 27, 2002
being 2nd/3rd/4th best every year for a significant length of time is still HOF worthy in my books Not a standard I would usually go by, but looking at the other QB's around during his time (Marino, Elway, Kelly, Montana, Steve Young, etc.) this definitely applies to Randall.
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:26 PM on August 28, 2002
I think he belongs. He's got great stats despite never really having played for a great team (at least during the peak of his career). Plus, he had to play for complete asshole Buddy Ryan. If Warren Moon goes, then Randall has to as well.