Art Monk HOF

VRIEL1 · Post by **VRIEL1** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:10 pm

We should all make the pilgrimage to the hall and each one of us one by one through out Irvins speach stand up and scream either crack addict or Monk. So he can't speak

fredp45 · Post by **fredp45** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:11 pm

The reason I always liked and respected Art Monk is probably the reason he isn't getting voted in...he did NOT self promote himself. He did his job, at a HOF level (IMO), but never showed off or bragged about how good he was. He never got into trouble to put his name in the media. I am totally for this type of behavior but it isn't helping him now...especially with voters who didn't see him play on a regular basis - like us Skins fans.

When comparing Irwin to Monk the other thing that sort of hurts Art is that we had 3 very good WRs back then. Gary Clark took away a bunch of possible catches from Art as did Ricky Sanders. I can't remember who else the Cowboys had at WR back in Irwin's era, but I doubt their #2 and #3 were close to Clark and Sanders.

I don't disagree that Irwin was a very good WR in his day (when he wasn't pushing Darrell Green off) but the guy has a rap sheet longer than his NFL stat sheet.

Art Monk retired with the most catches (and yards, I believe) ever by a WR -- the fact someone broke that record later shouldn't matter. If he had held the record for a few more years, he would have been a first year HOF player...oh well!

The voters do suck.

VRIEL1 · Post by **VRIEL1** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:13 pm

would that be an arrestable offense?lol

forskins · Post by **forskins** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:32 pm

I agree, Monk was screwed yet again.

Irvin DID deserve to get in, before or after Monk is not the debate. If you deny him because of his off the field issues, then guys like Lawrence Taylor should have never gotten in on the first ballot no less..

If garbage recievers like Lynn Swann get in (What great Stats did he have??), guys who have had Ripken-like numbers surely deserve to get in.

Redskin in Canada · Post by **Redskin in Canada** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:39 pm

I read your emotions in your posts. Of course, I am profoundly sad. Our enemies are alive and well. You know who they are.

This is an insult to Art, the Redskins organization and all of us as their fans. They know what they are doing and they are doing it in a way that they hope it hurts the most. This is discrimination of the worst kind, plain and simple.

I will not speculate about what the outcome of this year's selection had been if our team was playing in the Superbowl tomorrow. I will not second guess what the outcome had been if we did not have one of the most unpopular owners in the NFL. A vote of this nature should be above and beyond all that if it had any legitimacy whatsoever.

But I am not angry, not anymore. I got to the point where Art Monk is himself FAR more important to me than the entire Hall of Fame process, let alone the discriminatory biases of the selection Committee.

Who are these worthless clown voters anyway? I do not respect them. They are meaningless to me. They are irrelevant. The Hall of Fame does not mean anything to me even if I respect greatly -some- of the people inducted in it.

One day in the future, Art will be in it. -THAT- day is not important to me anymore at all. Art Monk does not need to be recognised by this Committee to be any BIGGER in my heart and mind.

Art is a man of great dignity. I wish to type these words as a tribute to him and all the good things he has stood for in our lives.

Hail to Art Monk!

Cappster · Post by **Cappster** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:14 pm

After calming down a bit and reading RiC's post, I had an epiphany. I don't really care what the Adam Schefters of the world think. Art Monk is in the only "Fame" that matters. He is in the Redskins Ring of Fame. He was put there by people who really know his contribution to the Redskins and to the NFL.

Sportswriters are more often wrong than right (playoff predicitons, HOF voting, player evalutaions). It is a shame that people who probably have never played football, are the ones saying who is and who isn't among the best of all time. I can only think of one reason why Irvin got in over Monk. That is because Irvin is one of "them" now.

Them meaning he is a person in the media that has the same idiotic ideas as the rest of the morons in the media. Monk has always, for the most part, stayed away from the media and the spotlight. I believe for that, those bafoons hold a grudge against one of the most prolific receivers in the history of the NFL.

Justice Hog · Post by **Justice Hog** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:24 pm

forskins wrote:If garbage recievers like Lynn Swann get in (What great Stats did he have??), guys who have had Ripken-like numbers surely deserve to get in.

Didn't Ripken play baseball?

SkinsFreak · Post by **SkinsFreak** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:25 pm

I about threw my remote through the TV screen when I heard the news. What a shame. We love you, Art.

I'll bet this lights a fire in Gibbs. I have to think the Skins organization as a whole is really tired of this sh....tuff. Man, would I love for the Skins to just shut all those boneheads up with a 16-0 record followed by a SB win next year.

Ok... I know that's a stretch... but still would be nice. I'll bet they play with a chip on their shoulder next year; not just because of Art's snub, that too, but for all the shots these guys continue to take at the Skins organization. SCREW THEM!!!

SkinsFreak · Post by **SkinsFreak** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:29 pm

Cappster wrote:After calming down a bit and reading RiC's post, I had an epiphany. I don't really care what the Adam Schefters of the world think. Art Monk is in the only "Fame" that matters. He is in the Redskins Ring of Fame. He was put there by people who really know his contribution to the Redskins and to the NFL.

Sportswriters are more often wrong than right (playoff predicitons, HOF voting, player evalutaions). It is a shame that people who probably have never played football, are the ones saying who is and who isn't among the best of all time. I can only think of one reason why Irvin got in over Monk. That is because Irvin is one of "them" now.

Them meaning he is a person in the media that has the same idiotic ideas as the rest of the morons in the media. Monk has always, for the most part, stayed away from the media and the spotlight. I believe for that, those bafoons hold a grudge against one of the most prolific receivers in the history of the NFL.

Yep. Couldn't agree more.

I think the other reason why Irvin got in was because he supplies all those guys (media) with high grade crack. You know Mike has all the connections!

forskins · Post by **forskins** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:37 pm

Justice Hog wrote:
forskins wrote:If garbage recievers like Lynn Swann get in (What great Stats did he have??), guys who have had Ripken-like numbers surely deserve to get in.

Didn't Ripken play baseball?

Yes....

RedskinsFreak · Post by **RedskinsFreak** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:55 pm

It's wrong he didn't get in. But the first domino has fallen to break the WR logjam. However, next year's first-year eligibility of Cris Carter doesn't help things. (And, of course, Jerry Rice looms on the horizon) And the WashPost forbidding all full-time writers from voting means Wilbon's no longer a voter.

Dave Elfin became the Washington voter and the PFWA's slot was filled by Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. So, the room lost a DC vote and gained a Dallas vote.

Also, interesting to see Len Shapiro as an at-large voter and being listed as being with the Miami Herald. He's no longer a full-time Postie.

cleg · Post by **cleg** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:06 pm

I just cannot believe that he was passed over for Irvin. I am just sick about this.

UK Skins Fan · Post by **UK Skins Fan** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:28 pm

I have two sets of thoughts about this. I'll post one lot in Smack. In here, I'll simply say that I no longer care whether Art Monk gets in the Hall of Fame or not. The ludicrous admission of the receiver from Dallas ahead of Art simply invalidates anything that the hall of fame is supposed to stand for. Even if he gets in next year (and he won't), I doubt I'll be able to find the good grace to do anything other than sneer at those toads who judged that the Dallas crackhead was a greater wide receiver than Art Monk.

Good grief, Thurman Thomas couldn't even find his helmet when the big games came along, and yet he still gets in ahead of Art Monk.

I no longer have any idea what the hall does stand for, but it sure as hell doesn't stand for anything that I respect.

Art Monk is in my hall of fame, and that's all that matters to me.

ATV · Post by **ATV** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:36 pm

What a complete farce. I'm not sure what else I could write about it.

JPM36 · Post by **JPM36** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:40 pm

What an injustice.

I'm furious they would induct Irvin over Monk.

That's all I can say in this forum. Outrageous!

SCSkinsFan · Post by **SCSkinsFan** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:50 pm

This is just unbelievable (again). When someone with Irvin's credentials gets in and someone with the character of Art Monk, not just a football player with deserving stats, but an individual that everyone can look up to doesn't, something's just not right.

And Thurman Thomas? The argument for him is no stronger than the argument for Art Monk. True, Thomas had one good Super Bowl game versus the Giants, but...... Art's SB performances are against him as a reason to deny him admission every year. What were Thomas's stats vs the Skins in the SB? Oh yeah, first he can't find his helmet, and then he got what? 13 Yards? This whole thing just gets worse every year.

As I wrote before, If Dr. Z and others applied the same rationale and arguments against Monk's admission (that he put up up league leading stats over a log career and was an upstanding individual) to Hank Aaron, who I don't think ever won a Home Run title during a season, and who also was not on but one World Series winning team, then Hank Aaron would have never been voted into the MLB Hale of Fame either.

roybus14 · Post by **roybus14** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:53 pm

Whomever is in charge of the HOF needs to step in and do something because the HOF, IMO, is not about character, numbers, and what you meant to your team/city, it's about highlights and how nice a guy you are to press.

To deny Art Monk or anyone for that matter at WR that has far better numbers than those who are already in is a travesty and a disgrace. This obviously is not about what you did on the field or in your community but how many highlights you had and how nice you were to reporters. Art Monk was not a vocal and he let his play speak for itself. He was and still is a model citizen and upstanding member of the community. If you didn't know his face and you met him you would not know that he was a great professional football player.

I wonder if any of the current HOFs have the stones to protest against this injustice. Not against those individuals that were voted in but against those doing the voting.... See below, nuff said

Michael Irvin Rec-750 Yards-11904 Avg.-15.9 TDs-65
Arrests - 2
League Suspensions - 4 Games
Drug problems and keeping job while working for ESPN

Art Monk Rec-940 Yards-12721 Avg.-13.5 TDs-68
Arrests - 0
League Suspensions - 0 Games
Model Citizen

RedskinsFreak · Post by **RedskinsFreak** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:05 pm

And remember, Darrell Green is eligible next year as well.

Fios · Post by **Fios** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:12 pm

UK Skins Fan wrote:I have two sets of thoughts about this. I'll post one lot in Smack. In here, I'll simply say that I no longer care whether Art Monk gets in the Hall of Fame or not. The ludicrous admission of the receiver from Dallas ahead of Art simply invalidates anything that the hall of fame is supposed to stand for. Even if he gets in next year (and he won't), I doubt I'll be able to find the good grace to do anything other than sneer at those toads who judged that the Dallas crackhead was a greater wide receiver than Art Monk.

Good grief, Thurman Thomas couldn't even find his helmet when the big games came along, and yet he still gets in ahead of Art Monk.

I no longer have any idea what the hall does stand for, but it sure as hell doesn't stand for anything that I respect.

Art Monk is in my hall of fame, and that's all that matters to me.

It's pathetic and, once again, it reinforces the notion that the wrong people are deciding who and who doesn't get into the hall.

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:26 pm

UK Skins Fan wrote:I have two sets of thoughts about this. I'll post one lot in Smack. In here, I'll simply say that I no longer care whether Art Monk gets in the Hall of Fame or not. The ludicrous admission of the receiver from Dallas ahead of Art simply invalidates anything that the hall of fame is supposed to stand for. Even if he gets in next year (and he won't), I doubt I'll be able to find the good grace to do anything other than sneer at those toads who judged that the Dallas crackhead was a greater wide receiver than Art Monk.

Good grief, Thurman Thomas couldn't even find his helmet when the big games came along, and yet he still gets in ahead of Art Monk.

I no longer have any idea what the hall does stand for, but it sure as hell doesn't stand for anything that I respect.

Art Monk is in my hall of fame, and that's all that matters to me.

word.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:50 pm

In Hall of Fame, Character Should Count
February 3, 2007

As far as anyone connected with the Redskins is concerned, the mystery continues.

While there weren't any real "signs" that said Art Monk would make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, there sure was a great deal of anticipation this time around.

Monk and former teammate Russ Grimm didn't get in, but Michael Irvin, Bruce Matthews, Thurman Thomas, Gene Hickerson, Charlie Sanders and Roger Wehrli did.

All NFL fans offer congratulations to the class of 2007. But at the same time you have to place Monk's snub at the top of the list if you're considering Hall of Fame snubs.

For one thing, it sure seems like the distance between Dallas, Texas and Canton, Ohio is a great deal shorter than the distance between Washington, D.C., and Canton. At least as far as the last two Hall of Fame classes is concerned.

Last year when Monk and Grimm were shut out, Troy Aikman and Rayfield Wright were enshrined.

Another Cowboy goes this year, Irvin. The so-called "Playmaker" has always been quite a character, hasn't he?

You had to figure that at least one wide receiver would make it this time around between Irvin, Monk and Andre Reed, the former Buffalo Bill who finished his career with the Redskins in 2000.

Irvin, the Dallas Cowboys' first round pick in 1988, caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns during his 12-season career. He was named to five Pro Bowls.

Monk, a first-round selection of the Redskins in 1980, played 16 seasons in the NFL (14 as a Redskin) and finished with 940 catches, 12,721 yards and 68 TDs. He was a Pro Bowler in 1984, 1985 and 1986.

Reed, a fourth-round pick by Buffalo in 1985, put together a 16-year career in which he caught 951 passes for 13,198 yards and 87 TDs. Seven times he made the Pro Bowl.

What those numbers don't tell you is that Monk had all of the intangibles.

They don't tell you that Monk was an outstanding blocker for teams that liked to play a "smash-mouth" style.

They don't tell you that Monk's behavior off the field was and is exemplary.

They don't tell you that Monk is basically a quiet and reserved type, who didn't aggressively promote himself like others do.

It's true that one wide receiver did make the Hall this year. As to why Art Monk is still on the outside looking in remains a matter of speculation once again.

The 2007 class will increase to 241 the number of all-time greats permanently honored. Enshrinement ceremonies will be held in Canton on Saturday, Aug. 4.

As far as next year, Redskins fans are reminded that Darrell Green retired in 2002 and that--in terms of Hall of Fame consideration--he will have been away from the game for the obligatory five seasons.

And if they can muster the courage, another Art Monk watch should be in order.

One of these years, it is hoped, the Hall's voters will get it right. In other words, they'll look more favorably on Art Monk, who has always been known for his character.

Not just because of the fact that on Oct. 12, 1992, he became the NFL's all-time receptions leader with career catch No. 820. But because of the fact that Monk brought character to the game.

http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=24688

carolinakat · Post by **carolinakat** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:11 am

Very Awewsome, it seemed like just yesterday watching those clips.

welch · Post by **welch** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:33 am

Yes, character should count, but Monk was a better player, simply better, than Irvin.

I'd almost repeat that 100 times because I'm so exasperated. Disgusted. Astounded. Gobsmacked, as UK Skins Fan might say.

My chin is on my chest, or whatever Dan Dierdorff said at the end of Q2 SB 22, during which Monk knocked a Denver tackler about 5 yards into the air and out of the game...a game that Monk played on a sprained knee!

Growl!!!!!!

riggofan · Post by **riggofan** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:37 am

I really can't believe this. Stunned and bitterly disappointed.