Happy for Sterling. With TD and Sayers, I guess the door is wide open for dominant players with short careers. I'm good with it but players such as Jerry Rice and Randy Moss were on a separate, much higher level imo. Frank, would be interested to hear your side-by-side comparison of Eli and Plunkett and who, if any, you deem to be more HOF worthy.
Eli and Plunkett are an interesting comparison. At first, Plunkett (drafted No. 1) suffered much as Archie Manning (picked after Plunkett) with a horrible Saints franchise that he could not escape until the end of his career. He should have been a great NFL QB. Eli avoided that by declaring he would not play for certain teams, including the Chargers, who drafted him anyway. But in a pre-arranged deal, Eli tried to avoid his father's fate by being traded to the Giants. The Chargers received draft picks and the No. 4 overall Giants selection, Philip Rivers (who becomes HOF eligible in 2026). Plunkett endured bad coaching and got the crap beaten out of him with the Patriots. After a couple of surgeries he was traded to the 49ers, who were at least as bad at that time. When the 49ers waived him, nobody wanted the former Heisman winner and No. 1 draft pick. The Raiders tried him out. Tom Flores thought he could be rehabilitated emotionally and could still throw. Plunkett sat for two years until Dan Pastorini (acquired in trade for Stabler) was injured early in 1980 season.
Plunkett stepped in and eventually played well enough to help the Raiders become the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl. Although he was again benched, he came on to quarterback the Raiders in a SB XVIII upset over Washington. So, like Eli, he won two Super Bowls. Unlike Eli, Plunkett had to persist through three teams. Ironically, Plunkett got the break that Archie never did -- he escaped his first team in time to resurrect his career. Both Eli and Plunkett had .500 winning percentage, with Eli playing more games. But Plunkett's career arc went from the outhouse to the penthouse, admittedly with the help of about 10 Hall of Fame teammates and coaches. Eli, who had only one HOF teammate, faded his last seven years. So, go ahead and pick one. I think Plunkett's persistence makes a better Hall of Fame story than that of Eli who, remember, picked his own team. If one goes in the Hall of Fame, they both should go in. That may be a big if.
Frank, this is incredible insight and analysis which I'm sure was not easy to fully articulate given the nuances and relationships.
Like what Jack said, the result is very jarring to disturbing.
Thank you for pulling back the curtain with everything, as always. It really helps to understand the process, considerations and parameters. Appreciate you!
Happy for Sterling. With TD and Sayers, I guess the door is wide open for dominant players with short careers. I'm good with it but players such as Jerry Rice and Randy Moss were on a separate, much higher level imo. Frank, would be interested to hear your side-by-side comparison of Eli and Plunkett and who, if any, you deem to be more HOF worthy.
Eli and Plunkett are an interesting comparison. At first, Plunkett (drafted No. 1) suffered much as Archie Manning (picked after Plunkett) with a horrible Saints franchise that he could not escape until the end of his career. He should have been a great NFL QB. Eli avoided that by declaring he would not play for certain teams, including the Chargers, who drafted him anyway. But in a pre-arranged deal, Eli tried to avoid his father's fate by being traded to the Giants. The Chargers received draft picks and the No. 4 overall Giants selection, Philip Rivers (who becomes HOF eligible in 2026). Plunkett endured bad coaching and got the crap beaten out of him with the Patriots. After a couple of surgeries he was traded to the 49ers, who were at least as bad at that time. When the 49ers waived him, nobody wanted the former Heisman winner and No. 1 draft pick. The Raiders tried him out. Tom Flores thought he could be rehabilitated emotionally and could still throw. Plunkett sat for two years until Dan Pastorini (acquired in trade for Stabler) was injured early in 1980 season.
Plunkett stepped in and eventually played well enough to help the Raiders become the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl. Although he was again benched, he came on to quarterback the Raiders in a SB XVIII upset over Washington. So, like Eli, he won two Super Bowls. Unlike Eli, Plunkett had to persist through three teams. Ironically, Plunkett got the break that Archie never did -- he escaped his first team in time to resurrect his career. Both Eli and Plunkett had .500 winning percentage, with Eli playing more games. But Plunkett's career arc went from the outhouse to the penthouse, admittedly with the help of about 10 Hall of Fame teammates and coaches. Eli, who had only one HOF teammate, faded his last seven years. So, go ahead and pick one. I think Plunkett's persistence makes a better Hall of Fame story than that of Eli who, remember, picked his own team. If one goes in the Hall of Fame, they both should go in. That may be a big if.
Frank, this is incredible insight and analysis which I'm sure was not easy to fully articulate given the nuances and relationships.
Like what Jack said, the result is very jarring to disturbing.
Thank you for pulling back the curtain with everything, as always. It really helps to understand the process, considerations and parameters. Appreciate you!
Fantastic rundown Frank. We knew this was coming but still jarring to see it. Onward!