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In 2014, former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan will be eligible for induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Does the “Gap-Toothed Terror” deserve the call to the Hall?
Strahan was drafted in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He then went on to do something that not very many players do in their career: he played for the same team throughout his entire 14-year career.
When Strahan stepped onto the field for the Giants, he was always planning a party in the backfield. He racked up 141.5 sacks in his career which puts him fifth on the all-time list and at the top of the Giants career sack list. He also had 843 career tackles, four interceptions and three touchdowns.
To go along with the stats, Strahan has the hardware. He earned seven Pro Bowl selections throughout his career and was a five-time first team All-Pro. He won the 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and was a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Strahan was also a part of a Super Bowl XLII winning team.
During his tenure in the NFL, not very many players carried the type of on-field presence that Strahan did. No matter what, opposing quarterbacks needed to know where he was on the field and his tenacity and dominance caused offensive coordinators to lose sleep at night.
If there was ever a defensive player that has earned the right to get into the Hall of Fame, it’s Strahan. He is a great example of a player with a motor that is always running and a guy that just loved to play the game of football.
While Strahan was a 2013 reject, the voters should give him the nod in 2014. Even today, there aren’t very many defensive ends that dominated the NFL and instilled fear in their opponents the way Strahan did.
Brian Skinnell is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your network on Google.
