Comments on: Ray Guy: Stupid people keep punters out of the Hall of Fame

By: tsberri

tsberri — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:32:06 +0000

the article i read on Ray Guy here recently laments about how not only punters but kickers too, are viewed by others in pro football. one person was quoted as saying, ” kicking isn’t an important part of the game… ”

look at the Top 20 All-Time Points Scorers in the NFL.

how many QB’s are on that list? but when it comes down to it, a QB can throw the ball all day long but if it’s not caught, it doesn’t matter. so should the receiver get credit for the touchdown in stead of the quarterback? he caught the ball, right? if QB points stats only reflected the actual rushing touchdown points, they would NEVER get on the all time points list. the entire list would be populated by field goal kickers.

kicking isn’t an important part of pro football my ass.

Put Ray Guy IN!

nuff said.

By: mintberrycrunch1

mintberrycrunch1 — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 22:14:11 +0000

Ray Guy is in the Hall of Fame as far as the football watching public is concerned, yet the classless, ignorant, “good ol boy club” of HOF voters thinks they know better. What a disgrace.

By: nflgiant

nflgiant — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 04:54:47 +0000

Ray Guy & Jim Plunkett,& Ken Stabler & Jack Tatum,all belong in the HOF,the league is and always will be against the Raiders.

By: jrbdmb

jrbdmb — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:55:14 +0000

I would never expect many punters or field goal kickers to be in the HOF.

But when the unquestioned best punter of his time isn’t in, something is wrong. They have plenty of room to enshrine mediocre QBs and RBs who were lucky enough to win a Super Bowl, but can’t find room for a single punter?

By: bittersportspills

bittersportspills — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 02:07:15 +0000

If your team has a bad punter, you know it.

By: cgsuddeath

cgsuddeath — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 01:57:18 +0000

The NFL is all about politic nowadays.

By: platinumraider32

platinumraider32 — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:36:52 +0000

Anyone remember when the Raiders played the Redskins in the superbowl and the Raiders had to punt deep in their own territory? Snap was way too high, Guy goes up and one hands it and gets off a bomb!!!!!!!

That right there was a moment to remember!!!! Among many others….

By: txnative61

txnative61 — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 07:00:19 +0000

Punting is a much greater skill than many people realize. Along with the “coffin corner” experts, the “hang time” pioneered by Guy, punters have also altered the flight of the ball to bounce vertically or backward and avoid “run out” into the end zone. Study of the mechanics of greats like Guy have helped modern kickers increase distance as well. To say these pioneers should be judged by modern metrics is ludicrous.

By: mikeanthonymirabella

mikeanthonymirabella — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:31:29 +0000

To add to a comment I previously made as a bonus add one of the no names that is in most of the NFL Steve Sabol films, number 70, who also played and won 3 super bowls for the then outstanding Raiders, and his name is Henry Lawrence and never ever got the recognition he deserved but was in more than his share of pro bowls so the players and coaches new of him. Henry; is a man’s man and would never mentioin that he should be in but his personality and the friendship he has built with me, lets me know that football players are people too. Thankyou if you let him in.

By: mikeanthonymirabella

mikeanthonymirabella — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:26:22 +0000

Ray Guy would cause fumbles because the guy waiting would look down the field and then look up and try to find the ball and would have to take several steps backwards, losing eye control and having to call fair catch just to appear like he would catch it but drop it anyway. I saw him have to fake a punt once and almost got hurt but still got the first down because they could not drag him down and not only could he run but he could throw the ball too and so was our third quarterback if needed but never was. You look stupid enough by not having him there already so don’t wait even another year when it comes time and I know before the season ends you throw in a couple of more and here are the names I would pick and they would all be Raiders so that you could redeem yourselves as so called experts right away. The names would be: Jim Plunkett, Cliff Branch, Tom Flories and above all because he was the man that gave them the field position to look great, Ray Guy. Please do not hesitate to do this because there is somebody way upstairs besides the people paying you to keep them out that is watching you and only you and you all know who you are, especially Peter King.

By: omniusprime

omniusprime — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 13:50:23 +0000

Ray Guy is correct that there are some real idiots who get to vote for the Hall of Fame. That Ray Guy or any other great punter isn’t in the HoF is the hallmark of total ignorance. The punter may not be the most physical of athletes but punting is a skill position worthy of admiration. Ray Guy was a great punter who could coffin corner kicks with regularity, a talent that had gone dormant for decades before resurfacing lately with a few of the great punters today.

This isn’t just a matter of Ray Guy but all the punters and it’s a travesty that the morons who vote for the HoF aren’t intelligent enough to value punters properly.

Punters should be Hall of Famers Too!

By: lgwelsh1

lgwelsh1 — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 07:37:37 +0000

When you think of punters who played in the NFL, most people say Ray Guy. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Hall of Fame voters are you listening?

By: vipod4ever

vipod4ever — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 04:51:22 +0000

Ask yourself a question, can a great defense consistently change field position on almost every play by 40-50 yards? Ask yourself another question, why is the game called football on this side of the pound? Ray Guy is a HOF in every definition of team football.

By: footballbat

footballbat — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:59:35 +0000

Hey “ialwayswantedtobeabanker”

Your team is behind by 2 – there’s :54 seconds on the clock, you have NO time outs and you just stopped the Raiders on THEIR 30.

You are getting the ball back.

Yay!

Ray punts the ball. It hangs, and hangs, and hangs and finally falls at your 20 around the left hash mark – surrounded by Silver & Black and it bounces and bounces and bounces and finally slips out of bounds at the 2 yard line.

And now you have :37 seconds, no time outs, and 98 yards to go.

You still think a punter ain’t a football player and can’t change a game? Back in the day – punter was a SKILL position, not just a strong leg. He was smart and knew what was needed at THAT moment to kill the enemy.

I saw my team on the wrong end of it several times.

Hall of Famer.

By: footballbat

footballbat — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:49:45 +0000

Bronco fan since 1969. You can imagine my feelings about that Raiders.

That being said… very few players deserve to be in the National Football Hall of Fame more than Ray Guy.

Simply the BEST – PUNTER – EVER.

It’s called FOOTball. Dude had “FOOT”.

Hang time when it was important? check.
Foul weather? check.
Coffin corner? (Something no one does anymore) check.
Distance? check.
Pin you inside the 5 when you LEAST need that headache? check.

I hate the Raiders, but this guy (much like SeaBass) is undeniable. Ray Guy is Legend. He WON games because he put teams in bad situations. Get him in the hall before ANYONE else goes in.

By: mrznyc

mrznyc — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:03:27 +0000

No question Ray belongs in – However, some will say the best punter is already in – Sammy Baugh

By: ialwayswantedtobeabanker

ialwayswantedtobeabanker — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:57:26 +0000

It’s not just the fans or the media. Players, coaches, anyone associated with football doesn’t think a Punter should be “immortalized.”

Imagine, taking your kid(s) to Canton explaining the bronzed busts: Manster, Butkus, Lanier, Greene … and Ray effing Guy. Gimme a break.

Imagine Ray Guy walking up to NFL beasts, REAL HOF’ers, to share his “punting stories.”

They’re sharing legit war stories, and Guy bellies up to table after table of gold jackets every August with this pitch: “There was the one time I hit the Superdome scoreboard – I really got a hold of that one! That’s about all I got.”

By: ttgb2

ttgb2 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:38:37 +0000

I think the issue with Punters in the Hall is that they take votes from other positions. Last couple of years, who would you bump off for Ray Guy? Shannon Sharpe?

But I do think punters deserve a position in the HoF.

If they can induct FANS for goodness’ sake, you’d think punters could make it.

I think the thing to do is add one more slot to the Hall induction and mark it as for special teams players. That way you get 1 special teams inductee every year who doesn’t take a spot away from players that played 50% of snaps.

By: wgray981

wgray981 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:00:40 +0000

Guy is absolutely correct! Punter is an extremely important position. Just one bad punt can turn a whole game around, especially in a low-scoring defensive battle.

By: sactogary

sactogary — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:00:29 +0000

I remember listening to a game on the radio when I was a kid – USM vs. Ole Miss. Guy punted one from his own end zone for a touchback. 93 yards.

By: vex24

vex24 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:49:14 +0000

Props to Ray Guy! There’s absolutely no reason that he’s not in the Hall of Fame. In fact, I actually thought that he was already in it. This is a major embarrassment for the NFL. I’m glad that he spoke up and PFT put this issue on display.
According to the responses, I’d say this will have to be addressed. I cheer when Kevin Huber (Bengals) puts a ball inside the 5 yardline… So does the Defense!

By: pastabelly

pastabelly — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:32:23 +0000

How about long snappers? Is there a place for them too? Seriously, punters have little impact on NFL games. How many complaints do you ever hear about bad punters?

By: csilojohnson

csilojohnson — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:31:24 +0000

Punters will be taken out of the game before they are put on the hall. It’s unfortunate. The direction the league is going. Soon teams will have to go for it on fourth down. Goodell seems to have taken a page from (fake) wrestling.
Points = $$$$ The media just gobbles up all the juicy stories that mean nothing to the actual game thats played.
Points equal money. Punters are vital to keeping points off the board.

By: tennesseeoilers

tennesseeoilers — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:16:57 +0000

Does the Hall of Fame even have a small section devoted to punting? If not, they should … and it should not only highlight the great Ray Guy, but other innovators of the position. For instance, Craig Hentrich who invented the knuckleball and has had NFL punters across the league trying to mimmic it ever since.

By: tennesseeoilers

tennesseeoilers — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:12:51 +0000

There’s no way around it … You may call yourself a fan, but if you don’t value great punting, then you don’t know football.

By: csilojohnson

csilojohnson — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:12:02 +0000

It’s a joke they are not in the hall. The field position battle is a major part of football. Kickers are essential to that part of the game.
Plus kicking improvements have caused more structural, and rule changes then Mel Blount.

By: John A.

John A. — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:58:41 +0000

@theclaim:….. uh….. the fair catch rule has always been in place in football. It was allowed when Ray Guy played and used all the time.

And you can’t tackle a guy as he catches a punt. You have to give him opportunity to catch the ball. That’s always been a rule, too.

I don’t think you’re remembering things correctly.

By: pemory

pemory — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:58:18 +0000

Without a doubt the greatest punter since Sammy Baugh (i.e. since the early 1950s) and arguably the greatest ever. Honestly, the man has no peer. And he’s right, although it likely isn’t stupid people keeping him out–it’s stupid biases that HOF voters believe. If he isn’t in the HOF, then no other punter ever should be. Perhaps the Hall should consider a Special Teamers wing to accommodate great returners, punters, kickers, gunners, long-snappers, etc.

By: theclaim

theclaim — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:50:48 +0000

Ray Guy was the BEST punter I have ever seen play in an era of no domes( there were 3 astrodome super dome and kingdome) where football were played this Guy(pun intended) would put hang time so significant that his lineman could get upfield to make the tackle AS the ball was caught. No FAIR CATCH. Returners hated Guy due to getting killed. He hit the screen in the Superdomeduring a game. It was no 100ft low hanging Jerrah screen either. Everyone who remembers KNOWS that Ray should be in. BTW I am a Skins fan, NEVER a raiders fan but respect where respect is due

By: teacherkbm

teacherkbm — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:29:27 +0000

My 9 year old son is going to his first youth football Superbowl tomorrow. One of the main reasons we are going is because of the leg of one of his teammates. His punting and kick offs penned the other team so far back we always won. His extra points helped as well. Another thing people don’t think about is how skilled these punters and kickers are. They have to practice a lot more than most positions in football. If you are laughing right now I challenge you to go outside and try to punt a 50 yarder and land it like Ray did.