Warrick Dunn And The Hall Of Fame
August 7th, 2010
Joe stumbled upon some refreshing radio while stuck at work Friday morning: it was the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Mike Florio, hosting the Dull Patrick Show.
Magically, thanks to Florio, what is usually three hours of boring, vapid, slurping radio (especially when it comes to the non-basketball association) became gripping, compelling, thought-provoking radio with a tremendous amount of insight.
Florio is no stranger to radio. He pretty much does a six-hour radio show a day given all his radio commitments around the country, including his spots with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, heard locally each Monday at 5 p.m. on WDAE-AM 620.
Florio has pinch hit for Dull Patrick before, and Florio seemed off his game, distracted. Maybe because he tried to work in basketball and baseball talk which is not normally in Florio’s wheelhouse.
Friday, Florio was very much on his game. It helped that the show was wall-to-wall football talk, including some college football. This was music to Joe’s ears.
A good chunk of the conversation was the Hall of Fame, who shouldn’t be in and who should be in and maybe who might squeak in someday. Florio invoked former Bucs running back Warrick Dunn.
Florio noted that Dunn’s numbers are similar to O.J. Simpson’s, and they are. Simpson has roughly 1,000 more yards playing one less season and his yards per carry average was not quite a yard more than Dunn. However, Dunn had double the receiving yards Simpson racked up.
“Perhaps when voters see all the good things that Dunn does in the community” that Pro Football Hall of Fame voters may be swayed by actions off the field years from now, Florio thought.
This is an interesting thought. Now Joe knows voters are only supposed to judge a player for his actions on the field, but voters are human too. There’s an NFL Network piece about the top 10 players never to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame and one of the most respected and influential writers in the nation, Sports Illustrated’s Paul Zimmerman (since rendered unable to work due to a series of strokes) boldly pronounced in the NFL Network piece that he would never vote for Ken Stabler as long as he lived, largely due to the way Stabler treated Zimmerman.
What exactly does that have to do with playing the game of football?
Voters are human. And as Barry Bonds has found in baseball, you treat people like dirt so often and for so long, that may come back to bite you in the ass. Joe himself has no use for a very famous local baseball player who is very popular with the fans because said player over the years consistently treated Joe — and others — like a piece of crap and was nothing less than a total and complete a-hole to Joe and may very well be the most miserable athlete Joe has ever had to deal with, certainly in Joe’s bottom three.
This player is to Joe is what Stabler is to Zimmerman. Joe doesn’t have any vote for any Hall of Fame but to suggest off the field issues don’t influence voters is a crock.
The opposite may help Dunn, one of the classiest men who ever snapped on a chin strap.
Florio also mocked the induction of Joe Namath and Joe will say this: as a kid, Joe was outraged that Namath got in before Fran Tarkenton. Compare both players’ stats and they are light years apart. Namath won a Super Bowl (even then, he didn’t play that well) and Tarkenton didn’t. As Florio noted, winning a Super Bowl holds a lot of weight as to if a player gets in the Hall of Fame, maybe too much weight.
After listening to Florio’s spot subbing for Dull Patrick, Joe cannot imagine why Florio doesn’t have a job himself on a radio show fulltime. He’s smart, articulate, does his homework. Dull Patrick offers nothing different than the tripe you hear on BSPN. The baby lullaby music and the ever-so-side splitting “Hi Dan, 6-4, 215… ding … ” the appeal of this show is totally and completely lost on Joe.
If you are not going to be entertaining at least be informative. Dull Patrick, for Joe, is neither.
How cool would it be to hear Florio be a regular co-host with Bob Papa on “The Opening Drive” on Sirius NFL Radio?
August 7th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
If you think Warrick gets in, then you have to let in a lot of other halfbacks.
Tiki Barber shouldn’t even be a discussion if Dunn gets in.
August 7th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
What’s with all the Florio love? He hates on the Bucs more than any other team. If anything, Florio is a huge doucher.
August 7th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
So, I have to ask. Who is the local baseball player who is very popular with fans but treats the members of the media, including Joe, like crap?
August 7th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
They probably shouldve just kept Dunn around instead of spending money on Ward. Even at his age in 2008, he did pretty well I thought and that was in a limited role to Graham. He was better than Ward was in 09. And Dunn couldve retired a Buc and not have had such a terrible departure. Then cadillac and Graham couldve both gotten a lot of carries. After Cadillac surprised us all last year, wards signing was almost a waste. Graham instead is stuck at fullback forever. I say we have running back controversy right now.3 is definitely a crowd.
August 7th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Teddy:
There’s a reason Joe didn’t print his name.
August 7th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Danny Cap:
Joe thoroughly enjoyed hearing Florio talk for three hours about glorious football.
The true douche is Dull Patrick.
August 7th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Warrick Dunn is a great person, and a very good player.
But he’s no Hall of Famer.
August 7th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Yeah, I know, Joe. I was just trying to coax it out of you or to see if any of the other commenters knew who this a**hole is…
August 7th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
My bet is it’s Longoria. I have heard that before about him.
August 7th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Love WD, but the numbers just arent there. 49 rushing TD’s, but in contrast Emmitt had 167.
He did have a nice year in 08, with a 4.2 average.
I wonder if the Bucs can outscore the Toronto Bluejays tonite?
August 7th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Longoria was my first thought too, because I’ve heard similar things about him, but the way Joe mentioned how this player has treated him like crap “over the years” makes me think otherwise because this is just Longoria’s third season.
August 7th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Teddy:
The guy in question hasn’t played baseball in a few years.
Joe has yet to meet Dirtbag (Longo) but everything Joe hears, he’s a swell guy.
August 8th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Fred McGriff is my answer…
August 8th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Well, I’m glad to hear it is not one of the current crew of Rays. Even though I’m not a Rays fan, I like to watch the team (except when they’re playing my favorite team, which is not in the same division). They’re entertaining as hell, and with the exception of B.J. Upton’s lackadaisical attitude, they play the game the right way.
I’m also glad to hear that Longoria is such a swell guy. One would have to have game to bag a Bucs cheerleader, even for a little while.
No offense intended to your stalking, errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, admiration of Rachel Watson, Joe.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
My guess is Wade Boggs.
August 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
FLORIO SUCKS…He’s a tabloid opportunist at best.
August 8th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
I Don’t know if Stabler did this to Zimmerman, but back in 1977-78, Stabler allegedly planted cocaine in a sportswriters car and then had the guy pulled over and arrested by Lousiana police. Stabler was all mobbed up with the Dixie mafia. He can sit in a boathouse as far as I’m concerned.
August 8th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Warrick Dunn is my all time favorite Nole and Buc, and I would literally run thru my neighborhood wearing nothing but his jersey if he got acceted in the hall. Unfortunately as good as he was on and especially off the field I just don’t think it will be enough to give him the keys to Canton. Regardless if he gets in or not he is truly an inspirational person and a fantastic role model/athlete for the younger generation to look up too. Thank you Warrick for all you did for the Noles, Bucs and even more so for your community!