The Redskin Report

It is often said that the Redskins of the 80s and early 90s had few stars (hence the complete lack of Hall of Famers).  The starting quarterback changed every few years, no running back really seized the position after John Riggins retired.  There were a few defensive standouts (Darrell Green, Dexter Manley, etc), but offensively they were very few constants.  We’ve covered Art Monk, who was a top NFL receiver for all of Gibbs 1.0 and then there was The Hogs. 

The Hogs were the identity of the team.  The Redskins of that era were tough, dirty and likely to punch you in the face if you stepped out of line.  Not many teams are known for their offensive line, but The Hogs were just that damn good.  Remember that awful offence the Redskins used in the first year that Gibbs returned?  Throughout the first tenure that offence actually worked and the reason was the dominance of the offensive line.

Some of The Hogs accomplishments live on in Redskins lore.  The most obvious is the ‘70-chip’ run on fourth down to win the Super Bowl.  The 1991 Redskins allowed a record low nine sacks all year.  There was the infamous drive against Cowboys where they ran the same play all the way down the field, telling the opposing lineman the play before it happened.

Yet no member of the line is in the Hall of Fame.  The top candidates seem to be Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm.  Jacoby was ousted in the semi-final stage, so Grimm is the only hope.  While its hard to pull stats on offensive linemen, Grimm had his fair share of accolades in his playing career:

• Four time Pro Bowl selection (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
• Five time All-Pro selection (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• 70 Greatest Redskins

The Steel Curtain is represented by four Hall of Famers.  The Purple People Eaters has 2 players in Canton (from the defensive line).  Two members of the Fearsome Foursome are in the Hall.  So why then, are there no members of the famed Hogs in the Hall of Fame?  Grimm give the voting committee a chance to fix this oversight.  The Hogs should be represented in the Hall of Fame.