Like any other football player, Santonio Holmes’ goal is to make the Hall of Fame. Unlike most football players, Holmes actually has a pretty good shot of getting in. He is best known for catching the winning ball in Super Bowl XLIII and becoming the Steelers' Super Bowl MVP. He’s been in the NFL for three years and was a first round draft pick.
Santonio told reporters of the Sporting News, "Before I started in the NFL, before I got drafted, I told a group of friends that no matter what I did throughout my career, I wanted to be in the Hall of Fame.”
He did great in his first year, especially for a rookie. He ended the regular season with 49 receptions for 824 yards and 2 touchdowns. 2007 was his “breakout” year, getting 942 yards receiving and 8 touchdown catches. Last year, of course, he had the great Super Bowl game.But this quote is really why I think Santonio has potential more than anything else, “I tell my coaches, ‘If you can give me six catches in a game, or at least eight opportunities, I'm going to give you 100 yards and a touchdown every game.’”
Great goal, dream big, but getting into Canton is not exactly easy. Santonio will have to play the way he played last year for the rest of his career to impress the 44 sportswriters on the committee (called the Board of Selectors). After playing for maybe 15 more years, Santonio will have to wait another five years just to be eligible to be in the Hall of Fame. He’ll need at least 80 percent of the board to support him to be part of the Hall of Fame and only seven retired players can be put in every year.
Of course, Steelers players are no strangers to the Hall of Fame. Many Steelers, especially from the 1970s, the Steelers’ golden age, are members of the Hall of Fame. Famous ones include “Mean” Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and Lynn Swann.
If Santonio continues to play like he did last year — especially how he played in the playoffs — he has a good chance of getting in the Hall of Fame. He just needs to keep up the good performance.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
Fifteen more years? Lynn Swann only played eight. No HOF wideout has played more than 16 (at least until Jerry Rice gets elected next year).
Then again, longevity might be what Holmes needs, because on straight numbers, he has a loooong way to go. The Super Bowl catch was a good start, but his regular season numbers are nowhere close. Last year: 38th in yards, T-29th in touchdowns, T-19th in yards per catch (tied with your other favorite boy, Larry Fitzgerald).
If he has a breakout year in 2009, then we'll talk. But for now, no, he's not on the path to Canton.