Wake up, Hall voters: induct Reed

Wake up, Hall voters: induct Reed
January 16
Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan
"Andre Reed used to say he had an alarm clock in his head. Every year, it went off and told him it was time to get ready for another football season. Well, a clock just went off in my head, and it’s telling me the time has come to make the case.

Reed belongs in the Hall of Fame. The chances are not great this year. When the voters get together during Super Bowl week, they will have some difficult choices to make. Reed will be behind another great receiver, Cris Carter, who had more catches and TDs. He will also be behind a former teammate and surefire choice, Bruce Smith.

But however long it takes, Reed deserves to go in. I no longer have doubts. It was the same way with Jim Rice. I’m a Red Sox fan, but it took me years to warm up to the idea of Rice as a Hall of Famer. When you see a player all the time, warts and all, you can develop a reverse bias. Time and distance sharpen your appreciation.

That’s how it was with Reed, who spent too much time in Buffalo complaining about a lack of respect. He left town a bitter man, saying the fans would appreciate the Super Bowl teams more fully in retrospect. And he was right.

Reed was a wondrous receiver whose talents and achievements hold up over time. There’s been a fear among the voters that too many receivers would amass big numbers, making it hard to distinguish the very good from the great.

But Reed was about more than numbers. He had 951 catches, tied with Terrell Owens for sixth all time. He had 13,198 yards, good for 10th. Still, it was his courage, his willingness to run over the middle, that defined him. Reed took a licking and kept on ticking, like that watch in his head. Over his 10-year prime, he missed only three games.

Reed worked tirelessly to prepare himself for the punishment that awaited him in the middle of the field. He was strong and swift at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. There was an unbridled elegance to his game. He had a gift for snatching the ball in stride, and he was one of the best of all time at running after the catch.

A lot of receivers have big numbers. Reed had big games. He had three TD catches in the second half of the comeback win over Houston. Frank Reich was the quarterback. Thurman Thomas didn’t play. Reed was the best player on the field in the best comeback ever. "
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