Billy Howton: HOF?

[Brian wolf]

My Top Super Senior Receivers Not In The HOF

Benton - 40s
Howton - 50s
Shofner - 60s
Retzlaff - 60s
Powell - 60s
Dale - 60s

Honorable Mentions HOVG Or Worthy

Kavanaugh ... lacked enough catches
Kutner ... career too short
Beals ... Short career - AAFC
Hill ... too many injuries
Wilson ... lack of championship
Nickel ... terrible Steeler teams, single wing
Renfro ... lack of catches on running team
Taylor ... bad Redskin teams, short career
Dowler ... famous running team
L Taylor ... bad AFL Denver team
Hennigan ... shorter career
Burford ... strong running team, short career
Groman ... only two great seasons
Randle ... underrated but poor Cardinal seasons
Parks ... too many injuries
McGee ... famous running team
Collins ... TDs but only three 50 plus catch seasons

[Brian wolf]

Trust me, I am not criticizing the above receivers, I just felt these are some of the reasons based on what I have read or researched, that keep some of these players currently out of the HOF-HOVG ...

[Zero26]

Sorry everyone it was late and I sometimes confuse these two players. Disregard this post. I have Howton in the HOF though he's a bit further down my heirarchy of WR's outside the Hall.

Discussion of Benton is welcome as well. I take it he's on your top priority list?

At WR he's near the top for sure. I do think he'll get in eventually even with the scales tipped against pre WW2 players because the HOF has a all decade preference and he's a rare all decade player who doesn't have a clear knock on his resume that has kept him out to this point. So I'm a bit more passionate about other WR's where I don't think that's the case.

[JameisLoseston]

At WR he's near the top for sure. I do think he'll get in eventually even with the scales tipped against pre WW2 players because the HOF has a all decade preference and he's a rare all decade player who doesn't have a clear knock on his resume that has kept him out to this point. So I'm a bit more passionate about other WR's where I don't think that's the case.

Like I said in the OP, I'm pretty sure it's because the early HOF voters saw Hirsch and Fears ahead of him on the "Rams receivers" pecking order, and didn't want to elect too many guys from one position group of a team that wasn't exactly dynastic. Once the senior committee came about, he had just fallen through the cracks. Maybe a bad reason, but there you go. I might argue that Benton's career was better than Fears' in era-adjusted terms, but recency bias would have been operative at the time.

[Bryan]

I'm not as high on Howton. The timing of his career was impeccable. The NFL was just opening up the passing game in the early-50's, and the Packers were always playing from behind. It's kind of interesting to look at his 1952 season; the Packers finished 6-6.

In the 6 wins = Howton statline of 17-367-5

In the 6 losses = Howton 36-864-8

Its like night and day.

Watching the 1954 Packers, it's Max McGee who stands out on film. Then McGee lost a couple years to military service, and Howton had his big 1956 season. They don't have better counting stats, but I was more impressed with Harlon Hill and Billy Wilson than Billy Howton. Maybe I am selling Howton short. He does hold the distinction of pissing off three of the greatest coaches in NFL history...Lombardi, Brown, Landry.

[Brian wolf]

Lombardi didnt like Howton's blocking, Brown his union leadership, what was Landry upset about ?

[TanksAndSpartans]

I'm not as high on Howton. The timing of his career was impeccable. The NFL was just opening up the passing game in the early-50's, and the Packers were always playing from behind. It's kind of interesting to look at his 1952 season; the Packers finished 6-6.

In the 6 wins = Howton statline of 17-367-5

In the 6 losses = Howton 36-864-8

Its like night and day.

Watching the 1954 Packers, it's Max McGee who stands out on film. Then McGee lost a couple years to military service, and Howton had his big 1956 season. They don't have better counting stats, but I was more impressed with Harlon Hill and Billy Wilson than Billy Howton. Maybe I am selling Howton short. He does hold the distinction of pissing off three of the greatest coaches in NFL history...Lombardi, Brown, Landry.

I think '52 was the footage I watched as well. Howton was definitely one of the receivers as was H. Hill and Elbie Nickel that stood out to me, more so than Pihos (not '52, but other seasons in the '50s), Billy Wilson, and most others, but its been a while, I'm sure I'm probably forgetting some. The Packers lost to the Rams twice and Lions twice. I get what you are saying about playing from behind, but it doesn't bother me as much as if he were having all of his big games against say the Texans, etc. At least he was putting up numbers against top competition.

[RichardBak]

Lombardi didnt like Howton's blocking, Brown his union leadership, what was Landry upset about ?

Maybe he was dating his daughter.

Hey, it happens. Rumor had it that Lions prez Edwin J. Anderson traded Pro Bowl LB LaVern Torgeson (a widower and a guy who enjoyed his fun) after the 1954 season because he was dating his opera-loving daughter. Didn't want her mixing with the common folks, I guess.

[Brian wolf]

I guess it was over for Torgesen before the fat lady sung ... haha

I still believe that Howton's contributions to an explosive offense with Clarke on the other side and Perkins running had more to do with the Cowboys winning over the fans of Dallas and forcing the Texans to leave than any deals or concessions going on between owners Hunt and Murchison.
The best move Murchison ever made was NOT firing Tom Landry but he had other things to think about like the Kennedy assassination from rumors I have heard.

[JameisLoseston]

I'm not as high on Howton. The timing of his career was impeccable. The NFL was just opening up the passing game in the early-50's, and the Packers were always playing from behind. It's kind of interesting to look at his 1952 season; the Packers finished 6-6.

In the 6 wins = Howton statline of 17-367-5

In the 6 losses = Howton 36-864-8

Its like night and day.

Watching the 1954 Packers, it's Max McGee who stands out on film. Then McGee lost a couple years to military service, and Howton had his big 1956 season. They don't have better counting stats, but I was more impressed with Harlon Hill and Billy Wilson than Billy Howton. Maybe I am selling Howton short. He does hold the distinction of pissing off three of the greatest coaches in NFL history...Lombardi, Brown, Landry.

His lack of consistency is my biggest drag on him as well. He had some really mediocre years even while playing every game, and as we see here, he was volatile game to game as well. I might actually prefer Shofner for that element, his career stats just don't jump out as much. What do you think about his candidacy?