The true playmaker

Let me say this up front – former Dallas Cowboy Wide receiver Michael Irvin should not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I know what you’re thinking – “hey moron, he’s one of 25 semifinalists for selection to the Hall of Fame in 2006.” And you’re right – I am a moron, and Irvin did make the initial cut. I’m just here to tell you he shouldn’t make reservations for Canton just yet.

Don’t get me wrong, Irvin was an above-average player for a Dallas team that won multiple Super Bowls. When teams had to face an offense that featured quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and Irvin, they knew they’d be in for a long day. And a look at Irvin’s numbers proves that, more often than not, he got the job done.

In 159 games, the man they call “The Playmaker” had 750 catches for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns. He holds Cowboys records for receptions, receiving yards and 100-yard games (47). But as I said before, Irvin isn’t Hall of Fame caliber. Why?

Meet former Washington Redskins wide receiver Art Monk, who is also a semifinalist for the Class of 2006. In 224 games played, Monk hauled in 940 catches for 12,721 yards and 68 touchdowns. If you only focus on his time with the Redskins (from 1980 to 1993), Monk had 888 catches for 12,026 yards and 65 touchdowns.

The Hall of Fame should be a place for the best to ever play the game, and Monk is more deserving than Irvin. In the history of the NFL, Monk ranks fifth in receptions, ninth in receiving yards, 29th (tied) in receiving touchdowns and 26th in yards from scrimmage. In those same categories, Irvin ranks tied for 17th, 14th, tied for 34th, and 35th.

It’s also important to point out, that when Art Monk retired, he held the record for NFL receptions in a season and in a career. Jerry Rice has since broke both records, but when he walked away from the game, Monk was the best in the history of his position in two different categories – something Irvin cannot claim. And bringing up all those Super Bowls Irvin and friends won doesn’t matter, because both players played on three Super Bowl winning teams.

When comparing Irvin and Monk, it’s the little things like that the voters need to remember. So by looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see that Monk should be the first to earn Hall of Fame honors. And we’re only comparing these two athletes on the field.

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday because of all the crazed holiday shoppers getting into shoving matches in Wal-mart over a computer sale or something as equally ridiculous. But Nov. 25, served as a “Black Friday” for Irvin for a completely different reason - he was arrested in Plano, Texas on an outstanding warrant for speeding.

With Irvin in custody, police officers began to search his vehicle. That’s when they discovered a marijuana pipe and a baggy with pot residue sitting underneath Irvin’s driver seat. Irvin says it’s not his – that they belong to (depending on which version of his story you heard) either his brother or a friend who recently checked into rehab.

Cowboy fans can smell where this is going. You see, back in March of 1996, Irvin was arrested on charges of cocaine possession at a hotel party celebrating his 30th birthday. He pleaded no contest to felony cocaine possession in exchange for four years of deferred probation, a $10,000 fine and dismissal of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges. In fact, the NFL suspended Irvin for the first five games of the 1996 season because of his memorable birthday bash.

A year following his NFL retirement, Irvin again was arrested on … surprise, surprise … drug possession charges. In this case, Irvin was in a Dallas apartment with an unrelated female. Neither answered the door when police drug task force agents arrived with a search warrant. Police entered the apartment forcibly, finding drugs. Irvin and the female were placed under arrest, though Irvin, for unknown reasons, was never charged.

But that’s not all folks – Irvin was also known for his role in the “White House,” a building owned by several members of the Dallas Cowboys for the purpose of cocaine use, and illicit sex with prostitutes, strippers, and underage women. To borrow a line from the Hair Club for Men, not only was Irvin the “president,” but he was also a client. Sounds like someone we should all rush to lift up, right?

The bottom line is this – on the field Art Monk was a better player. Off the field, Monk is a much better person. When the panelists sit down to decide which wide receiver should be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the choice should be easy. Let’s just hope they make the right call.

Brian Murphy dreams of a day when Art Monk and Pete Rose are both in their respective Halls of Fame – since they were, you know, two of the best to ever play their respective sports. Contact him at murf@the5holes.com.