Hall of Fame defender Bruce Smith questioned why supporters of attacking Tony Boselli use Boselli’s action against Smith in a 1996 AFC wildcard game as one of the main reasons for choosing Boselli Pro Football Hall.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram on Monday night, Smith said voting at Boselli’s Hall of Fame sets a “tremendous precedent” based on the performance of a match for the candidacy of future candidates.
“Much of the campaign to promote Tony Boselli in the Hall of Fame seems to have focused on a single successful performance he had against me in a 1996 playoff game,” Smith wrote in his statement. “On the one hand, I am very happy to take another player’s game as a gold standard to determine the HOF qualifier. But on a more serious level, I and the other HOF believe that setting a negative precedent for negatively zeroing a permanent member of the Hall play to validate a candidate’s candidacy. “
Boselli was, in fact, against Smith in the December 1996 30-27 game against the Jaguars Bills. Smith was named NFL Defender of the Year after receiving 13.5 sacks and a 90, but he only managed three innings and two quarters of pressure in the game, mostly with Boselli.
However, Smith said he disagrees with the idea that a single game should be used as an argument for any player to enter the Hall of Fame.
“HOF is an exclusive fraternity that follows a code of secrecy that promotes respect and brotherhood among its members,” Smith said in a statement. “Optionally, any member of the Hall of Fame can use his or her credentials to brag about his or her superiority over another member, but this behavior is inappropriate because of the friction and disagreement it can create in the team. the campaigns have been presented historically respectfully and thoughtfully, allowing the candidate’s statistics and the entire working group to speak for themselves.
“The use of bad tactics, such as targeting a Hoffer and announcing a match to strengthen the merit of a candidate, as some of Tony’s followers have done, undermines the integrity of the ballot election process. about the merit of being a member.
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Smith also said the length of Boselli’s career, from 1995 to 2001, is not comparable to that of other major NFL players. He went on to say that Boselli had benefited from backing a left-back quarterback because he was not placed on the blind side of Mark Brunell.
“Tony has been a great opponent in his short career, but I find it hard to compare the integrity of his work to the NFL’s biggest left tackles. With the exception of the legendary Anthony Munoz; Searcy worked hard to protect the blind of Mark Brunell, while Tony took advantage of the support of a talented and mobile left-handed quarterback.
“During my nineteen years in the NFL, several notable LTs, such as Bruce Armstrong, Richmond Webb and Will Wilford, had great games against me. Perhaps they would also be wise to build HOF campaigns highlighting this fact.”
Boselli went five Pro Bowls, was named All-Pro First Team three times, was a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, and accepted only 15.5 sacks in 91 career games.
“I have the utmost respect for Bruce Smith,” Boselli told ESPN. “He’s one of the greatest players he’s ever played and he’s one of the men I’ve competed with in my career. I played the games I played, and they are all recorded for anyone to see. My career, which ended early in the morning due to a shoulder injury, has been discussed a lot. I don’t have much to add. ‘
Boselli will enter the Pro Football Hall on August 6th.
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