Post by TheShadow on Jan 14, 2007 6:44:21 GMT -5
www.venturacountystar.com
Pro: Former Raider Ray Guy is the best to ever play the position
By Derry Eads
You can argue about who's the best quarterback in NFL history.
A half-dozen names — maybe more — might quickly enter that debate.
As for the greatest linebacker, is it Dick Butkus. Lawrence Taylor, Ray Nitschke or Mike Singletary?
For the distinction of being the No. 1 punter, there is little doubt.
Ray Guy is the best punter the game has ever seen.
With the announcement of finalists for the 2007 NFL Hall of Fame, the proper question may be:
Why is the retired Oakland Raider not in the Hall of Fame?
How can you leave out a player who was unquestionably the best ever at his position? Insiders thought enough about Guy to pick him to the NFL's 75th anniversary all-time team.
The only punter selected in the first round of the NFL draft (he was the overall No. 23 pick in 1973 by the Raiders), Guy defined the position.
He sacrificed yards off of his average for hang time and pinning opposing teams deep in their own territory.
In close games where field position could help dictate the outcome, Guy was a critical weapon for the Oakland offensive and defensive units.
While we know the number of times that Guy either kicked the ball into the end zone (128 times) or had the ball downed inside the 20 (82 times), it is incalculable how often opponents' poor field positions set up either offensive or defensive scores for the Raiders.
The fact that Oakland won three Super Bowl championships during his 14-year career is a testament to his value to that franchise.
In Super Bowl XVIII, Guy nailed five of his seven punts inside the Washington Redskins' 20-yard line.
At the 1976 NFL Pro Bowl game at the New Orleans Superdome, one of Guy's punts bounced off a gondola attached to the roof of the stadium.
According to Joe Horrigan, the historian for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Guy was "the first punter you could look at and say: ‘He won games.' "
This isn't the first time that Ray Guy has advanced to the Hall of Fame finals.
On five other occasions, the seven-time All-Pro selection received enough votes to be listed on the Hall of Fame ballot.
It has been 20 years since Ray Guy played his last NFL game.
The time has come for voters to recognize his significant contributions to the game.