Thomas and Taylor both deserving of Canton

As the Chiefs continue to work toward their first exhibition game on Saturday against Houston, last weekend gave Kansas City fans a chance to look back to their glory days in the 90’s when Marty Schottenheimer had come to town and brought a dominating defense and a team that contended year after year..but never made the Super Bowl.

With the Hall of Fame inductions in Canton, Ohio, the late Derrick Thomas was finally given his due and joined the ranks of the all time greats of professional football.  Thomas was a freak.  A linebacker who wasn’t a pure linebacker in the sense we usually think.  His greatest talent and what sent fear into opposing offenses was his ability to speed rush the quarterback and make the big play at the critical moment in the game.  Tragically a car accident claimed his life and ended his career early, but not before he’d done more than enough to earn enshrinement into the hall.

Thomas had more sacks in the nineties than any player and his penchant for stripping the ball and forcing a turnover at just the right moment was what made him famous.  Fueled at home by fans clad in red and reeking of bar-b-que smoke, Thomas helped make Arrowhead stadium the toughest road environment in the NFL during the nineties.

While I’m happy that Thomas finally got his due, nine years after his death, It’s another Chief I want to talk about for a moment.  When Kansas City won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings, the highlight play of the game was a touchdown catch and run of  46 yards by Otis Taylor who high stepped down the sidelines.  Those who had watched Taylor throughout his career knew that he was one of the best receivers ever to play in the AFL.  He was truly the first of the big men wide receivers standing 6-3 and 215 pounds and he made the big catches in the big games

For a team whose offense didn’t revolve around the pass, Taylor still managed 410 receptions for over 7300 yards and nearly 18 yards per catch.  He also had 60 regular season TD’s in a career that spanned 10 seasons.  He was a crushing blocker and the ultimate team player.  Bullet Bob Hayes of the Cowboys went into the hall of fame along with Derrick Thomas.  Taylor may not have been as fast as the world’s fastest man, but he was a better receiver and deserves to have his bust in Canton.