The votes are in.
The results?
They’re under wraps until the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 8.
Then we find out if the final missing piece of the “Greatest Show on Turf†ºüÀêÊÓƵ Rams offense finds his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or if Torry “Big Game†Holt’s wait continues.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ football fans — yes, even the ones who have adopted the Kansas City Chiefs — can rest assured that Holt hasn’t been forgotten and isn’t suffering from being overlooked by a lackluster campaign led by some Los Angeles stranger. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer, who is now based in Arizona covering the football Cardinals, continues to make the case for Holt, just like he did for Isaac Bruce and others before him. Balzer continues to spread the good word about Holt to his fellow voters. And they’re receptive, as evidenced by Holt now reaching finalist standing for a half-decade. Those finalist finishes are brutal, but the more they add up, the more likely the logjam finally breaks.
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This feels like a matter of when more than if, and that has been the case for years now but hopefully voters realized Holt’s impressive credentials have been waiting for a long time as it is. The five-time finalist is in his 10th year of eligibility. Candidates get 20 years to enter as a modern-era player before the veterans committee takes over the case. That route should not be the one Holt has to take.
He’s due. Overdue. And his numbers, as you are about to see, are more than standing the test of time.
- From the start of his 11-season career through its end, Holt led all NFL pass-catchers in the following categories: targets (1,560), receptions (907) and receiving yards (13,382). We’re talking about a decade-plus in which Holt was ahead of Hall of Famers Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison in targets, receptions and receiving yards. Hold did this despite sharing a high-octane offense with Hall of Famers Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk. Like Moss, Harrison and Owens, Holt was a member of the league’s 2000s all-decade team. He’s the only one in that group who isn’t a Hall of Famer, though. His 886 catches and 12,594 receiving yards in the 2000s remains the most by any receiver in any decade ever. Yes, ever. And those decade numbers don’t include his rookie season in 1999.
- Trivia time: Name the only NFL receiver not named Jerry Rice who posted eight consecutive seasons of at least 1,100 receiving yards. It’s Holt, every season from his second in the league to his second-to-last season. He did it as a 24-year-old and as a 31-year-old and every year in between. During that span, he led the league in receiving yards not once but twice, helped the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Rams win a Super Bowl and made seven Pro Bowls. For what it’s worth, the average for Hall of Fame receivers is six Pro Bowls.
- Trivia time 2.0: Name the youngest NFL receiver to reach 10,000 career receiving yards. Hint: The same receiver who became the youngest to reach 11,000 career receiving yards. Another hint: It’s not Rice. Answer: It’s Holt.
- Holt’s career average of 77.4 receiving yards per game STILL ranks ninth all time today, despite some of the eye-popping receiver production that has become common in current times, in part thanks to the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Rams’ offensive innovation. Nine of the top 10 players on the league’s current leaderboard for receiving yards per game started their NFL careers in 2007 or later. Holt is the only top 10 exception. Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison is 12th at 76.7 receiving yards per game. Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is 16th at 75.6. Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson is the only current Hall of Famer receiver with a higher yards-per-game average than Holt. Let that sink in for a second. In terms of receiving yards per game, Holt is second among Hall of Famers and ninth all time including active players. And he’s not in the Hall of Fame. That’s a mistake that needs to be corrected.
- Holt has more championship rings (one) than Hall of Fame receivers Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss combined (zero). Just saying.
- And for those who argue that Holt didn’t play long enough (11 seasons) or score enough touchdowns (74), what about Michael Irvin? Holt has the Cowboys legend and Hall of Famer beat in games played (14 more), receptions (170 more), receiving yards (1,478 more) and touchdowns (nine more). Irvin got in in his third year of eligibility. Before knee injuries sidelined him, Holt started more games (158) than 13 Hall of Fame receivers, including Irvin.
This wait has gone on long enough. You can tell because Holt’s numbers aren’t losing ground. If anything, they look better year after year. Let’s hope this is the one.