Todd Christensen was one of the best tight ends in the 1980s when he played for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders. He has failed to make it on the Hall of Fame ballot as a finalist or semi-finalist. At what point does it hurt Canton's validity?
Revered NFL writer and Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee member Rick Gosselin once wrote in his case for legendary pass rusher Mark Gastineau, "The Hall of Fame bylaws state that all candidates must be judged strictly on their on-the-field merits."
Unfortunately, the evolution of the game has passed by the tight ends of old. The tight ends of my generation, such as Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski, and the ones I grew up admiring like Antonio Gates, even Shannon Sharpe, all played in a vastly different league from the one Christensen participated in.), role as blockers. Defenses were less hand-cuffed by NFL rules. Yes, this was post-Mel Blount rule, but pass catchers had much more to contend with.
When compared to Gates, Gronkowski and Sharpe, Christensen's numbers will look pedestrian. They had far more yards, receptions and touchdowns. Christensen began at running back, bounced between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, and didn't catch his first pass until the 1980 playoffs. It was a touchdown.Gates played 236 games. Sharpe played 204 games. Gronkowski played 143 games, the closest to Christensen.
Gronkowski had four 1,000-yard seasons, just one more than Christensen's three. Christensen had one more 1,000-yard season than Gates' two. Gronkowski and Christensen both made four All-Pro teams. Also worth noting is that Christensen won two Super Bowl championships, in 1981 and 1984. As it stands right now, the only tight end in Canton with more rings is Sharpe with three. No other tight end enshrined has more than Christensen.
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