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?
Not too long ago, NFL writer and Hall of Fame selection committee Rick Gosselin spoke with our Hondo Carpenter Sr. They discussed the case for Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders tight end Todd Christensen to be enshrined into Canton.
It is hard to argue against Winslow. He led the decade with 6,486 yards, as well as 516 receptions. But he has the same number of All-Pro nods as Christensen, with four. They both have the same amount of 1,000 yard seasons, three. If Christensen was relatively comparable to Winslow, who was clearly the No. 1 tight end of the decade, than he had more than enough of a case to make second-team All-Decade. Newsome had just two 1,000 yard seasons to Christensen's three.Christensen had more touchdowns, 41, to Newsome's 34. Christensen was selected to five Pro Bowls, in an age when that still carried weight, Newsome was selected to three.
In 1986, Christensen finished 5th in AP Offensive Player of the Year voting. Neither Winslow nor Newsome finished in the Top 5 for the award., Christensen never played with a Pro Bowl quarterback. Jim Plunkett had his resurgence, but did not secure the honor. Marc Wilson was far from such an accolade.
Christensen was also a vital brick in the wall that blocked for rushing leader Marcus Allen in 1985. Allen's 1,759 yards were the eighth-best in a single season to that point. Winslow and Newsome never blocked for a league-leading rusher. It should be noted that Christensen still managed to be a weapon all his own, too. He first-team All-Pro that season, reeling in 82 receptions for 987 yards and six touchdowns.
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