I don't really see an argument against Terrell Davis at all; the system in Denver produced a number of 1,000-rushers after him, but he put the Broncos over the top in 1997 and 1998. Elway could not have done it with running backs of the calibre of Sammy Winder and Gerald Wilhite.JameisLoseston wrote:Rupert: I will grant you Sayers, I briefly forgot to consider his return prowess. I think Davis is a good comparison, however, and while Davis did have better output than Sims, I do like Davis as a HOFer; the main argument against, imo, is the amount of Olandis Garys and Mike Andersons thereafter who waltzed to big seasons behind
Shanahan and that line. TD was better than all of them, but considering that, Davis' HOF case makes Sims' HOVG case extremely hard to dismiss.
The critical point you forgot to highlight was Sims' receiving work, which is what I think seals his HOVG case. His receiving in both of his first two healthy seasons was enough to almost get him to 2000 and 20 from scrimmage, which is far more impressive than his rushing stats taken alone, which would not merit HOVG induction. William Andrews, who you mention, also has this going for him, but he was so TD-starved that it makes him a bit more difficult imo, even though I'd also definitely support and vote for him. Davis was a competent receiver, but in terms of total scrimmage output, Sims' best two seasons (his first two) were about equal to Davis' second and third best seasons (the two before his 2000/20). Sims was also still an elite per game producer every year of his career, even after he started getting injured. Seems undisputed HOVG to me.
Sims was a great receiver for a RB, and probably could have been converted into a WR and been a great receiver in the NFL. I was not knocking Sims as a HOVG candidate, I would probably vote for William Andrews over him, but that's just me.
