1/1/2024 0 Comments Steve tasker videoThe closest Tasker ever came to making it was when he was a semifinalist for the 2012 class but ultimately Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf, Curtis Martin, Chris Doleman, Dermontti Dawson and Jack Butler were selected and not Tasker. If you watch the video in that link you can see the media bias towards special teams. He was listed number nine on their list of best players not in the Hall of Fame. NFL Network seems to concur that he should have his name etched in football immortality in Ohio. There are two other kickers in Canton but they played other positions as well. This is evidenced by the fact that Tasker is the only one ever to win the MVP of the Pro Bowl and that only two other predominately special teams players have made the Hall of Fame in kicker Jan Stenerud and punter Ray Guy. Special teams players rarely get the praise they deserve from the fans or sportswriters but its a huge part of the game. Many Reporters Biased Against Special Teams His contributions to the organization were recognized at the highest level when he was the 24th player to be selected for the Bills Wall of Fame in 2007. He was voted by the fans to the Buffalo Bills 50th anniversary team. He was on the team when they went to four straight Super Bowls from 1990-1993. In 1995 he was voted the NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year. ![]() In that game Tasker had four tackles, one forced fumble and a blocked kick which occurred with eight minutes left which was returned for a touchdown by Terry McDaniel to put the AFC up by a touchdown. That was also the first year the Pro Bowl ever went to overtime. In 1993 he won the MVP of the Pro Bowl and remains the only special teams player ever to do so. He made six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1990-1995 and made seven overall in his career. He made the plays when it mattered most for the team and that’s why Marv Levy knew that Tasker was one of his best players.Īs a player he had a number of accolades. That means an astonishing 17.6% of his catches went for touchdowns. The other number to be aware of is 9 touchdowns on just 51 receptions. Sammy Watkins career average so far is just about a yard above that to put it in context. Even though these stats don’t jump off the radar here are two numbers buried within those stats that will show you his impact.įirst he had 779 yards on 51 receptions which averages out to a very good 15.3 yards per catch. ![]() He had 51 career receptions for 779 yards and nine touchdowns. Tasker’s career receiving stats don’t even amount to what an elite receiver would get in about 10-12 games in today’s NFL. His last three seasons with the team are when he returned punts getting 335 yards on 32 returns for a 10.5 career average. His 20.7 yard kickoff return average in his career comes with 910 yards on 44 returns. On special teams he contributed as more than just an gunner, he also returned punts and kickoffs. In total on special teams he had 204 tackles and seven blocked punts in 195 games according to. A gunner’s job is to sprint down the field and try to be the first man to make a hit on a returner trying to catch the ball.ĭespite his diminutive stature, he was feared by many and carried a reputation for being a very hard hitter which is evidenced by the many fumbles that he caused over his career. He carved out a niche for himself with the Bills on special teams as a “gunner”. Micah Hyde leaves Buffalo Bills training camp practice early due to injury.Matt Smiley gives update on camp battles for Buffalo Bills special teams.4 things we learned from Day 5 of Buffalo Bills training camp.Buffalo Fanatics: Discussing rookies and running backs at the start of Buffalo Bills training camp.Buffalo Bills needs to follow the trend and have alternate helmets. ![]() The Bills even acquired him via waivers, not through free agency, a trade, or a draft pick. He played at Northwestern University in college and not some big name school in Texas or Florida. He was taken in the 9th round of the 1985 draft by the Houston Oilers. His path to the NFL wasn’t surrounded by hype either. At 5’9″ and 183 pounds you would certainly conclude his chances of having a Hall of Fame career would be pretty small. If you ran into Steve Tasker on the street and you didn’t know who he has, you might have a hard time believing he was a former NFL player. Now that we have an idea of who is selecting these players let’s take a look at the case for Steve Tasker. The rest of the selection committee can be found laid out nicely in a table on . Vic Carucci is the Buffalo representative. Inductees need 80 percent approval from the committee which means 37 of the 46 members is the minimum. The committee generally nominates four to eight people each year. This 46 person committee is made up of a media representative from each teams home city, one member of Pro Football Writers of America and thirteen at large delegates. According to, there is a 46 person committee in charge of voting in players.
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