Casey Hampton for the Hall of Fame

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

Yes, I am a homer, and yes, his stats are laughable for a Hall of Famer. He only had nine sacks for his entire career.

So what. Casey Hampton is a Hall of Famer.

Here is the case:

He made five Pro Bowls. Played in three Super Bowls, winning two. 

With Hampton clogging up the offensive line, the Steelers were a top five rushing D in 2001 and 2002 and then every year from 2004 through 2010 and again in 2012. Ten out of his 12 seasons, including his rookie season, when he split time with another dude (and in which the Steelers were not top 5).

To me, that is the true measure of his success. He was not asked to sack the QB or rack up other stats. He was asked to free up everyone else to do those things. He was a one-man man-advantage on every play as he required constant double-teaming. 

How was it then that he "only" made five Pro Bowls and was never first-team all-NFL? Because the NFL makes no distinctions between true nose guards and other DTs who are by nature of where they play more able to rack up sacks and TFLs and passes defensed and such. As a nose tackle in a 3-4, he had no chance against DTs in 4-3s.

He was flat-out the best all-time at his position, and that he is not already in the Hall of Fame shows how stupid Hall of Fame voters are. He was almost as disruptive in his own way as Lawrence Taylor was in his more readily visible way. 

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

This guy gets it.

#10 DT of all time.

Quote

Career: 2001-present

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers

Achievements: two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro

Although the other Hampton—the Bears great, Dan—has a claim to this spot, Casey Hampton's dominance from the nose tackle position in Pittsburgh helps him earn the tenth spot. 

Finding a great nose tackle to be the centerpiece of a defense is difficult to achieve, yet the Steelers found one in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. 

During the past 10 years, there have been far better pass rushers in Pittsburgh, including James Harrison, Joey Porter, LaMarr Woodley and even Troy Polamalu or James Farrior.

But the Steelers defense has been so dominant over the past decade, because they stop the run with consistency. And with Hampton taking up two or three blockers at a time, he is the chief reason why.  

Maybe Hampton isn't a playmaker at the level of a Vince Wilfork or Haloti Ngata or the players ahead of him on this list. But because he's been the anchor of a Steelers defense that has dominated the NFL for a full decade, he deserves consideration. 

 

[Huckleberry 34407]

I'm fully in support of this campaign. He was also one of the greatest college football players I've seen play. Completely unappreciated while here because we didn't fluff the media enough to pump him up.

If I had to have a Mount Rushmore of Texas players since I was on campus it would be Vince Young, Casey Hampton, Ricky Williams, and Earl Thomas with Colt McCoy, Derrick Johnson, and Jamaal Charles just missing out. Casey Hampton was that ridiculous in college and almost nobody knows about it.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

This idiot does not. 

According to this moron, who, to be fair, doesn't appear to know what a nose guard even is, or has stretched its meaning beyond all sense, has Hampton below Bob Baumhower, Shaun Rogers (who would laugh at this), Bill Maas, Tim Krumrie, Linval Joseph, and the SMU duo of Jerry Ball and Michael Carter. (Who were both freaks.)

Edited March 15, 2021 by MaybeACoordinator

[Machinator 32102]

Curious to see what HOF voters do with Vince Wilfork. If he doesn't get in, Hampton sadly doesn't have much of a shot.

[UncleSonny 6790]

I'm with you but don't think it will ever happen. He was on the long list of finalists this year but didn't make the cut down 25 list: 

https://www.nfl.com/news/peyton-manning-leads-130-modern-era-nominees-for-pro-football-hall-of-fame-class

He was incredible for those Steelers teams but you are right about his role. Just didn't produce numbers so it's hard to point to how great he was aside from team defense success and NFL people just personally vouching for it. Glad he had a good long career and a couple rings. 

Reminds me what a defensive line we had his senior year though. Hampton & Rodgers in the middle with Redding and Kalen Thornton at the ends and a young Marcus Tubbs on the depth chart. That's over 30 years of NFL experience just with the first 3 guys. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

4 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

I'm with you but don't think it will ever happen. He was on the long list of finalists this year but didn't make the cut down 25 list: 

https://www.nfl.com/news/peyton-manning-leads-130-modern-era-nominees-for-pro-football-hall-of-fame-class

He was incredible for those Steelers teams but you are right about his role. Just didn't produce numbers so it's hard to point to how great he was aside from team defense success and NFL people just personally vouching for it. Glad he had a good long career and a couple rings. 

Reminds me what a defensive line we had his senior year though. Hampton & Rodgers in the middle with Redding and Kalen Thornton at the ends and a young Marcus Tubbs on the depth chart. That's over 30 years of NFL experience just with the first 3 guys. 

Just hoping for a Sabermetrics type reassessment I guess. That's his only shot. 

[conVINCEd 21477]

If the HOF voters had to vote with the candidates in the room he would get in on the first ballot.

[TexArcher 38816]

12 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Completely unappreciated while here because we didn't fluff the media enough to pump him up.

I appreciated the hell out of him and Shaun Rogers.  Watching opposing O lines try to block both of them was a comedy show.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

Seems like there are a couple of people on these boards who had to try to block him in HS. Or played with dudes who did or something like that. Just thinking about what an explosive athlete he was -- 6'1, 330, and still able to dunk a basketball -- makes me shudder on their behalf. 

[staboner 5067]

thank you for the Casey love. G-town hola!

Anyone who is even a casual observer of defensive schemes and personel will know the value of a bad motherfucking NT keeping the line. The entire success of the Steelers ran through that ability. He is one of the most dominant football players I have ever seen, at any level, ever. His body type was unreal. Short, stout, huge fucking legs. Like a fucking cannon ball. His last two years as a longhorn I think he notched 100 tackles each? or something silly. Just unreal strength and quickness. 

I think of it like a pickup game. I am there with guys like Larry Allen and Casey for my first picks. 

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by staboner

[staboner 5067]

2 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Seems like there are a couple of people on these boards who had to try to block him in HS. Or played with dudes who did or something like that. Just thinking about what an explosive athlete he was -- 6'1, 330, and still able to dunk a basketball -- makes me shudder on their behalf. 

I remember him blasting the entire side of highschool offensive off the ball every play of the first drive once. Was the first game of the year and out of conference. Ball versus Klein something maybe. No scouting, nothing. Was hilarious. Poor fuckers had no idea wtf was happening to them. I don't remember what year Casey was though. 

[bluto 4980]

Dude had 329 tackles in college, 177 solo. Led the team in tkls back to back years.... as an effing DT. He was the original Suh, f that, better than Suh AND not a cocksucker.

Frame of reference, Warren sapp 176 career tkls. Suh “heisman” year was 85 tkls.

[conVINCEd 21477]

Mack Brown should write a thank you letter to Mackovic every year on his birthday thanking him for Hampton, Rogers, and Big.

[DCA_HORN 725]

Seems like there are a couple of people on these boards who had to try to block him in HS. Or played with dudes who did or something like that. Just thinking about what an explosive athlete he was -- 6'1, 330, and still able to dunk a basketball -- makes me shudder on their behalf. 

We played him. Moved our D1 lineman from tackle to guard and Casey just threw him around like a rag doll all game. Having him and Shaun in the same district was brutal. Jammer as well.

[The Dog 44773]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Steelers_All-Time_Team

That’s enough for me.

[Rimbo 26854]

8 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

I'm fully in support of this campaign. He was also one of the greatest college football players I've seen play. Completely unappreciated while here because we didn't fluff the media enough to pump him up.

 

 

7 hours ago, TexArcher said:

I appreciated the hell out of him and Shaun Rogers.  Watching opposing O lines try to block both of them was a comedy show.

Same. Definitely in on the campaign. Loved him when he was here.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

3 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

 

Same. Definitely in on the campaign. Loved him when he was here.

Campaigns do work -- we could join forces with Stiller Nation and get it done. 

I can't think of an analogy in any other sport: you have a guy who excelled at the highest level for a decade plus, who was quite possibly the very best ever to play in that position, a position which was the linchpin of many of the greatest defenses of that era, but whose candidacy is considered doomed because of our collective over-reliance on stats. 

I guess the closest analogy would be to offensive linemen -- they get in on reputation and subjective review of their performance. Hampton should get in on those same criteria, esp. if you make the case that his "only" making the Pro Bowl five times was due to him competing with lesser DTs who had slightly more glamorous roles on their teams.  

[The Dog 44773]

Old Reddit thread where Steelers fans say the same:

[Guest]

15 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

If the HOF voters had to vote with the candidates in the room he would get in on the first ballot.

I got to meet Hampton one evening at the Craps tables in Lake Charles. For as much of a badass as he was on the field, dude was very cool.  I couldn’t  help looking at him thinking he should be bigger, considering how immovable he was in the trenches. Really nice dude.  Zero asshole/ douchebag factor you might expect from someone like that. 

[Rimbo 26854]

9 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Campaigns do work -- we could join forces with Stiller Nation and get it done. 

I can't think of an analogy in any other sport: you have a guy who excelled at the highest level for a decade plus, who was quite possibly the very best ever to play in that position, a position which was the linchpin of many of the greatest defenses of that era, but whose candidacy is considered doomed because of our collective over-reliance on stats. 

I guess the closest analogy would be to offensive linemen -- they get in on reputation and subjective review of their performance. Hampton should get in on those same criteria, esp. if you make the case that his "only" making the Pro Bowl five times was due to him competing with lesser DTs who had slightly more glamorous roles on their teams.  

I can think of one, not from sports: The pathetic 15-second tribute the Grammys gave EVH. Here's a guy who reinvented the instrument and the art, and they can't even get a number into the program for him? Fucking losers. 

[kevwun 16269]

17 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Seems like there are a couple of people on these boards who had to try to block him in HS. Or played with dudes who did or something like that. Just thinking about what an explosive athlete he was -- 6'1, 330, and still able to dunk a basketball -- makes me shudder on their behalf. 

CTJ told the story where Hampton made the center on his high school team start crying in the huddle because he was abusing him so badly.

[BonzoMontreaux 1137]

I hope he gets the nod eventually.  I was on campus the same time he was.  He never struck me as 'athletic' when I saw him walking around but he was dominant on the field.

 

 

[PGFrog 25]

20 hours ago, Machinator said:

Curious to see what HOF voters do with Vince Wilfork. If he doesn't get in, Hampton sadly doesn't have much of a shot.

Unfortunately it took a very long time for Curly Culp to get elected into the HOF and he is the OG of NFL nose guards.   Way, way too much emphasis on stats and not on the impact in the game.  

He should be in, but does he get hurt by Steeler fatigue?  

[Funk Doctor Spock 13121]

21 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Yes, I am a homer, and yes, his stats are laughable for a Hall of Famer. He only had nine sacks for his entire career.

So what. Casey Hampton is a Hall of Famer.

Here is the case:

He made five Pro Bowls. Played in three Super Bowls, winning two. 

With Hampton clogging up the offensive line, the Steelers were a top five rushing D in 2001 and 2002 and then every year from 2004 through 2010 and again in 2012. Ten out of his 12 seasons, including his rookie season, when he split time with another dude (and in which the Steelers were not top 5).

To me, that is the true measure of his success. He was not asked to sack the QB or rack up other stats. He was asked to free up everyone else to do those things. He was a one-man man-advantage on every play as he required constant double-teaming. 

How was it then that he "only" made five Pro Bowls and was never first-team all-NFL? Because the NFL makes no distinctions between true nose guards and other DTs who are by nature of where they play more able to rack up sacks and TFLs and passes defensed and such. As a nose tackle in a 3-4, he had no chance against DTs in 4-3s.

He was flat-out the best all-time at his position, and that he is not already in the Hall of Fame shows how stupid Hall of Fame voters are. He was almost as disruptive in his own way as Lawrence Taylor was in his more readily visible way. 

 

Didn't he make the all-decade team at one point, too?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Spider2YBanana said:

Didn't he make the all-decade team at one point, too?

Not listed on NFL site for the oughts' All decade Team.

He is named on the alltime Pittsburgh Steelers team.

https://www.si.com/nfl/Pittsburgh-Steelers-All-Time-Team

[Funk Doctor Spock 13121]

21 hours ago, slorch said:

Not listed on NFL site for the oughts' All decade Team.

He is named on the alltime Pittsburgh Steelers team.

https://www.si.com/nfl/Pittsburgh-Steelers-All-Time-Team

Appreciate it. I don't know why I thought that, but I'm sure it was just the Steelers all-decade team. But regardless, he was a great player. I wish the best for him, and it would be cool if he made the HOF. 

[LTtxfan 49911]

 

[Blotto 23974]

Looking at that list of semi-finalists, I'm kind of wondering where all the superstars are. Lot of really good players, but few that jump out. Also, where all da QB's at?

[Bullneck 19454]

On 3/15/2021 at 6:30 PM, MaybeACoordinator said:

This idiot does not. 

According to this moron, who, to be fair, doesn't appear to know what a nose guard even is, or has stretched its meaning beyond all sense, has Hampton below Bob Baumhower, Shaun Rogers (who would laugh at this), Bill Maas, Tim Krumrie, Linval Joseph, and the SMU duo of Jerry Ball and Michael Carter. (Who were both freaks.)

^^^ This needs explanation.  As does this:

1 hour ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Bullneck

[XYZ 2154]

Didn’t Hampton and Rogers use to be the #1 and #2 guys in all of college football in bench press or squat or something like that?

[Pato del Muerto 53333]

Steve tasker?

[Ignatius 4125]

On 3/16/2021 at 12:02 PM, kevwun said:

CTJ told the story where Hampton made the center on his high school team start crying in the huddle because he was abusing him so badly.

Tony DeGrate had that same effect on my cousin his entire high school career…

[Sleep off ugly 279]

Casey’s going to have a hard time making the HOF. 
If it was his contemporaries voting he’d be a first ballot inductee.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Sleep off ugly
Cause drinks

[Horn Dogg 4277]

Back in 2000, we ran into Casey Hampton on the beach at South Padre during spring break.  We had a keg and a Longhorn flag, so he stopped by and asked to refill his beer.  Of course we let him, so he hung around for a bit.  Super cool guy who was just out for a party like the rest of us.  Right before he left, there were some aggy’s partying next to us with their flag up, so Casey was like “watch this.”  He walked right up in the middle of the aggyfest and picked up their flag/pole and tossed it like a javelin right out into the water.  A couple of those dumbasses at first acted like they were going to do something about it until they saw who did it, then they just acted like everything was cool until Casey walked away.  We laughed our asses off the whole time.

[PRONG HORN 3219]

On 3/16/2021 at 12:04 AM, The Dog said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Steelers_All-Time_Team

That’s enough for me.

 

 

No Kevin Greene?  Number 3 all time sack leader in an era with less passing.  
 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/history/leaders/_/stat/sacks

 

1	Bruce Smith	200
2	Reggie White	198
3	Kevin Greene	160
4	Julius Peppers	159 1/2
5	Chris Doleman	150 1/2
6	Michael Strahan	141 1/2
7	Jason Taylor	139 1/2
8	Terrell Suggs	139
9	DeMarcus Ware	138 1/2
10	Richard Dent	137 1/2

 

[Eskimohorn 5675]

Enough for me