Oakland Raiders: A definitive case for Jim Plunkett’s enshrinement in Canton

And Finally…

The Hall of Fame is supposedly reserved for the best of the best to ever set foot onto the field. The Hall is for the greats of the game. And one of the most objective ways to measure greatness is in championship rings.

And by that metric, Plunkett has two to Namath’s one – along with very, very comparable career numbers.

Oh sure, if you want to throw in Namath’s AFL championship, that’s fine. But that still makes the “score” two championships to two championships.

And again, Namath and Plunkett have incredibly similar career numbers — and in some cases, Plunkett’s numbers are better than Namath’s. Especially in the postseason, when it matters the most.

This isn’t a case of two players from different eras being compared. This isn’t apples and oranges. In fact, this is about as apples to apples as you’re going to get.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

Namath and Plunkett played together in the league for seven seasons — they were contemporaries and the playing field was level and equal for both of them.

So why then, is Namath enshrined and Plunkett is not? Why was Namath inducted eight years after he retired — just three years into his eligibility — and Plunkett hasn’t gotten a single serious sniff in the thirty-three years since his retirement?

And while this writer has no qualms with Joe Namath’s bust being in Canton, the fact that Jim Plunkett can’t even get a sniff when his numbers are as good ⌂ or in many cases, better than Namath’s — is mind-boggling, to say the least.

Sure, Namath was way flashier and a far better self-promoter than Plunkett. But the Hall is supposed to reward substance and accomplishment rather than style. And no, wearing a fur coat or doing commercials for pantyhose is not substance or accomplishment.

By any objective metric out there, Plunkett is as Hall-worthy as Namath ever was. There is absolutely no credible argument for keeping Plunkett out when Namath has been in for more than thirty years.

With the announcement of the Centennial Class, the Hall of Fame has the opportunity to do the right thing and correct what is an absolute travesty. Ken Stabler never got to see his induction. If Cliff Branch is ever given the induction he so richly deserves, he isn’t here to see it either.

It’s time the Hall comes correct and gives Jim Plunkett his due as a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and put his bust where it belongs — in Canton.