Will This Be Randy Gradishar's Year for Induction to the Hall of Fame?

By John Turney 

In the mid-1970s, NFL teams began to migrate from 4-3 defenses to 3-4 lineups in a move so popular that within 10 years only a few stuck with four-man lines

That's significant because in 1977 Denver's Randy Gradishar was a third-place finisher for AP Defensive Player of the Year - the first time a 3-4 inside linebacker finished that high -- and one year later was the first to win it outright.

Since then, there's been only one other - Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis, in 2003.

Seventeen times a linebacker has been the AP DPOY including those who won more than once (Lewis, once as a MLB, Mike Singletary and Lawrence Taylor), but only two were named as 3-4 inside linebackers -- and Gradishar was the first by 25 years.

That's significant, too. Because Lewis was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2017, and Gradishar has never been elected to Canton.  He was a finalist in 2003, even surviving the first cut, but fell short. He had another shot in 2008 but again fell short.

The purported reason? Lack of longevity. 

It seems that voters believed he didn't play long enough, even though he played 10 years. With an injured knee in college, Gradishar wondered if he could last even a handful of years in the NFL. So he set a personal goal to play for a decade, and when he got there he promised to hang up his cleats.

Goal set. Goal met.

In the ensuing years, however, longevity is not something that keeps Hall-of-Fame worthy players from election. Voters have elected six players with seven-year careers, including four modern-era inductees, and chosen others in the eight-year to 11-year range.

So Gradishar's 10 years cannot ... and should not ... be held against him. Not anymore they can't.

In light of that, it's time for the Hall's senior committee to take a long, hard look at Randy Gradishar's case, and question why he's not been enshrined. His candidacy is built on extensive selections to All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, favorable comments from coaches and players, impressive statistics and his role leading one of the best defenses of his era—the Orange Crush ... which, by the way, does not have a single member with a bust in Canton.

How strong is the totality of Randy Gradishar's Hall-of-Fame case? Very. See for yourself:

Postseason honors

There's the DOPY award for openers. Hall-of-Fame linebackers who didn't win one include Zack Thomas, Sam Mills, Harry Carson, as well as outside guys Rickey Jackson, Robert Brazile and quite a few others.

In all-star teams accepted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Gradishar was a five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. Thomas and Jackson went to the same or fewer number of Pro Bowls.

Scouting reports

Pro Football Weekly personnel analyst Joel Buchsbaum was someone who had the ear of NFL scouts and coaches. He would talk to them regularly, glean information, then rate players, both college and pro.

One confidante was Bill Belichick, who said upon Buchsbaum's untimely death, "Joel was a personal friend, and we were close because we were honest with each other ... (he) produced an incredible amount of accurate information … We tried to hire Joel in Cleveland."

Joel was also close with Al Davis, Bobby Beathard and Ernie Accorsi. The point? Joel was connected. What he wrote mattered, even to this day. And what he wrote about Gradishar was telling:

"Randy Gradishar may be the smartest and most underrated (linebacker) ever. Had rare instincts, was faster than Lambert and very effective in short-yardage and goal line situations. The fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame is a shame and may be attributed to the fact he was a sure tackler but not a lights-out hitter or look-at-me type of player."

"Gradishar isn't the flashiest player in the league, but I have seen enough film of him to know he's the best ... Take him out of the Orange Crush, and it would be the Orange Fizz."

The NFL guru later added this: "Superior diagnostician with exceptional strength, balance, tackling form and very good lateral mobility. Not as flashy or brutal as some ILBs but means almost as much to Denver's defense as Walter Payton does to Chicago's offense."

The praise continued over the years: "Randy Gradishar is the most valuable defender in football. As good as Dick Butkus ever was, but not as brutal. Steve Nelson is similar to Gradishar but not as great. Harry Carson is the most talented but the least consistent. Lambert is excellent, but the Steelers' defense is predicated on the middle linebacker making all the plays.

"(Gradishar) is the most dominant defender in the AFC when healthy. Although not as brutal as Butkus or Bergy, he's strong at the point of attack, does a superb job of playing off blocks and getting to the ball, gets good depth on his pass drops and is consistently excellent."

Then came this from Buchsbaum in 1982: "While not as physical as Lambert, he has good range and uncanny anticipation and is superb in goal line situations ... Perhaps the most instinctive linebacker in football, he has great anticipation and feel."

Finally, in December, 1983, Buchsbbaum made one of his final comments: "Made his last season one of his best. Gradishar was always Johnny-on-the-spot and played as though he was in the opposition’s huddle.”

It wasn't just Buchsbaum taking and organizing thoughts of people in the know; there were others like Mike Giddings, the founder of Proscout, Inc. (PSI) an independent NFL scouting company that graded and evaluated every NFL player for over 45 years.

According to PSI's yearly grades, Gradishar was one of the top 10 NFL linebackers in seven of 10 years. Furthermore, Giddings rates him along with Ray Lewis as the PSI-era best-ever "at the combination of neutralizing and operating in space."

Translation: Lewis and Gradishar were the top two players at taking on a guard and neutralizing a block. But they could also cover backs and tight ends at an elite level.

Some other PSIisms that appear in Gradishar's file (with the color blue the highest grade):

 "Can cover the Y-Flat ... (Only other ILB who could do that was Lambert)" ... Blue in diagnosis, fit in action ... Zone stop curl---Broncos asked Gradishar to do what no other ILB could do. No one! ... Averaged 16 tackles in 20 plus "looks" Remember "Eye in the sky does not lie ... Pursuit: Blue. Neutralize: Blue. Athletic: Blue, (Ranks at top. Could have been fullback in NFL) ... No peer leaping to meet ball carrier or lead blocker—over low dip charge. Goal line) ... Best-ever search & flow vs runs.

"Physically a 30 defense is a hell of a lot harder on ILB than 40 defense. Ray Lewis got hurt one year into the transition from 40 to 30 defense. Lambert - two years. Carson - one year. Gradishar did not get hurt in nine years at ILB."

His coach Joe Collier confirmed Gradishar's prowess in the defensive low red zone, saying that he was "probably the best short-yardage, goal-line type of middle linebacker in the history of the NFL."

Even though Buchbaum suggested he wasn't as physical as Lambert, Gradishar wasn't shy about delivering a crushing blow, and there are more than a few examples.

"One time I asked Walter Payton who gave him the hardest shot in his career," said Hall-of-Famer Dan Hampton. "He told me one name - Gradishar. He was well-respected in Chicago."

He was well-respected in Dallas, too, at least by Hall-of-Famer running back Tony Dorsett. In his book "The Truly Great", author Rick Korch related a story of a Dorsett encounter with Gradishar.

"I ran a pass pattern and was wide open," Dorsett told Korch, " but Danny White did not see me. I go back to the huddle and tell Danny, 'I’m wide open.' I ran the same route again, but this time I was almost decapitated. My eyes were only partially open when I hit the ground. Trainers and doctors came running on the field. They thought I was dead. Hey, I thought I was dead, too.”

The Orange Crush

What's so puzzling about Gradishar's absence from Canton is that he led one of the best defenses of the era - the unit known as the "Orange Crush." From 1975-83, the years Gradishar was the heart and soul of the defense, the Broncos ranked third in fewest rushing yards allowed and second in fewest yards per rush.

You didn't run on Randy & Co.

They allowed the fewest touchdown passes, the second-fewest touchdowns from scrimmage, seventh fewest total yards allowed and fourth fewest points. In short, it wasn't easy to move the ball or score on the Broncos'  defense.

There were a handful of great defenses from the mid-70s to the mid-80s, yet there isn't one player from the Orange Crush in the Hall of Fame. 

It's time for that to change.

"Splash plays"

In his career, Gradishar intercepted 20 passes, had 19-1/2 sacks, recovered 13 fumbles, forced 10 and scored four defensive touchdowns. Together, that's a total of 66-1/2 - let's call them "splash plays" - for an average of 6.7 a season.

So, what were the seasonal average of "splash plays" for other contemporary Hall-of-Fame off-the-ball linebackers? Well, Brian Urlacher averaged 7.2 and Jack Lambert 7.0, both ahead of the Broncos' linebacker.

Ray Lewis averaged the same - 6.7 -- while Sam Mills checked in at 5.5, Zack Thomas 5.0, Harry Carson 4.5, and Mike Singletary 4.3, -- all fewer than Randy.

And what about more recent inductees? Likely future Hall-of-Famers Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis averaged 6.4 and 6.1, respectively, while Bobby Wagner, who is still active, averages 5.4 "splash plays" a season.

Big-time players make big-time plays, and Randy Gradishar is one them.

Tackles

Gradishar was always the Broncos' leading tackler and ended his career with a pile of them, no matter the source.

Tackles kept by coaches and those taken from NFL gamebooks always differ. That's just the way it is. So, to put all of the recent middle/inside linebackers on an even playing field, I decided that using gamebooks as the only source for tackles makes the most sense.

And that's what is done here. Coaches' figures are not used.

What follows, then, are the tackles - per 16 games - for the same group of players mentioned in the "splash-play" section, with tackles defined as solos plus assists.

Player—Number of tackles per 16 games

Jack Lambert—156

Luke Kuechly—153

Zach Thomas—150

Randy Gradishar—148

Bobby Wagner—145

Ray Lewis—144

Harry Carson—143

Patrick Willis—136

Brian Urlacher—119

Sam Mills—112

Mike Singletary—107

Gradishar is fourth, but he's only eight tackles a season behind Lambert -- evidence that, as PSI noted, he was "always around the ball ... 90% tackler every season, including last ('Blue' is 85% and above)."

Of course, what matters is where and how the tackles occur. The Broncos were elite at stopping the run - their 3.6 yards per rush attests to that. Making tackles five yards beyond the line of scrimmage was not happening in Denver as it was with teams allowing 4.2 or 4.3 yards a run ... and Randy Gradishar was a primary reason.

"I really think Gradishar anticipates and reacts to the ball carrier better than any linebacker in the league," said Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle and former NBC broadcaster Merlin Olsen. "I never saw a linebacker who made so many initial stops. It seemed like he was always first to the ball and was a solid hitter.

"Some linebackers would sometimes fall on the piles and get their number called. But in the games Dick (Enberg) and I did, it was always 'Randy Gradishar on the tackle.' And they'd get up, and he'd be the last one getting up."

"What they said"

Besides the scouting commentaries, others have spoken about Gradishar both during and after his career.

Said Steve Largent, "Randy Gradishar absolutely should be in the Hall of Fame. Frankly, I'm surprised he is not in already."

Former Hall-of-Fame voter, the late Gordon Forbes wrote this in 1980: “Quickest inside linebacker in the league. Leader of the Broncos' Orange Crush flow to the ball, won’t be denied played hard on every down which distinguishes him from the good ones."

"Randy was a great linebacker, and he certainly belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," said coach Chuck Knox. "He was tough, smart, and played every down all out." 

Joe Theismann added, "Randy Gradishar was a prototype inside linebacker. The Orange Crush defense carried the Denver Broncos to great records and their first Super Bowl. And the heart and soul of that great defense was Randy."

"Without a doubt," said Hall-of-Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure, "Randy Gradishar should be in the Hall of Fame ... He was, along with Jack Lambert, the best linebacker that I ever played against. He had a nose for the ball, could play the run as well as the pass and played angles better than anyone who played the game. In short yardage, he made the Broncos the best in that category in the '70s and '80s."

"Randy Gradishar's ... range separated him from others at his position," Steve Sabol once said. "(He was) a sure and determined tackler, he was also an excellent pass defender. He had special qualities in terms of intelligence, preparation, and athletic ability, and his play anticipation was the best in football. He had a great ability to square his body into the ball carrier at the moment of impact, which made him an incredible performer on third or fourth and short."

Few players draw as much acclamation as Gradishar, but those endorsements have not swayed voters who remain unconvinced. It's time for that to change. Gradishar's accomplishments are Hall-of-Fame worthy, and 10 seasons of stellar play should be sufficient for election.

It is ... and has been ... for others.

From the eye test to the stats and postseason honors to the success of the Orange Crush, the case is as solid as they come. For a decade, Randy Gradishar demonstrated Hall-of-Fame quality play at linebacker. Maybe longevity once hurt his candidacy, but today's zeitgeist is in line with what the Roman philosopher, Lucious Seneca, believed.

"It is quality, not quantity, that matters," he said.

Randy Gradishar was quality personified.