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Legendary S Ronnie Lott Weighs in on Steve Atwater's Hall-of-Fame Worthiness
With Super Bowl LIV approaching rapidly, many Denver Broncos fans will be focusing their attention on the special announcement that will precede the big game in Miami. On Saturday, Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker will go knocking on the hotel room doors of the former NFL legends to inform them of their enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
It’s a continuing gripe throughout the fanbase that the Broncos are sorely under-represented among the game's all-time greats in Canton. Recently, the legendary leader of the famed Orange Crush defense, Randy Gradishar, once again failed to gain purchase into the elite group, despite the expanded induction class that marks the 100th anniversary of the NFL.
If the glaring Gradishar oversight is number one on the long list of snubbed Broncos legends for the ultimate honor, then Steve Atwater, the two-time Super Bowl champion, eight-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 1990s, must be a very close second.
It's difficult to rationalize or make sense of the reasons why Atwater has yet to receive his bronze bust. True, he never put up splashy interception totals that are easy to take immediate notice of when considering his body of work. Of the 167 games he suited up for, he only managed 24 career picks.
However, the selection committee has to consider the role that Atwater was given within the Denver defense, which over the years he mastered. Atwater created a hybrid position in the NFL by becoming a run-box safety that could attack ball-carriers at the line of scrimmage and also intimidate receivers over the middle of the field while disrupting opponents' passing games.
Rival offensive coordinators simply had to account for and game-plan around Atwater, or risk him inflicting game-wrecking damage. You need only turn the tape on of Atwater’s MVP-level play in Super Bowl XXXII as proof of his devastating flexibility and impact, as he frequently showed up in run support, blitz packages and provided huge hits on Green Bay receivers as Denver collected its first World Championship.
If the statistical negatives still have Atwater on shaky ground, perhaps the recent comments about his merits from former San Francisco 49er and legendary Hall-of-Fame safety Ronnie Lott might prove to influence the voters.
“I think his ultimate impact was, one he loved playing," Lott recently told Nicki Jhabvala of the Athletic. "You never saw him not in love with the game. The way he went about it, was just always upbeat, always willing to get better, always willing to work, always willing to try to help his teammates, always willing to do more work for the game."
Lott is in the Hall by virtue of the 1,146 career tackles he posted, along with 63 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles and 8.5 sacks, to say nothing of his four Super Bowl rings (yes, four!), 10 Pro Bowl nods and inclusion on both the All-Decade Team of the 1980s and 1990s (second team). Insane numbers worthy of the Hall, undoubtedly, but Atwater's 1,180 career tackles, 24 interceptions, six forced fumbles and five sacks, are no less impressive.
Atwater’s work ethic and thirst to acquire football knowledge made him an elite player in his own right but it also saw him form one of the NFL’s best and most notorious safety tandems with Dennis Smith before he retired in 1994. Lott also admired the hard work that Atwater put in behind the scenes to make his partnership with Smith so revered and feared throughout the league.
“That characteristic, to me, means more than what he did on the field because that’s what a lot of people don’t get a chance to see,” Lott explained. “They don’t see the Hall of Fame attitude. That’s the thing that I appreciated about him, was his ability and want to just be the best that he could be. And the guy next to him, Dennis Smith, would verify it and talk to me about it.”
When anyone mentions Atwater, it’s the famous hit he delivered on 'The Nigerian Nightmare', Christian Okoye, on Monday Night Football that often provides the main talking point. Atwater's reputation as one of the NFL’s most violent and brutal enforcers could even play against him in his battle for recognition, especially when you factor in the league's desperation to clean up their tarnished concussion image.
For many of today’s fans, it’s hard to conceive that a player as physical and violent as Atwater was could have existed back when rules on hitting were so very different compared to the restrictions in the modern game.
Often being a high-profile media personality or remaining involved the game helps keep a potential inductee in the consciousness of the selection committee. Only in recent years has the affable Broncos legend moved into the media ranks.
Fellow ex-Broncos safety John Lynch is also a 2020 finalist and is currently trending through his massively successful front-office work as the Niners' GM, resulting in the added fear that Atwater’s overall profile is not quite big enough.
All things considered, maybe the last word on Atwater’s merits for the Hall of Fame should be left to Lott, who knows a Hall-of-Fame safety when he sees one. Lott still reminisces about Atwater and Smith in their prime together.
“Those were guys that when I’m sitting at home, I’m turning on to watch those two," Lott said. "Those were the guys that I wanted to be like."
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
