Broncos Legendary WR Sounds Off on Being an HoF Snub

Denver Broncos fans know full well Rod Smith's worthiness as a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The most prolific wide receiver in Broncos history has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2012, and yet, like many of his fellow Orange and Blue alumni, he receives little-to-no recognition.

The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson recently caught up with Smith, and the Broncos' all-time leading receiver shared his frank thoughts on being a perennial Hall-of-Fame snub.

“I feel I’m deserving but I don’t get to vote,’’ Smith told Tomasson.

Smith's NFL career began with the Broncos back in 1994 as an undrafted rookie. It ended following the 2006 season.

Along the way, Smith not only helped the Broncos win back-to-back World Championships as Hall-of-Fame QB John Elway's No. 1 target, but he also totaled 849 receptions, 11,389 yards, and 68 touchdowns. It's quite remarkable to fathom all that Smith accomplished as a player who never heard his name called on draft day and had to fight and claw his way into the NFL.

“I’m the best undrafted receiver in NFL history,’’ Smith said via Tomasson.

Thankfully, Smith talent was noticed by head coach Mike Shanahan's discerning eye in 1995, who quickly recognized what the former college quarterback could bring to the table. Smith's receiving chops set him apart as an elite player, but don't forget about his leadership, and absolute buy-in to Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme, which required its receivers to unselfishly block on the edge like their lives depended on it.

“Rod Smith is one of the biggest reasons why we did win those back-to-back Super Bowls,’’ Shanahan said via Tomasson. “You don’t get any stronger than how he led on and off the field. Throughout his career, he never missed one offseason program and he took as much pride in the running game as he did in the passing game. In my opinion, he’s definitely (deserving of the Hall of Fame).”

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Coach Shanahan is deserving as well, but he likely won't have to wait too much longer to be enshrined in Canton. Smith, on the other hand, inexplicably gets the cold shoulder from Hall-of-Fame voters.

If I'm being honest, perhaps it's not so inexplicable. If Smith had been a first-round pick, and went on to produce what he did individually and contribute to such sustained team success, he'd already be in Canton.

Because of the unfair and seemingly agenda-driven Hall-of-Fame voting system, which, let's not forget, kept legends like Terrell Davis and Steve Atwater on the outside looking in for years, and still shuns all-timers like Smith, Randy Gradishar, Tom Nalen, and Karl Mecklenburg (to name a few), Broncos Country believes a bias against its team exists.

Regardless of the perceived bias of that voting body, Smith's resume is as deserving as any wide receiver whose bust currently adorns Canton's halls. One of the purported qualifiers for Hall-of-Fame consideration is this question: Can you tell the story of that player's era without mentioning him?

How could any NFL historian in good faith tell the story of the 1990s and early 2000s without making mention of Smith's contributions to canon? Aside from everything already mentioned, Smith was also named a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (second team).

Some analysts who don't buy into Smith's Hall-of-Fame claim point to his relative lack of Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections. To those people, I would suggest a deeper examination of his resume, which would reveal that Smith totaled eight 1,000-yard receiving campaigns over his 12 NFL seasons.

Keep in mind, as a former undrafted rookie, Smith didn't become a starter until his third season, which was 1997. From there, he ripped off six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaigns, avoiding the injury bug, and fighting through nicks and dings.

That 1,000-yard streak was only interrupted in 2003, thanks, in part, to missing a game and a new quarterback, but he still totaled 845 yards on 74 receptions. Smith quickly hopped back on the horse the following season, posting two consecutive 1,000-yard showings before entering his final year in 2006.

So let's put this in perspective for those who decry Smith's relative lack of Pro Bowls and All-Pros. Smith was a starter in 10 of his 12 NFL seasons. He surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving milestone in eight of those 10 years.

Smith didn't garner individual accolades like some of his contemporaries because the offense he played in was perceived by the national media as a run-first system, and he was an unheralded undrafted player. When people thought of Shanahan's post-Elway offenses in Denver, they didn't think of Smith's consistent playmaking, but rather, the 1,000-yard rushing factory the Broncos became.

That shouldn't count against Smith. In fact, it should have been even more reason to shower him with accolades, and it stands as even greater evidence of his Hall-of-Fame worthiness that he was able to produce at such a high level as a receiver, while selflessly blocking for one 1,000-yard rusher after another.

“We had a 1,000-yard rusher every year I was there (except for one),’’ Smith told Tomasson. “You've got to look at my complete body of work. During my era, we won more games than just about anybody. At the end of the day, what I cared about more than anything was winning, and they can't take the Super Bowls away from me."

The only way that Smith makes it to the Hall of Fame, at this stage, is if Broncos Country ignites a grass-roots conflagration that cannot be denied by the disconnected voters. None but Smith's own tribe has a chance to overcome the bias and storm the Hall of Fame's gates on his behalf.

It's a given that Smith is the greatest undrafted receiver ever. But he's also one of the best receivers in the history of the NFL, and as such, he deserves Hall-of-Fame recognition alongside the all-time greats of his position.

Smith's unfair treatment by the Hall-of-Fame voters is repugnant and shameful. It beggars belief to see receivers like Hines Ward, Torry Holt, Terrell Owens, and Isaac Bruce — great though they were — gaining admission to the Hall of Fame in recent years while Smith continues to be exiled in football oblivion.

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