Ed Werder: Jaguars’ Jimmy Smith Might Have Made Hall of Fame ‘If Not for Injuries’
For the better part of 1996 through 2005, Jacksonville Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith was one of the best wide receivers in all of football. In Jacksonville, he is a football giant. But in terms of national exposure, Smith has not always quite gotten his due.
During Smith's epic run with the Jaguars, he made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1997-2001 and led the NFL at that time with a combined 479 catches and 6,728 yards, along with 34 touchdown catches. During his peak, there were few better.
In total, Smith ended his career holding essentially every major Jaguars receiving record and as of today he is No. 51 all-time in career receiving touchdowns (67), No. 24 in receptions (862), No. 23 in receiving yards (12,287), No. 10 in yards per reception (16.1) and No. 22 in receiving yards per game (22).
Despite gaudy numbers, Smith has never gotten as close to being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as other receivers from his era have. He has made preliminary ballots, but he has never been a semifinalist. So far, it has appeared as if his Canton chances have been slim to none.
But one notable national reporter thinks perhaps this shouldn't have been the case. On Sunday, ESPN reporter Ed Werder tweeted that he thinks Smith might have made it into the hall if not for injuries sustained during his career.
Some may question this take on the surface considering Smith was mostly healthy with the Jaguars, but it is a poignant point that makes plenty of sense when examining the context of Smith's career.
Werder was, of course, a beat reporter covering the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1990s, the same time period Smith was a member of the Cowboys following being selected by Dallas in the second round in the 1992 NFL Draft. But Smith's career took off with the Jaguars instead of the Cowboys in large part due to the injuries Werder is referring to.
Firstly, Smith broke his fibula as a rookie during a July scrimmage, forcing him to miss some action as a rookie. Then in 1993, Smith suffered abdominal pain during the preseason that eventually required an emergency appendectomy surgery in August. A few days after the surgery, Smith was readmitted to the hospital where an ileostomy was performed on him. Smith would go on to miss the entirety of his second season due to the situation.
Smith was then waived by the Cowboys in July 1994 before being signed and released by the Philadelphia Eagles that same season. Smith would sign with the Jaguars in their expansion year of 1995, but he caught just 22 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns that season. It wasn't until 1996 that Smith would become a full-time starter for the first time in his career.
So essentially, injuries forced Smith to miss out on the first two years of his career almost completely, and they played a large part in derailing his ability to see the field until 1996. In Smith's first season as a full-time starter, he was 27-years-old, though he was 23 when he was drafted by the Cowboys.U
Update: Jimmy Smith has responded to Werder's tweet in a roundabout way, agreeing with a fan that injuries have had little to do with him not making the hall of fame. Considering Smith rarely missed time with injuries in Jacksonville, it is a stronger argument to state that Smith's lack of national exposure and the Jaguars' market size is the biggest hindrance to his Hall of Fame odds.
