Bengals can land a historic win on Thursday
We've all been in a position at some point in our lives in which we're staring at the phone, anxiously expecting a call. That's what former Cincinnati Bengals OT Willie Anderson was doing last year and is probably doing right now. Once a 6-5, 340-pound dominant lineman in the NFL, Anderson is in his second […]
We've all been in a position at some point in our lives in which we're staring at the phone, anxiously expecting a call. That's what former Cincinnati Bengals OT Willie Anderson was doing last year and is probably doing right now.
Once a 6-5, 340-pound dominant lineman in the NFL, Anderson is in his second year as a Hall of Fame finalist, and this time he expects a different message on the other side of the call when his phone finally rings ahead of Thursday's announcement of the 2023 inductee class.
"I went through the process of being a finalist last year and it was really tough,” Anderson told Greg Stephenson of AL.com. "They call you at the last minute and tell you you’re not part of the five that made it."
I've always loved that about the Hall of Fame. The same guys that dominated a violent, punishing sport suddenly show a lot of vulnerability just because of one phone call or one knock on the door.
Think about it. The legendary Bengals OT was named a First-Team All-Pro lineman for three consecutive seasons. During his career, he was more dominant than all of the most-known names you see on NFL fields today.
In fact, Coach Paul Alexander shared quite the stat comparing Anderson to the Top 5 pass protectors of the last 15 years that shows Anderson allowed fewer sacks per game than all of them.
Paul Alexander coached the Bengals offensive line since before Anderson was drafted tenth overall in 1996 and well after Anderson left for Baltimore in 2007.
Anderson is one of the greatest Bengals of all time and he deserves a place in Canton, Ohio. But as usual, the Hall of Fame process involves much more than that. There's a certain timing that plays into it and every other candidate is usually as deserving as the next one.
For example, this year, Joe Thomas could be Anderson's biggest rival in the ballots. Recency bias could play a big enough role for voters to give him the nod over the Bengals legend.
Whatever happens over the next couple of days, it's safe to say that Willie Anderson's phone will ring with good news sooner or later. Hopefully, the waiting ends for him this when the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is announced on Thursday Night during NFL Honors.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
