Pat Swilling in the HOF? (1 Viewer)

[DocReed]

Career stats for the dome patrol:

Jackson 128 sacks, 1173 tackles
Swilling 107.5 sacks, 468 tackles
Mills 20.5 sacks, 1142 tackles
Johnson 12 sacks, 669 tackles

Numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Jackson was a beast when you consider how often he was doubled up. Rickey deserved the honor of being in the HOF. As i said earlier, the Dome Patrol is a part of his legacy and each of those guys will be mentioned when talking about RJ's career. However, the only other member to the DP I can possibly see getting in would be Mills

 

[A.D.Rock]

Love Swilling but the LBers are what ran that D and Pat fed off it.Kind of surprised that Mills only had 20.5 career sacks,not that thats bad or anything just thought he had more.

 

[krushing]

I'd prefer to see sam mills even if he went in as a panther. Sam had a great career in Nola, then helped move an expansion team up the ranks. I think he deserves consideration. If he had not succombed to cancer, I think he would have been a successful head coach by now. The saints were never the same after sam left. Caoch mora calls mills the greatest player he ever coached.

 

[USC#5]

swilling couldn't hold rickey's jock and it wasn't even close. rickey fought the double team, coming from the right side while pat had man up blocking coming from the QBs blind side. yeah he was fast, but rickey was dominant!

as good as LT was, look at the tackle and forced fumble numbers of rickey. LT was much like pat; fast and could come off the edge, but didn't do too much else. LT did have some decent tackle numbers, but nothing compared to RJ.

Some of you guys are killing me...so now RJ was better than Lawrence Taylor? There isn't one non-Saints fan who would ever agree with that..

In 20 years you'll be trying to tell us that Marques Colston was better than Randy Moss.

 

[OhioSaintsFan]

The Field Mouse is the only other member of the dome patrol who has a shot.

Unfortunately, it would probably be as a kitten

In 20 years you'll be trying to tell us that Marques Colston was better than Randy Moss.

My bet is MC will be better than Moss. MC doesn't take plays off, for one. Regardless, how about we wait until both retire?

 

[Professor]

Swilling was great at sacking the QB, but not HOF material if you ask me.

 

[barcar93]

Swilling was a product of Rickey Jackson being on the opposite side. The year after he was traded, the Saints converted Renaldo Turnbull from DE ot OLB and he had thirteen sacks. I think Peter King said it best when he said that if there was no LT, and Rickey had played in a larger market, he would have been as popular as LT was. The HOF is for the top 1% of the top 1%. Swilling fizzled in Detroit, where he was exposed as being just average, and had one decent season in Oakland. Sure, he was good for the Saints, but he'll never even be considered for Canton.

 

[nolawave3]

Swilling was fantastic but Rickey was one of the best of all times. Rickey would play man coverage on Hershel Walker. I mean come on. He was schemed to cover Roger Craig for entire games. As an outside LB this was unheard of. Not even LT was asked to do those things.

Swilling was great, but Jackson was without a doubt one of the top LBs to ever play.

 

[Jeff Miller]

As much as i love swilling, i don't see him making the HOF, his individual stats for a linebacker i don't think were high enough.

 

[krushing]

RJ was one of the greatest left DE/LB in history(not on the qb's blindside) I don't think Pat was one of the best on the right side considering the folks who have played that position. Especially over a 12 year period.

 

[krushing]

It's a shame there is not a catagory for a group of LB's in the hall. One entry for the dome patrol.

 

[USC#5]

Swilling was a product of Rickey Jackson being on the opposite side. The year after he was traded, the Saints converted Renaldo Turnbull from DE ot OLB and he had thirteen sacks. I think Peter King said it best when he said that if there was no LT, and Rickey had played in a larger market, he would have been as popular as LT was. The HOF is for the top 1% of the top 1%. Swilling fizzled in Detroit, where he was exposed as being just average, and had one decent season in Oakland. Sure, he was good for the Saints, but he'll never even be considered for Canton.

Hmm...Jackson's best year (sacks) was .5 better than a decent year for Swilling in Oakland...

I have to say, I've never seen a fanbase prop up players of their team by putting down other players of their team more than Saints fans.
I'
Everything about Reggie Bush is somehow related to Pierre Thomas and everything about Swilling is somehow related to Rickey Jackson. I would imagine it was the same way with Deuce vs Rickey Williams and Aaron Brooks vs Jake Delhomme (but I wasn't around here then)..

I have a feeling similar would occur if I asked about Joe Horn. The entire discussion would be about how much better Colston is/was. I'm not saying definitively Swilling should or shouldn't be in. But, some of the people in this thread seem as if they would be upset if he did get in. And I don't understand that.

 

[DocReed]

Hmm...Jackson's best year (sacks) was .5 better than a decent year for Swilling in Oakland...

I have to say, I've never seen a fanbase prop up players of their team by putting down other players of their team more than Saints fans.
I'
Everything about Reggie Bush is somehow related to Pierre Thomas and everything about Swilling is somehow related to Rickey Jackson. I would imagine it was the same way with Deuce vs Rickey Williams and Aaron Brooks vs Jake Delhomme (but I wasn't around here then)..

I have a feeling similar would occur if I asked about Joe Horn. The entire discussion would be about how much better Colston is/was. I'm not saying definitively Swilling should or shouldn't be in. But, some of the people in this thread seem as if they would be upset if he did get in. And I don't understand that.

Swilling actually had more sacks than Jackson several times as a Saint. Jackson's best year was 13.5 in 1991. Swilling had 17 in 1991. As I said earlier, the two of them had pretty close numbers in sack totals for their career, Jackson with 128 and Swilling 107.5. However, Rickey leads in every statistical category. Jackson had more tackles (1173 to 468), more sacks, more fumble recoveries (29 to 11), more forced fumbles (40 to 36).
If you look at performance on the field, it was obvious Swilling benefited from being with Jackson.

In no way am I saying that PS was terrible, or trying to pit him against Jackson. I'd be thrilled if all the members of the DP got into the HOF. But I'm also realistic. RJ's election to the HOF will provide a forum to discuss what those guys did in NOLA for the rest of time. Yes, RJ was the first, and potentially the last of the domers to get into the Hall, but the rest will never be forgotten because they're stories will always be tied together.

 

[Slidell Mike]

Swilling was a terrific pass rush LB in the Saints 3-4 scheme. He was an overall solid LB but Jackson was the standout talent and Mills was the heart and soul of the group. Make no mistake, Swilling (and later Turnbull) benefitted greatly from being opposite RJ. Jackson almost always had the double teams. And, in the playoffs, RJ was still bringing it and Swilling would totally disappear.

I am thrilled Rickey Jackson made it to Canton, but, let's face it, even that was a borderline selection and a sentimental choice with the Saints in the Superbowl. I seriously doubt any other member of the Dome Patrol will ever get any consideration. My hope is that Sam Mills might one day garner some attention, but that's more based on sentiment that really rating his production relative to other players at his position.

 

[Goatman Saint]

I doubt any of the others will get in. Jackson had many years at a high level, and was a complete linebacker. He was good before Mora and the 3-4 got there. The unit as a whole including the line with Wilkes Warren and Martin was incredible. But individually I doubt it. Willie Roaf is next.