Igothawked
Well-Known Member
Has Dallas Clark had the best NFL career of any Hawkeye of all time? I think its a debatable question, especially if they win another Super Bowl.
Andre Tippett is the only Iowa player to be in the NFL Hall of Fame so he is the clubhouse leader.
Andre Tippett is the only Iowa player to be in the NFL Hall of Fame so he is the clubhouse leader. If Dallas continues for a few more years and his numbers remain solid, he will make the Hall of Fame and then he will pass Andre Tippett as the best Iowa player to play in the league.
I doubt Dallas makes the HOF. While his numbers are better than some other HOF TE's from the 60's and 70's (before the explosion of the passing game), he is not the best TE of his era. Not by a long shot. Antoinio Gates was drafted the same season as Dallas, and his numbers just crush Dallas'. Jason Whitten has more receiving yards, but fewer touchdowns, and joins Dallas firmly in the NFL's second division of tight ends.
Also, keep in mind that TE is a position represested very scarecely in the HOF. There are something like 6 of the 250 or so members of the HOF that are TEs. Then, remember that Shannon Sharpe, and Tony Gonzalez are locks to go in in the future...and Dallas would have to gain 6,000 more yards to catch up to those two. I don't see him doing it.
I think you can make an argument for Dallas Clark to be the best TE over the last 3 years..
I think you can make an argument for Dallas Clark to be the best TE over the last 3 years.
He has 21 more receptions and 2 more TD's than Gates over that time while having about 300 yards less receiving. He also leads gates in one very important category... Super Bowl rings. He has one, and he's an odds on favorite to pick up another. Super Bowl rings are the ultimate trump card when it comes to getting into the Pro Football HOF.
You could say the same for Marv Cook between 1990-1992. But he is not in the Hall...Dallas' stats for his career dwarf Marv's.
Dallas is certain the best former Iowa TE to every play in the pros, and one of the Top 10 best at any position...and he has some years left.
that being said, he has been in the league 7 years...and has caught 255 passes the last three seasons...to expect him to be able to play at this level for much longer than two or three more years is probably a reach...
I think you can make an argument for Dallas Clark to be the best TE over the last 3 years.
He has 21 more receptions and 2 more TD's than Gates over that time while having about 300 yards less receiving. He also leads gates in one very important category... Super Bowl rings. He has one, and he's an odds on favorite to pick up another. Super Bowl rings are the ultimate trump card when it comes to getting into the Pro Football HOF.
Interesting take. Gates did have 21 less catches this year than Clark but more yards (1,157 compared to 1,106). Also, Gates is actually younger than Clark. However, I know Clark has been injured more so he may be able to play longer.I agree with Duff here plus I think Gates may be done. As much as Clark misses time, it looks to me like Gates may never recover from that turf toe injury. He doesn't seem to be the same player he was before. I agree with Jon's sentiment that Clark's Window for productivity is probably only 2-3 more seasons. If he were to get 2 more rings it is certainly possible he could get HOF consideration but if Shannon Sharpe didn't make it(yet) in I think its unlikely Dallas will.