Tony Boselli finally got the knock on the door that he’s been waiting for to be told he’s headed to Canton, and he will now become the first Jacksonville Jaguar enshrined in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame. The best part about the experience is that his good friend and current Hall-of-Famer Anthony Muñoz was the one to tell him, after long admiring his game.
Heading forward, it appears the NFL will follow this trend of letting current Hall-of-Famers make the announcement to the members of the latest classes. That means Boselli could have the opportunity to induct another Jaguar, which is a moment that would obviously be huge for the Jags’ first-ever draft pick.
In a recent episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Boselli was asked who exactly he would like to have the privilege of breaking the news to, and unsurprisingly, he went with a man he blocked for in Fred Taylor.
“You know, I’m going to bring up a guy who was a semi-finalist this year, he has yet to be a finalist in Fred Taylor,” said Boselli. “I think Fred Taylor is probably one of the most under appreciated running backs in his era. He has over 12,000 yards and he averaged 4.6 yards a carry. He gets knocked because he didn’t make All-Pro and there isn’t a big number of Pro Bowls [for him], but if you go ask anyone who played with him or anyone who played against him, there is not a more dangerous back. His stats back it up.
“Sometimes in small markets don’t get recognized. I mean, if a guy like that would’ve played in Dallas or New York in the big market with the numbers he put up and the way he played [he’d be in], he was a superstar. I saw it first hand and got to block for him. He’s a guy I think needs to get recognized and it would be pretty cool if I get to do that.”
It does indeed look like Taylor, who was Boselli’s former teammate for many years, has the best chance of any Jaguar to get in and the next hurdle will be to enter the finalist round. He has been named a semifinalist for three straight seasons, so his time to at least take the next step could come as soon as next year.
Taylor’s 11,695 career rushing yards total is currently good for 17th on the NFL’s all-time rushers list. The next three rushers who are respectively in front of him in Thurman Thomas (12,074), Franco Harris (12,120), and Marcus Allen (12,243), all are in the Hall-of-Fame, which may could be a good sign for Taylor.
Of course, a strong case could also be made for former receiver and teammate of both aforementioned Jags, Jimmy Smith, to get in the Hall-of-Fame, too. With 12,785 receiving yards to his name, he’s currently 25th on the all-time list. Despite such accolades, he has yet to make the semifinalists round of the Hall-of-Fame ballot, but more fans, players, and analysts have come out to vouch for him over the last few years.
