jobberone;1509549 said:
I cannot fathom this one. Other than a lack of inertia there is no good reason for Hayes to not be in the HOF. It is a travesty.
If you think long bomb and speed then Hayes has to be one of your first thoughts.
When you say Hayes I think of zone defense and him being the reason for the zone. CB could not keep up with Hayes in man coverage so defenses resorted to a zone coverage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hayes
At the end of that same year, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, playing as a wide receiver. His first two seasons were most successful, during which he led the NFL both times in receiving touchdowns. In 1966 when the Cowboys played at Washington, Hayes caught 9 passes for 246 yards.
Earlier that same season he caught 6 passes for 195 yards against the Giants at the Cotton Bowl. Hayes' speed forced other teams to develop the zone defense since no single player could keep up with him. By spreading the defense out in order to contain Hayes, it allowed the Cowboys running game, with players like Don Perkins, Calvin Hill, Walt Garrison and Duane Thomas to flourish. Hayes returned punts for the Cowboys and was the NFL's leading punt returner in 1968 with a 20.8 yards per return average and 2 touchdowns including a 90 yarder against Pittsburgh. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times and All Pro four times. He helped Dallas win 5 Eastern Conference titles, 2 NFC titles, played in two Super Bowls, and was instrumental in Dallas' first ever Super Bowl victory in 1971, making Hayes the only person so far to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. Later in his career, as defenses improved playing zone and "bump and run coverage" was developed, Hayes' value as a decoy diminished. Hayes played one season for the San Francisco 49ers before retiring.
Hayes was the first player in the history of the Dallas franchise to surpass 1000 yards receiving in a single season, and he did that in his rookie year by finishing with 1,003 yards. Also during his rookie year, he lead the team with 46 receptions and set franchise records for total touchdowns (13) and total receiving TDs (12). He finished his 11-year career with 371 receptions for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns, giving him an impressive 20 yards per catch average. (Both career TDs and yds per catch average remain franchise records.) He also rushed for 68 yards, gained 581 yards on 23 kickoff returns, and returned 104 punts for 1,158 yards and 3 touchdowns. To this day, Hayes holds 10 regular-season receiving records, four punt return records and 22 overall franchise marks, making him one of the greatest receivers to ever play for the Dallas Cowboys.
