Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor has never been one to shy away from talking about his greatness. After all, this is the guy who said he was better than Le’Veon Bell while Bell was in the middle of a 170-yard rushing performance in the playoffs.
So it should come as no surprise that when he feels slighted, Taylor will tell anyone who will listen why he was one of the greatest to play the game.
Taylor wasn’t nominated in his first year of eligibility in 2016 or last year either. So, naturally, the 17th all-time leading rusher in NFL history took to Twitter because why not?
I earned respect on the field. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) July 11, 2017
Not just backs that have come and gone in NFL HISTORY...but better than majority of the backs in the HOF...
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) July 11, 2017
Don't tell me anything about eras. AFC had top defenses in my division alone (Ravens, Steelers, Titans) to name a few. That's twice a year
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) July 11, 2017
I was once asked a rhetorical question like "do you want to be nominated" ummm, I bust my ass for 13 years! Figure it out lol
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) July 11, 2017
I think you're on to something https://t.co/EgQUmkfTSH
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) July 11, 2017
That last point probably has a lot of truth in it. Taylor played in the smallest NFL market and despite finishing with more yards than all but 16 running backs ever, he hasn’t even earned a nomination. As Pro Football Talk pointed out, there are still three players ranked ahead of him in rushing yards who are not in the Hall of Fame, and two of those — Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson — are still playing. Edgerrin James is the third and he’s had three years of eligibility.