ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Congratulations to former longtime Washington Redskins General Manager Bobby Beathard on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (LOVERRO: “Jacoby snub is proof Hall of Fame system doesn’t work,” Web, Feb. 5). My parents used to joke that the difference between Mr. Beathard and his predecessor, “Over-the-Hill Gang” architect George Allen, was that Mr. Beathard was determined to bring in “young blood,” whereas Mr. Allen would rather trade multiple number-one draft picks for veteran defensive end Jack Youngblood. Mr. Beathard was a brilliant evaluator of talent who helped build the Redskins teams that won Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI.
At the same time, the Hall of Fame’s failure to elect legendary offensive lineman Joe Jacoby — a two-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, 1980s NFL All-Decade team member and three-time world champion — is a reminder that there are many deserving Redskins greats who have yet to be honored. Mark Moseley, Joe Theismann, Pat Fischer, Larry Brown, Dave Butz, Charles Mann, Brig Owens, Coy Bacon, Diron Talbert and Gary Clark are all unquestionably deserving of enshrinement, and one can make a strong case for many more as well.
STEPHEN A. SILVER
San Francisco
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