Every year new football greats get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but will Buffalo Bills great Steve Tasker ever get his turn?
When you think of the Buffalo Bills and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, certain names obviously come to mind.
Names like the great Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Marv Levy and Bill Polian are just a few that represent the Bills in Canton. But someone who should be alongside those legends is arguably the greatest special teams player of all time, and that is Steve Tasker.
Tasker was the definition of what a special teams player should be. When Tasker was on the field he was everywhere, blocking kicks, returning kicks, making tackles, forcing fumbles and even seeing some time as a wide receiver every once in a while. Tasker hauled in 51 catches for 779 receiving yards and had a total of nine touchdowns over his fourteen-year career.
Some look at Tasker as just a special teams player. He was special alright, as he appeared in seven Pro Bowls and in 1993 Tasker won MVP of the Pro Bowl. He is still the only special teams player to ever win MVP of the Pro Bowl.
There are some who believe that the thought of having a special teams player inducted into the Hall of Fame would be an embarrassment to the sport, because the Hall of Fame includes some of the greatest players to ever play the sport.
Tasker is certainly the greatest special teams player of all time but others believe that if one is on special teams, there’s certainly a reason, such as that player can’t start on offense and they can’t start on defense. Tasker was different.
Many argue that special teams isn’t even a part of the game of football. But, special teams make up for one-third of the game. Since its opening in 1963, only four kickers have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and only one punter.
Tasker has seen his name on the preliminary list since 2003 and has made the top 25 six times. The first time where Tasker saw his name on the list was in 2004, then he saw it in 2008-10 and again in 2012-2013.
Hopefully soon, Bills fans will be watching Tasker surrounded by his legendary teammates like Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas and James Lofton as he puts on that luxurious golden jacket.