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Cincinnati Bengals legend Ken Riley should’ve had a chance to don his jacket at the Hall of Fame.
A prestigious 15-year career included 65 interceptions and three All-Pro bids after changing positions under the guidance of Paul Brown. The interceptions count stands as the fifth-highest mark ever at a time when the NFL wasn’t even playing 16-game seasons.
And yet…no trip to Canton. Worse players are enshrined, to be blunt. The argument for Riley in the Hall of Fame isn’t a tough one.
But it sure doesn’t hurt to hear fellow Bengals great and PFF heavyweight Cris Collinsworth make the case in simple terms, via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“I don’t know how you put a number on intelligence. And I don’t know how many touchdowns he saved the Bengals because he knew what was coming. But how many times in your life have you been told that football games are decided by the turnover margin? And here’s one of the greatest to ever do it.”
How would Riley grade at PFF now? Collinsworth has an idea:
“He would have killed it. No doubt in my mind. He would be one of those guys like Chris Harris for us. They’re different players, but they’re the kind of guys nobody knows about until someone starts keeping score and now (Harris) is one of the highest-paid defensive backs. Until someone started to watch and grade and would see the positive impact with so few negative plays and then you start to look at that number and that’s when you know you have the Richard Shermans of the world.”
A sixth-round pick converted to cornerback played 15 years, finishing his goodbye season with a third and final All-Pro selection before shifting into a coaching role.
Collinsworth’s comments plus the context paint a pretty clear picture — Riley was rare, both on the football field and otherwise, and should be enshrined. He should also be in a Bengals Ring of Honor — something the Bengals need to do right now.
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