Former Bear Richard Dent deserves to be in Hall of Fame
Defensive end a force against both run and pass for '85 Bears
Dan Pompei
9:42 PM CST, January 29, 2009
We have been down this road a time or five with Richard Dent.
He was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, '05, '07 and '08. Dent will have another chance to make the Hall — a good chance — on Saturday, but only if the 44 members on the board of selectors (of which I am one) can see him for what he was.
The competition, as always, is formidable. The expectation is defensive end Bruce Smith and safety Rod Woodson will be inducted in their first time on the ballot. Tight end Shannon Sharpe and defensive tackle John Randle, two other first-timers, also will receive strong consideration.
There is a good possibility a guard will be inducted, either Randall McDaniel, Russ Grimm or Bob Kuechenberg.
Receiver Cris Carter could get in.
There will be support for former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Bills owner Ralph Wilson.
Only five can get in, not including senior candidates Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey.
Some are saying it will come down to Dent or linebacker Derrick Thomas, another fine pass rusher who played for the Chiefs.
You know all about Dent's sacks, but before he turns into Ron Santo in shoulder pads, there are some other things people need to understand.
Dent was a lot more than a complementary player to Hall of Fame teammate Dan Hampton.
In fact, when Dent arrived in 1984, "he made my job so much easier," Hampton acknowledged.
This is not to detract from Hampton, who was the heart of the greatest defense ever, but Hampton's won-lost record without Dent was 28-33, a winning percentage of .459. His record in games with Dent was 75-21, a winning percentage of .781.
What the records say is both players were vital. When Dent arrived, he completed the Bears' defense. He gave it a playmaker.
"All the great defenses have a wrecker and a catcher," Hampton said. "I was the wrecker. Richard was the catcher. In the New York Giant playoff game in 1985, I wasn't credited with one tackle, but Richard had 31/2 sacks. Richard was the best catcher in the business. Two Hamptons would not have been as good as one Hampton and one Dent."
Dent's production compares with anyone's.
Between 1984 and 1993, Dent's peak seasons, he had 1211/2 sacks. That's more than Lawrence Taylor, who had 117, or Bruce Smith, who had 106. The only player who had more over that period was Hall of Famer Reggie White, who had 137.
Dent was a turnover machine.
He had eight interceptions before the zone blitz became popular and defensive linemen were asked to drop in coverage. He set the record (tied by Chris Doleman) for most interceptions by a defensive lineman in the Super Bowl era.
Dent also had 58 passes defended, 37 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries.
Dent was a big-game player who came through in the clutch.
The Bears would not have won Super Bowl XX if not for Dent. And they probably would have won the Super Bowl in 1989 if Dent hadn't been hurt.
Dent took over the 1985 playoffs, which culminated with him being named most valuable player of Super Bowl XX. In 10 postseason games, he had 101/2 career sacks and recovered four fumbles.
By comparison, Bruce Smith had 141/2 postseason sacks, but he played in twice the number of playoff games Dent did.
Unlike many great pass rushers, Dent was also a force against the run.
A complete defensive end, Dent helped the Bears lead the league in run defense four times and finish second another time. Over the 10 prime years of Dent's career, the Bears allowed an average of 98.3 rushing yards per game, lowest in the NFL.
"Some people had speed only, some had strength only," said former Vikings left tackle Gary Zimmerman, who was inducted into the Hall last year. "Richard had both. He also played the run, whereas a lot of other big-name pass rushers did not. He was durable. He always played. He was a tough guy."
Dent changed offensive game plans.
Numerous offensive coaches and players have told me they had to alter their protection schemes to account for Dent.
"You didn't want to have any tackle trying to block him one on one on a deep pattern," former Vikings coach Jerry Burns said. "He had great pursuit, so on any wide play you had to make an adjustment to contain him."
If the Hall of Fame were just another backfield, Dent would have found a way to be in it long ago. It will take an incredible blocking scheme to keep him out again this time.
dpompei@tribune.com