Missing in Action – Part 2

Posted on by

May 30, 2023

By Noonefromtampa

In part 2 of my series on Washington players that I think deserve to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but will probably not make it. This week it is Joe Jacoby. This has become sort of an annual column here on The Hog Sty (Last Year’s column on Joe Jacoby).

Joe Jacoby was a key member of the Washington Redskins Super Bowl teams in the 1980s and 1990s.  His beginning with the team was inauspicious though, as an undrafted free agent found by then scout Charley Casserly, with head coach Joe Gibbs thinking he was a defensive tackle. Under offensive line coach Joe Bugel, Jacoby ended up starting 13 games of his rookie season. Jacoby was the start of the trend of 300-pound offensive linemen. In his 13 seasons, he played at left tackle for 8 years and 5 years at right tackle. He was a key member of the offensive line nicknamed “The Hogs”. The famous “counter trey” play was a tribute to Jacoby’s athleticism, as he was able to pull and become a lead blocker for John Riggins. Need a tough yard on fourth and 1 in a Super Bowl? Run behind Jacoby. Riggins did and scored a game clinching touchdown on the legendary “70 Chip” play. Ask some of the best defensive players from the time like Harvey Martin, Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor who was one of the toughest players they faced; more than likely the answer was Joe Jacoby.

Comparisons

Statistics are not as simple for offensive linemen as they are for offensive skills players or defensive players. They are more subjective, and I’m sure cause more debate in the Hall of Fame selection process. The Hall of Fame has an All 1980s Team, who are the best players of the decade. There are four tackles on it, Anthony Munoz, Jimbo Covert, Gary Zimmerman, and Joe Jacoby. Three of them are in the Hall of Fame and one is not.

Basics

Player Height Weight Years Active Seasons Games Played Games Started
Anthony Munoz 6-6 278 1980-1992 13 185 184
Jimbo Covert 6-4 277 1983-1990 8 111 110
Gary Zimmerman 6-6 294 1986-1997 12 184 184
Joe Jacoby 6-7 305 1981-1993 13 170 148

Jacoby’s biggest knock here is that he lost games due to injuries and late in his career he was more of a situational player, so his ratio of games started to games played is lower than the comparable players.

Honors

Player Pro Bowl All-Pro SB Champion HOF All 1980’s Team Hall of Fame
Anthony Munoz 11 9 0 Yes Yes
Jimbo Covert 2 2 1 Yes Yes
Gary Zimmerman 7 3 1 Yes Yes
Joe Jacoby 4 2 3 Yes No

Jacoby compares very favorably to Covert with a longer career and more Super Bowl Championships.

Conclusions

Of all the players who were part of The Hogs over the years, only Russ Grimm was selected to the Hall of Fame. For one of the NFL most dominant offensive lines for over a decade, this is a great injustice.  The other offensive linemen that were part of the Hogs over the years included:

If you look at the player elected to the Hall of Fame from the Joe Gibbs Super Bowl era, you will find four names:

That 11-year era of 1982-1992 produced 8 playoff teams, 4 NFC championships and 3 Super Bowl championships, along with a 116-52 record with a winning percentage of 69%.

Essentially, voter bias is the only thing keeping Joe Jacoby out of the Hall of Fame. The Redskins teams of that era never got the media attention or accolades that the 49ers, Cowboys or Giants received. It showed in how long it took for Monk and Grimm to be elected after they retired. Jacoby is only eligible through the Senior selection process now, so his chances of ever making it to the Hall of Fame in his lifetime are slim.

Sources: www.pro-football-reference.com