Former Eagles player surprisingly named Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee

Steve Smith is one of the 108 nominees for the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

No, not the one who played for the Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens. That one isn’t eligible to be in the Hall of Fame yet since players/coaches are required to be out of the league five years before receiving eligibility. Steve Smith Sr., as he’s called, retired after the 2016 season.

That’s right, the other Steve Smith has been nominated for the Hall of Fame. The one that mostly played for the New York Giants but also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams.

Here’s the thing ... why?

Just look at his career stats via Pro Football Reference.

That’s ... that’s clearly just not a Hall of Fame player.

It sounds like Smith may have been nominated due to fan voting.

But even then, why?

My lasting memory of Steve Smith is that play in the Eagles-Cardinals game in 2011 when he had a chance to get a crucial first down conversion but got scared of contact and stopped short. He stopped short! I’ll never forget Tommy Lawlor calling him “stev smit” from then on.

In hindsight, that play was pretty devastating because if the Eagles win that game, they go to the playoffs that year. They probably wouldn’t have made much noise, but they would have prevented the Giants from getting in. Of course, New York went on one of the most unlikely and luckiest Super Bowl runs the world has ever seen that season.

Smith is really a player who I don’t want to be reminded of that he was he an Eagle. I feel guilty for even referring to him that way. I’m sure most of you feel the same way, so I apologize in advance. I just couldn’t help but share the news that he was named a Hall of Fame nominee and talk about how ridiculous that is.

I’d say he’s more fit for the Hall of ... Lame.

(ensue booing)

On a more serious note, sensible former Eagles candidates who were nominated again this year include: Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, Eric Allen, Brian Dawkins, Ricky Watters, Brian Mitchell, Dick Vermeil.

Related reading: Hall of Famer voter explains the chances of Brian Dawkins (and Terrell Owens) getting voted in