We've had this thought stewing around for a few days. And then the other day, Stu reminded us of it. That's a lot of stew/Stu, so maybe it's finally time to address it: we can see how maybe, just maybe, in a year with Jerry Rice becoming eligible, football Hall of Fame voters didn't want to let any more wide receivers gain election. It's kind of silly (and even a little counterintuitive considering QBs Troy Aikman and Warren Moon were enshrined in 2006, as were Steve Young and Dan Marino in 2005). But if they really wanted Rice to stand on his own and not share the spotlight with another WR, then we can at least understand it.

But how, in the name of all that is pure and good, does former Vikings WR Cris Carter not even survive the cut down from 15 to 10?

Let's do a quick number check: When he retired, Carter was second all-time in receptions. He's still number 3. He caught 1,101 passes. Seriously. He had eight consecutive 1,000 yard seasons and five consecutive seasons with at least 10 TD passes. He had two seasons where he caught exactly 122 passes, which is even more impressive considering many of those weren't just the extended handoffs of the 2009 dink-and-dunk attacks. (Yes, he caught his share of shorties, but we don't remember an over-abundance of cheapies). He was not Jerry Rice. But he was next. He made unbelievable catches and had the best hands of anyone we've watched play.

Just as important as the numbers, though, is the sniff test. That might sound crazy, but with any Hall of Fame, there's a gut reaction and it's valuable. Does this guy belong? To us, it's clear Carter does. If he's being held back because he might have rubbed some people the wrong way, that's human nature but it's also kind of sad.

John Randle busted through this year. Maybe it's just a matter of time until Carter also gets in. But to us, after three years of eligibility and zero breakthroughs, he's overdue already.